Work is progressing on the water treatment scheme for the Haggs adit, an abandoned mine water drainage tunnel which is one of the most significant sources of pollution for the River Nent - the second most metal polluted river in England.
The pollution, by cadmium, lead and zinc, comes from several different sources and the effects on water quality and aquatic life can be seen for 60km along the River South Tyne and in the Tyne Estuary.
To improve the environment for people and wildlife, the Coal Authority and Environment Agency are developing a treatment scheme to remove the metals from the Haggs adit mine water before they get into the river.
The organisations submitted a planning application to build the treatment scheme on land between Blagill and Nentsberry in Cumbria. Planning permission was granted by Cumbria County Council in June 2019.
The mine water will be captured at the adit portal in Nentsberry and taken to the treatment site in an underground pipeline. The metals will be removed using 3 treatment ponds, then the water will pass through a new wetland before being put back into the River Nent.
The contractor appointed to build the scheme, I&H Brown Ltd, expects construction of the mine water treatment scheme to be completed in autumn 2023, so that the clean up of the 60km of river polluted by the Nent Haggs mine water can begin.
The treatment ponds, pumping station, mine water distribution pipes, odour control tanks and building, and reed beds have now been constructed. The reeds, which had been grown off site, were planted in May 2023.
Work during 2023 includes:
installing the electrical and mechanical equipment for the odour control systems
constructing the inlet and flow monitoring chambers
completing the site access tracks, permanent walls and fences, and planting the final vegetation cover at the site
Subject to the planning authority approving the Commissioning Strategy, the intention is to start operating the scheme in autumn 2023.
The site work was co-funded by the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines (WAMM) programme and Northumbrian Water.
The scheme is one of several projects Northumbrian Water is supporting across the South Tyne catchment, aiming to improve river water quality and habitats, support biodiversity, and address the impacts of climate change.
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
bNovate has launched BactoCloud, a secure cloud-based platform that connects and manages its BactoSense instruments, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of microbial water quality.
Amiblu, a global leader in Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) pipe systems for wastewater, stormwater, drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, and industrial applications, has announced the appointment of Martyn Turton as its Sales Director for the UK & Ireland, driving strategic market development in the infrastructure and water sectors, effective immediately.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.