This Surface Water Allocation tool enables searching for the location of surface water takes, both applications and authorisations, by their unique ID number. The location of the water take is shown on a map with other existing authorised water takes and an assessment of how much water is allocated is provided.
The authorised water allocation is a summation of all existing legal rights to take water. This includes existing surface water take resource consents, permitted takes, takes for stock water and domestic purposes under the RMA (s14(3)(b)) and groundwater takes which impact upon surface water.
A summary is provided of how much allocation pressure there is within the relevant catchment and then any other connected downstream catchments. The allocation pressure is based on the allocation limits from Chapter 3.3 of the Regional Plan and the tool implements Policy 3.3.3.3: Determining the combined level of surface water allocation within a catchment.
From the summary of catchments the tool identifies, with red highlight, the catchment where the authorised allocation (including the searched water take) is greatest for relevant months. For example, if the water take only requires water in March and April the tool will automatically identify which location has the highest allocation during these two months and highlight it.
Clicking on a specific catchment will generate a graph of the monthly allocation for that location. For each month, the amount of water allocated is compared to 70 per cent of Primary, Primary and Secondary allocation limits (as set in Table 3-5 of the Regional Plan).
The individual catchment graphs provide the authorised allocation situation with and without the searched water take. When a new application is searched, allocation statistics do not take into account any other applications which may be ahead of it in the allocation queue. Statistics are assessed in isolation of other applications.
The calculator cannot be relied upon to speculate about potential water availability for future allocation as it does not provide a summary of all water being requested in unprocessed applications.
In some situations there may be no data entered for a searched water take application. In this situation the net take relating to how much water is being requested needs to be loaded in the Waikato Regional Council consent database IRIS. Please contact us via email to request this. Note: there can be a 36-hour delay in the presentation of date on this site after it has been loaded in IRIS.
The rates of net take for a water take may not match what is on a resource consent. In many situations this occurs when the council considers the take can be offset by some returned water (such as a factory or power station discharge) which reduces its impact on water availability. This is referred to as the net take as determined in the glossary of the Regional Plan.
Tip: Don’t know an application or authorisation number but want to search by a general location? Start by selecting any number from the search menu and then use the map to navigate to your area of interest. Then click on a mapped water take near your area of interest. Now enter its ID number in the search menu to start the query to provide the allocation summary for that location.