THE EAST FIFE COALFIELD

The Coal Authority has revealed details of the latest measures it intends to take to deal with rising mine water levels in the East Fife Coalfield area. Agreement has been reached with Fife Council to allow the sinking of seven new boreholes across the Coalfield area to assist in monitoring underground water levels.

A spokesman for the Coal Authority indicated that the proposed measures were “tried and tested methods of dealing with the problems that can arise in former coalfield areas”. Fife Council Environment spokesman, Cllr. Bill Kay said, “I am pleased that the Coal Authority is continuing to take such a responsible attitude in dealing with these matters.”

DRILLING WORK

Drilling work is due to begin over the next few weeks in the Methilhill, Muiredge, Dalginch, and Boreland areas, with the work being designed to complement the Coal Authority’s existing mine water monitoring programme. The new boreholes will also allow the Coal Authority to check for the presence of any mine gas in the Coalfield and, if found to be present, vents will be installed to safely disperse any gas to the atmosphere.

UPGRADE DYSART

Work is also due to begin shortly to upgrade the existing Frances Colliery Mine Water Treatment Facility in Dysart, which will control underground water levels across the East Fife Coalfield area and clean up the water prior to its discharge into the Forth.

The existing facility, on the site of the former Frances Colliery, dates from 1999 and was constructed as a test facility to assess the quality of the underground water and establish the most appropriate method of treatment. The new facility will be larger and, consequently, will be able to treat more mine water. This work has been agreed with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), which has been closely involved with both the Coal Authority and Fife Council in monitoring the situation for a number of years.