Case study:Sharnberry Mine: Abandoned Metal Mines

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Location: 54° 39' 30.86" N, 1° 55' 56.85" W

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Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site
Themes	Environmental flows and water resources, Habitat and biodiversity, Monitoring, Water quality
Country	England
Main contact forename	Hugh
Main contact surname	Potter
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation	Environment Agency
Contact organisation web site
Partner organisations	The Coal Authority (UK)
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Adit at Sharnberry mine

Project summary

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The Sharnberry mine is at the far eastern edge of the North Pennine orefield, in the Pennine Moors between the River Wear and River Tees. The mine was worked for Fluorspar until it closed in 1982, leaving spoil deposits and an adit which discharges to the Euden Beck - a tributary of the Bedburn Beck and River Wear.

Our routine monitoring found there were high levels of zinc in the Bedburn Beck where it joins the River Wear. These high zinc levels exceed the Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) for the Bedburn Beck, meaning that the watercourse (four water bodies) isn't achieving the 'good status' for water quality that is set out in our Northumbria River Basin Plan. We discovered that the Sharnberry Mine Adit is the main source of the zinc and other heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, and is discharging these pollutants into the Euden Beck and causing pollution up to 15 km downstream in the Bedburn Beck. We recently carried out an ecological survey of the Euden Beck and found the aquatic life was suffering as a result of these heavy metals, which can settle in river sediments.

We're continuing to investigate and monitor the water quality in the Bedburn Beck and its tributaries, and we've set up a partnership with the Coal Authority and the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership (AONB) to look at options for removing the metals from the Sharnberry mine discharge to improve the water quality of the surrounding watercourses. Newcastle University are carrying out trials of treatment technologies which we could use to remove the heavy metals from the Sharnberry mine discharge, preventing the problem at the source and helping the Bedburn Beck to meet the EQS and return to 'good' ecological status.

Euden Beck and Bedburn Beck both fail their EQS for zinc. Immediately downstream of the mine the zinc concentrations are up to 110 times the EQS. Fifteen kilometres downstream of the mine in the Bedburn Beck, zinc is five times the EQS.
In times of low flow the Sharnberry mine is contributing more zinc than reaches the River Wear, indicating metals are being retained in the river sediments.
When the river flows increase, a greater load of metals reaches the end of the catchment. Additional metals are being washed in with rainfall from spoil deposits and from mobilising the metals previously retained within the river sediments.
Treatment of the mine discharge to remove the metals could enable 15km of river to pass the EQS and four waterbodies to be returned to good ecological status.

Impact of the minewater discharge:

15km length of watercourse affected (four water bodies)
Average metal concentration of Zinc = 1.8 mg/l, Cadmium = 3.2 ug/l
Average flow is 12 l/sec
Load of zinc discharged per annum = 700 kg
Water body ecological status/potential is Moderate

Benefits of remediation

The River Wear will be protected from a major pollution source
We're developing partnerships with important stakeholders and using our position as an influential advisor to deliver shared environmental outcomes
Contribute towards WFD Good Ecological status compliance in four waterbodies
700kg of zinc would be prevented from entering R Wear every year

Monitoring surveys and results

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Lessons learnt

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Image gallery

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Northumbria River basin Wear Subcatchment River name Bedburn Beck from Source to Euden Beck Area category 10 - 100 km² Area (km2) Maximum altitude category 200 - 500 m Maximum altitude (m) 485485 m <br />0.485 km <br />48,500 cm <br /> Dominant geology Calcareous Ecoregion Great Britain Dominant land cover Coniferous Woodland Waterbody ID GB103024072700 Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes GB103024072700 WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Bedburn Beck from Source to Euden Beck Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body No National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present No Invasive species present No Species of interest Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Heavy metals in channel, failing EQS for zinc Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Nutrient concentrations Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planform / Channel pattern Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Catchment Characterisation Programme to investigate water pollution from abandoned metal mines and determine remediation options of metal pollution, Options for remediation, Remediation Treatment, reviewed treatment technologies, Prevent problem at source Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Ecological survey, Survey work Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information