Extracting steam at Wairākei has caused the ground to subside. This map shows the total subsidence, measured over almost 50 years, from 1953 to 2001. The contour interval is 1 metre. The greatest subsidence, up to 14 metres, is in the immediate area of the borefield. A larger area has subsided by over a metre, indicating that extraction of geothermal fluid may affect a large area in the long term.
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Source: Contact Energy
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