Holly
Smith - 8-Sep-2006 - Next Thursday (14 September
2006), on the River Trent at Gunthorpe Lock downstream
of Nottingham, the Environment Agency will carry
out trials of a 125 metre long floating barrier
that will help to control major oil pollution
incidents.
Each year, there are over 200
oil pollution incidents across Leicestershire,
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. This trial is
part of our ongoing commitment to Civil Contingency
Planning, and will test our capability to deal
with a major oil spill.
The inflatable temporary barrier,
known as a ‘boom’, is designed to collect oil
behind it, holding it in one place so that it
can be removed and taken away to be disposed of
safely.
River levels permitting, small
boats with outboard motors will be ready to put
the boom in place by about lunchtime, attaching
it to the lock island on the downstream end and
the right bank on the upstream side. It will also
be anchored to the riverbed at various points
to enable it to withstand the current.
There are several suitable locations
on the River Trent downstream of Nottingham but
Gunthorpe is the best one for the trial as the
oil can be collected in the Lock and a large area
of hard standing allows tanker access in order
to remove the pollutant.
The trials will be carried out
by specialist contractor Gulf Offshore under our
supervision. Work will start at first light and
continue for the rest of the day.
Senior Environment Officer,
Matthew Gable, says: "This boom is one more
weapon in our fight to prevent pollution affecting
the environment. The booms we have already are
very effective but not big enough for a river
like the Trent."
"Nottingham is an industrialised
area with major highways crossing the River Trent,
so it has a higher risk of a major pollution incident.
This new boom will allow us to deal effectively
with any such incidents affecting the river in
future."
