The aim of BurVal is to deliver knowledge and understanding of the structural and hydrological properties of deeper groundwater resources found in buried valleys. This should lead to the development of spatial planning strategies that take these ancient groundwater reservoirs into account. 6 pilot projects will be carried out in the participating areas where groundwater quality and quantity will be evaluated. The results will be used as input for the development of geophysical methods and a model for exploration and examination of groundwater resources. These should become useful for instance when evaluating different spatial development scenarios. On the basis of the improved understanding gained through the project, will action plans and recommendations be developed. A 'technical handbook' as well as a 'planning handbook' will be direct project outputs targeting experts on the one hand and decision makers, spatial planners, waterworks and public authorities on the other.

Overall aims are to improve of the knowledge of our groundwater resources, to integrate geo-physical methods in the context of spatial planning, and to demonstrate, how deep ground-water resources in buried valleys effect spatial planning. Concrete aims cover strengthening efforts to protect the deep groundwater resources that are connected to a special, but in the North Sea Region wide spread type of geologic structure. The Project also wants to define a schema for description of buried valleys, including vulnerability to surface contamination and other human impacts, groundwater residence times (ages), interaction with other aquifers and surface water, saltwater intrusions etc., thus providing public authorities with scientific evidence to ensure the drinking water supplies.

Expected Outcomes

+ two multilingual handbooks on exploration techniques for buried valleys and on how to map and protect groundwater resources in relation to environmental and physical planning; + regional seminars with stakeholders farmers associations, waterworks, local authorities etc.; + a model on exploration of groundwater in buried valleys and on the interaction between the various waters, recommending for actions with regard to land use, spatial planning and administration and contributing to the EU Water Framework Directive as well as the coming directive on groundwater.

Activities

Starting works are in six pilot project areas: Geophysical exploration (Airborne EM, Magnetics, Seismic /-reflection surveying, Vertical seismic profiling, Vertical electrical soundings, Ground based/Data collection, Gravity, Georadar, Well logging, Ellog and others. Further activities include + more technical ones like the evaluation of groundwater quality & quantity through test-drillings and/or examination of existing wells at selected locations, estimations and measurements on the groundwater chemistry, baseline indicators and age in selected pilot project areas and compilation of geological and hydrogeological models and calculation of revised recharge areas, as well as + more administrative approaches, such as a field demonstration of exploration methods and presentation to stakeholders in the pilot project areas, installation/update of a web page and geophysical databases (such as the National geo-physical database, GERDA and FIS Geophysik) including reports on results of the explorations and links between websites and databases, and an evaluation of the value of hydrological models as management tools.

Reported Outcomes

The aim of BurVal is to deliver knowledge and understanding of the structural and hydrological properties of deeper groundwater resources found in buried valleys. This should lead to the development of spatial planning strategies that take these ancient groundwater reservoirs into account.6 pilot projects will be carried out in the participating areas where groundwater quality and quantity will be evaluated. The results will be used as input for the development of geophysical methods and a model for exploration and examination of groundwater resources. These should become useful for instance when evaluating different spatial development scenarios. On the basis of the improved understanding gained through the project, will action plans and recommendations be developed. A technical handbook as well as a planning handbook will be direct project outputs targeting experts on the one hand and decision makers, spatial planners, waterworks and public authorities on the other. As the project progresses, more than 300 water samples have been collected from around 50 different wells in the regionand a total of about 5km of geophysical well logs have been run in 5 project areas. It is expected by the project end around 400 groundwater samples will be sampled from around 60 wells at depths between 10 and 300 meters and will have logged about 6km of well log runs. Later the interpretation and dissemination of the results in the planned handbooks and scientific journals will also be made transnationally. Pilot projects and work on data collection have started in all the project areas. Among several surveys, the helicopter-borne ones have been conducted in two of the pilot areas and used as a sample for electromagnetic, magnetic and gamma ray data over the buried valley. The SkyTEM survey has been made in the northern part of the eligible project area, which has brought a lot of interest in the media like newspapers, radio and TV. Co-operation has been established with colleagues from Switzerland, USA and Canada regarding groundwater age dating and geological and hydrological modelling - this co-operation assures application of some new state-of-the-art techniques in the project, which are not currently available in Europe.