Case study:Saltburn Gill ironstones mines
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Project overview
Status | In progress |
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Project web site | |
Themes | Economic aspects, Social benefits, Water quality |
Country | England |
Main contact forename | Peter |
Main contact surname | Aldred |
Main contact user ID | |
Contact organisation | Environment Agency |
Contact organisation web site | http://http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ |
Partner organisations | Environment Agency, DEFRA, The Coal Authority (UK) |
Parent multi-site project | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
East Cleveland was a major source of ore for the Teesside iron and steel industry. The Cleveland Ironstone band was worked from the1850’s until the early 1960’s, resulting in a legacy of abandoned mine workings.
In 1999, Acid Mine drainage from the abandoned mine workings to the Saltburn Gill rose the typical iron levels from around 0.1 milligrammes per litre (mg/l) to in excess of 1200mg/l. Over 330kg of iron ochre is deposited on the stream bed every day, contributing to a discharge of over 100 tonnes of iron into the North Sea each year. The pollution caused a depletion in Oxygen levels, with a devastating effect on the ecology. A biological impact survey of the stream showed that the pollution had reduced the quality of the beck from grade Good to Bad, resulting in 2 km of the watercourse negatively impacted.
Saltburn Gill Action Group (SGAG) was set up in 2005 as a community action group. Assistance was given by The Environment Agency, Teesside University, the local Wildlife Trust, the Parish Council and others to try to find a solution to this problem.
In 2009/10, in Partnership with the Coal Authority, with funding from Defra, the Environment Agency undertook a number of investigations to establish the feasibility of building a treatment plant for the minewater. Construction of the treatmnet plant started in December 2012. This will involve a large pumping borehole into the mine workings and settlement ponds and reed beds. It is expected to start pumping in the spring or early summer of 2013 and final drying up of the polluting discharge and construction of the final parts of the scheme may not happen until 2014-15.
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Catchment and subcatchment
Site
Name | Saltburn Gill Nature Reserve |
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WFD water body codes | GB103025071960 |
WFD (national) typology | Low, Small, Calcareous |
WFD water body name | Saltburn Gill Catch trib of North Sea |
Pre-project morphology | |
Reference morphology | |
Desired post project morphology | |
Heavily modified water body | No |
National/international site designation | UK - Site of Special Scientific Interest |
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
Reach length directly affected (m) | |
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Project started | |
Works started | 2012/12/03 |
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 |
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Investigation and design | |||||
Stakeholder engagement and communication | |||||
Works and works supervision | |||||
Post-project management and maintenance | |||||
Monitoring |
Reasons for river restoration
Mitigation of a pressure | Pollution incident |
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Hydromorphology | Quantity & dynamics of flow |
Biology | |
Physico-chemical | Oxygen balance, PH |
Other reasons for the project |
Measures
Structural measures
| |
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Bank/bed modifications | |
Floodplain / River corridor | |
Planform / Channel pattern | |
Other | Construction of a Treatment Plant |
Non-structural measures
| |
Management interventions | |
Social measures (incl. engagement) | |
Other |
Monitoring
Hydromorphological quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Biological quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Physico-chemical quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Monitoring documents
Image gallery
Additional documents and videos
Additional links and references
Link | Description |
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Supplementary Information
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