Jane Nower - 20-Sep-2007
Following the recent devastating fish kill
on the River Wandle, which runs through
Surrey to south London, officers from the
Environment Agency’s fisheries and ecology
team went electrofishing today, in order
to fully investigate the effects of the
pollution incident.
The officers isolated a 100m length of
the river next to Ravensbury Park, Merton,
to assess how many fish were still alive
after the incident which occurred on Monday
17 September 2007.
The officers entered the water, using a
low voltage electric current to momentarily
stun the fish while they were netted, and
placed into oxygenated water. The officers
managed to find 32 surviving specimens along
the stretch of water including chub, carp,
eels and roach. After measuring each fish
and taking a scale to ascertain the age
of the specimens, the officers carefully
released the creatures back into the river.
The officers plan to compare the data collected
today with information from previous years
to ascertain exactly how badly the environment
has been affected. It is known that the
spillage has killed a minimum of 2,000 fish
along a 5km stretch of the River Wandle,
which have been removed with the help of
local conservation groups including the
National Trust, the Morden Hall Park Angling
Society and the Wandle Trust.
John Sutton, fisheries and biodiversity
team leader said: “The fish that we caught
today appear to have avoided the slug of
pollutant that travelled down the Wandle,
by sheltering in small areas protected by
the riverbanks and under tree roots. The
eels may have escaped the impact by burying
into the riverbed. However, it is clear
from these early results that the pollution
has had a dramatic impact on this reach.
The effects of this event will be felt for
many years to come.”
Mike Denbigh, environment management team
leader, said: “This very serious incident
is being vigorously investigated by the
Environment Agency. We believe we have confirmed
the nature of the pollutant that entered
the stream. The early notification from
the member of the public enabled us to respond
quickly, and we are always grateful for
these types of contribution. We realise
that this situation is very distressing
for all of the people who enjoy walking
and fishing along the Wandle and we hope
to be able to move our investigations along
quickly.
“By looking at the fish in the Wandle that
have survived, we will be able to assess
the impact and make decisions about how
best to rehabilitate the river’s ecology.
This will be a long-term process.”
Members of the public can report pollution
incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s
emergency hotline on 0800 807060.
+ More
Pollution causes devastating fish kill
on River Wandle
Dave Ferguson - 19-Sep-2007
Officers from the Environment Agency are
investigating reports of a pollution incident
that has killed at least 2,000 fish along
a 5km stretch of the River Wandle in south
London
The Environment Agency received a call
from a member of the public on Monday after
he reported seeing dead fish in the Wandle
between Beddington and Merton.
Officers who visited the site found dead
fish including barbel, chub and eels and
it is expected that other species have been
affected by the spillage.
The site was monitored closely overnight
and Environment Agency teams are onsite
today collecting further evidence. A clean
up operation is being jointly organised
with Thames Water Utilities Limited.
Mike Denbigh, Environment Management team
leader, said: “This is a serious incident,
which has affected approximately 5km of
the River Wandle.
“We will not be able to confirm the exact
nature of the pollutant that has entered
the stream until water samples are analysed.
The early notification from the member of
the public enabled us to respond quickly.
As a result we feel confident that we will
discover the cause of this incident.
“Our officers are continuing to assess
conditions along the river, but it will
take some time for us to determine the full
environmental impact.”
The Environment Agency believes it has
traced the source of the pollution and the
investigation is ongoing.
Members of the public can report pollution
incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s
emergency hotline on 0800 807060.
+ More
Environment Agency spends £330,000
on Sheffield’s flood river clean-up
Francesca Glyn-Jones - 18-Sep-2007
Around £330,000 will be spent clearing
debris and repairing the damage caused by
this summer’s flooding along rivers and
waterways in Sheffield.
Two work gangs from the Environment Agency’s
Operations Delivery team have already spent
six weeks clearing tonnes of rubbish and
timber deposited by the summer’s flood waters
at Niagara Weir, Hillsborough.
The operation cost £35,000 and required
massive earth moving equipment in the River
Don to take away tree trunks and root balls
the size of large cars.
Staff have received more than 50 reports
from members of the public about debris
in waterways across Sheffield which have
been investigated, prioritised and action
taken.
Operations delivery manager Sue O’Neill
said: “There is a lot of work to be done,
and it will take a number of years for Sheffield’s
waterways to recover from the floods.
“Our teams are working round the clock
to make sure that trees and debris are cleared
from waterways that are at risk of flooding,
and then as winter approaches, they will
start on their annual maintenance programme
for the city. This is on top of the design
and repair work needed to restore damaged
equipment and channels.”
Her team spends around £150,000 in
Sheffield annually on maintaining the city’s
waterways, but this year more money will
be found from the budget to fund the extra
cost.
At Niagara Weir, officers have already
repaired the channel after flood water deposited
islands of gravel in the middle which could
have restricted the future flow of water.
The gravel was removed and used to build
a better access ramp to the river which
has now been grassed over to help keep the
structure together.
The team will also be spending up to £150,000
on clearing debris on rivers throughout
Sheffield, in particular the Don from Hillsborough
to Meadowhall because of the high flood
risk.
On the River Sheaf, a new crane will be
installed at a trash screen to help officers
“grab” and remove debris more effectively.
The trash screen, which is 2.5 metres tall
and 35 metres long, traps debris that has
been flushed down the river. It prevents
it from travelling further and causing a
more serious blockage inside the river’s
culverted stretch which would be impossible
to access while the river was in flood.
A blockage in the culvert could potentially
flood the centre of Sheffield including
Sheaf Street and the railway station.
Water levels at the screen are monitored
on a 24-hour basis thanks to equipment at
the site which sends data electronically
to the flood teams in Leeds. When the water
levels rise, the operations delivery team
is alerted and clear away the blockage.
It can take several days to clear away
all the debris and the work gangs do this
about three times a year.
The new crane will be installed in the
new year and means that officers will have
a wider reach to clear the channel with.
The Environment Agency is responsible for
flood protection from main rivers and designated
smaller watercourses. It clears away debris
only if there is a risk of flooding, and
has to prioritise the work to make sure
that those which need urgent attention are
done first.
Notes to editors
A photograph is available of the debris
which was flushed down river and trapped
at Niagara Weir during the floods. Please
contact the press office on 0113 231 2469
for details.
+ More
Northumberland greyhounds to front Environment
Agency campaign
Alexandra Wales - 18-Sep-2007
Two retired greyhounds from the Northumberland
Greyhound Rescue Centre will front a major
campaign in a bid to tackle the blight of
flytipping in the North East.
The ‘Dump-it & Leg-it’ campaign aims
to raise awareness of waste crime and encourage
people to only use legitimate waste collection
companies. More than 126,000 incidents of
fly-tipping were reported by local authorities
and the Environment Agency in the North
East between January 2006 and June 2007,
costing local taxpayers over £8 million
to clear up.
Given temporary names of ‘Dump-it’ and
‘Leg-it’ for the duration of the six week
long campaign which runs through September
and October, the dogs, which are on loan
from the Blyth based rescue centre, will
act as mascots for the Environment Agency
campaign which will run in the Northumbria
and Tees Valley areas.
Environment Agency campaign manager, Gerald
Lee said: “By using Dump-it and Leg-it as
our mascots we hope to bring a bit of fun
to our serious campaign to stop the blight
of flytipping. One of our key aims is to
persuade householders and businesses to
use a registered waste carrier. If they
have work carried out they could face a
£5,000 fine if they use an unregistered
company.
“By using the two greyhounds, hopefully
people will take notice of our campaign
and it will help get the message across.”
By law, all businesses must be registered
with the Environment Agency if they carry,
collect or dispose of household, commercial
or industrial waste.
Under the same laws, anyone who employs
a private company to take away their waste
must make sure that the firm is registered
to do so. This law also applies to a householder
who may be paying a builder or tradesperson
to do some work on their home such a fitting
a new kitchen or bathroom. Ignorance is
no defence – if your waste ends up in the
wrong hands and is dumped then you could
be fined up to £5,000.
The campaign is part of the Business Resource
Efficiency and Waste programme (BREW) run
by Defra which uses money raised by increased
landfill taxes to fund a range of projects
including the ‘Dump-it and Leg-it’ campaign
for Northumberland and Tees Valley. The
North East project is one of the largest
campaigns, covering 11 local authorities.
Gerald said: “We will be using ‘Dump-it’
and ‘Leg-it’ at a number of events during
our campaign, including visits to shopping
centres and also with our work with children
and young people. Once their few weeks of
media stardom are over, they will return
to their happy retirement at Northumbria
Greyhound Rescue to whom we are very grateful
for their temporary loan.”
