Washpit Farm

This well is used to monitor water levels in the Chalk aquifer to the east of King’s Lynn in Norfolk.

Our enquiries service can help you to access groundwater level data for this well.

Hydrograph

Information about the well

Hydrogeological setting

A well monitoring levels in the Norfolk Chalk aquifer to the east of King’s Lynn. The Chalk is overlain by about 12 metres of Lowestoft Formation till (clay with gravel, sometimes with a basal layer of sand and gravel).

The Chalk aquifer is unconfined, with the water level always lying well below the anticipated position of the base of the superficial deposits.

Well or borehole construction

The well has a diameter of 1.83 metres. It was originally constructed for a farm water supply.

The shaft was 45.7 m deep when measurements commenced in 1950, this was possibly deepened (by a borehole) in 1938. However, by January 1965 the shaft depth was recorded as only 40.26 m below ground level (40.41 m below well top), due to siltation.

A well is marked at this location on the 1906 Ordnance Survey map.

Hydrograph response

The hydrograph has an annual sinusoidal response with a seasonal variation in water level generally of about 2 m. It is thought to represent naturally occurring conditions.

Data issues

The lowest recorded rest water level of 40.3 m above OD, is similar to the shaft depth and therefore it is possible that this constrains the minimum rest water level, although it has only been reached on a single occasion (2 November 1992).

Acknowledgements

At a national level, groundwater level monitoring data is collected and managed by the Environment Agency (England), the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales and the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland). Access to the data they collect (which includes many monitoring sites beyond those highlighted on these pages) and curate is online in England (DEFRA) and Scotland (SEPA). Contact

Contact enquiries for further information.