Tackling Pollution in the Esk Rivers
Sadly pollution has been a recurring feature of the Esk Rivers for many years. In recent times discharge of contaminated water from old mine workings is a big problem. In particular discharge from Junkies Adit in Dalkeith, which has links to the now closed Bilston Glen mines, is having significant impact on the health of the river.
The background to, and what is being done and planned to monitor and resolve, the problems was covered in a talk to the Esk Valley Trust on 24 June 2021.
A recording of this talk on:
Managing river impacts in the Esk rivers
can be seen
The talk was given by Dr Anna Griffin of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), and her colleagues Paul Butler, SEPA Principal Hydrogeologist and Mining Sector Lead and Annette Lardeur, Principal Project Deliver Manager from the Coal Authority.
Anna has a background in ecological restoration and catchment working and has been part of a national team which co-ordinates the river basin planning process in Scotland since 2005. She develops river restoration projects and work to improve fish access on the catchment scale in partnership with others.
Paul has worked as a hydrogeologist for 30 years and has been involved in a range of coal and metal mining issues. As SEPA’s Mining Sector Lead, he is committed to working with partners to reduce the impacts of mining. He also hopes that the heat contained in the water in former mines of the Central Belt can play a key role in meeting Scotland’s future energy demands.
Annette has a civil engineering background with experience in renewable energy, river engineering/flood defence, mine water treatment and urban regeneration and has been with the Coal Authority since 2017, leading a team to deliver major new interventions and refurbish assets to prevent and alleviate the pollution from historic mine water treatment, both from legacy of coal mining and abandoned metal mines.
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ESK VALLEY TRUST AGM 2021 - Draft Minutes
Here are the draft Minutes from our recent AGM:
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ESK VALLEY TRUST AGM 2021 - Friday 28th May, 19:30
This AGM will be held via Zoom. You will need to register for the AGM via this link if you have not already registered for the EVT Zoom talk on 28 May below. Due to a last minute cancellation from our speaker on 22nd April John Oldham brought forward his talk on the Trust, so at the AGM our talk will be from Karen Inkster.
Karen Inkster will talk on 'Rights and responsibilities in maintaining access to the countryside'. Karen is a Field Officer with Scotways, The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society. She has a wealth of experience in developing pathways and maintaining rights of access. She also has a passion for horses and recently won the International Equine Travel award for her book 'The Deaf, the Daft and the Dipsy' which records her adventures as she took her wayward horse (not forgetting her dog) on a journey through the Outer Hebrides.
Please click on the below documents for more AGM information:
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EVT Zoom talks 2021
The new programme of talks is open to everyone, whether members of the Trust or not and is completely free of charge.
The talks will be given via Zoom. To register for a talk please click on the link associated with the talk that you want to join below. You will then be sent an email with details of how to join the Zoom session for the talk. You are welcome to register for as many of the talks as you want to.
Talk 1: Thursday April 22nd at 19.30 pm
Dr Iain Reid will discuss:
Fish of the Midlothian Esks placed within the wider context of the Forth district: present challenges and future potential
Iain is a well-known aquatic ecologist who has been involved in a number of projects at the Forth Rivers Trust. He enjoys any opportunity to get involved in environmental education and to help people learn more about the rivers around them.
To register for this talk click on this link.
Talk 2: Friday 28 May at 19.30 pm
Karen Inkster will discuss:
Rights and responsibilities in maintaining access to the countryside
Karen is a Field Officer with Scotways, The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society. She has a wealth of experience in developing pathways and maintaining rights of access. She also has a passion for horses and recently won the International Equine Travel award for her book 'The Deaf, the Daft and the Dipsy' which records her adventures as she took her wayward horse (not forgetting her dog) on a journey through the Outer Hebrides.This talk will be given alongside the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the Trust.
To register for this talk click on this link.
Talk 3: Thursday 24 June at 19.30 pm
Dr Anna Griffin (and colleagues) will discuss:
Managing river impacts in the Esk rivers
Anna is the river basin management coordinator for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) based in Dumfries. She has a very active involvement in all aspects of river basin management for the Esk rivers including pollution and flood management.
To register for this talk click on this link.
Talk 4: Thursday 26 August at 19.30 pm
Professor Roger Crofts will discuss:
The Esk valleys: working with nature for a better future
Roger is well known as a distinguished academic geographer with a career in many aspects of environmental and land management including having been the founding CEO of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). He is a Trustee of the Esk Valley Trust and enthusiastic about everything that he does.
To register for this talk click on this link.
Talk 5: Friday 8 October at 19.30 pm
Dr Joanna Soden will talk about:
Artists and Photographers along the river Esk
Joanna is a former Collections Curator at the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture. As an independent art historian she has a special interest in Scottish art since 1900. Her previous talks hosted by the EVT as part of the 2018 and 2019 Midlothian Outdoor Festivals were ‘sellouts’. This talk is planned to be part of the 2021 Festival.
To register for this talk click on this link.
