Groundwater Risk Assessments

Environmental Risk Assessments for proposed and existing cemetery sites across the UK

Background and Guidance

The development of new cemeteries or extensions to existing cemeteries have the potential to pose a contamination risk to sensitive groundwater and surface water features. Cemetery sites  are therefore subject to the requirement to provide a detailed groundwater risk assessment as part of the planning process.

The Environment Agency are a statutory consultee and are therefore the main regulatory body in the UK in regard to cemetery developments. Early correspondence and engagement is recommended to ensure that the proposed site is fit for purpose and to assess whether the site will require an Environmental permit to operate. The current Government Guidelines supporting the development of cemeteries, the protection of groundwater bodies and environmental permit requirements can be accessed using the links below:

Groundwater protection technical guidance

Protecting groundwater from human burials

Groundwater risk assessment for your environmental permit  

Groundwater Risk Assessments

JPP have a wide range of in-house experts experienced in undertaking detailed and complex groundwater risk assessments for cemetery developments to support planning applications as well as managing correspondence with the Environment Agency for pre-application advice and submission of Environmental Permit applications.

Groundwater Risk Assessments can be broken down into three tiers (1, 2 and 3), with the required ‘tiered’ report based on a number of site-specific factors including burial rate, life span of the site, geological and hydrogeological conditions and proximity to sensitive receptors.

• A Tier 1 report comprises a desk-based assessment and is generally only considered suitable where burial rates are low (<10 per annum) and where the geological and hydrogeological conditions are deemed to have low sensitivity.

• A Tier 2 report comprises an intrusive investigation comprising boreholes and or trial pits, in order to provide a site-specific assessment of the geological and hydrogeological conditions. If shallow groundwater or evidence of a seasonal mobile groundwater is identified, then this work may also require the installation of groundwater monitoring wells and seasonal assessment of groundwater levels.

• A Tier 3 report is only generally required on high risk sites, which can be determined by burial rate, environmental sensitivity or a combination of both. A T3 assessment will include groundwater monitoring and sampling as well as pollutant flux modelling to provide the EA with a greater level of detail to support the proposed development. Annual monitoring/sampling may also be required once the site has opened as part of the environmental permit.

In addition to undertaking groundwater risk assessments, JPP can also assist in undertaking the following planning and design work to support proposed cemetery developments :

Surveying

• Topographic Surveys including Drone Surveys
• Asset Mapping
• Cemetery Mapping
• Utility Surveys and Drainage Inspections

Ground Investigation

• Groundwater Monitoring and Compliance Testing
• Depth to Bedrock Surveying
• Waste Classification and Material Management Plans

Development Planning and Design

• Project Management and Planning Co-ordination.
• Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy Reports
• Highways Assessment and Designs
• Cemetery Layout Designs
• Landscape Designs
• Architectural, Structural and Civil Engineering Design