THE COAL Authority (CA) has come up with a long-term solution to halt the danger of rising minewater contaminating drinking water supplies

The authority announced yesterday that it is now ready to put its proposals to public consultation

Minewater has been rising in the east Durham area since the last pits closed in 1993.

It was becoming increasingly clear that if the minewater was allowed to continue to rise, it would result in the serious contamination of the Durham aquifer, the underground reservoir that supplies a significant amount of local drinking water.

It was also feared that the flooding of the old pit workings could also lead to the pollution of the River Wear and the coastal areas of east Durham.

To tackle the growing problem, the authority came up with a short-term solution last year, which saw the construction of an active minewater treatment plant on the site of the former colliery at Horden.

This was designed as a temporary measure to protect the underground water supply while the authority forulated a permanent solution.

The authority, in conjunction with local authorities, the Environment Agency and other interested parties, said yesterday it is now in the final stages of developing a long-term strategy to protect the drinking water supply and local water courses.

A series of studies have been undertaken to identify the best long-term location to control rising minewater in east Durham.

In a statement, the CA said: "The studies have established that two separate sites would minimise the risk of an underground collapse isolating one treatment location, thereby making it ineffective.''

Two sites have been earmarked, at Horden and Dawdon as the most suitable for permanent minewater treatment facilities.

The CA is proposing that a new treatment system, including settlement ponds and reed beds, be built at Horden.

Once this is established, the existing temporary treatment plant will be moved to one of the neighbouring business parks, next to Dawdon Colliery at Seaham.

The CA believes the combination will provide a "robust and flexible long-term solution for the ongoing management of minewater in east Durham'.'

It also stressed that designs for the treatment facilities would be sympathetic to the local environment and adjacent buildings.