The impact of urban groundwater upon surface water - eTheses ...

STUDY SETTING
dry cleaning industry. Sorption experiments indicate the low organic carbon contents, from
core analyses, are not a dominant factor in the transport of organic contaminants within the
aquifer (Shepherd., 2002).
3.7 Summary
The Birmingham and West Midlands region has a long industrial history dating back to the
beginnings of the industrial revolution in 1800, and this, together with urban development,
has led to widespread contamination of the groundwater. Previous work has identified
inorganic contaminants within the Birmingham Aquifer, including heavy metals and organic
contaminants, primarily chlorinated solvents. This industrial footprint on the urban
groundwater in the Birmingham area, and its implications for future river basin management
and protection policy, warrants further investigation, hence the rationale for my research.
The River Tame was selected for study because it runs from east to west through the heart of
the urban/industrial area, and because some of the contaminated groundwater within the Tame
Valley discharges to the river. A 23.8 km stretch of the Tame was chosen for the study as it is
known to receive an increased (20%) inflow of groundwater, in particular, along a 7.4 km
section that flows over the Birmingham Aquifer. This section was targeted for a detailed study
of the contaminant flux via groundwater to the river. In addition to the bedrock aquifer, there
is groundwater flow to the river through the alluvial gravels deposited on the flood plain.
Site selection was also based on the fact that the 23.8 km reach of the Tame is conveniently
delimited by two gauging stations, Bescot at the upstream limit and Water Orton downstream.
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