Search

Effective management of groundwater resources during drought is essential. How is groundwater currently managed during droughts, and in the face of environmental change, what should be the future priorities? Four themes are explored, from the perspective of groundwater management in England (UK): (1) integration of drought definitions; (2) enhanced fundamental monitoring; (3) integrated modelling of groundwater in the water cycle; and (4) better information sharing. Whilst these themes are considered in the context of England, globally, they are relevant wherever groundwater is affected by drought.

This work was undertaken as part of the HOVER project, within the GeoERA programme of research. The purpose was to gain an overview of any work previously undertaken on organic compounds of emerging concern (CECs) in groundwater by members of the GeoERA HOVER project team. HOVER partners were asked to complete a brief questionnaire which covered their familiarity with the topic, whether their organisations held any relevant data and some more specific questions, e.g. about compounds studied. The overall response rate from the 35 organisations contacted was 86%. The results showed a range of familiarity with the topic. Fourteen of the organisations contacted hold data on organic CECs. Eleven organisations reported that they had undertaken work in this field in collaboration with partner organisations, while just 5 reported such work without partners. The most common reason for undertaking such studies was for general background surveys. Some organisations have focussed on particular types of compound (e.g. pharmaceuticals) while others have analysed for a wide range of compound categories.

This study was undertaken as part of the National Groundwater Survey (NGS), which aims to provide a comprehensive description of the major British aquifers and their groundwater resources. This includes the characterisation of the physical and chemical properties and processes that govern groundwater flow and pollutant transport and attenuation, in both the unsaturated and saturated zones. The NGS has commenced with a study of regions of the Chalk aquifer. Although much work has been undertaken on the Chalk Group of the Wessex Basin, there is a need for current knowledge to be brought together into a convenient format that is in the public domain. The study aims to summarise available hydrogeological information and current understanding of the aquifer. This report is intended as a source of reference that will benefit and interest researchers, students and those in the water industry (suppliers, regulators and consultants) as well as the general public. In order to meet the objectives of the study, information has been collected from a variety of sources, including British Geological Survey data, publicly available literature, information from the water industry and the Environment Agency and academic institutions. The information has been reviewed and summarised from a variety of standpoints; geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical. Given the large area covered by the aquifer across the basin the approach taken has been to provide both basinwide overviews and catchment-specific discussions. The outcome of such an approach has resulted in a report which encompasses a broad range of aspects of the hydrogeology of the aquifer at a variety of scales. The British Geological Survey has collaborated with the Environment Agency, and a number of water companies. An Advisory Panel comprising members of the above organisations ensured that the work was relevant to them, as well as contributing much valuable information and acting as reviewers. Work on this report comme

Geothermal energy is simply the natural heat that exists within our planet. In some parts of the world the existence of a geothermal energy resource is made obvious by the presence of hot springs, and such resources have been exploited in various ways for millennia. More usually, there is no direct evidence at Earth‘s surface of the vast reservoir of stored heat below, and geothermal energy has remained largely ignored and untapped in most parts of the world. Now, its potential as a renewable source of energy is being recognised increasingly, and technologies and concepts for exploiting it are developing rapidly along two lines: low enthalpy (low temperature) resources, which exploit warm water in the shallow subsurface to provide heat either directly (as warm water) or indirectly (via heat exchange systems); and high enthalpy (high temperature) resources, which yield hot water, usually from deeper levels, that can be used to generate electricity. The potential for harnessing electricity from geothermal energy has long been recognised; the potentially substantial reserves, minimal environmental impact, and capacity to contribute continuously to base load electricity supply make it an extremely attractive prospect. The ongoing drive to develop renewable sources of energy, coupled with anticipated technological developments that will in future reduce the depth at which heat reservoirs are considered economically viable, means there is now a pressing need to know more about the deep geothermal energy potential in Scotland. This report contains the British Geological Survey (BGS) contribution to a collaborative project between AECOM and BGS to produce a qualitative assessment of deep geothermal energy potential in onshore Scotland for the Scottish Government. BGS‘s role is to provide the Stage One deliverable ―Identifying and assessing geothermal energy potential‖, comprising an assessment of areas in Scotland most likely to hold deep geothermal resources based on exist

The term ‘emerging contaminants’ is generally used to refer to compounds previously not considered or known to be significant to groundwater (in terms of distribution and/or concentration) which are now being more widely detected. As analytical techniques improve, previously undetected organic micropollutants are being observed in the aqueous environment. Many emerging contaminants remain unregulated, but the number of regulated contaminants will continue to grow slowly over the next several decades. There is a wide variety of sources and pathways for these compounds to enter the environment and these include agriculture and urban areas. Some of these contaminants can have human or ecological health effects and there is a need for better understanding of their fate in environmental systems. This report provides a short review of the types of organic micropollutants which can be found in the aqueous environment. These include nanomaterials, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial additives and by-products, personal care products and fragrances, water treatment by-products, flame/fire retardants and surfactants, as well as caffeine and nicotine metabolites and hormones. Many of the compounds are relatively small polar molecules which are not effectively removed by conventional drinking water treatment using activated carbon. Pesticides and some industrial compounds are presently covered by the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Regulations and the Drinking Water Directive. Additional parameters, such as bisphenol A and nonyl-phenol are anticipated to be covered by revisions to the Drinking Water Directive. Others are currently unregulated. In order to assess the hazards presented by such compounds, information on usage, persistence, leachability and a robust sensitive analytical method is required. The UK metaldehyde problem was not originally discovered due to lack of an analytical method and was exacerbated by recalcitrance in water treatment. For many pesti