The Water Quantity Programme helps the ARC to understand the freshwater resource throughout the Auckland region and maintain sufficient water supplies for present and future generations.

It also helps us to protect the aquatic life, natural character, and intrinsic value of our rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands.

This programme is part of our responsibility under Section 35 of the Resource Management Act.
The results are published in an annual Auckland Water Quantity Statement.

How does it work?

The Auckland region is split into 8 Water Resource Reporting Areas.

The regional rainfall, surface water, groundwater levels, and quantity of water used is monitored and reported for each area.

Regional Rainfall

The total rainfall each month is recorded at several sites within each of the 8 water resource areas. This data enables us to detect short term changes and long-term trends in the amount of rainfall throughout each resource area and, therefore, throughout the whole Auckland region.

Surface Water

Monitoring the amount of surface water within each of these 8 water resource areas is extremely important, especially for the streams that act as a water source and are under constant pressure from water demand and water abstraction.

The number of days that the stream flow falls below the Mean Annual Low Flow (MALF) rate is recorded. Ideally, the number of days that a stream flow falls below the MALF should be only 1 day in every 2.33 years.

Groundwater Levels

The groundwater contributes to the amount of water in our lakes, rivers and streams.

It forms aquifers in the Franklin and Bombay basalts, Waitemata sandstones, Auckland basalts, Pleistocene sands, and Kaawa shell beds. Water from these aquifers is abstracted to provide much of our water supply.

It is important to regulate the amount of water abstracted. If too much water is taken, this would affect the ability of the abstractors to take water and also affect the flow and levels of water in our lakes, rivers and streams.

The groundwater levels in almost all of these areas are measured in monitoring bores. Many are monitored automatically and the water level is recorded every 15 minutes.

Quantity of Water used

Under the Resource Management Act (1991) surface water and groundwater can be taken "as of right" for individual domestic use, fire-fighting, and for stock to drink.

Water that is taken for any other purpose requires a resource consent unless it is allowed as a permitted activity in a regional plan.

Resource consent holders must monitor their weekly water use and submit a return every three months. This information also helps to detect changing trends in the amount of water use between the community, irrigation, industry, municipal use, and other uses.

Continue to Rivers and Streams Water Quality Programme

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