Groundwater recharge modelling in the Eden river basin, UK

Understanding the distribution and hydrogeological behaviour of superficial deposits is critical in developing surface water and groundwater catchment management strategies. In this study the hydrogeological behaviour of the superficial deposits in the Eden Catchment, NW England, was characterized on the basis of the geology and thickness of the deposits. Ten hydrogeological domains, consisting of superficial deposits with common lithology, thickness and depositional environments, were defined for the Eden Catchment. The domains classification was used to develop a simple conceptual model of runoff generation in the catchment. The domains were grouped into three zones with different runoff potential, which was inferred from the permeability of the domains con- stituent lithologies. The runoff zones were integrated with data on land use, slope aspect and gradient, rainfall and potential evapotranspiration into the British Geological Survey Distributed Recharge model ZOODRM.