Despite the intensive rainfall of the second half of April, many parts of the UK are still in drought and it is still vitally important that we continue to conserve tap-water. Whilst surface waters are flooding, very little of this water will enter our groundwater aquifers which provides the majority of our drinking water supply in large parts of southern and south-eastern England in particular.
The term "groundwater" has finally entered the imagination of the general public. Sadly this is mainly due to the recently declared drought in the southern parts of England which are most dependent on groundwater sources for water supply. The short term problems will become very clear over the next few months. But what are the longer term implications?
The Environment Secretary declared official drought status for the South East of England on 20th February 2012. Rainfall has been substantially below long term average across the region for the last 18 months (inlcuding two very dry winters), and as a result reservoir levels, river flows and groundwater levels are well below normal - even lower than in the last major drought of 1976.
The Environment Agency and water companies have responded by introducing drought plans to manage abstraction or introduce temporary restrictions. Clearly a drought provides immediate issues for both providers and consumers of water.
Records from the time of the drought in 1976 show that the recharge rates are slow and it can take take several years of normal rainfall for aquifers to fully recover to their pre-drought levels.
The key challenge for water companies and the Environment Agency will be to manage abstraction levels within the sustainability guidelines set by the water quality directive and any drought controls that have been put in place. This will be accompanied by the need to continuously monitor aquifer recovery rates.
The term "groundwater" has finally entered the imagination of the general public. Sadly this is mainly due to the recently declared drought in the southern parts of England which are most dependent on groundwater sources for water supply. The short term problems will become very clear over the next few months. But what are the longer term implications?
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| Reproduced Courtesy of the Groundwater Forum |
The Environment Agency and water companies have responded by introducing drought plans to manage abstraction or introduce temporary restrictions. Clearly a drought provides immediate issues for both providers and consumers of water.
Records from the time of the drought in 1976 show that the recharge rates are slow and it can take take several years of normal rainfall for aquifers to fully recover to their pre-drought levels.
The key challenge for water companies and the Environment Agency will be to manage abstraction levels within the sustainability guidelines set by the water quality directive and any drought controls that have been put in place. This will be accompanied by the need to continuously monitor aquifer recovery rates.
These changes present a variety of time, resource and cost challenges to borehole operators. Waterra In-Situ and its partners have in-depth technical support capabilities to help with groundwater and surface water monitoring requirements - whether this is for level or quality monitoring.
Our expertise is backed up with a portfolio of innovative water monitoring and testing equipment to suit a variety of different functional requirements. You can rent water monitoring equipment too, which allows you to supplement existing equipment when required or try out new ways of doing things without incurring capital cost.
For more assistance in choosing the correct equipment for your needs contact our support team on +44 (0) 121 733 7743 or email sales@waterra-in-situ.com.
Waterra In-Situ - Groundwater pumps: bladder, centrifugal, inertial, peristaltic & submersible
