Funds set aside for businesses hit by the recent boil water notice in Dunedin could be released earlier than expected.
Applications for grants to cover losses from the event close on September 29, but the former city councillor overseeing their release says they may be available sooner for urgent cases.
Some restaurants and cafes were forced to close after a boil water notice was put in place in mid August, when millions of litres of untreated water was released from the Ross Creek Reservoir.
It entered the city's drinking water network through a pipe previously thought to be decommissioned. The council shut down the flow and issued a boil water notice for the inner city and north end that lasted four days.
Council chief executive Sue Bidrose announced at the time a $100,000 discretionary grants scheme for businesses and people who had suffered hardship.
A panel would be put together to administer the scheme, chaired by former councillor Colin Weatherall.
Mr Weatherall said yesterday he had asked Dr Bidrose to consider releasing a portion of the total, perhaps $10,000, for ''urgent matters'' that could be resolved before September 29.
Mr Weatherall said he encouraged all people who planned to apply to come forward.
He was hoping the money could ''help us take care of the most urgent, small numbers''.
Those claims could be reviewed later if they needed a top-up.
''We're looking to keep it simple, but do it as prudently as possible, particularly for the smaller and more critical types of applications.''
