UK-1 / River Wear catchment, The UK

The aims of the project are:

• To research the relationship between surface and groundwater in the context of increasing urbanisation; waste water management; water abstraction; surface water flood risk and climate change; historical industrial contamination including mining
• To utilise the research to further implement a holistic stakeholder led approach to water management through utilizing the Catchment Based Approach to inform and manage mitigation strategies

The objectives are:

• Collation of existing data and collection of new field data to map hydrological connectivity
• Surface water sampling and analysis to determine the location, magnitude and frequency of sources of nutrients and contaminants and vulnerability of groundwater from identified pathways.
• Evaluation of current practices of source protection and competing resource uses in order to develop and promote alternative management interventions to ensure the protection of water resources
• To utilise and share transnational research and experience to inform local research and development of solutions.

Stakeholders: Academia; Water company, Local Authorities; NGO’s; Statutory Organisations, Regulators; Landowners; Private individuals and local communities.

Shared Challenges number 1 and 4