Invercargill’s main swimming complex, Splash Palace, has recorded more faecal contamination incidents in 2025 than in the entire previous year — and there are still two months to go.
As of 31 October, there had been 30 incidents of what staff refer to as "code browns", resulting in 58.5 hours of unscheduled pool closures. In comparison, 2024 saw 28 similar events causing 59.4 hours of lost pool time.
Council manager of aquatic services Stephen Cook said the leisure pool was the most frequently affected. “Following a faecal contamination incident, our staff work quickly and professionally to address the issue,” he said.
When these incidents happen, the process is thorough. “Standard procedures included closing the affected pool, cleaning up the material and super-chlorinating the water,” Cook explained. He added that the pool may remain closed for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 12 hours depending on the severity of the contamination.
“Further water testing is conducted before the affected pool is reopened to the public.”
The growing issue was raised at a recent Invercargill City Council meeting. Manager Rhiannon Suter confirmed unplanned pool closures continued to affect aquatic operations. “The closures often related to ‘code browns’,” she said, though equipment failures had also caused recent problems.
Invercargill has been in the national spotlight over this unusual issue before. In 2015, whatsoninvers.nz reported a streak of incidents where the same problem occurred on six consecutive Friday nights at Splash Palace.
While staff act swiftly to restore pool safety, the increasing number of incidents has become a concern and continues to interrupt regular operations for swimmers and pool users across the city.