Rotorua Lakes Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council are embarking on a free geothermal well maintenance audit in a joint project to ensure the safety of geothermal wells in Rotorua.
The audit will be jointly funded and co-ordinated by the two councils and will take place between September and November.
Rotorua Lakes Council chief operating officer Dave Foster said it was important to maintain geothermal wells to a safe standard and was also a requirement of the district council's geothermal bylaw 2016 and BOPRC resource consents.
"It's important because of the risks involved when using geothermal fluids, including uncontrolled discharge of hot water and steam, poisonous gases such as H2S, and potential well blowouts," Mr Foster said.
About 50 geothermal wells were audited in 2015 as the first part of the well audit project.