14 DAY TRIAL // People living in West Yorkshire, England, have witnessed a rare phenomenon in their county as the River Holme has changed its color into a lively shade of orange.
This is not the first time something like this happens to the waters of the river, but it seems that in this occasion the new color is really vivid and accentuated.
It is believed that the coloration of the river was caused by iron deposits from a disused mine at Jackson Bridge, near the town of Holmfirth. The flooding washed out the deposits of ochre from the abandoned mine, which affected the river for a few miles downstream.
“Orange mine water is flowing into the river from an old mine, near Holmfirth. It’s a natural mineral and will disperse,” clarifies a spokeperson for the Environment Agency, adding that it “looks dramatic, but [has] little environmental impact”, according to Examiner.
The representative of the agency also mentions that they will not take any action as the orange color will disperse in the following days and will eventually fade away.
However, it seems that this is not an uncommon occurrence in the area, as River Calder, another river which crosses West Yorkshire, also turned orange last month.
Moreover, in 2006, the Environment Agency received several reports about its bizzare hue, and in October, some passers-by noticed the Holme had turned brown.
The phenomenon is caused by the fact that the iron oxide mixes with the stream of water when the river level reaches a certain point.
The River Holme is known to be prone to flooding, with the earliest recorded in 1738. Although the city's officials have taken different measures against the floods through the years, including the construction of the Bilberry Reservoir in 1840, Home Valley has still been affected by severe flooding caused by rainstorms.