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Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
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Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology; 2004; v. 37; issue.4; p. 293-300;
DOI: 10.1144/1470-9236/04-009
© 2004 Geological Society of London

Original Article

Mapping the risk to groundwater resources from farm waste stores in England and Wales

Adrian Armstrong1, 2, Helen Rutter3, Daren Gooddy3 & Hester Lyons4

1 1Formerly with ADAS Gleadthorpe, Meden Vale, Mansfield NG20 9PF, UK
2 2Present address: Entec UK, 130 Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4UB, UK (e-mail: armsa@entecuk.co.uk)
3 3British Geological Survey, Wallingford, Maclean Building, Wallingford OX10 8BB, UK
4 4ADAS Wolverhampton, Woodthorne, Wergs Road, Wolverhampton WV6 8TQ, UK

Unlined farm waste stores present a potential, but unquantified, risk to groundwater. Field studies of pore water retrieved from beneath active slurry stores indicate that there is a potential for pollutants to be transported down through the unsaturated zone of the aquifer. The highest risk to groundwater is where the water table is shallow, and/or where there is no protection offered to the aquifer by low-permeability soil or drift layers. A preliminary screening tool is presented, which highlights vulnerable areas of aquifer based on the protection offered by superficial layers. Two different approaches were applied, one utilizing soils data and the other making use of superficial geology data. Some of the differences between the approaches are considered, and their influence on the resulting risk assessment are discussed.

Key Words: aquifers • geographic information systems • hydrogeological maps • pollution • risk assessment