water well design & operation

Rick Brassington has designed and located the position of a large number of successful boreholes in a wide variety of aquifer types. He has experience of the preparation of specifications and tender documents, contract management and acting as Engineer to the Contract. Services range from a desk study assessment of the yield of a proposed borehole based on published geological information to designing the details of a new borehole, obtaining consent to drill from the Environment Agency managing the construction process and applying for the abstraction licence.

Advice on borehole operation is given including improvements on performance and trouble shooting problems.

Opinion on proposed new borehole
A tenant on a Council' industrial estates was planning to construct a new borehole for a private water supply. The project was to critically examine all the technical aspects of the proposal and advise the Council on matters that may impact on their interests including any potential change to the foundation conditions.

Due diligence reviews of mineral water sources
A soft drinks manufacture planned to expand the business by the acquisition of an existing mineral water business or to develop a new source. A detailed assessment of the sources was made including critical document review and evaluation of the local hydrogeological conditions. So far three sites have been reviewed with the hydrogeological assessments being in greater detail than those prepared for the original application for mineral water recognition.

Valuation of borehole water source
An industrialist was relocated by the local authority as part of a regeneration scheme. The existing factory site had a borehole water supply and the project was to provide a valuation so that compensation could be paid in the event that the new site could not have a new borehole drilled.

Groundwater supply for heating system
Developers wished to heat a new office block in central Manchester using groundwater as the heat source. The site is underlain by two potential aquifers although the upper one is heavily used in the region and the Environment Agency were reluctant to sanction further abstractions, and the deeper one is expected to contain poor quality water. The project was to investigate the feasibility of the proposal on the basis of the existing information and make recommendations for any necessary further investigations.

Groundwater source works formal inspection
Ministry of Defence procedures require formal inspections of water supply systems on a regular basis. The project was to conduct a formal inspection of the borehole-based water abstraction and treatment system at a RAF base in Nottinghamshire and prepare a report for the Establishment Works Consultant to meet MOD requirements.

Groundwater used for process cooling
A factory manufacturing food products wanted to use groundwater in heat exchangers and to dispose of the warm water into a second borehole. The project comprised the location and design of the abstraction and disposal boreholes and the design of the operating procedures to ensure successful disposal. The natural groundwater flow regime was used to avoid warmed water being re-circulated into the abstraction borehole. The injection borehole was designed to avoid any contact with the atmosphere to avoid the precipitation of iron oxides and hydroxides that would potentially clog the injection borehole and limit its life. A long-term test was agreed with the Environment Agency and demonstrated that the system was successful.