Catchment Assessment And Management

Catchment assessment is the process of managing water resources within a catchment area.  The process is done by assessing the different factors that may have an impact on the water resources within the specified region. 
Groundwater modeling companies will examine the hydrological cycle and its impact. By doing this a groundwater modeling company can determine:
Changes in water levels and flood risk downstream
Risk of pollution from water runoff originating from roads, farms and industries
Changes in water quality at different points of the catchment
Impact of any activities at different points on the water catchment area
The nature of the catchment management process requires input from groundwater consultants and a multi disciplinary team. The catchment management process seeks to understand the whole catchment area and therefore experts from different industries will be required to give their input. 
Different users of the water in the catchment area can benefit from catchment management and assessment in the long term. It helps to establish how a balance can be found so that users of the water in the catchment area can utilize the resources effectively. Ultimately, it helps to ensure a healthy water environment is maintained in the long term.

Groundwater Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is a critical step that needs to be taken before the exploration of ground water resources. The aim is to determine if there are direct and indirect activities that have contaminated water in the saturation zone especially water that is in direct contact with the soil.
Competent groundwater consultants carry out risk assessment. It is a legal requirement that the process should be carried out by a competent industry professional. Usually, ground water modeling companies have chattered engineers and chattered geologists who have the experience and competence to run the process professionally.
The first step involves the development of groundwater conceptual model. Both the groundwater and the soils in it are factored into the conceptual model at the initial stages of risk assessment. Biological processes and chemicals in the soil are examined to determine their effect on groundwater in the saturation zone. 
The initial process of developing a conceptual model, will determine if there is need for further investigations to be done. Any uncertainties that arise will prompt the groundwater modeling company to carry out further test to ensure that the risks have been accurately captured. All direct and indirect risk factors are explicitly identified in the conceptual model before more detailed stages of risk assessment are carried out.