Investigations Into Groundwater Quality Issues and Scoping Of New Groundwater Supply.
The Riverlands Waste Supply Scheme serves dual purposes: providing irrigation water and delivering drinking water to two key industrial estates – Riverlands Industrial Estate and Cloudy Bay Business Park – as well as nearby residential properties. The raw water comes from shallow groundwater in the Wairau Plains, where three historical supply bores have faced challenges due to elevated manganese levels. These levels exceeded the now superseded DWSNZ (2008) guidelines, creating operational issues for both MDC and its Riverlands Water Supply customers.
The manganese, originating from minerals in the greywacke and schist rocks of the Wairau Plains, becomes soluble under certain pH and redox conditions. This solubility leads to complications such as precipitate formation, which can block water mains and create nuisance issues when the water is used or consumed.
PDP’s involvement in the Riverlands scheme dates back to 2003, starting with the reconsenting of the Malthouse Road water supply bore. We renewed this consent in 2009 and 2019, and have conducted several feasibility studies for new groundwater supplies since 2003. Between 2017 and 2019, our team undertook comprehensive investigations to explore a new groundwater source with the necessary quality and to develop a strategy to meet future demand and quality requirements for the scheme’s major users.
Client:
Marlborough District Council
Date of Completion:
2003 – 2022
Scope of Work:
Ongoing involvement with the Riverlands water supply since 2003, including the scoping and consenting of new bores.
In 2018, Pattle Delamore Partners (PDP) developed a plan to allow Marlborough District Council (MDC) to prepare future upgrades to the Riverland’s Water Supply Scheme to meet demand and the water quality requirements of the scheme’s major users.
Key Contact
