Completed on 24th and 25th May 2022 the exercise consisted of a multi-agency table-top discussion and on-site test based around the Wheal Jane mine water treatment plant, near Truro in Cornwall.
“Ortu Aqua” centred around recreating a worst-case scenario – an extended period of extreme weather coinciding with a critical plant failure. The exercise was used to validate the swift and robust response to water levels exceeding the standard pumping capacity at the plant to ensure no untreated mine water leaves the Wheal Jane site.
Involved in the exercise were:
▪ The Coal Authority
▪ Environment Agency
▪ Cornwall Council
▪ Wheal Jane Group
▪ John F Hunt Regeneration
▪ Local and National Fire and Rescue Services
▪ Met Office
▪ Natural England
Testing, validating and improving emergency procedures on a site such as Wheal Jane is crucial protecting for the local environment.
We are proud to have played a part in the exercise and in helping keep our local rivers clean and safe.
This short video produced for The Coal Authority and John F Hunt Regeneration offers more insight into what the exercise aimed to achieve.