Source/Archive record SCH8721 - Nantwich Waterlogged Deposits, Cheshire: Phase 2 Interim Report (Report No. 5)

A fifth, interim report on the results of Phase 2 of the Nantwich waterlogged Deposits Project, whose purpose is to develop an effective methodology to monitor the condition of the waterlogged deposits in Nantwich over a three-year period and to update the strategy to manage these remains effectively. In September 2013 a variation was agreed by English Heritage, extending the duration of the project for a further two years, so that in total five years of monitoring data will be gathered. This report presents a summary of the fieldwork undertaken as part of the project during 2015, which comprised the following key elements:  Collecting groundwater samples from each of the fifteen separate dipwell locations for geochemical laboratory analysis;  Completing quarterly monitoring at all of the eighteen dipwells for depth to groundwater, water quality parameters and ground gas concentrations. In addition gas samples were taken from two dipwells for radiocarbon dating determination, damaged dipwell covers have been renewed, new transducers were installed because of concerns over the condition of those that have been in the ground for four years, and two additional transducers were installed at different locations to test seasonal fluctuations in groundwater level in relation to permeability. Two issues that arose during 2015 were the loss of dipwell AG due to resurfacing of the Bowers Row car park, and during the February testing round the Water Quality Meter developed a fault which led to inaccuracies in the data collected.