"Water security is critical to the social, economic and environmental future of the region. Securing and managing our water starts with a better understanding of what we have, how we use it and what future demand looks like," he says.
Mr Graham says having 3D digital maps of all of the region's major aquifers from the SkyTEM technology will help to understand how big they are, how much water they hold, how the water flows in, out and through them and where they may be vulnerable to surface contamination.
"Nearly every ratepayer in the region relies on groundwater for their drinking water supplies, so to manage that effectively, we need to know what's going on in the ground.
"The 3D Aquifer Mapping Project is a significant step forward in understanding our freshwater supply. The information we will get from the survey has significant value for the entire Hawke's Bay community in better understanding our water resource. The results will be a big asset and are to be freely shared and available to tangata whenua, other councils and community groups," he says.
The Regional Council's Integrated Catchment group manager, Iain Maxwell says it's a really exciting time for the region and he's proud to have attracted top national and international resourcing to Hawke's Bay.
"We're brought cutting edge frontier science here. It will help us better understand one of our most critical and precious resources to better inform our decision making to allow smarter more effective use of water. At the same time, we are protecting what is taonga for the region. It's really exciting and a really progressive step," he says.
Hawke's Bay residents may see the low-flying helicopter towing a large hoop until the beginning of March over the Heretaunga Plains and off-shore, Ruataniwha Plains, Otane and Poukawa Basins and the Ngaruroro River Valley areas.
The data gathered from the survey will be used to build a detailed 3D digital picture of the aquifers horizontally and to depths never seen before. The new information will improve the understanding and management of groundwater resources.
The total cost for the project is $4.3 million dollars. It's a joint effort with the PGF contributing $2.15 million, the Regional Council $1.85 million and GNS Science assisting with $300,000.
There is more information on the Regional Council's website, check out www.hbrc.govt.nz, and search #3Dwater.
