The Hawke's Bay Regional Council hopes to tap into a government fund to help it investigate water storage in the region.
The Government has set aside $35 million to help develop new irrigation schemes throughout New Zealand as part of measures aimed at improving the management of freshwater resources.
The council's chief executive, Andrew Newman, says it will talk with ministry officials about government funding to help with feasibility study for water storage in the Ruataniwha and Ngaruroro basins.
Mr Newmann says it is going to cost $3.8 million to complete the study in the Ruataniwha basin - with about $1.5 million funded by the council.
