Wheal Jane: Operating and Optimising the UK’s Flagship Mine Water Treatment Plant

This webinar explores the long-term operation and optimisation of the Wheal Jane mine water treatment plant — one of the UK’s most significant legacy remediation sites. Managed by John F Hunt Regeneration on behalf of the Mine Remediation Authority and funded by DEFRA, the plant treats metal-laden mine water resulting from historic tin and copper mining in central Cornwall. The session provides an overview of the site’s environmental legacy, the active High Density Sludge (HDS) treatment process, and the operational responsibilities involved in running the plant 24/7. It also highlights recent innovations, including a predictive lime dosing model and trials of variable-speed pump systems, aimed at improving efficiency, reducing chemical use, and lowering energy consumption.