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Water Cycle Study - East Devon District Council

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Site Ref.<br />

Ref EWCS April 2010<br />

E5<br />

E6<br />

E7<br />

E8<br />

E9<br />

E10<br />

E11<br />

E12<br />

Underlying<br />

geology<br />

Source<br />

protection<br />

zones (SPZ)<br />

Discussion of assessment criteria and results<br />

Exeter and <strong>East</strong> <strong>Devon</strong> <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Cycle</strong> <strong>Study</strong><br />

Outfall<br />

availability<br />

Urbanised<br />

area<br />

Overall<br />

assessment<br />

Permeablility of underlying geology<br />

4.5.13 The underlying geology is of great importance to the management of surface water because it<br />

determines the viability of infiltration techniques, which are viewed as the primary means of<br />

surface water disposal (source control). The presence of underlying geology of low permeability<br />

will not rule out the use of SuDS techniques, but will reduce the options for disposal at source. It<br />

is also important to note that some types of highly permeable underlying geology, such as chalk,<br />

may be at risk of dissolving if surface water is encouraged to soak away through the rock. It is<br />

recommended that a thorough ground investigation is commissioned by the developer to<br />

determine the viability of any proposed SuDS schemes.<br />

4.5.14 The geology underlying each of the identified development areas was determined from British<br />

Geological Society maps (Sheets 325, 326, and 339). The geological classification assigned to each<br />

site is recorded in the table in Appendix B.<br />

4.5.15 The majority of the development areas were assessed as notable, because the large size of the<br />

sites results in variation in the underlying geology - and therefore the permeability - across a single<br />

site.<br />

4.5.16 The development areas that were assessed as critical (i.e. poor potential for drainage by<br />

infiltration) were those which overly geology that primarily consists of materials that are either<br />

impermeable or have such slow rates of infiltration that they are considered practically<br />

impermeable.<br />

4.5.17 In locations where underlying chalk is located (notably Seaton, Axminster and Beer) caution must<br />

be exercised when considering infiltration techniques, as introducing concentrated volumes of<br />

surface water into chalk formations can result in dissolution (dissolving of the rock) and<br />

destabilisation of ground conditions.<br />

Groundwater source protection zones (SPZ)<br />

4.5.18 The Environment Agency has established Source Protection Zones (SPZ) to protect drinking<br />

water abstraction boreholes. The zones are described in Table 4.6 (extracted from the<br />

36

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