The Environment Agency and Mining Remediation Authority are proposing to build a treatment scheme to remove the metals in the water discharging from the Caplecleugh and Rampgill Levels before they get into the river, improving the environment for people and wildlife.
The River Nent is the most metal polluted river in northern England. This pollution by cadmium, lead and zinc comes from several different sources and impacts aquatic wildlife, water and sediment quality for up to 60km along the River South Tyne and into the Tyne Estuary.
Monitoring by the Environment Agency shows that the water draining from the Caplecleugh and Rampgill Levels (abandoned mine water drainage tunnels or adits), are two of the most significant sources of pollution along the River Nent. By treating these two mine water discharges, we can remove between 30%-75% of the zinc found in the River Nent at Alston.
Following discussions with the public and other stakeholders, proposals are being developed for a mine water treatment scheme to be built on the former Nenthead mine site adjacent to the Handsome Mea reservoir.
January 2026 update
We continue to develop proposals for a mine water treatment scheme to treat the two mine waters which discharge into the river in the Nenthead car park (Caplecleugh and Rampgill).
You can expect to see us undertaking some further surveys to inform the design of a scheme at this location over the next few months.
All updates will be posted to this website and communicated widely with the local community and stakeholders, including via e-mail. You can subscribe to receive email updates direct to your inbox by clicking the link here.
Dates for your diary
The dates of our upcoming drop in events at The Hive at Nenthead, Nenthead, Cumbria CA9 3PF are provided below. There is no need to book, just come along with your questions for the project team. We hope to see you there.
16 March 2026 10am to noon
19 May 2026 4pm to 6pm
14 July 2026 10am to noon
Contact us
You can contact us by:
Email: nent@miningremediation.gov.uk
Phone: 0345 762 6848
Post: WAMM Programme – Nent, 200 Lichfield Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 4RG.
Previous update 2024
The proposal is to capture the mine water from the Caplecleugh and Rampgill Levels near the Nenthead mines car park, and pump it up to treatment ponds near to Handsome Mea reservoir in an underground pipeline. The latest scheme plan is available here.
We have now started finalising the design of the scheme. Below is the plan for the ‘Mine water capture’ which includes how mine water will be captured from the Caplecleugh and Rampgill Levels and the pumping station to pump the mine water up to the treatment ponds, along with a new footbridge across the River Nent to provide us with continued access to the Caplecleugh Level.
Once the metals have been removed in the treatment ponds, the treated water will be returned to the River Nent through a buried pipeline. The design of the ‘Treatment ponds’ and the ‘Treated water discharge’ are being finalised and will be shared with the community when they are ready.
We have recently published other reports and surveys on the project website including:
- 2023 Peat Survey Report
- Compound areas layout plan (Areas 1, 2 and 3)
- 2024 Traffic Survey
These are available to view and download here.
Information from our community event held on the 18 March 2024 and the information we shared at the session is available online here.