Risk assessment for a proposed groundwater abstraction scheme in Strathmore, north-east Scotland: a modelling approach

The Lower Old Red Sandstones in northern Strathmore have favourable hydrogeological conditions for groundwater development. A scheme was proposed to abstract water in the north Esk catchment in order to augment water supplies to local villages, and a production borehole was drilled into the Edzell Sandstones to give a design yield of 2420 in m³/d. However, this scheme has been abandoned because of concern that the abstraction would significantly reduce the flow in a nearby stream which is an important salmonid fishery. This study demonstrates the potential value of using a stream-aquifer numerical model in an environmental risk assessment for the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]