Barney Craig mine water treatment scheme
Information and updates about the Barney Craig mine water treatment scheme in Northumberland, England.
More than 40km of the River West Allen and the River South Tyne are polluted by zinc, cadmium and/or lead which harm fish and river flies. These metals ultimately collect in sediments in the Tyne estuary.
Monitoring by the Environment Agency shows that the most significant source of zinc and cadmium is the Barney Craig adit.
This abandoned mine water drainage tunnel is part of the historical Carrshield lead mine site. Most of the lead pollution comes from rain falling on the abandoned mine wastes in the upper catchment, such as the Carrshield and Coalcleugh sites.
To improve the environment for people and wildlife, the Environment Agency and Coal Authority are developing a treatment scheme to remove the metals from the Barney Craig adit mine water before they enter the river.
The mine water will pass through a number of open-water ponds containing a layer of natural materials that will capture the metals, and then go through a new wetland before being put back into the River West Allen. The exact size and location has not yet been determined but the scheme will look similar to that constructed in 2014 at the Force Crag mine in the Lake District National Park.
View details of the Force Crag mine water treatment scheme
We have carried out investigations at several potential locations to build the treatment scheme and are continuing to look into the viability of these sites. We will be carrying out more surveys and investigations and you may see our contractors and staff visiting the area during this time. We will share our findings with the public once we have narrowed down which locations are practical – this is expected to be in summer/autumn 2023.
The Barney Craig mine water treatment scheme project is part of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines programme that aims to tackle water pollution caused by historical metal mining. It is a partnership between the Environment Agency, the Coal Authority and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Read more about the work of the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines programme
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Last updated 12 December 2022 + show all updates
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Update to timeline on when site selection detail will be available.
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First published.