About the project
Chalk stream headwaters are highly vulnerable to the influences of pollutants that are discharged into chalk groundwater. Discharges of phosphorus are of particular concern, due to their potential to contribute to the eutrophication of chalk streams with consequences for their water quality and ecology.
The project seeks to develop understanding of the impacts of sewage-related phosphorus on chalk streams. Where treated sewage wastewaters are discharged to chalk groundwater, their relatively high levels of P augment the usually low levels of groundwater P. Unless the sewage-associated P is substantially attenuated or diluted within the groundwater, there is a risk that levels of P in surface waters will become elevated and increase the risk of eutrophication. This study seeks to address this issue by:
- establishing the scale at which the discharge of treated sewage wastewaters to chalk groundwater occurs.
- modelling solute and water flows using SHETRAN to determine the risk(s) associated with discharges of treated sewage wastewaters to chalk groundwater.
- close-focus evaluation of patterns and processes relating to a detailed case study and interactions of different chemical forms of phosphorus with chalk substrates.
The PhD study will combine hydrological modelling and water resources modelling to link data compiled through the initial audit to assess the scales and likelihood of impacts on English chalk rivers due to the discharge of treated sewage wastewater to groundwater.
Close-focus study will complement the broader-scale study by contributing to the calibration and testing of modelled flows. The outputs of this study should inform decision-making with regard to regulation and management of groundwater-derived inputs of P to chalk streams.
The project sits within the broader research activity of the Environmental Change and Sustainability research group, which provides opportunities for interaction with other researchers and for career development.
