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Fresh water Freshwater demand
More about allocation
Information on the amount of freshwater allocated from rivers, lakes and groundwater aquifers is drawn from resource consents issued by regional councils.
Allocation is usually granted as a maximum daily or weekly rate (that is, the maximum rate of water take (abstraction) that may be sustained in any given week), as a maximum annual volume or both. Weekly allocation rates are useful for understanding pressures on water demand that are related to seasonal activities (such as irrigation). Annual volumes are useful for understanding how much water is potentially used each year, irrespective of seasonal fluctuations in demand. The allocation figures presented here are based on weekly rates.
Consumptive allocation does not include water used for electricity generation, because this water is normally returned directly to the water body from which it was taken.
This information has come from the latest state of the environment report, Environment New Zealand 2007.
Last updated: December 2007
