Alcan Lynemouth Smelter, Geology and Hydrogeology in the Vicinity of the Ash Storage Lagoons
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Alcan Lynemouth Smelter, geology and hydrogeology in the vicinity of the ash storage lagoons Integrated Geoscience Surveys Northern Britain and Pollution, Waste Management and Extractive Industries Impacts Programmes COMMISSIONED REPORT CR/02/055 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY COMMISSIONED REPORT CR/02/055 Alcan Lynemouth Smelter, geology and hydrogeology in the vicinity of the ash storage lagoons D J D Lawrence and B A Klinck. The National Grid and other Ordnance Survey data are used with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Ordnance Survey licence number GD 272191/2002 Key words Geology, hydrogeology, Landfill, Smelter Bibliographical reference LAWRENCE DJD AND KLINCK B A. 2002. Alcan Lynemouth Smelter, geology and hydrogeology in the vicinity of the ash storage Lagoons British Geological Survey Commissioned Report, CR/02/055 28pp. © NERC 2002 Edinburgh: British Geological Survey 2002 British Geological Survey Final Version – 29 July 2002 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY The full range of Survey publications is available from Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG the BGS Sales Desks at Nottingham and Edinburgh; see 0115-936 3241 Fax 0115-936 3488 contact details below or shop online at e-mail: [email protected] www.thebgs.co.uk www.bgs.ac.uk The London Information Office maintains a reference Shop online at: www.thebgs.co.uk collection of BGS publications including maps for consultation. Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh The Survey publishes an annual catalogue of its maps EH9 3LA and other publications; this catalogue is available from 0131-667 1000 Fax 0131-668 2683 any of the BGS Sales Desks. e-mail: [email protected] The British Geological Survey carries out the geological survey of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the latter London Information Office at the Natural History as an agency service for the government of Northern Museum (Earth Galleries), Exhibition Road, South Ireland), and of the surrounding continental shelf, as Kensington, London SW7 2DE well as its basic research projects. It also undertakes programmes of British technical aid in geology in 020-7589 4090 Fax 020-7584 8270 developing countries as arranged by the Department for 020-7942 5344/45 email: International Development and other agencies. [email protected] The British Geological Survey is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HU 01392-445271 Fax 01392-445371 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 20 College Gardens, Belfast BT9 6BS 028-9066 6595 Fax 028-9066 2835 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB 01491-838800 Fax 01491-692345 Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU 01793-411500 Fax 01793-411501 www.nerc.ac.uk Cover photograph: Looking northwest towards Alcan Power Station from Beacon Point. The sandstone in the foreground is the ‘Seaton Sandstone’, the rock that underlies the Landfill waste site. Joint fractures in the sandstone can be clearly seen. Photograph B A Klinck 2002 ii British Geological Survey Final Version – 29 July 2002 Executive Summary The British Geological Survey (BGS) was commissioned by Mr John Clarkson, Alcan Smelting and Power UK, to carry out a desk study of the geology and hydrogeology information of the area around the waste landfill site and ash storage lagoons at Alcan, Lynemouth. The desk study was supplemented by a site visit. A main concern was the possibility that the ash in the lagoons might be contaminated by contact with leachate from the hazardous materials disposed in the landfill. The BGS was asked to provide an independent report on the contamination risk and of the suitability of the ash lagoon test bores plus any existing and proposed groundwater monitoring wells at the Alcan Lynemouth site to detect such contamination. An extensive search was made for previous site investigation reports. The information obtained, in particular the records of over 50 boreholes drilled in the study area since 1990, has been used to review the published geological interpretation and better understand the hydrogeological regime. In general the new information supports the existing solid geological interpretation, but enables improved understanding of the disposition of the superficial deposits including a glacial buried channel. The site is over a minor Coal Measure aquifer, the North Seaton Sandstone, which is underlain by a mudrock aquiclude sequence. Groundwater flow in the sandstone, is dominantly fracture controlled and is to the east. The groundwater system is isolated from the flooded, abandoned mine workings beneath the site where the water level is at about 90 m below Ordnance Datum and slowly rising. Saline intrusion is evident in the aquifer, and the saline interface appears to cut across the axis of the buried glacial channel. An unsaturated zone of sandstone hydraulically separates the landfill and the PFA lagoons from the water table in the North Seaton Sandstone aquifer. It is concluded that it is unlikely that the PFA will become contaminated from the landfill leachate via the groundwater pathway or through direct discharge of leachate through the retaining bunds. The Coal Measure sandstone is overlain, but hydrogeologically unconfined by a glacial till sequence where the flow is probably predominantly vertical through fractures. The landfill operates on the dilute and disperse principle and the limited hydrochemical data available indicates that the groundwater impact diminishes along a flow line from the landfill. The existing series of operational monitoring wells is useful in providing information on water levels to help determine direction of groundwater flow and hydraulic gradient, and chemical data to help determine the extent of saline intrusion from the sea and the extent of dispersion of contaminants from the landfill. However the limited area covered by the wells gives rise to uncertainty in the interpretation. These uncertainties are discussed and possible avenues of investigation and action recommended in order to reduce them. The recommendations include: • Increasing the range of parameters determined in the landfill monitoring wells to include major anions and cations as well as nitrate and ammonia. • Implementing the five additional monitoring wells proposed by URS with specific suggestions for screening of the two proposed on the eastern perimeter of the site • Including a new well, integrated into the monitoring network, at the south-west corner of lagoon 1 • Giving consideration to the complementary approach of building a numerical model for the site iii British Geological Survey Final Version – 29 July 2002 Acknowledgements Miss Charlotte Vye incorporated the geological mapping and borehole data into a Geographic Information System to aid analysis and prepared a number of figures from the digital data. Mr David Granger, URS, Edinburgh supplied a significant amount of the data used to compile this report and his assistance is greatly appreciated. With the permission of Stuart Rolley of the Coal Authority, John Ottoway of IMC Consulting Engineers supplied the data used in constructing Figure 8. Professor Geoff Williams of the BGS has reviewed the report. iv British Geological Survey Final Version – 29 July 2002 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...........................................................................................................................iv 1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................1 1.1 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................1 1.2 SCOPE OF WORK ..................................................................................................................................1 2 SUMMARY OF GEOLOGY WITHIN THE STUDY AREA............................................................2 2.1 SOLID GEOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................2 2.1.1 Kirkby’s (Haughton) Marine Band and underlying strata.........................................................6 2.1.2 Strata between the Kirkby’s Marine Band and Ryhope Marine Band .......................................6 2.1.3 Strata above (Hylton) Marine Band...........................................................................................6 2.1.4 Geological Structure..................................................................................................................6 2.2 SUPERFICIAL DEPOSITS ........................................................................................................................7 2.2.1 Artificial Deposits ......................................................................................................................7 2.2.2 Alluvium.....................................................................................................................................7 2.2.3 Till (boulder clay) ......................................................................................................................7 2.2.4 Laminated clay and silt..............................................................................................................7