Quick Dips

Geothermal Rationing

New applications to use the hot underground water at Waiwera add up to more than the amount which can be safely taken without endangering the geothermal field. The Auckland Regional Council's Environment and Planning Division hope that more efficient use will make up the shortfall.

Applications totalling 1,600 cubic metres of geothermal water per day have been received. The ARC has set a limit of 1300 m³ per day.

"Water levels and temperatures steadily dropped in the 1970s and early 1980s because too much water was being taken out of the ground," says Doug Cholmondeley-Smith, chairman of the Environmental Management Committee. Since then, allocation plans have been used to manage the resource. ARC staff have investigated efficiency of use and required amounts, and have recommended 1,050 m³ per day be allocated, with an extra 250 m³ reserved for new developments.