11/08/2005 - Environment
Agency Wales have confirmed that more than
20,000 fish, mostly young salmon and trout,
were killed in a pollution incident on the
River Ebbw, in the Crumlin area, earlier this
week.
We have been investigating after receiving
initial reports on Monday (1 August) of a
mystery chemical being discharged into the
river from a drainage culvert. Our officers
attended the site and took samples of river
water and fish and began a thorough survey
that showed thousands of fish had died.
The pollutant is believed to be some form
of detergent which has killed fish but left
other wildlife and invertebrates unharmed.
By the time it had reached Cwmcarn it had
lost its power to kill but by that time four
miles of the river had been affected.
John Gregory, the Agency’s Environment Manager
who’s leading the investigation appealed to
local people for information and help in tracing
the source of the pollution, "It’s heartbreaking
to see so many fish killed for the second
time in a year," he said. "We had
a similar pollution last August but were unable
to find the source of the substance even with
the help of the local authority in searching
the drainage system."
The culvert drains surface water from a huge
area above Crumlin and it’s thought that there
could be a mis-connection somewhere letting
waste which should go to the foul sewer into
the surface water system and straight into
the river.
"We know that this stuff is pretty powerful
and it’s likely that it’s being disposed of
innocently but with a devastating effect on
the river, " said Mr Gregory. "We’d
like anyone who thinks they may have an idea
where it might be coming from to get in touch
so that we can help to divert it back into
the proper system."
