dataset · England

Groundwater vulnerability data for England

The Environment Agency has updated its groundwater vulnerability map to reflect improvements in data mapping, modelling capability and understanding of the factors affecting vulnerability. Two new maps are available which show the vulnerability of groundwater to a pollutant discharged at ground level. The potential impact of groundwater pollution is considered using the aquifer designation status which provides an indication of the scale and importance of groundwater for potable water supply and

Visit source ↗

Source details

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: groundwater vulnerability to a pollutant discharged at ground level (two maps)
Coverage docs-verified: England (extent in DOCS: latitude 49.77 to 55.83, longitude -6.45 to 1.78)
Resolution llm-inferred: approx. 1:100,000 scale (inferred from the name of the superseded 'Groundwater Vulnerability 100k' dataset; not stated for this release)
Update frequency docs-verified: As needed (metadata: asNeeded)
Access docs-verified: Licence field not set; reuse restricted. Reproduction or transmission requires prior permission of the copyright holder (NERC/BGS). Catalogue licence (ENTRY): NERC/BGS copyright statement.

Useful for

Use cases llm-inferred: Groundwater pollution risk screening for a proposed ground-level discharge (e.g. infiltration, spill or storage risk) in a Phase 1 contaminated land or EIA desk study · Groundwater vulnerability context alongside aquifer designation status for SuDS infiltration suitability screening · Hydrogeological baseline for flood risk or drainage strategy reports where groundwater pollution sensitivity is a consideration
Audience llm-inferred: hydrogeologists · geotechnical engineers · contaminated land specialists · environmental consultants · drainage engineers · planners

Limitations

Constraints llm-inferred: Reuse restricted by NERC/BGS copyright; permission needed to reproduce or transmit · Licence field not set in the catalogue record · Shared IP between Environment Agency and BGS, so reuse terms may involve both organisations · Provided at the customer's own risk; NERC gives no warranty of quality or accuracy · Vulnerability is assessed only for a pollutant discharged at ground level · Map scale and resolution not stated for this release · Dataset reference date is 2017-11-30 while record updated 2026; currency of underlying data unclear · Supersedes the earlier Groundwater Vulnerability 100k data; no download format listed in the DOCS data links

Evidence

Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.