dataset · England
Aquifer Designation Dataset for England version 2
This dataset classifies bedrock and superficial geologic units according to their aquifer designation - Principal Aquifers, Secondary Aquifers (Secondary A, Secondary B, and Secondary undifferentiated), and Unproductive Strata. The Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) help to protect groundwater by identifying different types of aquifers ‐ underground layers of water‐bearing, permeable rock or drift deposits from which groundwater can be extracted. The groundwater protection
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Licence: ["The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in an
Evidence quality: 37.4
Listed in data.gov.uk public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).
Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z
What's in it
- Data offered docs-verified
- Principal Aquifers · Secondary A · Secondary B · Secondary undifferentiated · Unproductive Strata
- Coverage docs-verified
- England
- Resolution llm-inferred
- Derived from BGS Geology 50k (DiGMapGB-50), implying 1:50,000 mapping scale; not stated explicitly
- Update frequency docs-verified
- As needed
- Access docs-verified
- Licence field not set on portal; not stated as free or paid. NERC copyright: reproduction or transmission restricted without prior permission of the copyright holder (via BGS IPR Manager).
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- Groundwater protection screening of site investigations using Principal vs Secondary aquifer designation · Infiltration and SuDS feasibility screening in drainage strategies based on aquifer designation · Planning and EIA constraint mapping for groundwater resources and baseflow-supporting aquifers
- Audience llm-inferred
- Hydrogeologists · Geotechnical engineers · Environmental consultants · Drainage engineers · Planners · GIS analysts
Limitations
- Constraints llm-inferred
- Derived from 1:50k-scale geology mapping; not suited to site-scale detail without verification · No warranty as to quality, accuracy or suitability; use is at the customer's own risk · Reproduction and transmission restricted under NERC copyright · Portal licence field is not set · No API or tool access; download-only dataset
Evidence
- https://www.bgs.ac.uk/datasets/aquifer-designation-data/
- https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/020e7eff-b8ec-4860-8519-3ee900ec1306/aquifer-designation-dataset-for-england-version-2
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.