Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 6054 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS What is a borehole? To put it simply, a borehole is just a hole in the ground. The boreholes that we are interested in are used for water abstraction and come in all different shapes and sizes. The word borehole is used quite generically to describe hand dug wells, drilled boreholes or springs – i.e. any natural or engineered structure used to abstract water from the ground. How boreholes are constructed depends on geology and the amount of water that’s required. Boreholes can be deep or shallow and are constructed in lots of different ways depending on the groundwater system we want to target. Why are boreholes important? Water is the lifeblood of the brewhouse and most traditional breweries were developed around natural water supplies – particularly groundwater. Boreholes have been around for as long as we have been brewing beer. The principal benefit of a groundwater supply in comparison to water from rivers and lakes is that it is generally more consistent in quality and temperature – and that’s what brewers need. Can everyone have a borehole? Technically, yes but practically, no. There are two key considerations in developing a borehole water supply: how much water is available and are there any regulatory controls on abstraction? The amount of groundwater that is available from a borehole will principally depend on geology. The geology in the UK is very variable, so in some locations there may be plentiful supplies of groundwater whilst in other locations there may be very little and possible none. Groundwater resources are heavily regulated in the UK and there are restrictions in many locations depending on local pressures on water resources. This means that although it might be physically possible to abstract water at a given location, regulatory controls may be in place to restrict or even prohibit abstraction. In England and Wales, supplies of less than 20m3/day are deregulated. This means that anyone can construct a borehole and abstract up to 20m3 of water per day. Anything over 20m3/day requires a licence from the Environment Agency/Natural Resources Wales and would be subject to a detailed technical assessment of the impacts of abstraction. There are similar rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland. How much does a borehole cost to develop? How long is a piece of string? Typically, small borehole supplies that can provide up to 20m3/day cost in the region of £15k to develop. Borehole supplies capable of providing up to 500m3 /day of water could be anywhere between £50 – 100k. Supplies for more than 500m3 /day of water could be over £100k. These estimates are based on Envireau Water’s experience and we must stress that every supply is different. The message is that developing a borehole is a costly exercise and should not be undertaken without sound, professional advice at an early stage in the process. What’s the catch? Boreholes are like any other engineering asset – they require ongoing maintenance to ensure they provide sufficient water of a good quality, in an efficient way. The performance of boreholes will deteriorate over time and therefore operators need to have a good understanding of how boreholes work and how to get the best out of them. If not, problems may develop that become difficult, time-consuming and costly to resolve. Where can I find more information? Envireau Water specialises in the development and management of water supply boreholes for the brewing, distilling and allied industries. We work with large brewers and distillers, family and regional brewers, maltsters, and a whole host of smaller independents. Our team of experts can assess the technical and regulatory aspects of developing new supplies or engineering issues with existing supplies. If you are considering developing a borehole or have a problem with an existing supply, then contact us to see how we can help. Alternatively, why not come and meet us at our annual Borehole Users Conference – taking place on the 26th October 2016, at the Jury’s Inn East Midland’s Airport. It is the flagship event for anyone who uses, manages, owns or plans to develop an independent water supply. To find out more and to book, get in touch. How can I contact Envireau Water? Telephone: 01332 871 872 Email: info@envireauwater.co.uk Twitter:@ envireauwater LinkedIn:@ Envireau Water Resources - water The answer could be under your feet Dr Phil Ham, Principal Hydrologist from Envireau Water answers frequently asked questions about the wonderful world of boreholes. www.envireauwater.co.uk For more information visit: Modern borehole construction. Looking inside an old, hand dug water well. Many historic boreholes started life as a hand dug water well and were later deepened by drilling. 54_Layout 1 28/07/2016 16:15 Page 1