Zone Name:	Pareora	Status:	(Red)
Allocation Limit:	9.38 million m3/yr	Valid date:	23 June 2007
Approach:	50% of land-based recharge

Recharge component

Method of estimation

Background notes

River recharge is just as significant as rainfall, and dominates in periods of high flow in the Pareora Zone. The zone has two main aquifer types, a shallow aquifer in the Valley which is heavily dependent on river recharge, and a deeper aquifer within a marine sequence of Cannington Gravels (60-80 m+).

The deeper aquifer will be recharged by rainfall, and may have a component of Pareora River filtering through the recent gravels. As this aquifer has only recently become more extensively utilised, it is not known if the abstractions are sustainable. The shallow aquifer responds quickly to flow in the river and in periods of low flow, especially on the south bank, existing users may have problems maintaining supply.

Thorley and Ettema have provided the latest assessment of the groundwater allocation limits for this area, including assessment of the nature of the recharge over loess strata. This has led to an adjustment of the boundary and a revised allocation limit for this zone. This has been incorporated via proposed NRRP Variation 4. Some of the consents in this area have an allocation component included into the surface water allocation block following a catchment-wide stream depletion assessment. New applications to take groundwater that is linked to a surface waterway may be subject to surface water restrictions and/or allocation.

Other available information sources

These reports may be used to provide a full description of groundwater resources in this area. They may include information that will be of use in a consent application, but are not necessarily a comprehensive list.

• Aitchison-Earl, P., Davey, G., Ettema, M., McKerchar, A., Scott, D., Smith, E., and Weeber, J. 'State of the Canterbury Region Water Resource October 2004' (pdf 3.83 MB), U04/101.
• Aitchison-Earl, P, 2001, 'Pareora Valley Aquifer Tests' Environment Canterbury Unpublished Technical Report U01/48.
• Aitchison-Earl, P. L. 2003, 'Pareora-Waihao water use patterns" report on data collected in 2000-2002' Environment Canterbury Unpublished Technical Report U03/84.
• Brown, L. J, 2000, 'Groundwaters of the Canterbury Region' Environment Canterbury Report R00/10.
• Royds Garden, 1987, 'CFM Pareora Report on Deep Well Investigations'.
• Waugh J .,1980. 'Draft Water Resources Investigation: Pareora, Otaio, Makikihi, Hook, Waihao, Waimate' South Canterbury Catchment Board
• Aitchison-Earl P, Ettema M, Horrell G, McKerchar A, and Smith E, 'Pareora Waihao Water Resource Summary' (pdf 6.19 MB), draft R06/20, August 2005.
• Thorley, M., Ettema, M. Review of water allocation limits for the South Canterbury downlands. Report U07/09. April 2007.

Allocation history

Effective allocation

 3 May 2010

Effective Allocation (million m³): 9.79
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database live read
Proportion Allocated: 104%

6 July 2009

Effective Allocation (million m³): 9.61
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 102%

23 July 2007

Effective Allocation (million m³): 9.44
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 101%

7 May 2007

Effective Allocation (million m³): 13.75
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 70%

5 December 2006

Effective Allocation (million m³): 14.18
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 72.0%

18 September 2006

Effective Allocation (million m³): 14.36
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 73%

29 June 2005

Effective Allocation (million m³): 14.68
Reason for Change: Effective allocation recalculated using a revised table of irrigation standards to address concerns with Schedule WQN9 of Chapter 5 NRRP, as approved by the Water Allocation Panel
Source: Consents database live-read on 29 June 2005
Proportion Allocated: 75.00%

20 December 2004

Effective Allocation (million m³): 11.86
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 60.20%

24 November 2004

Effective Allocation (million m³): 12.79
Reason for Change: No change
Source:
Proportion Allocated: 64.92%
Proportion Allocated changed due to Allocation Limit change

29 October 2004

Effective Allocation (million m³): 12.79
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 61.79%

26 June 2004

Effective Allocation (million m³): 11.33
Reason for Change: Consents update
Source: Consents database
Proportion Allocated: 54.73%

23 January 2004

Effective Allocation (million m³): 11.1
Reason for Change: This is the first estimate made
Source: Report U04/02 (Table 6.2)
Proportion Allocated: 53.62%

Allocation limit

23 June 2007

Allocation Limit (million m³): 9.38
Reason for Change: Changed boundary and revised estimate of land surface recharge
Source: Proposed NRRP Variation 4, Chapter 5: Water Quantity

24 November 2004

Allocation Limit (million m³): 19.7
Reason for Change: Implementation of 2nd Order approach as approved by the Directorate
Source: Report U04/97

23 January 2004

Allocation Limit (million m³): 20.7
Reason for Change: This is the first estimate made
Source: Report U04/02 (Table 6.2)