Alexandra Wales - 13-Apr-2007
- Yorkshire Water was today fined £6,000
yesterday (Thursday) after pleading guilty
to polluting Clifton Beck in Brighouse.
The water utility company of Halifax Road,
Bradford, was also ordered to pay full costs
of £1,827 to the Environment Agency,
which brought the case.
Ben Reid, prosecuting for the Environment
Agency, told Halifax Magistrates' Court
that a combined sewer overflow (CSO) at
Wyke Old Lane has blocked a number of times
in recent years and has repeatedly sent
sewerage into Clifton Beck. This has had
a serious impact on the aquatic life that
lives there.
The CSO blocked on May 2003, October 2003,
November 2004 and September 2005. Yorkshire
Water were cautioned and fined in 2003 after
the blockages caused sewerage to enter the
beck.
It took Yorkshire Water until 2006 to install
a warning system. Even after the warning
system was installed, the CSO again blocked
and sent sewerage into Clifton Beck. A biological
survey found that the pollution was chronic
and had a significant impact on aquatic
life. It was estimated that the June 2006
event killed 33 per cent of the animal life
assessed.
The court heard how the Environment Agency
took samples of the water upstream and downstream
of the CSO and these were tested for the
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), which is
the rate at which biological elements remove
oxygen from the water.
The samples were also tested for Chemical
Oxygen Demand (COD), the rate at which inorganic
elements remove oxygen from the water. The
higher those levels, the lower the water
quality. Above the CSO, the BOD level was
just 1.3mg/l and the COD level 13.1mg/l.
Below the CSO, the BOD level had jumped
to 55.3mg/l and the COD level to 96mg/l.
The telemetry system at this site failed,
so Yorkshire Water were not notified when
there was a problem with the CSO. It appeared
that the system had stopped working on 14
April 2006, unbeknown to Yorkshire Water.
However, a sensor was still working, and
data from this showed that records during
20 April 2006 to 20 June 2006, this CSO
sent nine illegal discharges into Clifton
Beck.
In mitigation, Yorkshire Water Services
Ltd said that the blockage was caused by
an object put in the system by a third party.
They entered an early guilty plea and co-operated
fully with the Environment Agency.
The magistrates' said that Yorkshire Water
had failed to listen to warnings and did
not
appreciate the pollution history at this
site. They had failed to take appropriate
immediate action.
Speaking after the case, an Environment
Agency officer said: "This case had
a significant impact on aquatic life in
Clifton Beck. Yorkshire Water have a duty
to maintain their monitoring equipment and
we will prosecute any company that fails
to take its responsibility seriously."
Ends
Notes to editors:
Yorkshire Water Services Ltd were charged
that:
In the district of Halifax on 19 June 2006,
caused polluting matter, namely sewage,
to enter controlled water, namely Clifton
Beck.
Contrary to section 85(1) of the Water
Resources Act 1991.
Environment Agency makes trash screens
improvements in Hartlepool
Alexandra Wales - 13-Apr-2007 - The Environment
Agency is to make improvements to several
trash screens in Hartlepool area to help
minimise the risks of flooding.
Trash screens are steel structures that
are installed at the entrance to a culvert
to prevent debris and rubbish entering the
culvert, which could cause a blockage and
flooding at times of heavy rainfall.
The improvements are part of continued
maintenance of flood defences in the area
and will be carried out in conjunction with
Hartlepool Borough council and local user
groups.
Matt Smith, technical support team member
said: “The trash screens which we are replacing
or modifying don't meet the required Environment
Agency standard and in some locations may
be unsafe to maintain. If they were left
in their current state, they could increase
the risk of flooding in the area.”
The work, which involves a civil engineer
contractor installing a new screen and a
platform, started this month. Two different
screens are being installed in the area
on the Burn Valley Beck.
To find out if you are at risk of flooding
in your area, visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
+ More
Environment Agency makes trash screens
improvements in York and Selby
Alexandra Wales - 13-Apr-2007 - The Environment
Agency is to make improvements to several
trash screens in the York and Selby area
to help minimise the risk of flooding.
Trash screens are steel structures that
are installed at the entrance to a culvert
to prevent debris and rubbish entering the
culvert, which could cause a blockage and
flooding at times of heavy rainfall.
The improvements are part of continued
maintenance of flood defences in the area.
Matt Smith, technical support team member
said: “The trash screens which we are replacing
or modifying don't meet the required Environment
Agency standard and in some locations may
be unsafe to maintain. If they were left
in their current state, they could increase
the risk of flooding in the area.”
The work, which involves a civil engineer
contractor installing a new screen and a
platform, started this month. The improvements
will be at a number of locations in the
York and Selby area.
Earlier this year, the Environment Agency
spent around £30,000 installing advanced
monitoring devices to two pumping stations
and two becks in York and around £15,000
for two pumping stations in the Selby area.
To find out if you are at risk of flooding
in your area, visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
