We're Drilling for Water Down South

The future of Okato’s drinking water may be underground.

In mid-July drilling will begin at four sites near the town which could lead to a useable aquifer.

If any water is found, and it is of sufficient quantity and quality to be used by the town’s 600 residents, then it would replace the current supply from the Stony River.

“We have a few problems with the Stony because it’s a shifting river, and about once a year we have to remove boulders from the water intake with a digger,” says Manager Water and Waste Brent Manning.

“Whenever there’s heavy rain we get a lot of lahar material coming down the stream which makes the water unusable for a while, and in summer the river is prone to low flows which also curtail our use.

“If we could find useable groundwater in an aquifer, the town’s water supply would be much more reliable.”

If successful, this would be the second municipal aquifer in New Plymouth District.

In 2000 the Council began searching for an aquifer for Oakura to replace the supply from the Wairau Stream. In June 2004 the new groundwater supply was commissioned with a bore that went 185m below the surface (90m below sea level), with a second bore commissioned in 2007.

The ash material above Oakura’s aquifer acts as a natural filter to produce water of exceptional clarity – and similar ground conditions are probable around Okato.

“Not a lot of the geography in this area has been mapped but we managed to hit the jackpot with Oakura, and we’re hopeful we’ve got the right geological conditions in Okato to provide a good groundwater source,” says Mr Manning.

The four drill sites are between Oxford and Dover roads, and all are near existing reticulation to reduce the cost of any future development.

The drilling phase will take about three months, after which the data will be analysed before it is known if any of the sites are viable.