Harpur Hill Quarry

Coordinates: 53°14′01″N 1°54′15″W / 53.2336°N 1.9043°W / 53.2336; -1.9043
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Harpur Hill Quarry Lagoon
Primary inflows
groundwater
Primary outflowsevaporation, seepage
Basin countriesEngland
First floodedc. 2005
Max. length308 ft (94 m)
Average depth2 m (6 ft 7 in)
Max. depth3 m (9.8 ft)
SettlementsKing Sterndale, Buxton

Harpur Hill Quarry is a disused

Second World War
, the largest such depot in the United Kingdom. Afterwards a number of captured German chemical munitions were disposed of at the site by burning, which was only partially successful. The RAF depot closed in 1960 and the site is now vacant.

A small part of the abandoned quarry has flooded to become a

caustic chemicals that are leaching from the waste left from the lime burning. The lake water has a vivid blue colour due to the scattering of light by finely dispersed particles of calcium carbonate. Despite signs warning of the health risks the lake became a popular tourist destination and swimming spot. The local High Peak Borough Council
dyed the water black in 2013, 2016 and 2020 in an attempt to deter swimmers.

History

The site near Harpur Hill, south of

alkaline.[2]

The site was taken over by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1938 for use as a depot for the storage of chemical weapons. Poor weather delayed construction and the depot did not become operational until 1940.[3]

During the

Second World War it was the largest chemical weapons storage depot in the country, covering some 500 acres (2.0 km2).[1][4][3]

After the war the site was occupied by an RAF

RAF Mountain Rescue team who attended air crashes across Derbyshire. The RAF depot closed down in 1960.[3]

Blue lagoon

A quarry lake, officially known as Hoffman Quarry but also known as the Blue Lagoon, at the site became a tourist attraction owing to its vivid turquoise-blue coloration.[5] It has attracted visitors from across the country.[5][6][7] The colour derives from the scattering of light by small particles of calcium carbonate that are precipitating within the water.[2] The caustic quicklime dissolved in the water gives it a pH level of 11.3 (by comparison bleach has a pH of 12.3).[6]

Signs at the site state the water can cause "skin and eye irritations, stomach problems and fungal infections such as thrush" and that the quarry is known to contain car wrecks, dead animals, excrement and rubbish.[6][5] The water is also extremely cold.[5] Despite this the lake continued to be a popular destination visited by hundreds of people.[8]

Around 750 local people, concerned about the health risks, signed a petition to have the quarry drained and closed off. However the water was deemed too toxic to drain, as it would risk contaminating local water supplies.[5]

In order to deter swimmers the water was dyed black in 2013 by High Peak Borough Council, who acted after being unable to get in touch with the site's owner.[6][5] The dye wore off by 2015 and the water returned to a blue coloration. The council redyed the lake in 2016 with a stronger mixture, but by October 2019 it showed signs of returning to a blue colour.[5] In March 2020 the lake was dyed again following reports of people gathering there despite social distancing instructions issued by the British government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] It was redyed by High Peak Borough Council and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue on 29 May after people flocked to the site for the bank holiday weekend (25 May). The police also coned off potential parking spaces in Harpur Hill.[10] With people continuing to visit the site local farmers attempted to deter them by spreading pig and cow slurry across the surrounding land on 19 June 2020.[11]

Incidents

Derbyshire Police found the body of a 44-year-old man at the quarry on 18 February 2019. The death was found not to be suspicious.[12]

On 29 September 2019 two firefighters from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were injured whilst carrying out rope rescue training at the quarry. One of them was hospitalised with life-changing injuries.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Dara McGrath unearths dark landscapes with Project Cleansweep". British Journal of Photography. 28 July 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b "The Harpur Hill Site: its geology, evolutionary history and a catalogue of materials present" A.E. Mildowski, R.P. Shaw and D.I. Stewart, 2013. British Geological Survey Commissioned Report, CR/13/104
  3. ^ a b c "Tribute by Lancaster". Buxton Advertiser. 13 July 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  4. ^ "The Cork photographer taking pictures of contaminated weapons sites". Irish Examiner. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Whelan, Zara (8 October 2019). "Buxton's beautiful Blue Lagoon is so toxic it can burn through skin". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d "Warning over toxic 'Blue Lagoon'". BBC News. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  7. ^ Lyons, Ben (30 May 2020). "Man defies warnings and swims in toxic black waters of 'Blue Lagoon'". DerbyshireLive. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Toxic 'Blue Lagoon' dyed black". BBC News. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  9. ^ Woodfield, Amy (25 March 2020). "Latest updates: East Midlands Live". BBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Authorities turn Buxton's "Blue Lagoon" black to deter visitors". ITV News. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  11. ^ Butterfield, Gareth (24 June 2020). "Day-trippers brave stench of slurry to gather at blue lagoon". DerbyshireLive. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Death of man found in Buxton quarry not suspicious". Buxton Advertiser. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Firefighter seriously hurt in training exercise". BBC News. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.


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