The water environment will be changed in and around the area covered by first, the open cast scheme then by the Heartlands project. The change will be a positive one, which will benefit not only the local community but also the wildlife with the creation of new watercourses, small golf course lochans (small lochs) and wet heath areas, together with a permanent sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS).

Background

The drainage area of the Heartlands site (including the Polkemmet reclamation scheme) covers about 611 Ha and is split into 4 main areas served by, from north to south, the River Almond (and tributaries), Cultrig Burn, Bickerton Burn and Holehouse Burn. The map shows the catchment areas and as can been seen the River Almond catchment area is by far the largest with around 40% of the total area and covers the northern area of the Polkemmet reclamation scheme and the additional Heartlands land at Cowhill.
Cultrig Burn drains a catchment area of some 188 Ha mainly through the middle of the Polkemmet reclamation scheme and for most of its length runs alongside (or undereneath) the bings with the result that the water can become contaminated.
Bickerton Burn covers most of the southern end of the Polkemmet reclamation scheme and additional Heartlands land covering a total of some 139 Ha. The remainder of the site at the very south is covered by the Holehouse Burn.

Each of the four main catchment areas are provided with surface water treatment facilities consisting of flow balancing lagoons and settlement ponds. These lagoons enable the rate of surface water run-off to be controlled, so that the water can be directed to the settlement ponds where it is treated before being discharged into the receiving watercourses. It has also meant that the risk of flooding and pollution during mining work has been minimised. The four Polkemmet reclamation scheme water treatement areas are situated next to the receiving watercourses (the Almond, Bickerton Burn etc) at their downstream ends within the boundary of the site and will be retained (at least in part) until the site has been restored and maybe afterwards during the Heartlands development.

SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System)

Scotland is naturally a rainy place and with the changing climate all new developments such as the Heartlands development must provide for the surface water to be safely removed from the site without damaging the ecology or flooding elsewhere.. Conventional drainage systems sometimes are not enough to deal with the potential surge of flood water that may happen in years to come and therefore SUDS is an alternative that replicates natural drainage and deals with it where and when it occurs. It will also provide a degree of water treatment by removing suspended sediments (solid particles transported in a fluid or watery media) and other run-off and since the Heartlands development will reduce potentially polluted sediment entering the land, water quality leaving the area will be of relatively good quality.

This page only scratches the surface (no pun intended) of the topic of surface water, drainage etc and it will be added to on a regular basis.