Current projects the Trust is undertaking in the UK and others we are advising or assisting across the globe include:
UK
Nation Wide
Minewater Pollution.
Since the 1990s minewater has been a major pollution issue of UK aquifers, rivers, and streams. The need to control the issues of polluted water from abandoned mines, both coal and metalliferous has been a priority for the Trust. We have been involved in over 60 treatment schemes and have published a book on the subject.
We are constantly researching methods that might either cut the costs of treatment or make use of the water or its mineral contents to help the funding of such works.
Current schemes are located in the Pennines, Cumbria, Fife, Anglesey, and Cornwall.
Minewater Energy.
The use of heat from the abandoned coal mines as they flood and become heat reservoirs is a long-term goal to be seen implemented across many parts of the UK. On the web site in the ‘news’ files there are several articles and papers we have written over several years.
The Trust introduced the Coal Authority to the technology in 1996. Action is now starting to take place.
Derbyshire
Cinderhill, Belper.
Acidic tar pit treatment trials and in time treatment of five other similar pits and a large lagoon of acidic water. The use of natural methods that require knowledge of forestry and agricultural methods precluding dangerous, more traditional costly methodologies. More may be found on the web site under ‘news’, including a drone eye view video taken in summer 2019.
Firestone Hill, Belper.
Similar to Cinderhill, above, but larger and even more mobile. Close to public paths and with protected species needing support.
We are awaiting permissions to move this forward.
Pennytown Ponds, Somercotes.
To remediate problems of pollution, allowing the three ponds to function as an important green space and recreational resource. Encourage the wildlife already present to flourish.
The site of these water bodies is in the middle of industrial and trading estates with many sources of inadvertent pollution.
Arsenic, Crich and the Derwent.
Sources of arsenic entering the River Derwent and River Amber from the lead mining area of Crich. The geology precludes that the arsenic is naturally occurring, thus it must have been deposited in the area above or into mines that are drained by soughs that drain west and south of the village.
Flooding, South Wingfield.
The church of South Wingfield and its graveyard plus the village hall suffer from regular flooding and consequent damage. We have identified the reasons and now need to rectify the matter by survey and persuasion of landowners and regulatory bodies.
This may take longer than it should.
Whaley Bridge.
The near failure of a reservoir dam in 2019 has had consequences on a lesser water body that belongs to the town’s council. The lake or pond was topped up from a leet from the reservoir which was stopped off (inadvertently) by contractors (Kiers) for the Canal and Rivers Trust. This needs rectification and the water body restored.
Devon
A large set of tailing dams from a mine on the edge of Dartmoor are in the process of stabilisation and the attendant acid minewater flow past the site remediated.
Nottinghamshire
Newark.
The Trust is supporting an archaeological investigation into Newark’s English Civil Ware defences and their development. Our role is looking at the uses made of water as barriers including what has turned out to be a set of pond reservoirs that fed defensive ditches around earthen fortifications. Also studying the flora and the plant history of the site from before and after that time.
Energy.
The use of higher temperature minewater resources beneath Nottinghamshire in the workings of the Nottinghamshire Coalfield. Our experiences of the working mines and the pumped water temperature that were recorded in the 1990s gives us a knowledge base that will help make choices of where it may be best to pump and farm waste heat from sites across much of the county, but particularly the western areas and Nottingham itself.
Bedfordshire
We continue to look at clay pit landfill sites, the leachate from some are developing into serious issues for both surface and groundwaters. Treatment methodology research and methods of drawing together diffuse pollutions to one treatment area are being developed.
Worldwide Assistance.
Cross Borders.
Locusts.
From Kenya through to India swarms of Locusts are travelling, as one group dies out others form following new green tracts that have been planted to start minimising the effects of global warming and the increase of desertification. These swarms are destroying crops and temping the authorities across eight nations to spray insecticides over the hoards as they enter their nations. The fear of pollution of water supply sources is though minimising this urge somewhat.
The Trust is investigating other, nontoxic, methodologies to limit such catastrophic plagues.
Danube Mine Wastes.
The Danube drains much of Central Europe and has historically been an international sewer. It is used for hydroelectric schemes and is the receptor of industrial and mineral drainage let alone the waste of tens of millions of European inhabitants. The waters are cleaner now with many treatment plants and better regulation of discharges to the river and its tributaries. There are specific pollutions that we have already addressed including cyanide from gold mining in the mountains of Transylvania.
India.
Working in support of pollution remediation of a large lake in the centre of Chandrapur. The pollution includes minewater and coal washings, treated and untreated sewage, industrial effluents.
The effects of this pollution cocktail include threats of typhoid and cholera.
Bangladesh.
Aiding the creation of a national ecological society.
Looking at water pollution issues in several cities in response to requests.
Germany.
Opencast lignite mining continues in Germany with consequential pollutions to many rivers including the River Spree. The pollutions are acidic and metal rich and are damaging not just the rivers but due to flooding areas of unimproved grassland such as around the UNESCO World Heritage region of Spreewaldes.
The Trust has aided several sites in Germany return better water quality since being introduced to the region in 2000.
Uganda.
We have actively advised a not for profit trust, formerly part of the Ministry of Forests in Uganda on fisheries and water care, sewage treatment, erosion, and other issues in parts of the country. This has included a constantly changing set of support initiatives over the last eight years.
Kenya.
We have recently been asked to help the farmers and others around Mount Kenya with support and advise regarding the catchment management of the major streams/rivers coming away from the mountain. Issues include slope stability due to deforestation and over grazing of livestock on the high slopes.
Morocco.
Looking at the methodologies used to counteract the advance of the Sahara into the Dra Vallee. Issues include poor advice on monocultural agriculture, tourism, choices of irrigation methodology and global warming.
Reliance on old colonial alliances are not serving the needs of either the local populations or the nation as a hole.
Similarly, there are problems on the other side of the Atlas Mountains where a phosphate mine requires water which would be available from beneath the site. Instead the old colonial power wishes to install desalination at a part shared facility on the coast.
Netherlands.
In 2010 the Netherlands became the first country in Europe to demonstrate the use of energy (heat) from minewater. This was meant to have been a shared project under European funding with Scotland but due to local authority disputes the project went ahead with out them.
The Trust has and continues to support the scheme and is consulted regarding problems that arise.