Modelling the ground(water) beneath our feet: Supporting a resilient water supply for Wellington

Jeremy Bennett (Tonkin & Taylor Ltd), Mark Gyopari (Earth in Mind Ltd) and Catherine Moore (GNS Science)

The Waiwhetū aquifer beneath the Lower Hutt Valley is a critically important source of water for Wellington, providing up to 70% of the capital’s drinking water during the summer from abstraction wells located at the Waterloo and Gear Island wellfields. Abstraction of groundwater from the Waiwhetū aquifer is constrained by depletion effects on Te Awa Kairangi/Hutt River and mitigation of saline intrusion risks from Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington Harbour.