Groundwater monitoring, modelling

Monitoring is an essential part of understanding and protecting our water resources. For spring and borehole sources, ongoing monitoring of levels, flow and quality is vital to maintain confidence in their security and to forewarn of potential problems.

For major construction projects, monitoring of the natural water environment is often an EIA requirement - both for assessing potential impacts and for managing mitigation.

Computer modelling is an invaluable component of hydrogeological assessment. We use a variety of computer modelling techniques from simple borehole- pumping models to 3D numerical groundwater models. Starting with good monitoring data, a conceptual model' of the system is developed, forming the basis of our numerical model, which can then be used to verify our understanding of the system and to test alternative development scenarios.

Recently, we have built groundwater models aimed at understanding the impacts of dewatering for construction projects.