dataset · England
WFD Groundwater Bodies Cycle 4 Classification 2025 (Simplified)
This is a polygon dataset showing Water Framework Directive (WFD) Groundwater Bodies. It shows major groundwater bodies (aquifers). This dataset provides attribution relating to the 2025 classification results, as well as other relevant information and data about each groundwater body. Article 2, clause 2 of the WFD defines groundwater bodies as '…all water which is below the surface of the ground in the saturation zone and in direct contact with the ground or subsoil'. For the purposes of repor
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Licence: ["There are no public access constraints to this data. Use of this data is subject to the licence identified.", "There are no public access constraints to this data. Use of this data is subject to the
Evidence quality: 57
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
- WFD groundwater body polygons (major aquifers) · 2025 WFD classification results and attributes per groundwater body · Quantitative class per groundwater body (via layer file)
- Coverage llm-inferred
- England · 2025 classification results (WFD Cycle 4)
- Resolution docs-verified
- Primary input at 1:625K scale; geometry simplified for web mapping
- Update frequency docs-verified
- As needed (no fixed schedule)
- Formats docs-verified
- GeoPackage · Shapefile · GeoJSON · File Geodatabase · CSV · OGC API - Features · WFS · WMS · ArcGIS layer file (.lyrx)
- Access docs-verified
- Free and open under the Open Government Licence v3.0; no public access constraints
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- WFD groundwater status baseline for site-based environmental assessments · Aquifer type and quantitative class screening for dewatering or abstraction risk · Groundwater constraints overlay for drainage and SuDS infiltration screening
- Audience llm-inferred
- hydrogeologists · environmental consultants · GIS analysts · planners · civils and drainage engineers
Limitations
- Constraints llm-inferred
- Geometry is simplified for web mapping; full-resolution version is a separate dataset · Shapefile format has documented limitations · Classification applies to WFD Cycle 4 only · Some localised boundaries use 1:50K solid geology rather than the 1:625K base
Evidence
- https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download?fileDataSetId=4d2d914c-6260-4c41-93c0-2d9032e353bf&fileName=Notes on Attribution for Groundwater Datasets July 2026.docx
- https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/c8cff5f4-9e00-41d2-8e7d-15531a8ee589/wfd-groundwater-bodies-cycle-4-classification-2025-simplified
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.