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Marlborough region

Groundwater Zone: Linkwater

The Linkwater Aquifer is thought to be hosted by alluvium up to 100 metres deep and is recharged by rainfall or leakage from local streams. The Linkwater Aquifer is unique among the Marlborough Sounds catchments with two seawater coastal boundaries and no perennially flowing river. 

The alluvium is made up of  sand, silt or clay-bound gravel eroded from local hills which sit on a schist base layer. The variable geology and a lack of well sorted gravel deposits means there is unlikely to be a broad high-yielding aquifer.  However there is still significant groundwater - well logs show that water-bearing layers can occur at any depth and their location is unpredictable.

Well depths vary from less than 10 metres to 77 metres below the surface. Well yields also vary from high to low, reflecting the variable geology of the alluvium and seasonal fluctuations in aquifer recharge. For example, shallow wells fall during summer as the streams that recharge the aquifer dry up.

Water Use
Groundwater in this zone

Regional councils collect information about how much water is available and manage resource consents for those wishing to take water from groundwater supplies. Use the buttons below to view regional information on: how much water is available, where it comes from and how its used.

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Groundwater available: {{waterSource.availableToAllocate}} Irrigation
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Industrial
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Stock
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Hydroelectrical
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Town supply
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  • Groundwater in this zone
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    Groundwater in this zone

    Accurately estimating the total amount of water available in a groundwater management zone is not currently possible. Regional Councils are working with the Ministry for the Environment on the best way to calculate this figure. We will include these figures on LAWA when they become available. In the meantime, for more information about a particular groundwater management zone, contact your regional council.

  • Water consents: How much water is consented and used?

    Groundwater available to consent

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    Consented water in this groundwater zone

    Use the tables below to look at how much water is available compared with how much is actually consented within this water management zone. Click the plus to expand subzones where available

    {{item.zoneId}}
    Comparing consents and use
    Amount available to consent In this groundwater management zone:
    {{item.data.totalAvailableAmount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}}
    available to consent
    Amount consented
    measured and non measured
    Amount used (measured)
    Amount Units Consented or used as a percentage of available
    Total available to consent {{item.data.totalAvailableAmount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableAmount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}}
    Total consented {{item.data.totalConsented.amount}} {{item.data.totalConsented.amount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}} {{item.data.totalConsented.percentText}}
    Total consented and measured {{item.data.totalMeasured.amount}} {{item.data.totalMeasured.amount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}} {{item.data.totalMeasured.percentText}}
    Total measured amount used {{item.data.totalAmountUsed.amount}} {{item.data.totalAvailableUnits}} {{item.data.totalAmountUsed.percentText}}
    Total measured volume used {{item.data.totalAnnualVolumeUsed}} {{item.data.totalAnnualVolumeUnits}}

    The table above shows the amount of water that is available for use compared to the amount that has been consented. The �Total Consented� and �Total Consented and Measured� fields are based on percentages of the �Total available to Consent� field. If this field is not populated no data will be displayed. Some consents require actual use to be monitored and this is presented as 'Total measured volume Used' where available.

    Values for water availability in this zone have not yet been provided. Marlborough District Council will be notifying a new Regional Plan later this year that will contain proposed allocation limits.  When this Plan is notified the proposed limits will be used to update the empty fields

  • Water consents: How is consented water used?

    Consents by use in this groundwater zone

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    Consented water in this zone

    Overall annual volume for {{waterAvailable.year}}
    Relative breakdown
    Activity Percentage of total consented Total volume Number of consents
    {{item.displayText}} {{item.displayText}} - - No data available {{item.breakdownPercentage}}% {{item.totalVolume}} m3 {{item.numberOfConsents}}
    Total {{waterUsage.total.percentageConsented}}% {{waterUsage.total.totalVolume}} m3 {{waterUsage.total.numberOfConsents}}

    The above table shows the proportion of water consented for irrigation, industrial, stock, town supply and other. It excludes hydro electricity. In this region/management zone {{hydroUsage.totalVolume}} m3/year is consented for hydro-electricity and makes up {{hydroUsage.percentageConsented}}% of the total water volume consented for this region/management zone

    It excludes stock water as the taking of stock water in Marlborough is a permitted activity and a resource consent is not required or issued for this activity.

    The town supply activity total includes council operated schemes in both urban and rural settings as well as private communal rural schemes.

Sites

Monitored sites in this Zone

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