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Report on Waikato ground-surface water depletion assessment

TR 2010/28
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Report: TR 2010/28
Author: Pattle Delamore Partners Ltd

Abstract

As part of the Waikato Regional Plan process, Waikato Regional Council engaged Pattle Delamore Partners (PDP) to assess the potential effects of groundwater abstractions on surface waterways and to identify criteria through which groundwater abstractions can be classified regarding their potential effects on surface waterways.

This report was prepared by PDP to present the results of that assessment.  It presents the following information:

  • a conceptual description of the way in which groundwater abstractions affect surface waterways (Section 2)
  •  the parameters that influence the magnitude of surface water depletion effects (Section 3)
  •  methods to quantify the effect of groundwater pumping on surface waterways (Section 4)
  •  application of those methods using typical parameters for the Waikato region (Section 5)
  •  criteria to determine when the effects are significant (Section 6).

Note: an updated version of this report is now available - Technical Report 2012/39

Report on Waikato ground-surface water depletion assessment [PDF, 498 KB]

Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 Effects of groundwater abstraction on surface waterways 1
2.1 Interaction between groundwater and surface water 1
2.2 Groundwater abstraction effects 4
3 Paramaters which influence the magnitude of surface water depletion effects 6
4 Methods to quantify the effect of groundwater pumping on surface waterways 17
5 Application of surface water depletion calculations to the Waikato 21
6 Management of surface water depletion effects 28
7 Conclusion 30