Events & Courses

Watch the lecture live online as a webcast.  

To join the meeting please click the link below on the day, just before 3pm and 6pm. You will need to enter as a guest and then enter a name.

http://geolsoc.adobeconnect.com/ll1409

Please note that the webcast can only be viewed by 100 people at any one time, so please ensure you are logged in promptly at 3pm to avoid disappointment. If you miss it, the talk will be available to watch again on the past meeting resources page 2 – 3 weeks afterwards.

Though groundwater may be out of sight, it is not necessarily out of mind and is vital to sustaining life on Earth. It is the world’s most extracted raw material, about 60% is used for agriculture and provides 25% to 40% of the world’s drinking water. In Southeast England up to 70% of the total public supply is derived from groundwater in the Chalk aquifer. Groundwater also provides much of the base flow to rivers, and sources recreational lakes and livestock water supplies.

However, groundwater is not always easily protected and is vulnerable to contamination from many years of industrialisation.  Globally we have witnessed human health and environmental impacts due to groundwater contamination. A well-known example is the civil action case in Woburn, Massachusetts where the community witnessed a high incidence of leukaemia linked with trichloroethylene contamination of the town's water supply by three local industries.   

Furthermore, over the recent years we have seen changes in our climate patterns with more intense storms resulting in devastating impacts from groundwater flooding.  Groundwater also interferes with the engineering construction of underground infrastructure. The underground tunnel boring and construction of station boxes for Crossrail have required site-wide dewatering to lower the groundwater in the Chalk, allowing excavation into the overlying geological strata.  

Speaker

Natalyn Ala (Atkins Limited and GSL Council Member)

Natalyn has 25 years experience as a consultant hydrogeologist advising on groundwater risks and liabilities associated with infrastructure, energy, oil & gas, industrial and land regeneration projects in the US, UK, Europe and Middle East. She is a Chartered Geologist and Scientist and has specific expertise in conceptualising complex ground models and conducting quantitative risk assessments and groundwater flow and contaminant transport numerical modelling.  

Natalyn has participated in international groundwater specialist delegations, steering groups and workshops and is a member of the London Geological Society Council and Secretary of the Professional Committee.  She has recently been involved in the design review of the groundwater assessment relating to the dewatering schemes and engineering designs associated with the Jeddah City Airport, HS2 and Crossrail. She has provided the technical review of site-specific risk assessments and remediation strategies for the London 2012 Olympic Park, and litigation advice regarding groundwater contamination resulting from the catastrophic Buncefield Depot explosion that occurred in 2006.
 

Event information

The talk will be given twice on the same day, once at 3pm and once at 6pm – please note that if you would like to attend the talks, the 3pm matinees generally have more availability. The talks will be exactly the same in the afternoon and evening.

Both lectures are now full. If you would like to be added to a waiting list for either 3pm or 6pm then please contact Naomi Newbold ([email protected])

Programme – 3pm talk
2:30pm Tea & Coffee
3pm Lecture begins
4pm Event ends

Programme – 6pm talk
5:30pm Tea & Coffee
6pm Lecture begins
7pm Short drinks reception
8pm Event ends

Please note that the doors to Burlington House will close at 6.15pm and you will not be able to enter the building after this time.