10-Oct-2011
The Environment Agency has started work
on a three year campaign to eradicate the
Floating Pennywort plant from the Rivers
Tame and Trent
in the Tamworth area.
Floating Pennywort (Hydrocotyle Ranunculoides)
is an invasive, non-native plant, originating
from North America, introduced to the UK
in the 1980s. It forms dense mats of vegetation
over the water’s surface and is extremely
prolific, sometimes growing up to 20cm a
day. The Environment Agency has contracted
HFN Landscapes to spray herbicides in order
to tackle this problem before it gets too
established.
Environment Agency Officer Alice Chapman
said: “We are tackling the Floating Pennywort
because if it is left untreated, it has
the potential to block flood defences, interfere
with water based recreation, and change
the ecology of the area. It can also cost
hundreds of thousands of pounds to control
if not dealt with early on.”
The largest area of infestation is to be
found in the Broad Meadow area of Tamworth,
from the Oxbridge opposite Blackfriars Close
to the weir. The Floating Pennywort now
extends down the River Tame and into the
River Trent, with patches of the plant being
observed in previous years at Hopwas, Elford
and the River Trent in Burton on Trent.
The team will be out
spraying every couple of weeks in the Broad
Meadow area of Tamworth. They will then
conduct surveys down the Tame and Trent
to find and treat any colonies that may
have been formed by break-away pieces from
the main colony. This work will be part
of an ongoing project, and it is estimated
that complete eradication will take around
three years.
The Environment Agency would like to urge
members of the public not to put any plants
or wildlife from their pond or fish tank
into local watercourses. Many plants sold
by the aquatic trade as oxygenators are
non native and can cause problems in our
lakes, reservoirs and rivers. The same goes
for any aquatic pets; non-native fish and
terrapins are now found in our rivers and
they can change the ecology and sometimes
out-compete native species.
Anglers and water users can also help reduce
the risk of spreading invasive species by
making sure their equipment and clothing
are not contaminated – for more details
see our CHECK-CLEAN-DRY campaign web pages:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/wildlife/129217.aspx
+ More
Environment Agency consults
on changes to permit for Ince energy from
waste facility
21-Oct-2011
The Environment Agency have launched a consultation
following an application from Covanta Energy
to make changes to their environmental permit
for the proposed energy from waste facility
at Elton, Cheshire.
Peel Environmental Ince Ltd recently transferred
the existing permit over to Covanta Energy,
who will operate the energy from waste facility.
Covanta submitted an application to make
changes to the permit which was originally
issued in 2006.
Tracey Rimmer, Cheshire
Environment Manager said: “We expect that
there will be interest from local people
over the changes that have been put forward.
This consultation will be open to members
of the local community, Cheshire West and
Chester Council, the Western Cheshire PCT
, the Health & Safety Executive and
the Food Standards Agency, we welcome comments
on the changes proposed.
Following the consultation,
the Environment Agency must either grant
or refuse the application. If the application
is granted, we must the decide what permit
conditions should be changed so that we
are sure that the work which will be carried
out at the site will not harm the environment
or people’s health.”
The Ince Park Community Forum will be publishing
the application and supporting documents
on their consultation portal for local people
to view and a link will be provided for
people wishing to comment directly to the
Environment Agency’s permit team.
Tracey continued, “ We welcome the offer
from the Ince Park Community Forum to put
the application documents on their webpages
to make it easier for people to read and
view. We hope that this will give people
an opportunity to study the information
and comment on the proposed changes.”
Tony Mills Chairman of the Ince Park Community
Forum said: “This is an important consultation
and the Forum urges everyone interested
in this issue to look at what is being proposed
and make their views known to the Environment
Agency. Forum members know that this is
a sensitive issue and will be making sure
that the organisations represented on the
Forum will be having their say. The Online
Consultation Portal is an easy and convenient
means to access the information and put
an opinion forward.”
Ends
For media enquiries please contact the press
office on
01925 542621 or 01925 542201
Out of hours please call 07776497255 and
ask for the duty press officer
www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Note to Editors
The consultation period will run until 16
November 2011.
Copies of all documents
relating to this installation are available
to view at the public registers, which are
held at: The Environment Agency, Appleton
House, 430 Birchwood Boulevard, Birchwood,
Warrington, WA3 7WD and Cheshire West and
Chester Council, Wyvern House, The Drumber,
Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 1AH.
Electronic copies of the application documents
can also be viewed during this initial consultation
at: http://www.inceparkconsultationportal.co.uk/
Any comments should be made in writing by
16 November 2011. Email psc@environment-agency.gov.uk
quoting the application number EPR/LP3132FX/V002.
Or you can write to PSC - EP Team, Quadrant
2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield, S9 4WF
quoting the application number.
As part of our determination, we will consult
again on our draft decision. Should we ultimately
decide to issue the variation to the permit,
this would be only the first stage in our
regulation of the plant. When the facility
is up and running, we will monitor its environmental
performance, including emissions to air,
to ensure that permit conditions are not
breached.
The application contains a description of
how the proposed changes may affect: the
installation; the materials, substances
and energy it will use and generate; the
conditions of its site; the source, nature
and quantity of its foreseeable emissions
and their significant effects on the environment;
the proposed techniques for preventing,
reducing, and monitoring its emissions and
preventing and recovering waste; and an
outline of the main alternatives, if any,
considered.
Guidance on decision-making under the Regulations
can be found at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/topics/permitting/32320.aspx.
This guidance explains what factors are
relevant to our determination.
Ince Park Community Forum consultation portal:
http://www.inceparkconsultationportal.co.uk/
The changes Covanta has requested in the
application to vary the existing permit
are:
• Changing the combustion technology from
a fluidised bed to a moving grate
• The addition of some waste codes to the
list of permitted wastes for the Permit
• Increasing the permitted fuel throughput
(in the new application, the maximum throughput
requested is 850,000 tonnes per annum. In
the original Permit the maximum waste limit
was 670,000 tonnes per annum)
• Changing the delivery and storage arrangement
for the fuel
• Adding a discharge point to water for
the cooling water discharge
• Correcting the short term emission limit
for ammonia in this Permit
