Flooding often leaves families, communities and businesses in distress every year. You may have experienced or heard about river flooding or surface flooding or even sewer flooding but very little is covered on the lesser-known ‘groundwater flooding’.
Groundwater is described as “water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock”. Groundwater flooding occurs when groundwater rises, reaches the ground and escapes.
How groundwater manifests at the surface is generally unclear and difficult to predict. It doesn’t usually appear where you would expect it to due to its complex below-ground interactions.
This is significant in the northeast as groundwater flood risk in many parts of the region is influenced by interactions with abandoned underground mine workings.
It has the potential to result in significant community disruption and damage to properties and infrastructure.
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