A SCHEME to protect the region’s drinking supply from contamination from rising minewater has been switched on.

Water which has made its way through the old mine workings beneath Whitburn Coastal Park in Sunderland will be captured and transported out to sea to prevent it entering the drinking water supply.

The water, which is contaminated by naturally occurring minerals such as salt and iron, is stopped from entering the limestone rocks underground, which hold the drinking water source for thousands of homes and businesses in South Tyneside and Sunderland.

Under the scheme developed by the Coal Authority, the minewater is contained at around 50 metres below the surface, then transported out about 230 metres out to sea, beyond the low-tide level, which it is dispersed naturally.

In the past, pumps were used to keep the region’s pits dry, but when the last mines closed in the 1990s, the pumps were turned off and minewater began to seep through the abandoned workings.

Tracey Davies, Head of Environment for the Coal Authority, said: “The protection scheme is the latest of three schemes that we have developed locally to prevent the contamination of this important drinking water source.

“The implementation of the new scheme follows successful trials at Whitburn to manage the rise in minewater levels from within the old coal mine workings.

“We have undertaken specialist studies to model the impact of the minewater discharge and taken specialist environmental advice to ensure the scheme meets the relevant quality standards”.