V3-Chapter 1

Volume Three of, Then, There Were Mines, investigates how water was harvested in this arid region, and examines the impact of modern-day farming on this precious resource…

Chapter One Water, But Not Enough To Drink

The few existing wells, in a dry river bed, were not able to cope with the demand for water that the mines made. Steam power needed vast amounts of this scarce commodity, so a variety of water storage cisterns were built and new wells sunk.

The toxic thermal water, which the de-watering plant pumped into the valley, contaminated these new wells. To make matters worse, another mine started pumping thermal water into an adjacent valley, threatening the old wells. What was to be done?

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Note: Whilst the author has tried to identify and attribute copyright holders to illustrations and photographs, she would be grateful for information about those where this has not been possible and would be glad to rectify any such omissions in future editions. She may be contacted on her site.