Groundwater Levels

The Marlborough District Council monitors the state of the region's aquifers based on water levels in its network of 30 wells spread across the district.

To check out the relative state of the aquifer you are interested in, select a black point on the map, or a site from the lists below. These are linked to graphs that show the variation in groundwater level at the Council monitoring site, over what we call a "water year" from July to July. The blue line represents the level since last July in metres above mean sea-level. The grey line shows what happened a year ago.

The different coloured shading indicates how the current level compares with historic levels. For example, the lower green zone shows the lowest 20% of values observed and when the blue worm is in this region, levels are relatively low. The light green line running through the centre of plot is the average.

Conversely, when levels lie in the upper green zone, the aquifer is full and well levels in the area it represents are likely to be high.

The middle yellow zone containing the remaining 60% of observations is where the level will sit most of the time and is termed normal.

The shape of each plot at each monitoring site varies depending on local factors such as pumping and the recharge mechanism. Most sites peak in winter or spring, and reach their lowest level in late summer.

Some sites have a long period of record and we can be more confident about the relative status of aquifer levels because they include extreme values. The date records started from is given for each site. The earlier records start the more representative the plot, because it includes extremes such as droughts.

See a larger version of the map

Wairau Plain and Rarangi

• Doctors Creek flow upstream of Taylor Confluence (records start from 2003)
• Fulton Creek flow at Pollard Park (records start from 2001) 
• Lagoons Transition Sector at Lagoon - Well 708 (records start from 2002)
• Pipitea Wetland at Rarangi Shallow Aquifer - Well 4331 (records start from 2004)
• Rarangi Shallow Aquifer at Blue Gums Corner - Well 3711 (records start from 2000)
• Rarangi Shallow Aquifer at Golf Club - Well 10230/1901 (records start from 1989)
• Rarangi Shallow Aquifer at Golf Club Driving Range - Well 10195 (records start from June 2010)
• Rarangi Shallow Aquifer at Hinepango Drive - Well 3668 (records start from 2000)
• Rarangi Shallow Aquifer at Millennium Rock - Well 4332 (records start from 2004)
• Rarangi Shallow Aquifer at Northern Sentinel - Well 4349 (records start from 2004)
• Rarangi Shallow Aquifer at Western Clervaux - Well 4329 (records start from 2004)
• Riverlands Aquifer at Huia Vineyard - Well 4402 (records start from 2006)
• Spring Creek Flow at Motor Camp (records start from 1996)
• Taylor Fan Aquifer at Athletic Park - Well 949 (records start from 1977)
• Waikakaho River Gravels Aquifer at MDC - Well 10109 (records start from 2009)
• Wairau Aquifer Coastal Sector at Bar - Well 1733 (records start from 1988)
• Wairau Aquifer Coastal Sector at Hinepango Drive - Well 3667 (records start from 2001)
• Wairau Aquifer Recharge Sector at Conders - Well 3821/398 (records start from 1982)
• Wairau Aquifer Recharge Sector at Wratts Road - Well 3009 (records start from 1996)
• Wairau Aquifer Springs Sector at Mills and Ford Road - Well 4404 (records start from 2009)
• Wairau Aquifer Springs Sector at Murphys Road - Well 3954 (records start from 2003)
• Wairau Aquifer Springs Sector at Selmes Road - Well 4577 (records start from 4577)
• Woodbourne Sector at Jacksons Road - Well 3010 (records start from 1996)

Southern Valleys

• Benmorven Aquifer deep layer at Morrison - Well 3291 (records start from 1999)
• Benmorven Aquifer medium depth layer at Morven Lane - Well 2022 (records start from 1990)
• Brancott Aquifer medium depth layer at Pernod Ricard Vineyard - Well 1323 (records start from 1995)
• Brancott Aquifer deep layer at Boulevard - Well 3333 (records start from 1999)
• Fairhall River Gravels Aquifer at Bints Ford - Well 3147 (records start from 1996)
• Omaka River Aquifer deep layer at Godfrey Road - Well 10231/1000 (records start from 1980)
• Omaka Aquifer deep layer at Hawkesbury Road Vineyard - Well 2917 (records start from 1995)
• Omaka Aquifer medium depth layer at Hawkesbury Vineyard- Well 1873 (records start from 1989)
• Omaka River Valley Aquifer shallow layer at Timara Wines - Well 3069 (records start from 1997)
• Taylor Aquifer deep layer at Wairau Hospital - Well 980 (records start from 1999) 
• Wairau Valley Aquifer at Mill Road - Well 220 (records start from 2007)

Ward

• Needles Creek Gravels Aquifer at SH1/Ward - Well 169 (records start from 2003)