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Wheal Maid is an abandoned site that is owned by the Gwennap Parish Council, having been purchased for £1 from Carnon Enterprises (http://www.gwennap-parish.net/wheal_maid.html). The site was mined while the Consols were in operation until the 1870s, and then became site for taking fine-grained mineral processing wastes (tailings) from the mill facilities at the former Mount Wellington tin mine during the 1970s and 80s. A valley infill at Wheal Maid consists of two lagoons separated by three dams and contains approximately 220,000m3 of tailings. After pressure locally, the Carrick District Council asked the Environmental Agency to conduct an environmental quality inspection in 2007 (https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/3625647/2008-09-16-Record-of-Determination.pdf). | Wheal Maid is an abandoned site that is owned by the Gwennap Parish Council, having been purchased for £1 from Carnon Enterprises (http://www.gwennap-parish.net/wheal_maid.html). The site was mined while the Consols were in operation until the 1870s, and then became site for taking fine-grained mineral processing wastes (tailings) from the mill facilities at the former Mount Wellington tin mine during the 1970s and 80s. A valley infill at Wheal Maid consists of two lagoons separated by three dams and contains approximately 220,000m3 of tailings. After pressure locally, the Carrick District Council asked the Environmental Agency to conduct an environmental quality inspection in 2007 (https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/3625647/2008-09-16-Record-of-Determination.pdf). | ||
The investigation concluded that Wheal Maid is a contaminated site, due to the levels of arsenic in the soil. The investigation stated that there is a significant possibility of significant harm to young children using the site for BMX/mountain biking from exposure to arsenic through the inhalation, ingestion and dermal absorption pathways from soil. The controlled waters risk assessment show that the site is causing pollution of controlled waters by leaching of arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, iron, lead, nickel and zinc through the toe of the lower lagoon into the St. Day Stream. It further concludes that pollution of controlled waters is likely to be caused by leaching of the above pollutants into groundwater beneath the site and through the culvert wall into the St. Day Stream (https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/3625647/2008-09-16-Record-of-Determination.pdf). | The investigation concluded that Wheal Maid is a contaminated site, due to the levels of arsenic in the soil. The investigation stated that there is a significant possibility of significant harm to young children using the site for BMX/mountain biking from exposure to arsenic through the inhalation, ingestion and dermal absorption pathways from soil. The controlled waters risk assessment show that the site is causing pollution of controlled waters by leaching of arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, iron, lead, nickel and zinc through the toe of the lower lagoon into the St. Day Stream. It further concludes that pollution of controlled waters is likely to be caused by leaching of the above pollutants into groundwater beneath the site and through the culvert wall into the St. Day Stream (https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/3625647/2008-09-16-Record-of-Determination.pdf). | ||
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+ | By Dr Jake Eager | ||
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</h3> | </h3> | ||
Revision as of 15:21, 25 July 2017
Exeter
Wheal Maid field trip
![](https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2017/0/0c/T--Exeter--wheal_maid_background.jpeg)