Groundwater Licences (Northern Ireland)

All groundwater abstraction and discharge in Northern Ireland is regulated by the NIEA (Northern Ireland Environmental Agency.

Abstraction

Groundwater abstracted from dewatering is regulated with the Water Abstraction and Impoundment (Licensing) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006. There are differing levels of authorisation, with most dewatering projects with an abstraction rate of > 100m3 per day authorisation is granted as a formal “complex” licence which may have additional monitoring conditions. Application for a licence to abstract or impound water Normally the timeframe to receive a permit is within 4 months from receipt.

Discharge

Under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, the discharge of groundwater to any waterway requires the consent of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Regulating water discharges. If discharge is to the public foul drainage system provided by NIW, the sole water utility provider in Northern Ireland, with submission of an application for trade effluent and site drainage discharge consent: WO1 Annex 2 Application for trade effluent and site drainage discharge consent: WO1 Annex 2.

Pumping Test Regulations

In England & Wales to enable a pumping test to be undertaken an EA Groundwater Investigation Consent (GIC) will be required. Apply for consent to investigate a groundwater source This includes permission to construct the borehole(s), and undertake the proposed pumping test, which may include additional monitoring or flow conditions.

Please note that although the GIC will detail the discharge location, it does not include a permit to discharge. In most cases discharge permitting will fall under RPS 262 conditions Temporary dewatering from excavations to surface water: RPS 261. If not a bespoke discharge permit will be required or in the case of discharge to utility outfall a trade effluent discharge permit from the utility company or authority.

Stuart Wells can oversee and manage the whole process. We would look to discuss the proposals with the EA and prepare a supporting document (if required) which would provide additional information and a document of relevance to the application. Where necessary, this would also include a technical note and information on the proposed pumping test with schematic layout drawings. A Water Feature Survey will be required as part of the process. Please note the application process normally takes 2 weeks for the required pre-application work, with the EA normally taking a further 4-6 weeks to approve.

In Scotland to enable a pumping test to be undertaken consent will be required for abstractions greater than 50m3/day. An application for registration is submitted Temporary dewatering from excavations to surface water: RPS 261. A Water Feature Survey and details of test pumping methodology are then sent to SEPA for agreement prior to test pumping to ensure adequate data is gathered to support any future licence level application. SEPA normally takes 4-6 weeks to approve.

We would advise you contact us for more information and to discuss on how we can assist.