Research and analysis

Dove management catchment: baseline length of rivers and estuaries polluted by abandoned metal mines

Published 12 March 2025

Applies to England

This is one of 20 reports, one for each polluted management catchment, on the water quality monitoring undertaken by the Environment Agency to determine the baseline length of rivers and estuaries considered polluted by any of the Environment Act target substances from abandoned metal mines in 2022.

A length of river or estuary is considered polluted where the concentration of one or more of the 6 target substances (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc) exceeds the relevant Environmental Quality Standard (EQS). EQS concentrations are based on ecotoxicology data and set by government at a level that should prevent harmful environmental impacts. When the concentration of a substance in a water sample is higher than the EQS, adverse impacts on the aquatic ecosystem can be expected. The relevant EQS for each target substance are set out in The Water Framework Directive (Standards and Classification) Directions (England and Wales) 2015.

The purpose of calculating this baseline was to enable measurement of the statutory abandoned metal mines target set out in Part 4 of the Environmental Targets (Water) (England) Regulations 2023. This regulation requires that the combined length of English rivers and estuaries polluted by the target substances from abandoned metal mines is, by 31 December 2038, at least 50% lower than the baseline.  

In the Dove management catchment, the baseline length of polluted rivers for the abandoned metal mines water target is 69km. We will aim to identify the key sources of metal pollution in this management catchment by carrying out detailed monitoring investigations.

You can find further background and context on the Environment Act abandoned metal mines water target in the national baseline report which should be read together with this report.  

The Dove management catchment

The Dove management catchment covers an area of approximately 1,019km² and encompasses areas of the Peak District National Park. Within the management catchment there are three individual operational catchments. Please go to  Dove Management Catchment on the Catchment Data Explorer for an interactive map showing the 3 operational catchments that make up the Dove management catchment. The boundary of the Dove management catchment and all 3 operational catchments are highlighted in Figure 1.

Metal mining in the Dove management catchment

There is evidence of copper mining in the Ecton Hills part of the Peak District in the Bronze Age. Deep Ecton Mine was a major producer of copper in the 18th century and an important part of the economy for this area of the Staffordshire Moorlands at that time. Other mines at Ecton Hill were worked throughout the 17th century to the early 19th century but all mining here ceased in the 1890s. 

Figure 1 shows the locations of mineral veins, known mine water discharges, closed mine waste facilities known to be causing serious environmental harm, and recorded areas of abandoned mine wastes (mining spoil) within the catchment.

This information has been gathered from various sources including:

• BGS Geological mapping - GeoIndex - British Geological Survey
• Prioritisation of abandoned non-coal mine impacts on the environment
• Inventory of closed mining waste facilities causing serious environmental impacts
• Defra-funded ‘Source apportionment of pollution from non-coal mines’ research project by Newcastle University and Hull University (unpublished)
• Environment Agency water quality data archive

As we can see in Figure 1, most of the historical mining activities in the Dove management catchment were concentrated in the Dove Upper Rivers and Lakes operational catchment.

Figure 1. Map showing the abandoned metal mines, mineral veins and baseline river monitoring sites in the Dove management catchment

© Environment Agency

The tables below list the catchments (surface water bodies) that are polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines in the Dove management catchment. These tables highlight where there are known point sources (mine adits/ mine drainage levels) and diffuse sources (mine wastes/spoil heaps) within the waterbody catchment. The Environment Agency is continuing to investigate point and diffuse sources within the Dove management catchment by undertaking a series of catchment characterisation studies. These studies will help us identify which sources of metals need to be tackled to achieve the long-term statutory target.

Dove Upper Rivers and Lakes operational catchment: sources of pollution

Table 1 summarises which type of pollution sources from abandoned metal mines have been identified within the catchments (surface water bodies) in the Dove Upper Rivers and Lakes operational catchment.

Table 1. Summary of metal pollution sources in the Dove Upper Rivers and Lakes operational catchment

Catchment (Surface water body)	Point sources of pollution	Diffuse sources of pollution
Manifold - source to conf R Dove	Further investigation required	Yes
River Hamps from Source to R Manifold	Further investigation required	Yes

Baseline monitoring

The objective of the baseline monitoring was to establish the upstream and downstream extent of surface waters polluted by the target substances from abandoned metal mines. We selected the baseline monitoring sites by first completing a desk study to review previous water quality data, maps and reports. We then made initial site visits to collect samples and to assess the suitability of the site for continued sampling. Generally, at least twelve water quality samples were then collected from each monitoring site.

Within the Dove management catchment, water quality monitoring was undertaken in one of the 3 operational catchments (Dove Upper Rivers and Lakes). These are highlighted in Figure 1. We did not carry out monitoring in operational catchments where there is either no historical metal mining within the catchment or where existing monitoring data shows that rivers in these catchments are not polluted by abandoned metal mines.

In total, 10 monitoring sites were selected across the Dove management catchment to determine the baseline length of rivers polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines. The locations of these monitoring sites are shown in Figure 1.

Water quality data collected between 1 January 2022 and 31 March 2024 have been used to determine and validate the baseline length of rivers and estuaries considered polluted in 2022. The length of rivers polluted by abandoned metal mines fluctuates in response to natural variation in rainfall and river flows. However, this length will not materially change unless remediation measures like mine water treatment schemes or diffuse interventions are installed to decrease inputs of metals. Therefore, data collected after 31 December 2022 are considered to be representative of rivers, provided no new remediation measures had been constructed since 2022. No new remediation measures have been constructed in the Dove management catchment since 2022.  

Water quality monitoring results

In the Dove management catchment, the target substances measured were cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc. We did not undertake testing for arsenic in this management catchment since historical monitoring data and knowledge of the local geology across the catchment indicated that no rivers are polluted by arsenic in this management catchment.

The baseline water quality data for all monitoring sites are available on the Environment Agency’s public water quality archive.  

For a river water quality sample to be considered polluted, concentrations of one or more of the target substances must exceed the relevant EQS set by government when assessed as an “annual average”. The EQS are set out in The Water Framework Directive (Standards and Classification) Directions (England and Wales) 2015.

The EQS are derived using ecotoxicology data and set at a level that should prevent harmful environmental impacts. When the concentration of a substance in a water sample is higher than the EQS, adverse impacts on the aquatic ecosystem can occur, and the sample is considered to be polluted.

To understand the severity of pollution, we calculated a numeric “pollution level” by dividing the measured concentration of the target substances by the EQS. If the pollution level is greater than 1, the monitoring site is considered polluted by that target substance. Therefore, the higher the numeric pollution level, the greater the likelihood of harm to aquatic life.

Baseline polluted river length: Dove management catchment

Our detailed monitoring across a range of flow conditions between January 2022 and March 2024 shows that in the Dove management catchment, the baseline length of polluted rivers for the abandoned metal mines target is 69km.

Figure 2 shows the rivers in the Dove management catchment that are polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines.

Figure 2. The baseline length of rivers polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines in the Dove management catchment is 69km

© Environment Agency

Table 2 shows the river length (in km) that are polluted by each of the target substances within the Dove management catchment.

Table 2. River length (in km) polluted by each of the target substances within the Dove management catchment.

Target substance	Polluted river length (km)	Pollution level: less than 3 times	Pollution level: 3 to 5 times	Pollution level: more than 5 times
Cadmium (Cd)	69	69	0	0
Lead (Pb)	0	0	0	0
Nickel (Ni)	0	0	0	0
Zinc (Zn)	0	0	0	0
Copper (Cu)	0	0	0	0

Rivers polluted by abandoned metal mines: Dove management catchment

Dove Upper Rivers and Lakes operational catchment: baseline polluted rivers

The River Hamps and River Manifold are polluted by cadmium along their length to the baseline monitoring site at Ilam.  Downstream of Ilam, at the confluence of River Manifold and the River Dove, the water course is no longer polluted. The watercourses monitored as part of this baseline monitoring work in the Dove Upper Lakes and Rivers operational catchment were only polluted by cadmium.

Figure 3 shows the baseline polluted rivers in this operational catchment.

Figure 3. The baseline length of rivers polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines in the Dove operational catchment is 69km

© Environment Agency

It should be noted that due to close proximity of some of the sampling points to each other, some of the sampling point markers on this map (blue squares) may overlap.