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Wells owners - Rai/Pelorus area

Thursday 17 January 2013, 4:03PM

By Marlborough District Council

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MARLBOROUGH

Wells needed for monitoring

Well owners in the Rai-Pelorus area are needed to take part in a baseline study of the groundwater resources of the Rai-Pelorus River catchment.

The project’s purpose is to find out more about the groundwater resources in this area – its potential to be contaminated, whether it holds up catchment nutrients as runoff flows to the Sounds, and its storage capacity relative to local rivers, useful for allocation purposes.

The study area covers the Ronga, Tunakino, Brown, Rai, Opouri, Pelorus, Wakamarina River valleys or flats as far downstream as Havelock. Marlborough District Council, in conjunction with GNS Science, is sampling the chemistry and age of these waters during March/April. Your participation would involve Marlborough District Council staff sampling water from your well for laboratory analysis. You would then receive a free copy of the analysis – useful for your personal records - along with a copy of the report documenting the findings of the overall project. This report will be made publicly available in 2014.

One of the drivers for a better understanding is increasing water demand as farming in the catchment intensifies over time and the population increases, both of which can lead to more waste.

Interpretation of the chemistry will tell us how fast groundwater moves, whether deeper aquifers may exist and whether they are linked to rivers.

Of particular interest to Marlborough District Council are deeper wells, and those isolated from rivers, to see if groundwater is distinct from surfacewaters, but we welcome any offers of access to wells and details of their construction, to update the community archive. Your assistance and knowledge of how local aquifers behave will be a valuable contribution to this study, which will further our understanding of groundwater in this area, and provide information on this resource to the community.

If you are a well owner in the above areas and want to be involved, please contact Peter Davidson on 03 520 7400 or email peter.davidson@marlborough.govt.nz.