Citation:
K-H Kim, M.L. Hall, A. Hart and S.J.T. Pollard, A Survey of Green Burial Sites in England and Wales and an Assessment of the Feasibility of a Groundwater Vulnerability Tool, Environmental Technology, Vol 29(1), January 2008. pp1-12
Abstract:
Since 1994, 200 'green' or natural burial sites have been developed in the UK
and Eire, attracting regulatory attention because of perceived risks to
groundwater. Here, a survey of natural burial practice in England and Wales
(n=49 of 141 elicited) is presented, providing data on operational trends and
supporting the design of a groundwater vulnerability assessment tool. Natural
burial grounds are generally small in area (< 0.8 ha), adopt a mean single
burial depth of 1.45 m bgl and a mean plot density of ca. 1480 graves ha-1. A
vulnerability screening tool is described that allows a desk-based evaluation of
sites by reference to seven groundwater risk attributes. Initial feasibility is
evaluated through application to 131 sites.
