23-Jun-2006
- Some of the contaminated water used to clean
up the Buncefield fuel depot stored at a Thames
Water sewage treatment works has been accidentally
released into the River Colne.
It is believed that 800,000
litres of the clean-up water escaped from a storage
tank at the Blackbirds sewage treatment works,
near Radlett, Herts, at the beginning of the week.
Shortly after notification the
Environment Agency began an extensive sampling
programme along the length of the River Colne,
and these results are expected to be available
from Environment Agency laboratories in Leeds
early next week.
Three Valleys Water Company
does not take water from the River Colne for drinking
supplies but has been informed of this incident.
The Environment Agency believe
the contaminated water was pumped through the
sewage treatment works, which may have removed
a large amount of the contamination.
Environment Agency staff have
not discovered evidence of any impact on the fish
or other fauna within the river so far, but will
continue to investigate.
The cause of the incident is
still unknown and will form part of an ongoing
investigation.
It is the responsibility
of the oil companies (Hertfordshire Oil Storage
Limited and British Pipelines Agency) to find
a safe and environmentally sound solution to the
26million litres of firewater stored since the
explosion on December 11 2005. We await their
formal submission of their preferred disposal
option.
(Rachael Collins)
