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New Zealand Begins Drilling for Water Use Project Adapted from Information by the Greater Wellington Regional Council Exploratory drilling has started at two sites as part of the feasibility study into storing and distributing water in Wairarapa, New Zealand. Geotechnial drilling programs at Black Creek and Tividale will provide core samples as part of an investigation to see if either location would support a potential dam. Black Creek is located in the Kaituna area west of Masterton, and Tividale is in the Taueru catchment northeast of Masterton. The drilling activity is the latest phase in the Wairarapa Water Use Project, which is investigating how water could be collected, stored, and distributed to support the sustainable management of the area’s land and water, ultimately contributing to regional prosperity. Project Director Michael Bassett-Foss said the drilling programmarked an important milestone in the project’s work to secure a more reliable source of water for agricultural, municipal, environmental, recreational, and cultural use in Wairarapa. “After nearly five years of investigations and work with a wide range of community interest groups, it’s exciting to be one step closer to meeting our region’s ongoing needs and creating wider opportunities for water use,” he said. The two potential plans could irrigate nearly 75,000 acres between Masterton and Greytown, in addition to providing water for a range of other uses. Drilling is expected to take about two months to complete. Other fieldwork would assess the land-based and aquatic ecology of the storage sites and surrounding areas. Mr. Bassett-Foss said the feasibility stage also includes further assessing the potential demand for water and farmer interest in investing in irrigation. “We will continue to talk with farmers about the opportunities a regional water use scheme will provide and about the various options for ownership and operating structures.” Upcoming activities will include sharing information about land use studies on three local farms to investigate the viability of using irrigation in different situations, and an independent survey of local farmers to understand their prefer- ences for scheme ownership, buying water, and land use. Later this year, an assessment will be made about whether to proceed to the next stage which would see the project move into a new commercial entity to develop and construct the scheme. )' ) % ) ' # *# $ ' : &4)1*4 *18*4 : : &4)1*4 *18*4 : : &4)1*4 *18*4 : : &4)1*4 *18*4 % ( ) ' ) '%# : &4)1*4 *18*4 : : &4)1*4 *18*4 : : &4)1*4 *18*4 : &4)1*4 *18*4 : &4)1*4 *18*4 ' $ + *#&( $ )% ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : # #4-3/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : # #4-3/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 24 : 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : -4 4-8* 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : # #4-3/*:>> ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : #4-3/*:>> > ! ! ;)4&7/-( 4276 703 ? ;)4&7/-( 4276 703 ? ;)4&7/-( 4276 703 ? '%*) *#& * ") * *#&( : &52 73/*: ! ! : -/9*// 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : #4-3/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 73/*: ! ! &4)1*4 *18*4 : 73/*: ! ! &52 : 73/*: ! ! '#()'%$ $ % $ "% 6, "64**6 = 2(&,216&5 $" < 2745 &;5 & %**. = &: %&665 $" &1&)& 62 21)&; 4-)&; "** 274 %*' &+* 999 &4056421+0&(,-1* (20 0&-/ ))4*55 &0(- &4056421+0&(,-1* (20 18 JUNE 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®