Investigation Into the Wakatipu Basin Aquifers July 2014
Investigation into the Wakatipu Basin Aquifers July 2014 Otago Regional Council Private Bag 1954, Dunedin 9054 70 Stafford Street, Dunedin 9016 Phone 03 474 0827 Fax 03 479 0015 Freephone 0800 474 082 www.orc.govt.nz © Copyright for this publication is held by the Otago Regional Council. This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, provided the source is fully and clearly acknowledged. ISBN 978-0-478-37673-9 Report writer: Jens Rekker, Resource Scientist Reviewed by: John Threlfall, Director of Environmental Science & Information Published July 2014 Investigation into the Wakatipu Basin Aquifers i Overview Background The Otago Region Council (ORC) is responsible for managing Otago’s water resources on behalf of the Crown and the community. The basin investigations that ORC conducts from time to time for the 20-plus groundwater areas around Otago are important building blocks in delivering informed water resource management. In recognition of population increase and land-use change in the Wakatipu Basin in the last 20 years, ORC saw the need for a fresh groundwater-resource investigation into its aquifers, including the Shotover floodplain and Frankton Terrace. Why is allocation of groundwater necessary? Compared to surface water, groundwater resources are not visible. Instances of the over- exploitation of groundwater elsewhere have caught communities by surprise, partly due to this lack of visibility. Signs of over-exploitation are hard to spot and occur gradually, often over decades. Placing a limit on the amount of groundwater that can be taken in any particular year, and implementing other controls, helps to prevent the resource from being outstripped.
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