Water Quality Consultant - Gibson Mill

Purpose

Delta-Simons was appointed by client, 5Creative, to assess the bathing water quality of the mill pond at Gibson Mill, Hebden Bridge. The National Trust site was expected to feature in an upcoming television advertisement that required an individual to swim in the waters of the mill pond adjacent to the Gibson Mill building. In order to protect the safety of those entering the water, it was necessary to ensure that the quality of the water met the prerequisites for bathing water safety as defined in the Bathing Water Quality Directive 2006/7/EC.

Outline / Scope of Works

Documents concerning the condition of the pond were not presented to our team. Therefore it was assumed that sufficient data regarding its condition was unavailable or that the pond at Gibson Mill had not been previously tested for contaminants. However, the adjacent River Hebden had, in the past, been classified as being of moderate chemical quality. As the river was the primary source of the pond, the likelihood of contamination being present in the pond was higher.

We undertook testing at the site by sampling two locations within the main mill pond. These samples were then tested for microbiological and chemical contamination. For a body of water to be classified as safe for recreational use, the presence of certain microbiological contaminants must be below the safe limits as specified by the Bathing Water Quality Directive 2006/7/EC and chemical contaminants should be below levels specified by the Bathing Water Quality Directive 1976/160/EC.

Microbiological species such as Escherichia coli (E. Coli) and Intestinal enterococci were among the biological contaminates tested for, with metals such as lead, copper and mercury making up just some of the industrial contaminants that were accounted for during the testing process.

Outcome / Client Benefits

Following the sampling and laboratory testing of the pond, we concluded that the current quality of the water at Gibson Mill is to be considered “Excellent”.  The presence of industrial and microbiological contamination is exceedingly low, with all chemical concentrations being well below action levels.

From the time of initial sampling, the client received the completed report within 6 days. Due to the quick turn-around by Delta-Simons, the pond at Gibson Mill was ready to be safely used for filming with the project going ahead of schedule and with minimal disruption to Gibson Mill or the client.

The pond was featured in an international and national marketing campaign led by VisitEngland™ in preparation for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.