Pollution Control - Contaminated Land

Land Reclamation

Since its inception in the early sixties, the Reclamation Section of Environment has spearheaded the restoration of derelict land in County Durham. The service provided by the section is dedicated to assist in the delivery of the council’s mission; ‘Making County Durham the best place to live, work and bring up a family.’

County Durham is one of the oldest mining areas in the United Kingdom. There are records of coal being extracted as far back as the thirteenth century. In the early part of the twentieth century there were over 150 active collieries and as these closed the land became derelict; not just the pit heaps and collieries but also the railways and by-products works which served them.

Besides becoming eyesores, the derelict land contributed to the general feeling of a run down area. Often derelict sites had been home to a succession of industries, therefore there are significant contamination problems associated with them. For example, gas works sites are usually contaminated with tars, cyanides and other chemicals while former factory sites can have asbestos, oils, heavy metals and a whole range of undesirable chemical compounds.

Contaminated Land

With the introduction of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act, it is necessary to assess the environmental risks posed by a site to determine if it is contaminated.
The risk assessment involves the study of old maps, plans and historical documents to obtain the complete history of the site. Based upon this study, an intrusive investigation is undertaken to gather technical information in order to evaluate the hazards associated with the site. If these hazards cause the site to be unsafe, it is catogorised as contaminated. The works then has to be undertaken to make the site safe. The financial support for this work is provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Minewater

The investigation of mine water within the County is another aspect of our service. Former pit heaps of colliery shale may appear relatively innocuous, however over the years air can oxidise the spoil to make the ground water acidic, dissolving iron, aluminium and other metals out of the shale. This gives a characteristic red colour to the surrounding streams and and kills their flora and fauna. Rising mine water from old shafts and workings can be similarly affected and when this finally flows out of the ground a major pollution souce results.

Our success over the last few decades can be measured by the fact that all major pit heaps have now been reclaimed, re-contoured and planted to match the surrounding original land forms. The area reclaimed to date in County Durham exceeds 22 square kilometres - equivalent to the area of Lake Winderemere.

Railpaths

We have reclaimed a number of disused railway lines to form railpaths. Details of these can be found at Railway paths

Projects currently being designed include Barnard Castle to West Auckland and Belmont to Newton Hall.