“Good bore water is like having money in the bank” - experts.
This article was written by Aquifer Mapping and is being published in The Country as advertorial.
Technology developed by Gisborne-based international company Aquifer Mapping is helping farmers, horticulturalists and local government organisations all over New Zealand to solve pressing water supply problems.
Company shareholder John McKendry says: “Having a good bore water supply is like having money in the bank. It’s there when you need it.
“However, drilling a new well is a big commitment. It needs to be successful and provide sustainable flows, because dry wells, or wells that can only pump for a day, are a huge waste of money and very distressing for landowners,” he says.
Just like bank accounts, aquifers need to recharge and the long-term, sustainable flow data Aquifer Mapping provides adds real value to clients’ properties and assets.
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The company operates science based electro-seismic technology developed by founder and technical director Dr Michael du Preez. The technology is complex but, simply put, involves a type of ultrasound that detects underground water.
Using their 3D e-seismic software and advanced mapping technologies, plus 15 years’ research and experience, the firm can establish the likelihood of finding water and, if a well is drilled, what amount of water the client can expect.
“We have a global success rate of 86 per cent on drilled wells – and that’s very good considering we get called in to some very tough projects,” says McKendry. “We do a lot of work in the kiwifruit and dairy sectors. We also do a lot of council and government work overseas and have a specialist crew mapping nitrate and PFAS (highly toxic fluorinated chemicals) contamination.
“The 3D models we prepare show multiple aquifers and how they actually work – which is helping clients obtain water permits. That’s where we add a lot of value. You can’t just drill a hole in the ground and take the water, because it’s all regulated.
“The aquifer mapping models we provide contain a great deal of valuable information for the likes of regional councils – by determining which aquifer you are taking water from and the transmissivity rates of the water in those aquifers.”
In a world increasingly affected by the ravages of climate change, the company is consistently locating excellent sources of water, potentially saving clients hundreds of thousands of dollars that might otherwise be spent drilling wells that prove to be dry.
Says McKendry: “Water is not always where it’s meant to be and it often amazes us where we find the best flows. A good example is that often the best clean water is on top of a hill – not in a gully.”
He says he has lost count of the number of times he’s been called in after landowners have drilled dry wells.
“Recently we did a job for a major kiwifruit grower in Katikati who hadn’t heard of Aquifer Mapping. On the advice of an ‘expert’, they’d drilled a 350 metre-deep well on their orchard, but it turned out to be dry. Then the grower got on to us and Aquifer Mapping mapped the entire orchard, finding a beautiful location for a well in the middle of a terrace. The new well is producing 30,000 litres of water an hour in exactly the right location.
McKendry says the company has worked all over the world, locating underground water supplies for farmers, horticulturalists, rural townships - and fire departments.
“Water wells are expensive and you have to get them right.”
For more information: Contact - Aquifer Mapping