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No 2 Shaft at our Wheal Jane mine site in Cornwall
This is the No 2 Shaft at our Wheal Jane mine site in Cornwall. Under the gantry is a 1,200ft deep mine shaft, although you’d see water 180ft below. This is the level at which the mine water has reached since the Wheal Jane operation closed in 1991.
Some years later, a mine water treatment plant was installed to prevent metal-rich water from rising to the surface and poluting the nearby Carnon River. There are now ten pumps just beneath the water level, each able to abstract 72 l/sec of mine water. The number of pumps used depends on rainfall as we need to keep the mine water below the level where it pollutes the river
Since John F Hunt Regeneration took over the operation of the pumps and mine water treatment works on 1st October, nearly 500,000m3 of minewater was lifted 60m from the shaft in our first month of operation and run through the treatment process before being safely released as clean water into the Carnon River.
This process is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and is critical to safeguarding the local environment. We are operating this complex process for The Coal Authority
Improving the environment, maximising efficiency and ensuring a good return on investment for our clients, is what excites us.