Keywords
groundwater, regulation, tools, guidance, benefits
Start Date
1-7-2008 12:00 AM
Abstract
Innovative work has been undertaken by the Environment Agency for England and Wales, and will continue to be required to successfully meet the challenges presented by recent domestic legislation (Water Act 2003) and the EU Water Framework Directive. This has required a more integrated approach to catchment management of groundwater and surface water quantity and quality to protect ecological receptors. We have made a significant investment in tools, methods and approaches to ensure proper integrated management of groundwater. This paper describes the water resources aspects, however, there are also equivalent methods for contaminant hydrogeology.The Environment Agency for England and Wales has made a significant investment in catchment-scale groundwater modelling for the purpose of assessing the condition and available resources of the countries’ aquifer systems. It is important that the benefits of this substantial investment are maximised. Principal drivers for groundwater resource modelling include assessment of available groundwater resources for abstraction, assessment of baseflow to protect surface waters, determination of water balances for wetlands and the modelling of river augmentation schemes. Hydrogeologists are directly concerned with the impacts of new abstractions on existing sources; Water resources managers need to know how the groundwater regime impacts on surface waters; hydrologists need baseflow inputs to surface water models; and hydroecologists need knowledge of how the ecology might respond to stresses from the groundwater system during critical periods (e.g. droughts).
The Role of Groundwater Resources Models in Integrated Catchment Management
Innovative work has been undertaken by the Environment Agency for England and Wales, and will continue to be required to successfully meet the challenges presented by recent domestic legislation (Water Act 2003) and the EU Water Framework Directive. This has required a more integrated approach to catchment management of groundwater and surface water quantity and quality to protect ecological receptors. We have made a significant investment in tools, methods and approaches to ensure proper integrated management of groundwater. This paper describes the water resources aspects, however, there are also equivalent methods for contaminant hydrogeology.The Environment Agency for England and Wales has made a significant investment in catchment-scale groundwater modelling for the purpose of assessing the condition and available resources of the countries’ aquifer systems. It is important that the benefits of this substantial investment are maximised. Principal drivers for groundwater resource modelling include assessment of available groundwater resources for abstraction, assessment of baseflow to protect surface waters, determination of water balances for wetlands and the modelling of river augmentation schemes. Hydrogeologists are directly concerned with the impacts of new abstractions on existing sources; Water resources managers need to know how the groundwater regime impacts on surface waters; hydrologists need baseflow inputs to surface water models; and hydroecologists need knowledge of how the ecology might respond to stresses from the groundwater system during critical periods (e.g. droughts).
