Georgina
Harris - 30-Jun-2008 - On Friday 28 June,
the actions of the Environment Agency prevented
an oil spill entering the Wishing Tree Reservoir
in St Leonards-on-Sea, in East Sussex.
The Environment Agency
received a report of oil entering the reservoir
and attended the site to investigate. This
is a major amenity in the Hastings area
and is very popular with anglers. When Environment
Officers investigated, they found the stream
that flows into the reservoir was covered
in thick black engine oil. With help from
Southern Water, investigations took place
including visits to a number of industrial
units in the area, but the source of oil
could not be traced.
Operations Delivery
staff from the Environment Agency have deployed
a number of methods to prevent the oil from
entering the reservoir. They installed two
types of boom, one which acts as a barrier
and one to absorb the substance. There is
also a special type of fibrous material
which floats on the surface of the water
and absorbs the oil.
Rebecca Long, Environment
Agency Officer said:
“This could have been
a serious situation if we had not acted
quickly to prevent further spreading of
the oil. The Wishing Tree Reservoir is an
important site for wildlife as well as a
being a popular place for anglers and for
other recreational activities.
“We have been unable
to determine the cause of this particular
incident, but we will be monitoring the
site regularly. Even the smallest amount
of oil put down a drain can have a devastating
effect on the environment. All waste oil
should be disposed of correctly and taken
to the local civic amenity site.”
+ More
Environment Agency consults
public on new odour control equipment proposals
at Crown Pet Foods
Paul Gainey - 27-Jun-2008
- The Environment Agency has received a
formal application from Crown Pet Foods
in Castle Cary to amend its environmental
permit and is inviting comments from the
local residents.
The varying of the application
has to be done to legally allow use of the
new odour control equipment and to ensure
the permit has safeguards in it to ensure
proper use and maintenance.
The Agency will also
consider the need for other conditions relating
to odour.
‘We have agreed to consult
residents on Crown Pet Foods proposals during
a four week period. We are not allowed to
give any interpretation or comment on the
application publicly at this time but any
residents who wants to comment is asked
to contact us either by letter or email,’
said Brian Payne for the Environment Agency.
Crown Pet Foods application
will be available from Castle Cary Town
Council’s offices and can be downloaded
from our website at:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/southwest/2036717/?lang=_e
Anyone who would like
to write to us about this application to
vary the permit is asked to send comments
to Mr R.Marlow, Environment Agency, Rivers
House, East Quay, Bridgwater, TA6 4YS or
email roger.marlow@environment-agency.gov.uk
. The deadline for this is 25 July 2008.
When Crown Pet Foods
install and begin to operate their new odour
control equipment, the Environment Agency
will be checking it has been installed properly
before it operates and is correctly used
afterwards.
‘As with any new piece
of equipment we expect that it won’t be
fully efficient immediately and some adjustments
may be needed. So we have to advise residents
that early on there could be some instances
of strong odours,’ added Brian Payne.
This variation is for
permission to increase the existing odour
abatement process to include a flow conditioning
system and carbon bed filtration unit.
The Environment Agency
will continue daily checks in Ansford, Castle
Cary and surroundings as normal and assess
any complaints.
+ More
Environment Agency swings
into action at scene of major fire near
Glastonbury Festival
Mike Dunning - 27-Jun-2008
- It was a case of ‘All Hands to the Pumps’
at Pylle in Somerset as Environment Agency
officers were joined by staff from Britain’s
best known music festival to prevent pollution
from a major fire contaminating a stream.
Firemen were called
to a huge blaze at Rossiters Scrapyard,
Pylle shortly before mid-day on Thursday
(June 26). The scrapyard is only one kilometre
upstream of the Glastonbury Festival site
at Pilton.
The Environment Agency
was alerted and deployed booms and absorbents
to prevent polluted water from being washed
down the White Lake Water – a tributary
of the River Brue that flows across the
festival site.
Staff from the crowd-pulling
music event helped Agency officers by providing
a tractor and other heavy equipment to create
a temporary earth dam to contain the contaminated
run-off from the scrapyard.
At the height of the
fire there were 10 fire appliances and 15
pumps in attendance with crews from Devon
and Somerset at the scene. As they tackled
the blaze, foam and diesel escaped from
the site into the White Lake river where
it was contained using booms and absorbents.
Waste contractors tankered
away 60,000 litres of polluted water from
the stream. Monitoring equipment located
downstream at the festival site indicated
there had been no deterioration in water
quality and that the pollutants from the
scrapyard had been successfully contained.
The cause of the fire
is being investigated. The blaze caused
extensive damage to the site that covers
four acres and was being used to store 150
scrap vehicles, scrap metal and numerous
gas cylinders. Two men and a women were
injured in the fire and received hospital
treatment.
‘It was an excellent
team effort. The fire service were very
professional and quickly set about tackling
the fire. We must also say a big thank you
to the Glastonbury Festival staff for their
rapid response and generous loan of a tractor
and digger. It was their prompt action that
helped us contain the pollution and prevent
it spreading down the catchment,’ said Lucy
Bennett for the Environment Agency.
Firemen and Agency officers
were back on site today damping down the
blaze and monitoring water quality in the
White Lake Water.
