Aquifer
Chalk aquifer of southern England
The dominant groundwater resource of southern and eastern England, supplying a large share of public water in the region and feeding the chalk streams that are among the rarest freshwater habitats on Earth.
Key facts
- Principal formation
- Cretaceous Chalk
- Share of public supply in south east England
- a majority
- Water type
- Hard, alkaline, calcium bicarbonate
- Chalk streams worldwide
- around 200, the great majority in England
Why it matters
The Chalk is a dual-porosity aquifer: water is stored in the fine matrix but moves through fractures, which makes it both highly productive and vulnerable to rapid pollutant transport. Recharge occurs almost entirely in winter, when evaporation is low, so groundwater levels depend on winter rainfall rather than annual totals. Two consecutive dry winters affect supply far more than one dry summer.
Relationships
- Located in: England
Related intelligence
Kielder Watersame placeRutland Watersame placeBroad Street cholera outbreaksame placeThe Great Stinksame placeCamelford water pollution incidentsame placeThe 1976 droughtsame placeThe 2022 droughtsame placeYorkshire droughtsame placeDevon Cryptosporidium outbreaksame placeSouthern Water — record penalty for wastewater offencessame placeThames Water — Thames pollution finesame placeYorkshire Water — Ofwat enforcement packagesame place
Sources
- World Wildlife Fund / McGill University — HydroSHEDS / HydroRIVERS / HydroLAKES / HydroBASINS. Open — attribution required · CC BY 4.0
- Global Water System Project — Global Reservoir and Dam Database. Open — attribution required · CC BY 4.0
- Peer-reviewed scientific literature — Open-access hydrology, water chemistry and water use research. Public but restricted · Publisher terms — public access, reuse not clearly granted