Weeford Quarry: Hydrogeological Assessment
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Weeford Quarry: Hydrogeological Assessment Prepared for Cemex UK Operation Ltd. Oldbury Warley West Midlands B694RJ Report reference: 60073R1, August 2008 Report status: Final Confidential Prepared by ESI Ltd New Zealand House,160 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6FD, UK Tel +44(0)1743 276100 Fax +44 (0)1743 248600 email [email protected] Registered office: New Zealand House, 160 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6FD. Registered in England and Wales, number 3212832 Weeford Quarry: Hydrogeological Assessment This report has been prepared by ESI Ltd in its professional capacity as soil and groundwater specialists, with reasonable skill, care and diligence within the agreed scope and terms of contract and taking account of the manpower and resources devoted to it by agreement with its client, and is provided by ESI solely for the internal use of its client. The advice and opinions in this report should be read and relied on only in the context of the report as a whole, taking account of the terms of reference agreed with the client. The findings are based on the information made available to ESI at the date of the report (and will have been assumed to be correct) and on current UK standards, codes, technology and practices as at that time. They do not purport to include any manner of legal advice or opinion. New information or changes in conditions and regulatory requirements may occur in future, which will change the conclusions presented here. This report is provided to the client. Should the client wish to release this report to any other third party for that party’s reliance, ESI accepts no responsibility of any nature to any third party to whom this report or any part thereof is made known. ESI accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage incurred as a result, and the third party does not acquire any rights whatsoever, contractual or otherwise, against ESI except as expressly agreed with ESI in writing. Principal Author(s) Julia Falb Andrew Tait Checked by: Robert Sears Reviewed by: Robert Sears Confidential Prepared by ESI Ltd New Zealand House,160 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6FD, UK Tel +44(0)1743 276100 Fax +44 (0)1743 248600 email [email protected] Registered office: New Zealand House, 160 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6FD. Registered in England and Wales, number 3212832 Weeford Quarry: Hydrogeological Assessment Page i CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Scope of Work......................................................................................................... 1 1.3 This Report.............................................................................................................. 1 2 BASELINE CONDITIONS ....................................................................................... 2 2.1 Site Setting.............................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Geology................................................................................................................... 2 2.2.1 Regional geology................................................................................................. 2 2.2.2 Local geology...................................................................................................... 3 2.2.3 Available information ........................................................................................... 3 2.3 Fill materials............................................................................................................ 6 2.4 Railway sleeper storage .......................................................................................... 6 2.5 Hydrology................................................................................................................ 6 2.5.1 Rainfall ................................................................................................................ 6 2.5.2 Surface water features and drainage................................................................... 8 2.5.3 Surface water flows............................................................................................. 8 2.5.4 Surface water quality........................................................................................... 9 2.6 Hydrogeology.......................................................................................................... 9 2.6.1 Aquifer systems................................................................................................... 9 2.6.2 Groundwater levels and flow ............................................................................. 10 2.6.3 Groundwater quality .......................................................................................... 11 2.7 Discharges consents ............................................................................................. 11 2.8 Potential Receptors............................................................................................... 12 2.8.1 Surface water flows........................................................................................... 12 2.8.2 Groundwater abstractions ................................................................................. 12 2.8.3 Other abstractions............................................................................................. 13 2.8.4 Special sites...................................................................................................... 13 2.9 Conceptual Model ................................................................................................. 13 3 QUARRY OPERATIONS....................................................................................... 15 3.1 Current Development ............................................................................................ 15 3.2 Water management............................................................................................... 15 3.3 Restoration............................................................................................................ 15 4 ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS........................................................... 16 Report Reference: 60073R1 Report Status: Final Weeford Quarry: Hydrogeological Assessment Page ii 4.1 Impacts due to dewatering..................................................................................... 16 4.2 Surface water and groundwater quality ................................................................. 16 4.3 Impacts after restoration........................................................................................ 17 4.3.1 Flooding ............................................................................................................ 17 5 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................. 18 5.1 Summary............................................................................................................... 18 5.2 Monitoring recommendations ................................................................................ 18 6 REFERENCES...................................................................................................... 19 FIGURES Figure 1.1 Site location map Figure 2.1 Site layout Figure 2.2 Regional geology Figure 2.3 Borehole locations Figure 2.4 Surface water features and monitoring points Figure 2.5 Groundwater levels at Weeford Flats Figure 2.6 Conceptual cross section (north-south) Figure 2.5 Conceptual cross section (east-west) TABLES Table 2.1 Stratigraphic Succesion of the Regional Geology................................................. 3 Table 2.2 Overview of site investigations ............................................................................. 4 Table 2.3 Borehole details.................................................................................................... 4 Table 2.4 Rainfall data (mm) ................................................................................................ 7 Table 2.5 Rainfall and estimated effective rainfall at three stations along the River Tame.... 8 Table 2.6 Recent surface water quality (2004 to 2006) ........................................................ 9 Table 2.7 Discharge consents within one kilometre of Weeford quarry............................... 12 APPENDICES Appendix A Environment Agency data Appendix B Borehole logs Appendix C Weeford Quarry waste management licence plan (from Arup, 2006) Report Reference: 60073R1 Report Status: Final Weeford Quarry: Hydrogeological Assessment Page 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Weeford Quarry (the “Site”) is located in Staffordshire approximately 6 km west of Tamworth and approximately 1 km south of Weeford (Figure 1.1). CEMEX UK Materials Ltd. currently operates Weeford Quarry for the production of sands and gravels from a soft sandstone. A scheme of conditions associated with the continued working of Weeford Quarry, pursuant to Schedule 13 of the Environment Act 1995, was submitted by RMC Aggregates (now Cemex (UK) Materials Ltd.) to Staffordshire County Council in August 1998. In September 1998 the County Council confirmed that additional environmental information was required to determine the updated scheme of conditions. Since then, the determination of the original scheme of conditions has been held in abeyance pending receipt of all the