Project Overview

This project was for a group of seventeen avocado orchardists in the Far North seeking a combined water allocation of approximately 15,050 m³/day. The goal was to conduct a sustainable yield assessment of the Aupouri Aquifer, carefully considering potential environmental effects like saline intrusion and impacts on a regionally important wetland.

Technical Solutions

To determine the sustainable yield, a complex groundwater flow model was developed using the MODFLOW-USG software. This model simulated the deep shellbed aquifer, located about 100 meters below the surface, to accurately predict the effects of the proposed water abstraction.

Client

The key outcome for the orchardist group was a robust sustainable yield assessment, supported by the detailed groundwater model. This report provided the essential scientific evidence needed for their resource consent applications, demonstrating how the water could be allocated sustainably while managing environmental risks.