Water and abandoned metal mines Environment Act target delivery plan
Statutory Environment Act target
- halve the length of rivers polluted by harmful metals from abandoned metal mines by 2038, against a baseline of 1,491km
Interim target
- construct 8 mine water treatment schemes and 20 diffuse interventions to control inputs of target substances to rivers, and complete 55 catchment studies by December 2030
Rationale for the interim target: why and how it will progress delivery of the Environment Act target
The interim target uses a construction metric instead of an output (kms) metric, as used for the statutory target, to ensure mine water treatment schemes and diffuse interventions are being completed at the rate necessary to achieve the statutory target.
The updated interim target will deliver 8 mine water treatment schemes and 20 diffuse interventions by December 2030. This sets an achievable construction trajectory to the statutory target. We have also introduced a new element to the target to complete 55 catchment studies by the new interim deadline of December 2030.
Catchment studies are critical for programme planning, identifying priority sources requiring remediation, and choosing where to construct schemes to enable feasibility studies for scheme design and construction to progress. Not all catchment studies will meet the criteria for progression into feasibility study, and subsequently not all feasibility studies will pass into design. That is why we need more catchment and feasibility studies than the number of schemes which will ultimately be constructed, and why front-loading catchment studies within the interim target period is important in de-risking long-term delivery.
We expect to meet the statutory target by delivering the programme using the mechanisms described in this plan. All mine water treatment schemes and diffuse interventions will reduce input of metals from mine water and contaminated sediment respectively and thereby decrease the metal concentrations in the relevant polluted river. However, some rivers have naturally higher background levels of metal (compared to the Environmental Quality Standards) due to naturally occurring minerals in the area. As a result, in these areas we will need to take account of this background concentration when assessing the lengths of river improved. A Defra and Environment Agency (EA) senior level working group will investigate this issue to ensure we can account for the impact of remediation measures in reducing polluted river length and improving river water quality when assessing and reporting on progress towards the statutory target. We expect to resolve this issue by 2030.
Delivery measures
The following delivery measures detail the sequentially dependent stages required for the delivery of a remediation measure. Diffuse interventions have a shorter delivery pipeline but must still proceed through the same sequentially dependent stages as a mine water treatment scheme, which has a longer 5 to 7 year timeline.
Table 1. Summary of delivery measures and supporting evidence for water and abandoned metal mines
| Delivery measure | Description | Estimated contribution to the interim targets | Evidence of impact | Responsible | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catchment and verification monitoring studies | Catchment studies identify priority sources of metal pollution requiring intervention by remediation measures. Verification monitoring studies evaluate water quality improvements after schemes become operational. This is essential for reporting on progress against the statutory target. We must complete 55 catchment studies to stay on track to meet the statutory target. This will enable the development of the approximately 30 schemes needed between 2030 and 2038. Not all catchment studies will meet the criteria to progress into feasibility. |
High | Catchment studies are the fundamental first stage for the construction of new remediation measures. There is high confidence in the information provided by these studies to inform the decision-making on whether to proceed onto the next stage (feasibility). | EA | In delivery | |
| Feasibility and Design studies | Feasibility studies investigate feasibility of construction, cost benefit of construction, and make recommendations on potential scheme locations. Design studies develop options for design of schemes and apply for necessary planning and regulatory permissions. We must complete 41 feasibility studies by 2030 (subject to successful outcomes in catchment studies). To note, not all feasibility studies will meet the criteria to pass into design. |
High | Feasibility studies are an essential second stage in the development of a new mine water treatment scheme or diffuse intervention. Outcome from feasibility stage provides determination on whether a scheme will proceed onto the design stage, as not all locations will meet the criteria of feasibility of construction. |
Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) | In delivery | |
| Construction delivery | We will need to construct 8 mine water treatment schemes and 20 diffuse interventions by 2030 for the proposed interim target, and to remain on track for the statutory target. For the statutory target we will need to construct approximately 30 schemes from 2030 to target deadline date in 2038. |
High | It is the constructed scheme which ultimately decreases pollution levels in rivers by reducing the input of harmful metals and improving river water quality. Constructions vary in complexity, size, volume of flow treated, type of treatment, and length of river improved. | MRA | In delivery | |
| Operation and maintenance | Operation and maintenance of remediation schemes (legacy and new mine water treatment schemes and diffuse interventions) is required in perpetuity to prevent scheme deterioration and maintain the improvement in river water quality which contributes towards the statutory target. As new schemes and interventions become operational the cost of operations and maintenance will increase. By 2030 we will be operating and maintaining 8 mine water treatment schemes, and at least 20 diffuse interventions contributing to the interim target, alongside 3 legacy treatment schemes (pre EIP2023) and 20 legacy diffuse interventions (pre EIP2023). |
High | Schemes must be operating to contribute towards targets. | MRA | In delivery | |
| Research and development (R&D) | We will investigate treatment and delivery options to improve treatment performance or lower lifecycle costs of remediation measures, or both. We plan to complete up to 20 R&D studies by 2030. |
High | R&D schemes investigate innovative treatment and delivery options which may either improve treatment performance or lower life cycle costs of remediation measures or both. They are important to ensure the programme is always investigating and applying the best treatment and cost options in line with performance enhancement and use of public funds. | MRA | In delivery | |
Key milestones
To reach the interim target we need to construct another 6 mine water treatment schemes and 6 diffuse interventions to control inputs of target substance into rivers and complete 55 catchment studies by 2030. We have the construction of these planned for the next 5 years.
Overview of milestones to reach the interim target:
- Water and Abandoned Metal Mines (WAMM) Programme, along with the 2 schemes constructed since 2023, completes construction on 6 mine water treatment schemes required for the interim target by December 2030.
- WAMM Programme will deliver at least 6 diffuse interventions by 2027.
- EA completes 55 catchment studies throughout interim target period.
- by December 2030 we will have achieved the interim target and delivered 8 mine water treatment schemes, 20 diffuse interventions, and completed 55 catchment studies.
Monitoring to assess compliance with the statutory target will be carried out during 2038 and reported by 01 February 2040.
Illustrative trajectory
Table 2. Trajectory towards EIP2025 interim target under the WAMM delivery plan
| Delivery measure | EIP 2023 to EIP2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | Number to be completed by 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mine water treatment schemes constructed and planned | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Names of schemes | Coombe Gwindra and Nent Haggs | Minsterley White Tip | Bridford | Barneycraig | Threlkeld | Sharn-berry and West Chiverton | 8 |
| Diffuse interventions constructed and planned | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Catchment studies to be completed | Not applicable | 5 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 55 |
| Feasibility studies to be completed per year | Not applicable | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 41 |
| Design studies to be completed per year | Not applicable | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
Notes about Table 2
- note 1 – figures in the EIP23 to EIP 2025 column refer to completed schemes
- note 2 – future projects may be subject to change for technical or practical reasons; current numbers are estimates only and will be re-evaluated in future planning processes
- note 3 – Studies take about 15 to 24 months to complete. Not all studies will pass criteria for progress into next stage. Studies completed between EIP2023 and EIP2025 are not included as they do not contribute to EIP2025 interim target
We anticipate that to reach the 2038 statutory target, we will need approximately 30 to 40 mine water treatment schemes.
From 2030, we will need to construct around 20 diffuse interventions. We expect to deliver around 3 treatment schemes and 3 diffuse interventions per year after 2030. We cannot finalise the exact delivery pathway and location of schemes until after we have completed the 55 catchment studies required in the interim target, which will provide essential information to identify the locations for the remaining mine water treatment schemes.
Monitoring and evaluation summary
Our metric for delivering the interim target counts the number of mine water treatment schemes and diffuse interventions that have been constructed and the number of catchment studies completed.
To be counted towards the interim target, mine water treatment schemes must treat at least 10% of the total flow requiring treatment and be predicted to measurably decrease metal concentrations in the receiving watercourse – as assessed by the catchment study.
Diffuse interventions are counted as contributing to the interim target once construction is completed. The WAMM Programme Board assesses whether a scheme or diffuse intervention counts towards the interim target through transparent decision-making and a brief report on each project. WAMM Board meetings are scheduled every quarter.
The metric for assessing achievement of the statutory target is calculated by measuring the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by the target substances from abandoned metal mines. This length will be compared with the 2022 baseline length determined by the EA, as set out in their report: Abandoned metal mines in England: baseline length of rivers and estuaries polluted by harmful metals - GOV.UK
The concentrations of target substances in rivers are measured and pollution is assessed in accordance with the approach set out in The Water Framework Directive (Standards and Classification) Directions (England and Wales) 2015.
The frequency of reporting on and tracking our progress against the baseline towards the statutory target has yet to be agreed. There are 2 options available: national reporting every 5 years or aggregated individual post-operational evaluation (provided through verification monitoring studies) for each new treatment scheme. Both provide robust reporting methods. An assessment of cost/benefit, resourcing, and value for money will be undertaken before selection. The WAMM Board will take a final decision on the approach, although it is likely that aggregated individual post-operational evaluation, completed after each treatment scheme is operational, will be used to track our progress towards the statutory target.