UKWRIP, NERC & UKWIR

© NERC All rights reserved

UKWRIP, NERC & UKWIR

Innovative & radical groundwater recharge, storage &

resource development workshop

4th December 2013 Wallingford

Developments in knowledge about UK geology and groundwater

Andrew Butcher

Hydrogeologist/Geophysicist, BGS


Artificial Recharge +

some basic definitions

• AR Artificial Recharge

• ASR Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is the

recharge of an aquifer via a well for subsequent

recovery from the same well (as defined by Pyne,

1995).

• ASTR Aquifer storage transfer and recovery

(ASTR) is the recharge of an aquifer via a well for

subsequent recovery from another well, to allow a

minimum residence time in the aquifer before

recovery.

• MAR Managed aquifer recharge - term applied to

all forms of intentional recharge enhancement,

including ASR and ASTR.

• MUS Managed underground storage

Modified from Dillon et al


Geological, hydrogeological, geochemical and

hydrogeochemical (and biological) considerations and data

requirements differ between schemes.

• ASR schemes in confined aquifers inject a ‘bubble’ of water into the native water. If native

(baseline?) water quality is very poor, then injected water needs to displace this

• Issues are design limitations, aquifer properties, hydrochemisty geochemistry, aquifer

heterogeneity - but not such an issue if native water quality is good.

• In ASTR operations the spacing between injection and recovery wells will depend on the intended

residence time in the aquifer for passive disinfection, and the quality of native groundwater. If

quality is good then separation can increase.

• In other MAR schemes, e.g. unconfined cases, depth to water table and recharge water quality

are important

http://www.asrforum.com

Understanding this region Is

crucial!


Examples of some historical resources

Hydrogeology of the London Basin – with special reference to artificial recharge

London Basin Report WRB 1972


And some modern parameterised 3D models


Easily accessible data.....

Aquifer Properties Manuals (1997,2004)

Jointly funded BGS/EA project


Baseline quality of groundwater (1999-2010)

• Jointly funded BGS/ EA

• Project covering 25 areas

• Comprehensive and strategic database for

present day and baseline concentrations

for most inorganic substances

• Data used to:

- derive WFD Threshold values

- set remedial targets for contaminated

land remediation

- establish threshold and triggers for

environmental permits, e.g. landfills

25

24

26

27

28

http://nora.nerc.ac.uk http://www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/browse.cfm?sec=1&cat=49

http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/browse.cfm?sec=1&cat=49


Geochemical Properties Manual

Jointly funded BGS/EA project

Viewer pending


Detailed logging and geological evaluation of

target aquifer zone.

Riches et al, 2006, BGS


Geological Datasets

Inc. new infrastucture

developments (JLE, CTRL, Crossrail…

HS2, Tideway tunnel?)

Royse, K R. 2010

Entwisle, et al 2013

Aldiss, D.T.. 2013


Recent GIS layers /Datasets

Depth to Water

• Inferred from river base

levels

• Hydromap contours

• Point measurements

• Constrained for low

permeability rocks to

<10m

Base level

River

a

b

c

‘R eal’ groundwater level

R iver


Unsaturated zone

velocity

• Measured values for

Chalk, SSG & Lincs

Limestone – range 0.76

to 1.1 m/a

• Attributed using

hydromap classes

subdivided on lithology

– range 10 m/a for

karstic to 0.1 for clays

and mudstones


Prediction of the arrival of peak

nitrate concentrations at the

water table

0

5

10

15

20

0 20 40 60 80

Porewater nitrate concentration (mgN/L)

De

pth

(m

)

May-79

Sep-81

Mar-90

• Nitrate peak has already at WT arrived

for large areas

• Decades for peak to arrive in significant

areas of Chalk, Carboniferous, and

Scottish ORS

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1925 1935 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 2025 2035 2045

Nitr

ate

concentr

atio

n (

mg l-

1)

Date

White Chalk

Triassic Sandstone


Methane baseline

• BGS initiated a survey of methane in

groundwater during 2012

• EA co-funding in 2013

• Measurements include: Methane plus

higher alkanes, fluorescence, stable

isotopes, residence time indicators

• Data summaries and associated

statistics for each shale gas area

published on BGS website

• Also links to other BGS/EA Baseline

reports, EA reports and outputs from

the iHydrogeology project.


Emerging groundwater contaminants

• BGS NC project including using

EA national GWQM data

• Some additional sampling and

analysis funded by EA and using

NLS

• Demonstrated widespread

detections of some compounds

(old and new)

• Raised profile of emerging

contaminants through a number of

journal articles, conference

presentations and posters (UK and

Europe). Including new joint

BGS/EA authored paper

http://www.groundwateruk.org/downloads/7_D_Lapworth.pdf

http://www.groundwateruk.org/downloads/7_D_Lapworth.pdf


Viewers: GB3D (National Geological Model)

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/ukgeology/nationalGeologicalModel/gb3d.html

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/ukgeology/nationalGeologicalModel/gb3d.html


Data Availability….Map Viewers: Geoindex

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/geoindex/

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/geoindex/


Map Viewers: Geoindex

http://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk

http://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk/


http://www.bgs.ac.uk/gbase/londonearth.html

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/gbase/londonearth.html


Basin-wide datasets

Base level

River

a

b

c

‘R eal’ groundwater level

R iver


Thames Gravels

Bricker SH and Bloomfield JP Submited QJEGH

http://www.hydoutuk.net/

Hydrological outlooks

LWEC Report Card

http://www.lwec.org.uk/resources/report-cards/water


Drought studies

j.bloomfield @bgs.ac.uk


Other BGS Groundwater Science Initiatives

• National initiatives

• Analysis of EA GW temperature data, identify &quantify change in GW temp as a

function of climate change (2009 - current)

• Analysis of EA Chalk GW level data, empirical model of GW drought (2012 – current)

• Impact of changing groundwater quality on water resources and the UK water

industry (2003-4).

• ihydrogeology, National Geological Model applied to shale gas/fracking….coming

soon.

• Recent regional initiatives

• Analysis of GWL data for Lincolnshire region (2012 – current)

• MARS FP7 project, with CEH. Analysis of multiple stressors on water resources and

ecological status in Thames region to inform future RBMP (2014 – 2018)

• Investigation of source of phosphorous EQS exceedances in SW region (2013)

• Groundwater age dating (London Basin)


Parameterisation, process modelling,

scaling and new capabilities

• Develop tools, provide training and improve access to :

Property databases and time–series data

Understanding property variance ; numerous geostatistical

analysing tools available, GoCad / Petrel

Estimation of physical and chemical parameters from other

properties

• Scaling

Need EM to take account of the range of scales over which

environmental processes operate from the nano to mega-scale

Up and down scaling of data

• Process Modelling

Increase expertise including non-aqueous and multiphase flow

Coupled process modelling i.e. effects of discontinuities on fluid

flow


Integrated modelling of water resources within a large, heterogeneous catchment: the Thames Basin

• Multiple, laterally discontinuous groundwater units support

flow in the River Thames, and major public water supplies.

• Significant pressures due to high demand and climate

variability (e.g. a severe drought).

• “Legacy” models (representing

significant investment) simulate parts

of the physical system, or parts of the

water cycle but are not linked and

cannot address integrated, basin-

scale water resource management.

• New model coupling software, that

allows models to interact, is being

used to develop water resource

model of the whole system.

• NERC Changing Water Cycle:

impacts of changing climate

extremes.


The Thames Basin

Distributed ZOOMQ3D model of the Chalk aquifer

New semi-distributed BGSGW model of the Cotswolds limestones

New MCRouter Muskingam-Cunge river flow routing model


Future Thames

Provide a test bed for integrated

environmental modelling

Will facilitate the delivery of an approved

multi-scaled 3D geological framework model.

Launch the Thames i-map.

Integrate 3D chalk geology and property information into the

Thames linked Groundwater model

Deliver a quantitative 3D sand and gravel physical property model

for the Thames Basin

Apply 3D hydro domains to the SUDS suitability map to assess

the impact of sustainable drainage on groundwater resources

Assess the potential for using the Thames Basin as an urban-

rural observatory


Drinking water

Oil

Hot water

Many useful resources contained within the sandstone pore space

Gas storage within Triassic salt

Gas Storage?

Potential CO2 storage

Potential Aquifer-Shale Gas interaction


Many other applications: e.g. Porosity

reduction due to calcrete development

0

42 m

22 m


Provides the underlying evidence to create up-scaled

regional and national property models

© NERC All rights reserved Note map vertical and not true thickness

Frome-Piddle…. a network of 77 intersecting cross-

sections using GSI3D , to create surfaces

thicknesses and volumetrics (e.g.Upper Greensand)


EMP Model linkages

Infrastructure models

Water

quality

models

Ecological

models

Financial

models

Population

models

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.docklands24.co.uk/polopoly_fs/ela_32_thames_sewer_overflow_1_983710!image/821367600.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/821367600.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.docklands24.co.uk/news/tower_hamlets_backs_new_search_for_alternative_to_thames_super_sewer_1_983711&usg=__RlUoqGAuMqr_woXxrEJQhWZBlVA=&h=348&w=490&sz=94&hl=en&start=11&zoom=1&tbnid=d6t_vRpFEoQB1M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=130&ei=XpuNToDIKsTD8QPu2s0u&prev=/images?q=sewers+thames&hl=en&sa=G&gbv=2&tbm=isch&itbs=1

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://stockexchangequotes.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/london-see.jpg&imgrefurl=http://stockexchangequotes.net/london-stock-exchange-quote/&usg=__bfdWteRQGZdTo5oMXtVtfs_Chh0=&h=1491&w=2301&sz=192&hl=en&start=8&zoom=1&tbnid=TUAfK5E63S8ffM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=150&ei=JpyNTqHJHM628QPO3ukp&prev=/images?q=stock+exchange+london&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&itbs=1


Challenges

Better understanding of the near wellbore properties and

processes – all of them!

Adequate property databases and time–series data?

Clogging/encrustation aquifer conditioning and maintenance

Fluid and sediment processes/compatibility

Groundwater dating

Heterogeneity, Geostatistical Tools and Up-scaling

Effects of discontinuities on fluid flow and model attribution

Process Modelling / Environmental Modelling Platform

Model linkage

Are we using all our aquifer storage?

Revisit aquifer storage evaluations

Should we actively exploit marginal aquifers/units/depths?

Should we frack?


End of presentation – thank you

UKWRIP, NERC & UKWIR

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Transcript of UKWRIP, NERC & UKWIR