The Waikato Regional Council says the dry summers experience over recent years highlights the need for farmers and other water users to plan carefully.

Waikato Federated Farmers has heard reports this summer of some shallow underground bores on dairy farms drying up following insufficient recharge from rains during last winter.

The Waikato Regional Council says farmers and other water uses need to plan their water usage carefully after hearing reports of underground bores on dairy farm drying up. Photo: File

WRC industry and infrastructure manager Brent Sinclair says farmers could contact his team for advice when current bore pumps were no longer delivering water.

'The region has experienced below normal rainfall for a number of years and as a result groundwater levels have declined,” says Brent. 'This may result in some bores having water levels going below the pump intake.

'In some bores it may be possible to simply lower the pump mechanism within the existing bore to improve reliability.

But he adds: 'If this is not possible it may be necessary to drill a new bore.”

'This will need a resource consent and our staff can help with advice on this. We would aim to process such an application as speedily as possible.”

Brent say problems with lowering groundwater levels may get worse in the long-term.

Climate change is predicted to make drier spells more common and this will increase the likelihood of shallow bores running dry.

'So farmers and other water users should take this into account in their future planning and look at what they need to do to help manage their businesses going forward.”