River Wear catchment metal mine water investigation works
Information about mine water investigation works in the River Wear catchment, England.
More than 80km of rivers in Weardale, County Durham, are polluted by zinc, cadmium and lead from abandoned metal mines, impacting river wildlife such as fish and river flies.
Because these mines closed before 2000, the former mine operators cannot be made to clean up this pollution. The Water and Abandoned Metal Mines programme, a partnership between the Environment Agency, Coal Authority and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created to deal with this historical legacy and make our rivers cleaner and healthier to benefit people, wildlife and the economy.
Monitoring by the Environment Agency has identified several important sources of the metals which cause this pollution. The Coal Authority and Environment Agency are carrying out a number of projects to investigate how best to improve river water quality in the Wear catchment.
Developing a mine water treatment scheme typically takes at least 4 years from starting monitoring. These schemes require planning permission and other permits before they can be built. The Environment Agency and the Coal Authority are committed to openly engaging with the public and other stakeholders before submitting any planning applications.
Read more about the work of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines programme