Zeydalinejad et al. (2026) How to overcome hydrologic data scarcity in assessing potential groundwater risk to subterranean infrastructure: a finite-difference modelling approach

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-31
• Authors: Nejat Zeydalinejad, Akbar A. Javadi, Mark Jacob, David Baldock, James L. Webber
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136139

Research Groups

• Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW), University of Exeter
• Centre for Water Systems, Department of Engineering, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter
• South West Water

Short Summary

This study develops a finite-difference groundwater flow model to assess potential groundwater risk to subterranean infrastructure in the Dawlish region, southwest UK. The model integrates indirect data sources to construct a hydraulically consistent GWF model under data-scarce and hydrogeologically complex conditions.

Objective

• Develop a transferable, physics-based framework for assessing GWI under limited data conditions.
• Identify GWI hotspots in a heterogeneous hard-rock setting to support infrastructure management.
• Improve understanding of groundwater dynamics in the Permian aquifers of southwest UK through numerical modelling.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (138 km2)
• Temporal Scale: Monthly time steps, covering October 2007 to September 2020

Methodology and Data

• Models used: MODFLOW-NWT
• Data sources:
  • Climatic variables (e.g. precipitation and ET) from Climate Engine
  • Hydrological data (e.g. river stage and flow rate) from DEFRA
  • Geological data (e.g. borehole logs and geological layers) from British Geological Survey
  • Hydrogeological data (e.g. hydraulic head, transmissivity, and storage)
  • Spatial location and depth of sewer networks

Main Results

• The model was calibrated for October 2007 to September 2020 and validated over the following four years using monthly time steps.
• More than 85% of storm overflow spills occurred in sewers classified as highly susceptible.

Contributions

• This study provides a practical decision-support tool for prioritising sewer inspection, maintenance, and rehabilitation.
• The framework identifies locations where groundwater conditions favour infiltration but does not consider structural characteristics of the sewer network.

Funding

• Not specified

Citation

@article{Zeydalinejad2026How,
  author = {Zeydalinejad, Nejat and Javadi, Akbar A. and Jacob, Mark and Baldock, David and Webber, James L.},
  title = {How to overcome hydrologic data scarcity in assessing potential groundwater risk to subterranean infrastructure: a finite-difference modelling approach},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136139},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2026.136139}
}