Assessing potential saline intrusion in a coastal aquifer

Get in touch

Benefit

overall, our analysis showed that there is no

clear evidence that abstraction from the

boreholes is currently causing saline intrusion.

For the manufacturer, who relies on the

borehole supplies as a source of water, there

is no requirement on them to make changes

to their current abstraction licence. We were

also able to help improve the current

efficiency of the borehole operations, giving

them greater confidence in managing

potential future impacts to the aquifer.

Our study also provided key baseline

information on which the Environment Agency

as regulator can expand their studies into

wider aquifer water quality issues, in order to

address WFD failures for this important water

body.

Constant operational usage of the abstraction

boreholes and site infrastructure posed a challenge

to carrying out an industry standard pumping test.

However, through working closely with the

manufacturing facility team a pumping test was

designed utilising their boreholes for monitoring the

draw-down and subsequent recovery of water

levels, and avoiding disruption to day to day

activities on the site. Pumping tests were

undertaken at boreholes on separate manufacturing

sites to determine aquifer properties and monitor

groundwater chemistry through electrical

conductivity profiling to assess salinity.

Baseline understanding of the freshwater-saline interface

(assuming no abstraction from the aquifer)

Lorem ipsum

Analysis of pumping test data allowed us to estimate the zone of contribution of the abstraction boreholes

which suggests that saline intrusion from the coast may be possible. However, electrical conductivity profiling

during the pumping test did not provide any evidence of saline water as a result of pumping.

Hydrogeological conceptual model of the study area during the

dewatering of the Coal Measures