Our Taupō office is closed Friday, 17 January and will reopen on Monday, 20 January 2025. To report air or water pollution, unsafe water activities in or on a river, lake or harbour, or make a general enquiry or information request during this time, we can be contacted 24/7 on 0800 800 401.

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  1. Environment »
  2. Water »
  3. Groundwater

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.

Find out more about our groundwater monitoring programmes

Groundwater levels around the region

Waikato Regional Council monitors the quantity of available groundwater at 92 sites throughout the region. About half of these measure large geothermal groundwater users near Taupō.

Our groundwater resource

The hydrogeological setting of an area has a lot of impact on the use and quality of local groundwater. Find out a little more about groundwater resources around our region.
Monitoring groundwater quality 
Bores (wells)