Wells and Geology Database
MDC have operated an electronic database of Marlborough wells since the mid 1980’s with the current version containing the details of over 7,000 wells and more being added each week. Prior to the introduction of the electronic version, the Marlborough Catchment Board kept an inventory of wells in a paper-based system.
Knowledge of where wells are located, their dimensions, lithology of the sediments they intercept and well productivity have always been of interest to regulators, well owners, consultants, crown research institutes, well drillers and the public.
Making this information available to MDC and externally is a prime role of MDC, especially for the Wairau Plain with its reliance on groundwater for drinking, crop irrigation and food processing/industrial purposes.
Known as the Wells and Geology database, it has undergone a significant upgrade recently. Features include the electronic transfer of driller well records direct to the database, checking of the quality of older well records and the introduction of an easier to use format. Shortly there will be the ability to export information from the database.
Details of geotechnical tests or holes used to be added to the database, but these are now stored in the national Geotechnical Database created by EQC to accommodate the wealth of land testing data generated following the Christchurch earthquakes.
Wells or bores are the same thing – a hole in the ground to access water or to test the quality or level of groundwater. Attached to the database are related documents for each well such as drillers logs, photos, chemistry tests and aquifer tests that reside in the MDC filing system.
Under the proposed Marlborough Environment Plan, constructing a well/bore in Marlborough district is a permitted activity in most areas if certain conditions are met. These include a minimum separation distance from human effluent disposal systems or other wells, and an electronic version of the log is provided to MDC. There are exceptions to the permitted activity class for some zones such as residential or groundwater protection areas.
The Wells and Geology database is available to the public in read only form. The database forms the basis for the wells map on the MDC website so any changes to well data are made in the database. To access the Wells and Geology database (W & G) database a new user has to register and have a password. This is a simple process and to start, click on the button below.
