Groundwater Modelling Workshop
Groundwater – Surface Water Interaction
28 March 2007, 10am – 4pm, Priory Rooms, central Birmingham
Aims
Following on from successful workshops on recharge, model uncertainty and unsaturated zone
processes (see website at http://www.groundwateruk.org/html/modelling/home.htm), the
Groundwater Modellers’ Forum Committee is planning to hold a fourth workshop on the subject
of Groundwater – Surface Water Interaction. The objectives of these workshops are to:

Exchange experience and knowledge on practical and scientific issues;

Explore new and existing methods and agree best practice, particular from ‘crossover’
learning between regional resource models and site contaminant transport models;

Forge links with academia;

Make recommendations on best practice and future R&D work.
Before previous workshops, preparatory ’technical’ questions were circulated for consideration, to
encourage informed debate and interaction in the ‘break-out’ groups. The forthcoming workshop
will be slightly different: see below.
Programme
am: Four presentations by keynote speakers of case studies covering different aspects of
groundwater – surface water interaction:

Impact of groundwater abstraction on wetlands (East Anglia)

Impact of groundwater abstraction on river flows (Candover Stream, Hampshire)

Groundwater flooding (Brighton)

Attenuation of pollutants in the hyporheic zone (R. Tame, West Midlands)
Each of the four talks will describe:

What specific questions are we trying to answer using models?

How do we represent the processes of interest?

With current commonly applied techniques, what can we do well, and where is there
room for improvement?
As has been the practice at previous workshops, the presentations will be followed by an
opportunity for invited ‘soap-boxers’ and other attendees to raise additional points and questions
for discussion.
pm: Break-out sessions, one on each of the four topics (run in parallel), each including experts
and senior groundwater modelling practitioners. We strongly encourage attendees to share
experiences (both good and bad) and knowledge of the topics, and more specifically to consider
“Where do we want/need to go next to improve our capability in this topic”?
Final plenary session for feedback of findings from the break-out sessions, and for further
discussion (and agreement) on the proposals for action.
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Groundwater Modelling Workshop
Participants & Booking
The workshop is open to all who are actively involved in groundwater modelling. We anticipate
that BGS, CEH, water companies, consultants, universities and the Environment Agency would be
amongst those taking part.
Places are limited: 60 participants in total, 3 people per organisation and 2 people per Agency
Region. They will be allocated on a first come-first served basis.
Unfortunately there will be no ‘entry on the day’ and only pre-booked attendance can be accepted.
Cost £70 per head incl. buffet lunch. A small number of places for PhD students are available at a
cost of £10 (first come, first served). To book a place send a cheque and the attached booking
form to Jeanne Thompson before 23 February 2007. Entry will be by advance payment only.
If there are insufficient numbers booked by 23 February 2007, the workshop will be cancelled and
cheques returned. If you book and your organisation has already made three bookings, your name
will be put on a reserve list and you will be offered a place if available in the 2 weeks preceding
the event.
It would be helpful if you would also answer the other questions on the booking form, to assist in
the planning of future workshops.
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Groundwater Modelling Workshop
BOOKING FORM
Groundwater – Surface Water Interaction
28 March 2007, 10am – 4pm, Priory Rooms, central Birmingham
To book a place send a cheque for £70 (PhD students £10) made payable to “The Environment
Agency” and the attached booking form to Jeanne Thompson, to arrive by 23 February 2007.
Unfortunately there will be no ‘entry on the day’ and only pre-booked attendance can be accepted.
Contact: Jeanne Thompson Environment Agency Science Group, Olton Court, 10 Warwick
Road, Olton, Solihull B92 7HX; Tel: 0121 708 4714; Fax: 0121 708 4637.
jeanne.thompson@environment-agency.gov.uk
Name
Organisation
email address
Please book us places on the workshop
Cheque for £70 x number of participants enclosed (up to 3 per organisation)
Please also indicate your preference for which break-out group you would like to participate in:
mark your first (1) and second (2) preference. If some groups are too ‘over-subscribed’, it is
possible you may have to participate in another group.
Name
Impact on
Wetlands
Impact on River
Flows
Groundwater
Flooding
Attenuation in
Hyporheic zone
What topics are you interested in for future workshops ?
Rank your top five topics in order of preference from first (1) to fifth (5)

Wetlands

Fracture flow modelling

Groundwater flow through drift

Model performance
measures

Modelling & decision making (CAMS,
WFD, Habitats Directive)

Predictive modelling for
impact assessments

Diffuse pollution

Poor aquifers

Dual porosity modelling

Benefits realisation

Pollutant transport

IT infrastructure

Scale & complexity

Local model refinement

GIS in modelling

Object-oriented techniques
(continues on next page)
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Groundwater Modelling Workshop
Any other topics for future workshops?
Finally, the Groundwater Modeller's Forum already has a web site containing meeting minutes,
copies of presentations and discussion notes. Do you think that a more extensive web-based
groundwater modelling resource would be a good idea? The aim would be to facilitate
interaction and the exchange of knowledge across the groundwater modelling community,
complementing the data resources already available through existing web sites (e.g. BGS, BADC,
NERC etc). The web resource would allow members to share additional material including metadata (e.g. abstracts from MSc, PhD or other studies), actual data (subject to licensing conditions),
reports, Guidance Notes, trouble-shooting help etc.
Any other comments?
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