A survey of green burial sites in England and Wales and an assessment of the feasibility of a groundwater vulnerability tool.

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.