Environment
Agency teams are out in force to wage war
on weeds in Chichester watercourses as part
of an annual river maintenance programme
to reduce flood risk and improve habitats
for wildlife.
Environment Agency teams
are out in force to wage war on weeds in
Chichester watercourses as part of an annual
river maintenance programme to reduce flood
risk and improve habitats for wildlife.
This essential work
will now take place and continue throughout
the autumn and winter until March 2010.
Vegetation management is the control of
aquatic weeds, grass cutting on river banks
and the trimming or removal of trees, which
if left unmanaged could block the flow of
watercourses and cause an increased risk
of flooding.
Barry Killner, Area
Operations Delivery Team Leader, said: “It
is very important for us to keep river channels
clear of blockages in built up or urban
areas where the impact of flooding is greatest,
especially where the watercourse is a single
channel.
“Weed growth in the
summer can be a problem as it reduces the
amount of water a river can carry. Some
rivers are classed as special areas for
conservation, so any work that is carried
out will fully take into account the need
to protect wildlife habitats and the local
environment. “
The Environment Agency
spends around £8 million per year
on weed removal in England and Wales to
ensure that rivers flow freely in their
natural channels.
With climate change
likely to increase the risk of extreme weather
events and floods, the Environment Agency
has launched three simple flooding guides
that offer crucial advice on how to protect
your home and family - before, during and
after flooding.
The guides form an essential
part of the Environment Agency’s ongoing
Flood Awareness Campaign which urges every
household and business to check their flood
risk by calling Floodline on 0845 9881188
or using the online postcode checker at
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood.
+ More
Stinks to high heaven
says the Environment Agency
The UK’s leading waste
management provider was ordered to pay £26,737
yesterday (Monday, 20 July) for a breach
of odour conditions.
Veolia was fined for
a consistent breach in conditions at the
High Heavens composting facility in High
Wycombe between June and December 2006.
Thames Water Services Limited operated the
business at the time of the breaches, but
Veolia took over management of the site
– and responsibility for the breaches –
in November 2007.
High Heavens is a composting
facility is located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
and composts kerbside-collected organic
wastes and civic amenity green waste. It
is permitted to take up to 40,000 tonnes
of waste per year.
High Wycombe Magistrates’
Court heard that the permit at High Heavens
has conditions set by the Environment Agency
which ensure all emissions to air are free
from odours. These could pollute the environment,
harm human health or damage the local area.
Veolia pleaded guilty
to breaching the odour condition of the
permit at High Heavens Composting Facility.
The company was fined £12,000 and
ordered to pay costs to the Environment
Agency of £14,737.
Between June to December
2006 the odour condition was repeatedly
breached.
Environment officer
Holly Linham said: “We were first alerted
to the odour problems at the site from members
of the public. They started to telephone
our pollution incident hotline number and
reported bad smells coming from the site.
We went out and conducted odour surveys
and detected bad smells from the site on
20 separate occasions. On numerous occasions
we found the odour to be offensive and considered
it to be having a significant negative impact
on the local area.”
During this period the
Environment Agency received over 170 complaints
from local residents. Many stated that the
odour was spoiling the enjoyment of their
homes and gardens. Windows and doors had
to be shut to limit the smell entering their
homes. Several residents are said to have
suffered from stress and others have stated
that the offensive odour was ruining their
lives.
Thames Water Servicing
Limited did use measures to try and manage
the problem. These included adding a chemical
enzyme to reduce the smell, not turning
the compost ,removing the maturing compost
and installing an odour
suppression system around the site. However,
none of these measures eradicated the smell.
Holly Linham continued:
“It is important to send out a clear message
to the waste industry showing that odour
problems will be investigated and action
can be taken. We are currently establishing
an odour network to provide greater support
to officers dealing with odorous sites.
If people notice odours coming from a waste
site they should report them to our incident
hotline number, 0800 80 70 60, which is
staffed 24/7.”
Going green is where the jobs are: new study
Posted on 16 June 2009
- Brussels, Belgium – With over three million
jobs across Europe, green economic activities
are overtaking polluting industries in terms
of employment, says a new WWF study.
“Low carbon jobs for Europe” shows that
at least 3.4 million European jobs are directly
related to renewable energy, sustainable
transport and energy efficient goods and
services. This compares with 2.8 million
jobs in polluting industries, such as mining,
electricity, gas, cement, and iron and steel.
It is predicted that the low-carbon economy
will continue to expand in the future, whereas
employment in extractive and climate polluting
industries will continue to decline.
“The study clearly points
at the winners and provides evidence that
climate-friendly policies and technologies
make a positive contribution to the economy,”
says Jason Anderson, Head of European Climate
and Energy Policy at WWF. “The clean economy
is about to take off. If politicians continue
to support industries that contribute to
climate pollution, Europe will face high
costs in the future, both for the economy
and the environment.”
Available figures suggest
that in Europe close to 400,000 people are
employed in renewable energy activities,
some 2.1 million in efficient transport,
and over 900,000 in energy efficiency goods
and services. These jobs include, for example,
manufacturing, installation and maintenance
of wind turbines and solar panels, and construction
works to improve efficiency in existing
buildings. Related indirect jobs are estimated
at approximately another 5 million.
All are showing significant
growth, with particular focus on wind power,
solar photovoltaic, bioenergy, public transport
and building sectors.
Leading European countries
are Germany, Spain and Denmark for wind
power, Germany and Spain for solar power.
Other countries see developments in similar
activities, with high potentials for improvement.
Ahead of the European
Council meeting in Brussels on 18-19 June,
WWF is asking that the EU makes strong commitments
to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions
and move to a green economy.
“In the next few days,
Europe has an opportunity to do something
to reduce the international perception that
it is good at making promises but poor at
living up to them,” added Anderson. “The
Council should reemphasize Europe's commitment
to taking on emissions cuts that are in
line with staying below a 2 degree limit,
which is not the case now”.
“In doing so Europe
will demonstrate confidence that ambition
in tackling the climate problem goes hand
in hand with developing the engines of future
economies and employment. As this report
shows, making a strong emissions reductions
commitment will also support the fastest
growing and highest job contributing areas
of the economy.”
