Mick Morrey was a member of the generation of professional hydrogeologists who came to prominence in the early 1970s.
Mick studied at University College London, taking an Honours Degree in Geology (1968) and a Diploma in Hydrogeology (1969). He then carried out research into the hydrogeochemistry of UK water resources, which provided the platform for the special interest areas in which he worked professionally until his death in 2003 - the protection and investigation of groundwater pollution, the impact of mine dewatering on, and the development of, water resources.
In 1973 he joined Aspinwall & Co. Responding to the requirements of the Deposit of Poisonous Wastes Act 1972 and international concerns about the risks of groundwater pollution from waste disposal, he undertook many of the first site investigations into groundwater pollution at landfill sites in the UK, including the Pitsea hazardous waste co-disposal landfill in Essex.
From 1977 he was a Director of Hydrotechnica. During the 1980s he combined further UK based groundwater pollution studies with water resource projects overseas, predominantly in Southern Africa and Pakistan. He also spent two years in Denver, USA, working on projects concerned with mine dewatering, superfund cleanup and remediation of contaminated ground.
In 1990 he rejoined Aspinwall & Co. (subsequently Enviros) and was based in the UK where he directed numerous studies predominantly into the impact of waste disposal, contaminated land and industrial activities on groundwater quality. Clients included chemical companies, local and central government (for example Department of Environment Transport and the Regions, and Ministry of Defence, and the Environment Agency). He was a contributor to CIRIA Report 186, Hydraulic Measures for the Control and Treatment of Groundwater Pollution, 1998; he directed the National Rivers Authority study into The Methodology for Defining Groundwater Protection Zones, and an Environment Agency R&D project into Assessment & Monitoring of Natural Attenuation of Contaminants in Groundwater.
Mick was a highly experienced consultant. He was meticulous in seeking evidence upon which to build a case. He would address any issue in great detail and persevere with any problem until he found the appropriate solution. These skills made him an ideal expert witness and he was regularly called to provide expert evidence and advice.
Mick provided unstinting support and advice to all his colleagues and mentored junior assistants with great patience. He is greatly missed by colleagues, clients and most of all by his wife Debbie and children Lauren and David.
John Lucas (with assistance from Rod Aspinwall and Chris White)