Project Groundwater (Greater Lincolnshire)
Project Groundwater Greater Lincolnshire is working on six key principles:
Our desired outcomes are to gain a greater understand groundwater and detail the impact it has not only on Lincolnshire as a county but also on its people, communities and farmlands, not just for now but also for the future. As well as this we aim to develop innovative solutions to help manage some of the groundwater flooding issues across the county wide area and generate legal understandings that will provide a knowledge base to future proof others against groundwater issues.
Trial Communities
As part of the bid for this project, LCC chose several trial community areas that had significant issues with groundwater flooding, work is now ongoing in each of those communities to understand and mitigate against the issues there.
Grimsby Saltings Allotment - Background
A section of Saltings allotments in Grimsby has been left derelict for over 20 years due to constant groundwater flooding. Properties surrounding this allotment site have also been subjected to groundwater flooding issues for many years and as such the project has been brought on board to change the redundant allotment site into a wetland nature park. The wetland site will be designed in a way that enables the capture of flooding water to prevent the overwhelming of the combined sewer system, by the creation of 3 ponds and also grant access to the public to use as a recreation site with benches, walkways and information points to identify wildlife, plants, trees and creatures that will inhabit the wetland.
Grimsby Saltings Allotment – Current situation
- A risk assessment has been completed by WSP about the future of potential usage for the site, this is now being discussed with partner organisations to have full approval of next steps.
Grimsby Kingston Gardens – Background
The existing nature based area within Kingston gardens in Grimsby has 2 existing ponds with artesian springs, path ways and established trees but due to neglect has been overrun by brambles, silting up of ponds and the path ways have fallen into disrepair. Flooding to the adjacent properties is now a major concern.
The proposal for Kingston gardens is to sculp out the silted ponds to enable the capture and hold back of artesian spring water to prevent the overwhelming of the combined sewer system. Reinstall pathways and information boards, create a more desirable habitat to encourage a more biodiversity of wildlife, install maintenance entrances and encourage the community engagement.
Grimsby Kingston Gardens – Current Situation
- Risk assessment for Saltings seems to not apply to Kingston Gardens as no plans for the area include digging further down into the land there, so a restart to plans for works there (tidying up the grounds, desilting the ponds) can look to commence.
Scopwick – Background
A beck runs through the centre of Scopwick from which bubbles of groundwater rising from the aquifer can be seen on clear days. The village has suffered in many locations due to this ever present groundwater flooding which was overwhelming the sewer systems and as such blocking them in times of high rainfall from surface water entering, which caused flooding in the village.
Scopwick – Current situation
- Our hydrogeologists Atkins are undertaking modelling of area to provide recommendations as to whether Scopwick, or one of the neighbouring villages, would benefit from a nature-based solution to groundwater flooding issues.
Barton-upon-Humber – Background
Barton-Upon-Humber has reported historical flooding events which were mitigated against previously by groundwater abstraction taking place by the water companies/industrial uses. A loss of abstraction licences due to policy changes within the EA has meant the risk of groundwater flooding has returned to Barton-upon-Humber.
Barton-upon-Humber – Current situation
- Phase 1 of the modelling has been completed, with phase 2 now underway looking at the area with a more refined localised model to understand where potential groundwater issues are.
Barrow-upon-Humber – Background
Barrow-upon-Humber previously suffered from groundwater flooding due to spring activation. It is also home to one of the Lincolnshire chalk streams, a unique habitat feature of which there are only 200 across the UK. The spring activated groundwater was previously mitigated against by works from the local council, but due to the uniqueness of the chalk streams an assessment of groundwater in the area is required to ensure if further springs appear they do not impact the chalk stream habitat.
Barrow-upon-Humber – Current situation
- The project was successful in a bid for natural flood measures (NFM) funding for restoration works on the Barrow beck. Our partners at the Lincolnshire Chalk Stream Partnership are now scoping design proposals and liaising with land owners in the area to ascertain what works can be placed where.
Bourne – Background
Part of the project is involved with looking at water loss from boreholes in Bourne. A borehole in this instance is any hole that has been constructed to reach water.
A list of 74 boreholes in the Bourne region had previously been surveyed by the EA in 1993, 2003 and 2013 to give an understanding of the levels of water potentially being lost by leaking boreholes. Comparison of the same boreholes over a wide timeframe gives a more comprehensive view of the situation in terms of water loss levels. As such it was initially determined that LCC as part of project groundwater would instruct hydrologists to examine the same set of boreholes.
Bourne – Current situation
- Uptake for the original boreholes list was low at 36% so further boreholes in the nearby area were also visited.
- The numbers of boreholes showing any water leaking turned out to be very low and the levels of water escaping from these was minimal and contained to rural areas where they were not impacting residents.
- AtkinsRealis are now drafting their final report into the findings.
Hillside Avenue, Lincoln – Background
Hillside Avenue, along with several other streets in Lincoln have suffered with groundwater issues from natural springs for a number of years, with issues appearing to have gotten worse in spring 2023.
Hillside Avenue, Lincoln – Current situation
- Hydrogeologists Atkins Realis have completed site visits to affected areas, liaised with Lincoln hospital and undertaken modelling of the area to help ascertain a clear picture as to what is causing the issue.
- A report on their recommendations to mitigate the problem is due shortly.
Heighington – Background
Flooding at Millfield Academy in Heighington occurred during Storm Babet in October 2023, resulting in the temporary closure of the school. The main flooding mechanism was understood to be the overtopping of Heighington Beck, but initial reports suggested that groundwater flooding was also a factor in this flooding event. The Beck overtopped again in January 2024, and flooding was exacerbated by drainage issues. Heighington village also has significant issues with groundwater infiltration into the foul sewer network, and a need has been identified to consider broader flood risk solutions for Heighington, not just the Millfield Academy site.
Heighington – Current situation
- Hydrogeologists AtkinsRéalis have been contracted under project GW to investigate the flooding in Heighington. This will begin with a site visit and discussions with the affected school and residents, before progressing to modelling of the area to gain an overview as to the source of the water.
Project Collaborations Update
University of Lincoln Research
Economic Appraisal of the Salinisation of the Fen - Background
Within the Greater Lincolnshire area, an eighth of the nations food is grown and/or processed, as such the county could easily be described as the nation’s food capitol. In the south of the county, the fertile farmland of the Lincolnshire Fens is under threat from salinisation of the soil and water supply. For agricultural production, salts provide essential nutrients for growing. But too much salt can be toxic, and degrade the soil quality and lead to reductions in growth rate, smaller crop yields, and even crop failure.
Knowledge of the groundwater systems in the Fenlands is very limited, and understanding them is key to helping to protect the land in this area from excess salt – or salinisation.
Working with the University of Lincoln, the project team will collect data on the present salt levels in the soil in the Fens, and use modelling software to understand how salt water might infiltrate the soil and impact food production in the future.
Through this work, they will also be able to evidence the economic consequences that excessive salt levels will have on our fertile farmland.
Economic Appraisal of the Salinisation of the Fen – Current situation
Two reports have so far been submitted by the university on the work being undertaken. Wells have been installed at the desired sites with monitoring equipment in place to provide information on the saline levels present.
Dynamic licences project – Background
Climate change is expected to reduce the availability of water resources over the coming decade with eastern England alone requiring an extra 284 million litres of water per day for agriculture alone by 2050. In order to obtain this extra water, it will be needed to be extracted from the aquifer.
Water abstraction is regulated by the EA, to ensure the aquifer is not depleted unnecessarily and that there is sufficient water for all. Currently, UK water abstraction licencing provides for both daily, and annual limits (i.e. an abstractor is permitted to use a certain volume per day whilst not exceeding a certain volume in a year) with seasonal caps (usually during the summer months).
A novel approach is needed to water abstraction licences, or a dynamic licence, so that water could be extracted at specific times depending on the levels in the aquifer, this would be based on the understanding that water would only be extracted when the levels are sufficiently high enough, and would not be allowed to extract from when the levels are low. During these times water storage options would come into effect to ensure that the required water levels is still accessible.
Dynamic licences project – Current situation
The PhD student has been in post for nearly a year with their first report due shortly.
Boreholes legal responsibilities
Boreholes – Background
Within the Lincolnshire region there were 21,686 boreholes registered on the British Geological Society website. The boreholes registered on there are those that go deeper than 15 metres (50 feet) for the extraction of water as this by law must be reported to the BGS. However, those under this depth are not. So the true number of boreholes within the Lincolnshire region is unknown and presumably significantly higher.
The discovery of this many boreholes then opened up the question as to the maintenance responsibility of these features, historically and in the future. As these boreholes are generally sealed once no longer in use, however, a sealed borehole in the future can start leaking, in some cases with the seal becoming completely eroded away and the water generating a fountain. The cost to reseal a leaking borehole is currently listed at circa £140,000.
Project Groundwater is working with Wilkin Chapman LP to put in place a legal framework and policy change to Government so that firstly the EA makes their borehole register available to councils, and as such for boreholes to be included in the conveyancing checks done by solicitors via councils etc for new homeowners so they have the knowledge before purchasing a property.
We would also like to know which organisation, or individual, is responsible for the monetary value when a borehole does start leaking on a private property, and also on public land. Whilst it may be assumed the council is responsible to fix the issue, if it was initially placed by the water board, EA etc then does the same responsibility lie with the council.
Finally, we would like a legal framework for any future boreholes put into place, so it is clear moving forwards which organisations inspect the seals and fix the issue should they start leaking.
Boreholes – Current Situation
Wilkin Chapman LP have begun background research into the current framework regarding boreholes, and have drafted landmark chambers counsel to assist in this matter.
Middlesex University Research
Multi-Coloured Manual update – background
Project Groundwater Greater Lincolnshire seeks to better understand groundwater flooding and enhance the resilience of communities. This necessitates further consideration of the economic (and financial) benefits of flood damage mitigation through the implementation of different resilience options.
To facilitate this, Project Groundwater has teamed up with Middlesex University’s Flood Hazard Research Centre which developed the Multi-Coloured Manual. This is a suite of methodologies and data which comprise a national dataset endorsed by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and are used widely throughout the flood risk management sector. Although these data may be applied to all types of flooding, only limited specific attention has been paid to groundwater flood impacts and potential resilience solutions, meaning that these data may be inappropriate.
As such Project Groundwater would like the MCM updated to ensure groundwater flooding is classified correctly, and the financial impacts it has on members of the public who suffer from this problem is documented, so that home insurances cover this issue and home owners are not left out of pocket when such an issue arises on their property.
Multi-Coloured Manual Update – Current Situation
The work on the update of the MCM has begun with the first report received. Part of this work will involve using Lincolnshire communities experiences as case studies into the financial costs associated with groundwater issues.
Property resilience measures
Over 100 properties have been identified as being in need of PFR in high groundwater risk areas. Our next step is to understand the source of flooding to help determine the type of measures that would best benefit those houses.
Collaborative works
Project groundwater Greater Lincolnshire is also collaborating with fellow FCRIP programmes on several projects;
Ultimate flood warning portal
Project Groundwater Greater Lincolnshire are working with Buckinghamshire Council and other members of the FRCIP programme to investigate the development of a portal that will be the go-to, one-stop, definitive place for flood warning and associated service.
There is a proliferation of flood warning services across England. These cover the various sources of flooding, including fluvial, coastal, and surface water. The 25 projects on the FCRIP programme are developing further additional services, such as for groundwater flood warning. Each of these services is often hosted and run by a different organisation, on a different platform, with differing levels of service and sign-up procedures. It is thought that users of flood warning services would appreciate and benefit a way to sign up for all relevant flood warning services in their area, through a simplified process and via a single portal. The flood portal could also potentially display other collated locally relevant flood risk information.
Mental health partnership
Project groundwater Greater Lincolnshire and Buckinghamshire council are jointly working together with several universities on the mental health impacts of inland flooding, based on three central questions:
1. What actions can we take to have the greatest positive impact on mental health before, during and after a flood?
2. How do we change our approach to focus on people not property?
3. What is the realistic economic cost of mental health – direct (the person) and indirect (others).
Aardman Animation
The three groundwater projects (Project Groundwater Greater Lincolnshire, Project Groundwater Northumbria and Project Groundwater Chiltern Downs & Bucks) have commissioned Oscar winning Aardman animation to create a 2 minute animation on groundwater flooding featuring Eric the mole. This is designed to help raise public awareness of what groundwater flooding is.
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