Talks provided at the Scottish Fisheries Co-ordination Centre/Institute of Fisheries Management MAPPING FISHERIES workshop in Edinburgh on March 1st-2nd 2016

1. SCIMAP: modelling and mapping diffuse pollution risk.
The North Pennines.
David Higgins: Tees and Wear Rivers Trust

2. Tees and Wear River Trusts:
EA funded Metal Mines Project
 Introduction and background
 GIS-based desktop – SCIMAP and literature
 Walkover surveys
 Developing costed restoration plans

3. SCIMAP
www.scimap.org.uk
Risk map for fine
sediment
Route risk through
catchment
Point scale
risk
Surface
flow index
Saturation
propensity
channels
erodability
Stream
power
Upslope
area
slope
Land
cover
DEM Rain
map

4. Farmer 1:
‘a mile out and not representing the
situation on the farm.’
‘the model is simply wrong and
doesn’t fit with what actually
happens’
‘had not known a time when the
drain couldn’t cope with the amount
of runoff even in severe downpours.’
Testing the model

5. Farmer 2:
‘when the culvert becomes
blocked with debris, the water
does follow the locations shown
on the map (SCIMAP).’

6. Farmer 3:
‘the model is right but the farming
system changes the result’
‘the farm is a very low risk (due to)
the farming system we have which
reduces runoff.’

7. Farmer 4:
‘above the road (SCIMAP)
appears to be reasonably
accurate but the water is
picked up by drains once it
reaches the road and is
redirected away from the
lower sections of the farm.’

8. SCIMAP outputs in channel
Erosion sources
x
surface flow
In channel fine
sediment risk

9. Tees and Wear River Trusts
Metal Mines Project
GIS-based desktop – SCIMAP

10. Four catchments failing WFD
Pb, Zn, Cd.

11. The SCIMAP Model: Identifying risky locations
Connection and
disconnection
Hillslope
Spoil heap
Surface flow
Connection or
disconnection
River

12. Strong connection and risk of
fine sediment delivery, here the
stream bank is severely eroded.
Area of eroding spoil heap
undercut by stream.
Area of extensive mine spoil,
workings and bare earth. SCIMAP
confirms strong connectivity and
risk of fine sediment delivery and
by implication heavy metal
delivery. This fits with the EA
investigations so offers ground
truthing of the model.
SCIMAP outputs for
Hudeshope Beck.
Blue and brown colours show hydrological
connectivity and fine sediment risk with the
brown areas posing the greatest risk of fine
sediment delivery.

13. SCIMAP: Coldberry and
Marl Beck, 1m LIDAR

14. A step change in risk factor?

15. Overlaying metal mine/spoil heap locations

16. Tees and Wear River Trusts
Metal Mines Project
Walkover Surveys

17. Proposed Methodology for Metal Mines Project
River Catchment Zone Description
Priority
(1 high priority…3 lowest priority)
Riparian
Eroding bank passing through lead
mining zone
1
Eroding bank undermining spoil heap 1
Eroding bank 100 m d/s of lead mining
zone
2
Eroding bank u/s of lead mining zone 3
2
Locations closest to the river bank can be assumed to pose the greatest risk. Where
these are being undercut by the river it seems likely the risk is being realised.
Proposed Methodology for Metal Mines Project
ment Zone Description
Priority
(1 highest priority…3 lowest
priority)
Comments
an
Eroding bank passing through lead
mining zone
1
The lead mining locations closest to
the river bank can be assumed to pose
the highest risk. Where these locations
are being undercut by the river the
risk it seems likely that the risk is being
realised.
Eroding bank undermining spoil heap 1
Eroding bank 100 m d/s of lead mining
zone
2
Eroding bank u/s of lead mining zone 3

18. Floodplain
Bare/un-vegetated soil in lead mining
zone
1: > 50m2
2: 20 – 50m2
3: < 20m2
Lead mines, workings or spoil heaps
present
1: if connected by surface flow to a
watercourse as identified by SCIMAP
2: if not connected to a
watercourse in SCIMAP
Catchment
Bare/un-vegetated soil within lead
mining area connected to a
watercourse as identified by SCIMAP
1: > 50m2
2: 20 – 50m2
3: < 20m2
Spoil heaps connected to a
watercourse as identified by SCIMAP
1
Bare/un-vegetated soil in wider 3
Pollution sources in the floodplain will be impact rivers if connected and if they create patches of bare
soil. Smaller patches of bare soil may suggest other issues, e.g. livestock erosion, larger patches could be
due to heavy metal pollution. SCIMAP can describe which pollution sources are connected by surface flow.

19. Floodplain
Lead mines, workings or spoil heaps
present
1: if connected by surface flow to a
watercourse as identified by SCIMAP
2: if not connected to a
watercourse in SCIMAP
Catchment
Bare/un-vegetated soil within lead
mining area connected to a
watercourse as identified by SCIMAP
1: > 50m2
2: 20 – 50m2
3: < 20m2
Spoil heaps connected to a
watercourse as identified by SCIMAP
1
Bare/un-vegetated soil in wider
catchment that is not connected by
surface flows and is located outside of
any known lead mining zone
3
Notes: These methods are a proposed working route to identifying sources of heavy metal pollution, assessing their prior
methods in data-poor catchments. Where data exists that suggests a diffuse pollution source any location can be assigneThe wider catchment poses less of a risk due to greater distance from a watercourse.
However, SCIMAP can describe where pollution sources maybe connected to a
watercourse by surface flow. These can then be assigned a higher risk rating.

20. Gully formation and erosion scars delivering direct to watercourse

21. Numerous seepages and dressing floor sediments delivering to watercourse

22. Bank erosion of contaminated soils

23. Car parking area is the main area of concern

24. Designed from dressing floor sediments, unconsolidated and highly erodible…abutting stream

25. 2nd area of main concern spoil heaps eroding into stream

26. Tees and Wear River Trusts
Metal Mines Project
Developing costed restoration plans

28. Key
Area of mine spoil
SCIMAP outputs, browns show high connectivity and
eeeeeeeeee fine sediment delivery, blues moderate and whites very
e low, or no, risk.
Hudeshope Beck
Map 1
Map 2
Map 3
Map 4
Map 5

29. The blue and brown zones
within this spoil area require
surveying.
Again the blue and brown
zones need surveying as
does the area where the
stream cuts through the
spoil area.
The same here, blue and
brown zones as well as the
locations where
watercourses cut through
the spoil area require
surveying.
Map 2

30. Aerial view of bare soils
©Google maps

31. Overview

33. Restoration
Plans