Latest News
News and updates from Envireau Water.
Going Underground to Escape the Drought
The Daily Telegraph published an article on 18 April 2012 describing how homeowners are drilling boreholes on their land to “get around” the hosepipe ban. There are currently about 40,000 private water supplies in Britain, serving one million homes.
Many drilling contractors state that they are experiencing a large increase in enquiries to normal as more people are becoming aware that that they can obtain a water supply from the ground without a licence from the Environment Agency. A licence is not required if less than 20m3 of water is abstracted from the ground per day. However, the Environment Agency still urges everyone to consider wise use of this precious resource, particularly in areas hit by drought.
The British Geological Survey estimates that 20% of homes have enough room and a good enough groundwater supply for a borehole. A borehole system could cost a couple of thousand pounds or more than £10,000, depending where in the country the property is located. However, the savings to be made in the following years can be significant given that mains water from a water company currently costs in excess of £1 per m3 (1m3 = 1,000 litres).
Before drilling commences, a comprehensive assessment of the geology beneath the site should be undertaken. This will identify the potential for a water supply, how deep the borehole needs to be and the associated risks with drilling a borehole at the location. This type of assessment is called a borehole prognosis, which Envireau Water can undertake for you. Although our reports contain a lot of technical information, unlike our competitors, we present that information in a way that is understandable and informative so that you can make the decision whether to have a borehole drilled or not.
For more information on private water supplies or to commission a borehole prognosis for your home or business, please contact Envireau Water on 01332 871882 or via the Contact Form.
James Dodds appointed as DEFRA study expert
Our James Dodds has been appointed as an expert to take part in work on a DEFRA funded study looking at Water Abstraction Licensing Reform. Three expert-based workshops are being run to identify:
a) the key uncertainties and influences that will drive water abstraction
b) where the most important issues are so that modelling work can be focused to address these.
These workshops will involve economists, policy people, climatology experts, hydrologists and independent sector experts in order to comment on issues in a sector specific way, such as:
i) how important water is to the sector
ii) how water scarcity / shortage will impact production
iii) how production over the long term will be affected by broader economic trends
iv) whether there are future technologies that might emerge that will impact water usage/efficiency
James’ broad knowledge of agriculture, horticulture, sport irrigation, mining/quarrying sectors, and general industrial sectors were recognised as very relevant to this program.
If you would like further information please contact James on 01332 871882 or use the Contact Form.
Drought declared across more counties
The Environment Agency declared drought in 17 more English Counties this morning across the Midlands and South-West; Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, parts of Hampshire and most of Wiltshire are now affected.
Despite the drought extending into these additional counties it is 'environmental drought', classified by low river flows and groundwater levels, as opposed to 'public water supply drought' which would necessitate actions such as hosepipe bans as already seen in the South-East. Public water supply restrictions are not expected in these new areas this year.
It is thought that the drought could last until Christmas or beyond as the time for significant groundwater recharge is now over.
However, despite all talk of the drought, even if it does start to rain this summer problems still remain in the form of flash flood risk! This may seem ridiculous but dry, compacted, drought affected soils absorb water less easily and induce increased runoff during storm events. River flows will increase as a result but more quickly than wanted and with a large risk of sediment mobilisation which causes different problems for river ecosystems.
If you would like to discuss your drought resilience or flood risk further, then contact Envireau Water on 01332 871882 or via the Contact Form to see how we can help you plan for the future.
Envireau Water improves Scottish Distillery’s water supply management
Envireau Water has been appointed as water resources consultants to a major distilling company in Scotland. Our role involves providing high level technical and regulatory support to enable the company to understand their groundwater resource in order to assist them in managing water supply more effectively now and in the future. The company operates several boreholes which provide all their vital water resource for all distilling purposes. Ongoing engineering problems with these existing boreholes due to their construction and a limited understanding of the hydrogeological environment, means we are also providing consultancy support for the design and construction of a 200m deep replacement borehole.
The replacement borehole is to be a state-of-the-art construction using stainless steel casings and screen, stainless steel ZSM risers and surface pipework. In order to monitor the performance of all the boreholes, telemetry data systems to monitor flow rates, water levels and water quality is being installed as part of the project.
There is a concern by the regulatory body SEPA that the distillery’s boreholes have led to lowering of water levels and there are fears that this could impact surface water resources in the local area. The scientific data which Envireau Water will collect during construction and testing of the new borehole will enable us to ascertain whether SEPA’s concerns are justified. Analysis of that data will affect how these boreholes are regulated in the future.
Once completed the project will enable the distillery to improve their management of their vital water resources. Increased efficiency and improved monitoring will enable them to make significant savings in both operational and maintenance costs.
Envireau Water attended Penrhyn Quarry public exhibitions
Envireau Water's Tamsin Morey and Steve Bennett attended the public exhibitions held on April 2 at Mynydd Llandygai and April 11 at Bethesda, that Welsh Slate organised as part of the pre-planning application process for the proposed quarry realignment. Envireau Water is part of the technical team and was on hand to answer any queries attendees had on the hydrological aspects of the proposal.
The proposed development will prolong the life of the quarry (currently said to be five or six years) by 15 years and will increase accessible reserves of valuable coloured slate by 6.2 million tonnes. Welsh Slate is an extremely important employer in Gwynedd, particularly in Bethesda and its surrounds.
Envireau Water has an established reputation within the mining and quarrying industry and can assist with all aspects of water management at extraction sites; from dewatering control / licensing to water supply and runoff assessments.