Groundwater Resources Assessment
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Assessing vulnerability and adaptation to sea-level rise: Lifuka Island Ha’apai, Tonga B 1: Physical resources 1.1: Shoreline assessment CONTACT DETAILS Secretariat of the Pacific Community SPC Headquarters SPC Suva Regional Office SPC Pohnpei Regional Office SPC Solomon Islands BP D5, Private Mail Bag, PO Box Q, Country Office 98848 Noumea Cedex, Suva, Kolonia, Pohnpei, 96941 FM, PO Box 1468 New Caledonia Fiji, Federated States of Honiara, Solomon Islands Telephone: +687 26 20 00 Telephone: +679 337 0733 Micronesia Telephone: + 677 25543 Fax: +687 26 38 18 Fax: +679 337 0021 Telephone: +691 3207 523 +677 25574 Fax: +691 3202 725 Fax: +677 25547 Email: [email protected] Website: www.spc.int Assessing vulnerability and adaptation to sea-level rise: Lifuka Island Ha’apai, Tonga B 1: Physical resources 1.2: Groundwater resources assessment Peter Sinclair, Amit Singh, Quddus Fielea, Kate Hyland, A‘pai Moala Secretariat of the Pacific Community Suva, Fiji 2014 © Copyright Secretariat of the Pacific Community 2014 All rights for commercial / for profit reproduction or translation, in any form, reserved. SPC authorises the partial reproduction or translation of this material for scientific, educational or research purposes, provided that SPC and the source document are properly acknowledged. Permission to reproduce the document and/ or translate in whole, in any form, whether for commercial / for profit or non-profit purposes, must be requested in writing. Original SPC artwork may not be altered or separately published without permission. Original text: English Secretariat of the Pacific Community Cataloguing-in-publication data Sinclair, Peter J. B 1: Physical resources 1.2: Groundwater resources assessment / Peter Sinclair, Amit Singh, Quddus Fielea, Kate Hyland, A‘pai Moala (Assessing vulnerability and adaptation to sea-level rise: Lifuka Island, Ha’apai, Tonga / Secretariat of the Pacific Community) 1. Sea level — Climatic factors — Tonga. 2. Climatic changes — Social aspects — Tonga. 3. Lifuka Island (Tonga) — Social conditions. I. Sinclair, Peter J. II. Singh, Amit III. Fielea, Quddus IV. Hyland, Kate V. Moala A’pai VI. Title VII. Secretariat of the Pacific Community VIII. Series 363.738 740 996 12 AACR2 ISBN: 978-982-00-0743-7 DISCLAIMER While care has been taken in the collection, analysis, and compilation of the data, they are supplied on the condition that the Secretariat of the Pacific Community shall not be liable for any loss or injury whatsoever arising from the use of the data. ImpORTANT NOTice This work and report were made possible with the financial support provided by the Government of Australia under the Pacific Adaptation Strategy Assistance Program. Secretariat of the Pacific Community Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC) Private Mail Bag GPO Suva Fiji Islands Telephone: (679) 338 1377 Fax: (679) 337 0040 www.spc.int www.sopac.org Design and layout: SPC Publications Section, Noumea, New Caledonia ii B 1: Physical resources 1.2: Groundwater resources assessment Contents List of technical report titles for the project: ............................................................................................. iv Abbreviations and symbols .......................................................................................................................... 1 Measurements ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive summary ....................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction and background ................................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Pacific Adaptation Strategy Assistance Program ...................................................................... 5 1.2 National context .......................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Geological setting ....................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Climate ........................................................................................................................................ 9 1.5 Water supply infrastructure ...................................................................................................... 11 1.6 Climate change scenarios predicted for Tonga ....................................................................... 14 1.7 Previous investigations ............................................................................................................. 15 2. Field Investigations ................................................................................................................................ 18 2.1 Objective ................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2 Investigation approach ............................................................................................................. 18 2.3 Geology – Lifuka ........................................................................................................................ 19 2.4 Hydrogeology - Lifuka ............................................................................................................... 26 2.5 Electro Magnetic Survey Investigations – EM34 ..................................................................... 27 2.6 Electrical resistivity profiling investigations ............................................................................ 34 2.7 Borehole monitoring salinity and water level measurements ............................................... 41 2.8 Water level and salinity loggers ................................................................................................ 58 2.9 Freshwater lens thickness summary ........................................................................................ 62 2.10 Seawater inundation impacts .................................................................................................. 65 3. Groundwater Quality and Protection ................................................................................................... 67 3.1 Threats and risks to groundwater quality................................................................................ 67 3.2 Management and mitigation options ....................................................................................... 67 4. Adaptation Options for Improved Water Security ................................................................................ 70 4.1 Rainwater harvesting improvements ....................................................................................... 70 4.2 Reduce leakage in TWB piped system...................................................................................... 71 4.3 Management of abstraction by salinity ................................................................................... 72 4.4 Improved monitoring ................................................................................................................ 72 5. Summary of the Findings and Recommendations ............................................................................... 73 5.1 Findings ..................................................................................................................................... 73 5.2 Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 73 6. References ............................................................................................................................................... 75 Annexes ....................................................................................................................................................... 79 Assessing vulnerability and adaptation to sea-level rise: Lifuka Island Ha’apai, Tonga iii List of technical report titles for the project: Assessing vulnerability and adaptation to sea-level rise: Lifuka Island, Ha’apai, Tonga The Australian Government’s Pacific Adaptation Strategy Assistance Program (PASAP) aims to assist the development of evidence-based adaptation strategies to inform robust long-term national planning and decision-making in partner countries. The primary objective of PASAP is: ‘to enhance the capacity of partner countries to assess key vulnerabilities and risks, formulate adaptation strategies and plans and mainstream adaptation into decision making’ (PASAP, 2011). A major output of PASAP is: ‘country-led vulnerability assessment and adaptive strategies informed by best practice methods and improved knowledge’. The Lifuka project was developed in conjunction with the Government of Tonga Ministry for Lands, Survey, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (MLSNRECC), PASAP and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) to develop an evidenced-based strategy for adapting to sea-level rise in Lifuka Island. Rising oceans, changing lives: Final report is the overview report in a series of technical reports that have been written for the project on Lifuka Island. Accordingly the section titles in the final report correspond