Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan J.
I too can remember pumping at least within the last 3 to 4 years and was also once told the reason for pumping was to keep the water down in the opencast workings. I wonder whether the whole exercise was effective or not. My reasoning is that the depth of the Hauxley shaft was 500 feet and the Brockwell, the seam which generated most of the water, was another 200feet below shaft bottom level. This would , I imagine, to be far below that which the opencast could reach, also it is hard to think that the workings as far away as Maidenshall, about 5 miles or more would be threatened. Coquet, your reference to salt water contamination suggests the Hauxley water was sea water. It was pure fresh water which was prefered by the ponies for drinking as opposed to that on offer at the stables. If it had been salt water we would have had much to worry about.
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My information is that Broomhill workings(linked into Hauxley) extended south west past Red Row towards the Woodside and Maidens Hall areas and therefore the opencasting which finished recently was kept dry in part by the Hauxley pumping.
As another interesting aside, directed at Northern Light!, do you recall the brick wall exposed in the Chevington Drift workings by the opencast? It was there for a reason ie to keep water out of the drift. Any truth in the rumour at the time? Still, we have a very nice lake at Druridge now I suppose..........