Hydrogeology of North-East Belgium. Status report 2012

In Belgium, the Boom Clay is considered as a potential host rock for the geological disposal of radioactive waste. The possible extent of the contamination that reaches the biosphere is evaluated by studying the migration of radionuclides from the disposal system through the hydrogeological system to the biosphere entry point. This implies a good understanding of the hydrogeological system. This report summarizes knowledge on the hydrogeology of North-Eastern Belgium, originating from SCK●CEN, supplemented with other data sources. It presents the up-to-date knowledge on the hydrogeology of the aquifer systems located in the environment of the possible geological disposal system in the Boom Clay in NE-Belgium. It gives an overview of the evolution of the hydrogeological knowledge at SCK•CEN including the summary of existing data from other sources. The first part gives the chronological overview of the hydrogeological data acquisitions in the Campine region (NE-Belgium) within the frame of Belgian programmes related to the disposal of radioactive waste. The second part presents the evolution of the hydrogeological modelling at SCK•CEN and the hydrogeological modelling done by others. The third part summarizes the current knowledge on the hydrogeology of NE-Belgium.