Institute of Quarrying - West of England Branch

	Technical & Event Summaries 2010 May: The Mining Waste Directive Apr: Education, Training and Competence - IQ Vision of the Future Mar: Rock & Soil Slope Stabilisation Feb: Biodegradable Oils Jan: Annual General Meeting 2009 Dec: Member's Paper Evening Oct: Explosives Record Keeping Sept: Water Framework Directive Apr: Foam Dust Suppression Technology Jan: Annual General Meeting 2008 Nov: HSE Hot Topics presentation Sept: Mining limestone in Spain Apr: Quarry Restoration Mar: Calculating a carbon footprint for your operations Feb: Mine stabilisation at Coombe Down, Bath Jan: Annual General Meeting 2007 Nov: Uses of Recycled Materials Oct: Blasting Technology Sept: Field Trip Mar: Alternatives to Blasting Feb: European Standards for Asphalt Jan: Annual General Meeting 2006 Dec: Members Paper Evening Nov: Corporate Manslaughter Paper Sept: WBV (Whole Body Vibration) May: Worker Attitudes, Personality and Risk Propensity Apr: Confined Space Rescue in Quarries Mar: Asset Management in the Quarrying Industry 2005 Dec: Members Paper Evening Nov: The Aggregate Levy Oct: Tarmac’s Journey to Zero Tolerance on Health and Safety Sept: Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations May: Golf Day Apr: Further Education in the Quarrying Industry Mar: Energy Efficiency Measures Feb: Future for Recovered Fuel Oil (RFO) Jan: Annual General Meeting 2004 Dec: Members Paper Evening Nov: Water Act 2003 & Catchment Abstraction Mgmt Strategy (CAMS) Oct: Falconry Sep: A Safety Evening with the HSE Jun: Field Visit - Kempsford Quarry May: Marketing Sustainablility Apr: Explosive Regulations Mar: CDM regulations Feb: Working Time Directive Jan: AGM 2003 Dec: Members' Paper Evening Nov: Competition Act Oct: Aggregates Levy Funding for Wild Spaces Sep: Energy Conservation in Quarries May: The WRAP Aggregates Programme Apr: Hot Topics from the HSE Mar: New European Specifications for Aggregates Feb: Archaeology at Bestwell Quarry Jan: Safety for Life Seminar

14^th September - The Water Framework Directive.

For the first meeting after the summer break, some thirty members and guests assembled at the East Mendip Study Centre to hear Nicola Owen of the Environmental and Waste Policy Executive of the MPA give a talk on 'The Water Framework Directive'. She explained its origins as a host of earlier directives, which has now emerged as the most substantial piece of legislation ever produced by the European Commission. Its aim is to provide an integrated approach to rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater in terms of assessing its overall 'health'. Using the southwest river basin as an example, Nicola explained how the Environment Agency has investigated its ecological and chemical status. From these studies a draft river basin management plan has been produced to tackle sediment and abstraction issues as well as taking into account climate change and demands on the environment.

Nicola went through in some detail what needs to be covered in such a plan. She then explained the significance of 'Catchment Abstraction Management Plans' and how quarries were now being included in them. She went through the process of licensing and the timescale involved - namely by October 2010, and highlighted the difficulties of making a judgement of how much water might be needed for the future requirements of a quarry. There is concern about the longer-term ability to extract when the life of the quarry is planned (and permitted) for longer than the life of the licence. This raises investment risks which cannot be quantified and also the question of compensation if a permit application is refused. The talk generated a great deal of discussion and a lively question and answer session followed.