Water allocation
Natural water in the Auckland Region
Auckland has small, short streams, small lakes (often with degraded water quality), low-yielding aquifers (the region is dominated by the low yielding Waitemata Sandstone Aquifer) and moderate rainfall.The absence of riparian vegetation, stock trampling of stream margins, and point source and non-point source discharges contribute to water quality degradation. This can also limit the amount of water that can be abstracted from a water body.
Inefficient taking and use of water can limit the number of users that can benefit from a water source. Taking more water than is needed, wasting water, poor matching of water use with actual needs and supply system losses all reduce the amount of water available for other people to use and can also unnecessarily increase the volume of wastewater needing disposal.
Parts of the region are water short in summer. Demand from some waterbodies (both stream and aquifers) already equals or exceeds availability. Auckland has also experienced temporary municipal water storages.
These constraints demonstrate the need to use water efficiently so as to maximise the consumptive benefits of water for present and future generations of Aucklanders.
More information concerning irrigation use of water can be found in the Waterfacts sheet W01 - "Using Water Wisely - a rural water users guide"
Planning for Natural Water Use in the region
Section 14 of the Resource Management Act 1991 controls the taking, use, damming and diversion of both freshwater and geothermal water.
The Proposed Auckland Regional Plan: Air, Land and Water June 2005 (PARP:ALW) was notified for submissions on 23 October 2001 and the decisions were released on 8 October 2004.
The decisions have been appealed and as a result parts of the Plan are not yet operative.
Chapter 6 "Water Allocation of the Proposed Auckland Regional Plan: Air, Land and Water June 2005 deals with issues associated with water quality and allocation, that is:
- the taking and use, of fresh water and geothermal water
- the damming of surface water
- the diversion of groundwater and
- the quantity, level and flow of water in any water body.
Drilling is also addressed because of its association with the taking of groundwater.
Diversion of stormwater is addressed in chapter 5, and diversion of rivers and streams in chapter 7 of the Plan.
