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Tools Developed to Assess Risks to Groundwater
To enable SEPA to undertake the Water Framework Directive characterisation, new tools have been developed. These tools include new aquifer and vulnerability classifications. These classifications have been used to develop Aquifer and Groundwater Vulnerability Maps, which in combination can assist in the application of a source-pathway-receptor approach to risk assessment.
- The Aquifer Maps have been derived by the British Geological Survey (BGS) in consultation with SEPA. These maps have been produced for both the bedrock and the superficial deposits (unconsolidated geological material above the bedrock aquifer e.g. sands and gravels).
- The Groundwater Vulnerability Map has been derived by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (MLURI) under contract to SNIFFER in consultation with SEPA, the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI), the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI) and the Environment Agency (EA). It was produced to enable Scotland's groundwater bodies to be characterised as required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
It is envisaged that these maps are likely to available in an interactive format on this website in 2006.
Details on the concepts underpinning the Aquifer and Vulnerability Maps together with guidance on the interpretation, appropriate uses and limitations of the maps can be accessed by the links below:
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