Groundwater: monitoring and reporting

Groundwater monitoring in the Waikato

Generally our region's groundwater quality is satisfactory, but in some areas it is contaminated with nitrates, pesticides, micro-organisms (bacteria) and seawater. There are places in the region where the amount of water available for people to use is also under pressure.

Waikato Regional Council regularly monitors and reports on the quality and availability of our region's groundwater.

Our groundwater indicators summarise the results of our science and monitoring programmes, and provide a holistic report on the state of the Waikato region's environment. We also regularly monitor groundwater levels at a number of sites throughout the region.

Indicators

Groundwater availability

Waikato Regional Council monitors groundwater availability to protect our region’s groundwater resources.

Groundwater well construction

This indicator monitors the number of resource consents issued to drill and construct wells below the groundwater table, and the location of those wells.

Pesticides in groundwater

This indicator measures the occurrence of pesticides in the Waikato region’s groundwater supplies.

Nitrate in groundwater

This indicator measures nitrate concentrations in the Waikato region’s groundwater supplies.

Micro-organisms in groundwater

This indicator shows the proportion of groundwater wells in the Waikato region in which E. coli are detected.