There are estimated to have been 5,000 wells drilled in Marlborough over the past century or so since European settlement. Most of these are located on the Wairau Plain.
If the average depth of a well is 20 metres, then laid end to end this adds up to a total distance of 100 kilometres of drilling.
All wells, whether successful or abandoned, tell us something about the geology and abundance of groundwater beneath our feet. For example the map below shows that the deepest wells, and consequently aquifers, underlie the Southern Valleys and Lower Wairau Plain areas.
Shallower aquifers exist beneath the northern and central Wairau Plain, and can be reached by wells generally less than 20 metres in depth.
Without wells we would know little about the nature of our precious underground freshwater resources.
