By Rhiannon Marchi-Smith – PGN Lead Hydrogeologist and Technical Coordinator
It’s year 3 of the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP) and we are officially halfway through Project Groundwater Northumbria (PGN).
The PGN ambition
The aim of PGN is to better understand and manage groundwater flood risk, particularly from legacy mine workings. PGN has made significant strides in building partnerships and gathering knowledge of the complex dynamics of groundwater in the Northumbria region.
- PGN focuses on mapping, monitoring, forecasting, and raising community awareness of groundwater flood risk1.
We want to be able to identify groundwater and mine water monitoring locations; recharge and discharge locations based on the geology. The conceptual understanding of the geology and groundwater has far reaching benefits even beyond our aims.
Making our Research Accessible
Let’s focus on a big year 1 outcome, our phase 1 geological cross sections which we recently published on the NERC Open Research Archive (NORA).
The NERC Open Research Archive (NORA) is a repository for research publications from all four of the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) research centres, including British Geological Survey (BGS), British Antarctic Survey, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and Proudman Oceanographic Laboratories. The archive provides a space where research publications can be freely accessed.
Phase 1 Geological Cross-Sections
Up to now, the understanding of the interaction between the geology and old mine workings has been unclear. There was an obvious need as the risk of high groundwater/mine water has an increasing likelihood of interacting with our built environment. Most of our understanding hasn’t been freely available to the public, designers or wider industry, but with the publication of our phase 1 geological cross-sections on NORA anyone can take a look.
The development and interpretation of nine geological cross sections across the region was achieved in partnership with the Environment Agency and British Geological Survey (BGS). The published data is accompanied by a technical report also produced by BGS which describes the data used, the geological units included, and the constraints and limitations of the interpretations
At PGN we have had the opportunity to share this information freely which is crucial for better informed design.
More informed design has the potential to benefit regulators protecting water resources or land from contamination, asset managers ascertaining risk of their assets or consultants understanding risk associated with their designs. The cross-sections are already proving their worth as a resource to both regulators and the wider industry since being published onto NORA in March 2024.
Why it Matters
Understanding the geology and groundwater in the region is invaluable.
The big challenge when designing SuDS or siting boreholes in the area is the risk of artesian groundwater in the valleys which renders any development unfeasible so developing phase 1 of the cross sections is a big step forward for all industries interacting with the subsurface.
The cross-sections provide an immediate understanding of the subsurface when siting suitable locations for ground investigation. In fact, they have already been used to inform the design and feasibility of a flood alleviation scheme in the Gateshead area.
We have already started to make strides in our understanding of the subsurface in both Berwick and Gateshead, but we still have 3 years to go and lots more to achieve.
On the Horizon: Exciting Things to Come
Our next step is to improve our flood susceptibility maps by working with BGS to map the superficial geology based on how likely it is to store and transmit water. We will be updating our cross sections with the anticipated groundwater level to further support the industry with the feasibility of subsurface designs.
This will transform our understanding of the area but that is not all. We will also be producing a 3D geological model of Gateshead to inform flood risk based on mine working connectivity with the surface, but also help guide future sustainable developments in the region.
The 3D model will go a long way in informing mine heat schemes and better managing and embracing our mining legacy.
Thank you for reading.
