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Contract n° SSPI-2004-006538 BBRRIIDDGGEE Background cRiteria for the Identification of Groundwater thresholds Research for Policy Support D10: Impact of hydrogeological conditions on pollutant behaviour in groundwater and related ecosystems. Volume 1 - Appendices Due date of deliverable: March 2006 Actual submission date: May 2006 Start date of the project: 1st January 2005 Duration: 2 years Organisation name of lead contractor for this deliverable: BRGM Project co-funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006) Dissimination level PU Public PP Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission Services) RE Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) CO Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services) D10: Hydrogeological conditions - volume 1 General Content Volume 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Techniques used to collect and process the data Chapter 3: Methodologies used for GWB delineation Introduction General comment Delineation of groundwater bodies Aquifer Typology Interaction with surface waters Assessment of pressures Assessment of vulnerability Risk assessment Open questions Concluding Remarks References of chapter 3 Chapter 4: Concepts for characterisation of aquifer regarding transport and attenuation of pollutants Generalities Typology of aquifers Characterisation of attenuation between source of pollution and receptor Chapter 5: Hydrogeological processes Importance of aquifers in the context of the WFD Concept of the aquifer control on pollutants Attenuation of the pollutants according to aquifer typology Synthesis and perspective of use of information on hydrogeological processes Appendices: in a separate volume Chapter 6: Natural Background Levels. State of the art and review of existing methodologies Introduction Methodologies to determine the natural background level State of the art on natural background levels Conclusions References Appendices: in a separate volume Deliverable D10 3 / 199 D10: Hydrogeological conditions - volume 1 Volume 2 Chapter 7: Groundwater/surface water interactions Introduction Aim Types of surface water systems Chemical/substance concerns Processes and controls at catchment scale Processes and controls at local scale Discussion Conclusions References Chapter 8: Groundwater/dependant terrestrial ecosystems interactions Introduction Aim Types of water dependent terrestrial ecosystems Linking landscape location and water transfer mechanisms Processes and controls on the groundwater system and the GWDTE. Chemical /substance concerns Review of methods Discussion Conclusions Volume 3 Chapter 9: Impact of quantitative alteration on groundwater quality What means change of quantitative status? Synthesis Quantity related aquifer responses and triggered processes with impact on groundwater quality Matrix Actions/quantity impact/triggered processes/quality parameter influenced Assessment of quantitative impacts on quality Annex Task 2.3 partnerships: contribution of each partner 4 / 199 Deliverable D10 D10: Hydrogeological conditions - volume 1 Volume 1 Appendices of chapters 5 and 6 Statistical characteristics from the participant countries and their groundwater bodies Deliverable D10 5 / 199 D10: Hydrogeological conditions - volume 1 We have synthesised in a table form some characteristics according to the responses on the questionnaires and to some bibliographic references. In this table we have presented following information: Name of countries and occasionally the region (Belgium and United Kingdom); Number of Water Basin District; Country or region surfaces; Population; Number of GWB; Average surface of GWB; Range and median of GWB; A last column “specific point” emphasizing some particularities. Remark The average surface of GWB gives the result of the whole surface of GWBs divided by the country surface. It is just an indicative value. Thus this calculation procedure is correct only if all GWB are shallow GWB covering the whole countries. In France the GWBs are covering the whole country surface, but the deeper, covered GWBs are added. Thus, the country surface is 646,321km², but the total surface of GWBs is 1,094,514km². Otherwise, in Finland, only 4,1% of the country surface is related to the identified GWBs. We have also expected to provide further information about other parameters but the available knowledge at that work stop didn’t allow it: Number of points for groundwater monitoring; Percentage of groundwater withdraw in the drinking water balance; Systematic typology of GWBs. Deliverable D10 7 / 199 D10: Hydrogeological conditions - volume 1 Appendix of chapter 5 Contributions from partners Deliverable D10 9 / 199 D10: Hydrogeological conditions - volume 1 Appendix 5.1 Contribution from EA and BGS (United Kingdom) Lithological type of the aquifer: Sandstones General information on the location of the specific aquifer considered as example The Permo-Triassic sandstones form the second most important aquifer in the UK, supplying around 25% of licensed groundwater abstractions in England and Wales. The sandstones outcrop in the south-west, central, north-east and north-west of England and in the Vale of Clwyd in Wales. The total outcrop area is around 9,000km2. Geometrical settings In general the Permo-Triassic sandstones lie within the onshore extensions of a number of major offshore sedimentary basins. They have variable and often substantial thicknesses; for example the Sherwood Sandstone Group is up to 600m thick in Lancashire and around the northern edge of the Cheshire Basin the Permo-Triassic sandstones approach 1,000m in thickness. In south Nottinghamshire the Sherwood sandstone Group is around 90m thick, increasing to around 180m thick further north in Yorkshire. In the south-west and north-east of England the sandstones dip to the east and become confined down dip by the Mercia Mudstone Group. Geological settings The Permo-Triassic sandstone aquifers include breccias, aeolian dunes and fluviatile clastic deposits. Fluviatile deposits largely form the important Sherwood Sandstone Group aquifer which was created when basins initiated in the Permian continued to subside, causing thick clastic deposits to spread diachronously across the older rocks, deposited by a major braided river system. A number of cycles of gradational grain size occur within the sequence and as a whole the grain size tends to decrease upwards. Intrinsic physical/hydrogeological properties The total porosity of the sandstones is very variable, ranging from less than 5% to 35%, with a median value (from BGS core data) of 26%. The sandstones are commonly layered and highly anisotropic (layered heterogeneity). Therefore while the long-term specific yield is commonly of the order of 0.1, the unconfined storage coefficient measured from pumping test data is often much lower. Measured intergranular hydraulic conductivities range from 10-6 to 20m/d with a median value of around 0.5m/d. Transmissivity data from pumping tests range from less than 1m2/d to over 50,00m2/d, with a median value of around 200m2/d. Fracture flow is considered to be important on a local scale. Information on the cover Downdip from outcrop the Sherwood Sandstone Group is commonly confined by the Mercia Mudstone Group which acts as an aquitard, although there is often considerable interlayering of sandstones and mudstones at the junction. Permian Marls in the form of the Aylesbeare Mudstone Group in the south-west and the Manchester Marl in the north-west act as aquitards, confining the Permian sandstones. Deliverable D10 11 / 199 D10: Hydrogeological conditions - volume 1 Flow condition The mean annual replenishment of the Permo-Triassic sandstones has been estimated to be 1,442x106 m3. Other Sandstones In addition to the major Permo-Triassic sandstone aquifers of England and Wales another important aquifer for water supply is the Lower Greensand, a Cretaceous aquifer found in the south-east of England. Other sandstone aquifers include the Coal Measures, the Millstone Grit and Devonian sandstones Physico-chemical conditions Permo-Triassic Sandstone The Permo-Triassic Sandstone is a silicate aquifer with a small percentage (typically 1–4wt%) of carbonate minerals, including dolomite. It is an oxidised red-bed sandstone with abundant iron oxides (particularly haematite) both in the matrix and as grain coatings. The concentration of organic matter is typically very low (0.07wt% or less). Although considered a non-carbonate aquifer, carbonate reactions dominate the major-ion chemistry of the groundwaters. These are buffered at near-neutral pH with Ca-HCO3 dominating. Redox processes play an important role in controlling many elements in the confined parts of the aquifer. In some areas (e.g. East Midlands), the aquifer dips gently eastwards and in the east is covered by a thick sequence of Mercia Mudstone. Here, a smooth downgradient geochemical evolution of water chemistry can be observed from the unconfined aquifer in the west to the confined aquifer in the east. Along the flow line, increasing borehole depth and groundwater residence time lead to increasing temperature and evolution of chemical composition as a result of mineral dissolution and a change from oxic to anoxic groundwater conditions. In the deepest parts of the aquifer in the East Midlands, there is evidence for the presence of older formation water. In other areas, fracturing and patchy drift cover lead to more variable and less