Case study:Sharnberry Mine: Abandoned Metal Mines: Difference between revisions

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{{Case study status
Please see [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/metal-mine-water-pollution-investigations-in-the-river-wear-catchment/river-wear-catchment-metal-mine-water-pollution-investigations#sharnberry-mine Sharnberry Mine: Wear catchment]
|Approval status=Draft
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{{Location
|Location=54.6585727, -1.9324573999999756
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{{Project overview
|Status=In progress
|Themes=Environmental flows and water resources, Habitat and biodiversity, Monitoring, Water quality
|Country=England
|Main contact forename=Hugh
|Main contact surname=Potter
|Contact organisation=Environment Agency
|Partner organisations=The Coal Authority (UK),
|Multi-site=No
|Project picture=Adit at Sharnberry mine.jpg
|Picture description=Adit at Sharnberry mine
|Project summary=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
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{{Case study subcatchment
|Subcatchment=Bedburn Beck from Source to Euden Beck
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{{Site
|WFD water body code=GB103024072700
|WFD water body name=Bedburn Beck from Source to Euden Beck
|Heavily modified water body=No
|Protected species present=No
|Invasive species present=No
}}
{{Project background
|Reach length directly affected=15km
}}
{{Motivations
|Specific mitigation=Pollution incident, Mine drainage metal concentrations, Failing EQS for Zinc
|Physico-chemical quality elements=Nutrient concentrations,
}}
{{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,
|Wider stakeholder / citizen engagement=Ecological survey, Survey work, Improving water quality,
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{{Monitoring documents}}
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{{Additional Documents}}
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{{Supplementary Information}}
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Latest revision as of 16:37, 14 January 2025

Please see Sharnberry Mine: Wear catchment

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