New report on Christchurch's groundwater levels

A new technical report gives Christchurch City Council a high-level picture of the impact changes to future groundwater levels may have on the city.

The report, Impacts of Earthquakes and Sea Level Rise on Shallow Groundwater Levels, will be received by the Council’s Three Waters and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday.

Head of Three Waters and Waste Helen Beaumont says the report was done as part of the Council’s multi hazard study to inform floodplain management. It willl be used as part of future coastal hazard assessments.

“This is a gap-filling report that will help us understand the impacts that future groundwater level changes may have across Christchurch city, adding to our knowledge base on natural hazards”.

“It’s important to understand that this is a high-level technical assessment at a city-wide scale. It doesn’t define shallow groundwater at a local scale, and it is not detailed enough to identify groundwater risk at an individual property level, so will not be reflected in Land Information Memorandum wording”, Ms Beaumont says.

The report is another of the gap-filling hazard studies commissioned by the Council to help understand the impact of natural hazards on flood risk. Reports previously released include studies on tsunami, sediment budget and liquefaction.

Once received by the Committee, the report will be available on the Council website.