Groundwater, flooding and superficial deposits in the Findhorn catchment

The Forres area in north-east Scotland was subjected to one of the most catastrophic floods in UK history when the River Findhorn flooded in 1829. In recent times, Forres has also flooded to a lesser extent (notably in 1997 and 2001) and a series of flood alleviation schemes have been designed to help protect the town. This has enabled a detailed examination of the role of groundwater within the floodplain. Detailed 3D geological characterisation and modelling, pumping tests, water-level monitoring and environmental tracers have been used to characterise groundwater flow within the superficial deposits. A detailed groundwater model has been developed using the ZOOM suite of models to further investigate groundwater/surface water interactions and groundwater flooding. The research has demonstrated that there is significant groundwater storage and flow within the thick and complex superficial deposits in the River Findhorn floodplain which is closely coupled to surface water. Consequently, the flood alleviation schemes have been modified to balance protection from surface water flooding and from groundwater flooding.