Groundwater data and information

Someone watering their pea plants with a watering can at dusk ©iStockphoto.com/Chris Price

The BGS has extensive data and information holdings related to groundwater and environmental issues. We provide an enquiries service, and can also provide data management and web delivery services for government, industry, and academia.

Data and information

The BGS holds a considerable quantity of groundwater data, including systematic national hydrogeological mapping, water well records, time series of groundwater levels, groundwater quality analyses and many research datasets.

While primarily focused on the UK, the data collections include extensive collections of overseas data collected as part of BGS international activities over many years.

The datasets include:

The datasets are complemented by a range of publications and reports.

How to access our data

In addition to directly accessing the digital datasets and information listed above, there are several other ways to access BGS groundwater data. The BGS OpenGeoscience service provides access to many BGS datasets and downloads of data, publications and software, or you can review data availability spatially using our GeoIndex.

Various groundwater data products are also available to licence, including permeability and gridded groundwater levels.

Contact

Contact Contact enquiries for further information

Hydrogeological enquiries

The BGS runs a hydrogeological enquiries service that provides data and information on:

  • Advice on open and close loop ground source heat pump systems
  • Advice on using old wells
  • Aquifer properties and groundwater level time-series data
  • Borehole logs
  • GeoReports for abstraction and for recharge/soakaways
  • Groundwater flooding susceptibility reports
  • Hydrogeological reports
  • Sustainable drainage systems (SUDS)

Contact

Contact BGS enquiries for further information

Data management and web delivery

The BGS has a long track record in providing UK and international partners — including government departments, industry and academia — with environmental data management and web delivery services; including the delivery of data and information through secure extranet portals.

For example, the BGS managed the groundwater data centre for the NERC Lowland Permeable Catchments Research (LOCAR) Programme and designed and managed the LOCAR Catchment Science website.

The BGS currently manage the UK Groundwater Forum website.

Contact

Please contact John Bloomfield for further information