Reports and Special Investigations

As well as the ongoing functions of monitoring the status of the region's groundwater resources, Marlborough District Council staff are working on one-off projects related to particular issues.

Current projects include:

• The focus of Marlborough District Council investigations through to 2019 will be the hydraulic interaction between the Wairau Aquifer and the Wairau River in the recharge reach between the Waihopai River confluence and State Highway 1 at Tuamarina.
• The first priority is to quantify the recharge rate, and in particular, whether it varies in time or space. Once there is a representative set of abstraction records for different soils, the Wairau Aquifer will be modelled to provide a platform for refining the safe yield and modelling nutrient loads.
• Other areas of hydrological research and investigation by Marlborough District Council are:
  • Nutrient leaching to groundwater from land use
  • Applying science to develop policy and rules for water management

Groundwaters of Marlborough

Groundwaters of Marlborough is a book summarising what is known about Marlborough's underground water resources. Hard copies are available for purchase from Marlborough District Council's Blenheim and Picton offices, or a copy can be downloaded for free from this website.