Managed Aquifer Recharge reports
Gisborne District Council reports on the managed aquifer recharge trial.
Resource consents
14 November 2016 - Granted notified resource consent | Read the media release
August 2018 - Resource consent granted to change conditions of water take and discharge of water from the Waipaoa River to the Makauri Aquifer through an injection bore for a Managed Aquifer Recharge Trial.
Variation decision and amended conditions [PDF, 2 MB]
Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) reports
June 2017 - Regional Economic Impacts of MAR Scheme [PDF, 1.2 MB]
Calculation of the cost of providing additional irrigation capability through damming in the Gisborne district. The AgriBusiness Group - March 2016 [PDF, 695 KB]
MAR - Results 2017 Injection Trial - December 2017
Results 2017 Injection Trial [PDF, 12 MB]
MAR - Initial Injection Test - June 2017
Poverty Bay MAR Initial Test Report [PDF, 4 MB]
MAR - Pilot Trial - Kaiaponi Site and Source Water Option - March 2016
Investigating the potential of using Waipaoa River water taken from a site at Kaiaponi Farms.
Kaiaponi Site and Source Water Option - March 2016 [PDF, 4.6 MB]
MAR - Pilot Trial Options Analysis - March 2016
Analysis summarising 3 different water sources and location options Council has investigated.
Pilot Trial Options Analysis - March 2016 [PDF, 768 KB]
MAR - Hydrogeology and Water Quality
This report provides information needed to support the resource consent application needed for the pilot project.
Golder Report Hydrogeology [PDF, 2.6 MB]
Te Arai River - Assessment of Ecological Impact of Proposal MAR Trial
October 2015
GDC Science Report 2/2015 [PDF, 921 KB]
MAR Feasibility Stage 1A - Conceptual Model - May 2014
This report provides the methodology being used to assess MAR for the potential targeted aquifer.
MAR Feasibility Stage 1A - Conceptual Model [PDF, 4.2 MB]
Poverty Bay MAR Feasibility Reports - August 2014
This stage 1B report documents the Golder's MAR stage 1 feasibility assessment findings and recommendations as well as the development of the Goldsim Poverty Bay Flats Groundwater Management tool (PBGMT)
MAR Feasibility and Goldsim Groundwater Management Tool, Stage 1B Report [PDF, 4.6 MB]
MAR Feasibility and Goldsim Groundwater Management Tool, Stage 1B Appendices [PDF, 4.6 MB]
Potential for MAR as a component for freshwater management
This report is a summary of all the appropriate data for assessing Managed Aquifer Recharge options in Gisborne's Poverty Bay flats.
Overview - MAR as a component for Freshwater management in the Poverty Bay Flats [PDF, 1002 KB]
Reports to council and committees
April 2016 Approve use of the Waipaoa River at Kaiaponi Farms as the source water and locations for the trial. We have permission to lodge the resource consent Report 16/174
September 2018 Update Report 18/393
MAR water allocation Report 18/363
June 2018 - Appoint commissioner - Report 18/298
October 2017 - Pilot project Report 17/321
August 2017 - MAR pilot project Report 17/321
July 2017 - Update and next steps Report 17/252
March 2017 - Potential Impacts on regional economy Report 17/093
March 2016 - Report 16/079
December 2015 - Report 15/425
September 2015 - Report 15/293
October - Appoint commissioner for water take - Appoint Hearing Panel
August 2015 - MAR consent processing delegations [PDF, 197 KB]
To delegate Bay of Plenty Regional Council authority to process the MAR project resource consent applications.
May 2015 - Makauri Aquifer - MAR
MAR is being considered for the Makauri aquifer in order to recharge the aquifer and potentially use it also for winter storage, increasing water availability during the irrigation season on the Poverty Bay Flats.
Freshwater plan
Groundwater pressures in the Makauri aquifer, (which most of the groundwater is abstracted) are showing a general long-term decline. This trend is indicative of the pressure placed on water availability from the aquifer, especially during drought years.
The Regional Policy Statement water management section, to be replaced by the proposed Gisborne Regional Freshwater Plan requires Council to avoid any decline in aquifer water levels.