A framework for assessing water resources and abstraction sustainability

The Environment Agency is seeking to regularise the way in which water resources are assessed throughout England and Wales. A framework methodology has been developed which considers the interaction of groundwater and surface water and regards these components as a single integrated resource. It draws on other Environment Agency led research, most notably an on-going programme of work on the estimation of impacts of groundwater abstraction on river flows. The framework methodology requires: catchment delineation, the recording of a simple conceptual understanding of the catchment's hydrology and hydrogeology, estimation of artificial impacts, calculation of aquifer water balance, and comparison of existing and minimum acceptable flows to help derive a sustainability status for a catchment. It has been developed for use within the regulatory community in helping achieve a consistent approach to the sustainable management of water resources.