Groundwater is rainwater that has travelled through the soil to underground aquifers. Aquifers are areas of fractured rocks or porous sediments such as sand and gravel.
Groundwater makes up about 90 percent of the Waikato region’s fresh water resource. Wells are drilled to pump groundwater from aquifers, and we use it for drinking, in industry, agriculture and horticulture. Waikato Regional Council regularly monitors and reports on the quality and availability of our region's groundwater.