A national approach to groundwater modelling: developing a programme and establishing technical standards

Abstract

In the 1970s regional groundwater modelling began to be used in support of many hydrogeological investigations in the UK. A number of the studies were concerned with groundwater development at a regional scale in conjunctive use schemes; elsewhere the effect of pumping from aquifers on river flows or the ingress of saline water was considered. Due to the limited power of digital computers at that time, special numerical codes were often prepared for individual projects, with consequent inefficiency and inconsistency of practice. However, by the mid 1990s the need to formalize and standardize groundwater modelling projects was recognized. The Environment Agency of England and Wales prepared a strategy to manage and monitor the projects. A Template Project Brief was prepared to define the many tasks involved in groundwater studies and to clarify the roles of contractor and client (Environment Agency). In addition Guidance Notes were prepared to disseminate procedures and techniques that had resulted in successful outcomes. This paper summarizes some of the earlier studies, provides information about the Project Brief and Guidance Notes and illustrates some critical issues in groundwater modelling by reference to two case studies.

Start, development and status of the regulator-led national groundwater resources modelling programme in England and Wales

“…The need to manage (groundwater) abstraction pressure led to the introduction of an abstraction licensing system in the 1960s. However, in the last two decades, greater focus has been placed on understanding and balancing the needs of abstractors with those of the water environment (Rushton & Skinner 2012). This has now been reinforced by European legislation (the Water Framework Directive) that requires assessment and reporting of the state of (groundwater) resources.…”

“…This paper is divided into three main sections. The first section reflects on the start of the current 10-year national groundwater modelling programme from the UK Government's environmental regulator's perspective (following the foundations laid by Rushton & Skinner 2012). It also summarizes the main legal and regulatory drivers that shaped the requirement for the programme, and explains how conceptual and numerical models form an integral part of the regulatory decisionmaking framework.…”

“…Reflections: the origin of the modelling programme An historical overview of the need for a national groundwater modelling programme is provided by Rushton & Skinner (2012). Following the 1963 Water Resources Act, a Water Resources Board was established in England and Wales to oversee the development of water resources nationally (Downing 2004).…”

“…A similar process is outlined for contaminant transport studies (Environment Agency 2001b). The importance of the conceptual model has been illustrated by Rushton & Skinner (2012). The conceptual understanding must be relevant to the issue under investigation, which may be more than just the groundwater flow system.…”

Introduction: groundwater resources modelling: a case study from the UK

“…Downing (2004), one of the papers in Mather (2004), describes the beginning of groundwater modelling in the UK in the late 1960s to early 1970s, both electrical analogues and numerical. The thread of this story is picked up by Rushton & Skinner (2012).…”