Consultancy

Our principal consultancy areas are:

Water Resources and hydrological modelling for Catchment Management

WHS staff have over 60 man-years of experience in resource assessment and have authored all design methods for estimating flow duration statistics within ungauged catchments within the UK since the 1980s. We have undertaken large scale to reach scale determinations of water use and return, in support of the implementation of Low Flows 2000 and WFD initial characterisation within England and Wales. Through this work we are fully familiar with the Environment Agency's CAMS process and accompanying Resource Assessment Methodology.

We also have extensive experience in the development and application of rainfall runoff models within gauged and ungauged catchments and the use of such models for understanding the impacts of climate and land use change.

Specific experience of WHS staff include naturalisation of flow records for the Ely-Ouse Essex transfer scheme; water resource modelling for a new water supply for Belfast, Northern Ireland; yield estimation for nuclear power plants in the UK; abstraction and discharge constraints on industrial facilities in UK; design of irrigation schemes in the Philippines; and sustainable groundwater investigations in Spain and Greece. link to top of page

Quantifying Hydrological Extremes (low flows and floods)

We are national experts in the assessment of drought severity and the impacts on resource availability and we are fully familiar with the both the CEH Flood Estimation Handbook and the preceding Flood Studies Report. We have experience of over 30 drought investigations in the UK, mainland Europe and overseas in hydrological regimes which include Temperate, Mediterranean and Himalayan environments. link to top of page

Renewable Energy

We have extensive experience in the problems associated with both the estimation of resource and reliability of resources for the estimation of hydropower generation potential. WHS staff were involved in the development of the ESHA (European Small Hydropower Association) Atlas and the associated HydrA software package.

Our renewables experience also includes the hydrological and water quality aspects of environmental impact assessment for both hydro and wind power. For example, wind farms are frequently located in upland environmentally sensitive areas, and their hydrological impacts are an important part of the planning environment risk assessment process. Through direct experience WHS are able to provide expert assessment in this area together with advice on mitigation measure and cost effective pre and post scheme monitoring strategies. link to top of page

Specialist input to Environmental Impact Assessments

WHS has undertaken the hydrological and water quality aspects of environmental impact assessment for two significant Wind Farm proposals and has provided expert review of these aspects for several small scale hydropower proposals.

Recently we have undertaken the technical aspects of a large Appropriate Assessment under the Habitats Regulations associated with a major infrastructure scheme within Scotland. Currently the largest assessment of this type, this project involved extensive habitat mapping for the qualifying fish and macrophyte interests and the subsequent assessment of the construction and long term impacts of river corridor engineering work upon these qualifying interests. link to top of page

Environmental Modelling and Water Quality

In collaboration with the Environment Agency and the European chemical industry we are developing an innovative version of Low Flows 2000 for modelling the impacts of direct discharges on receiving waters. This software will provide GIS based pre and post processing facilities for Agency models and fully integrate a 1-D river model for modelling in-stream concentrations of both conservative and non-conservative determinands. link to top of page

Field and Hydrometric Services

WHS conduct detailed fieldwork programmes, with particular expertise in flow and water chemistry measurements and laboratory analysis and the mapping of physical habitat at a reach and catchment scale. Previous hydrometric services provided by WHS include support for determining surface-groundwater interactions under NERC's Lowland Catchment Research Program (LOCAR). This work involved an intensive monitoring program of surface water flow, temperature and water chemistry (Radon, pH, alkalinity, CO2, and conductivity). As part of an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations WHS staff have surveyed Salmon and Lamprey physical habitat availability over nearly 16.5 km of the Gala Water, a tributary to the Tweed SAC. link to top of page