List of water bodies (rivers) with significant failures of environmental quality standards for metals (cadmium, lead, nickel, copper, zinc and/or iron) caused by abandoned metal mines in England. These water bodies are divided into “impacted” and “probably impacted” depending on the significance of pollution; impacted water bodies are polluted all of the time, probably impacted means the pollution is not always significant at the water body scale. Each water body has been allocated a score based on the magnitude of the metal EQS failure, and impacts on ecology and groundwater. The system for scoring impacts is adapted from the methodology described in "Prioritisation of abandoned non-coal mine impacts on the environment: A methodology for identification and prioritisation of abandoned non-coal mines in England and Wales" published by the Environment Agency in 2012 (available from gov.uk). Attribution statement: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2019. All rights reserved.
