list of pollution incidents on our rivers

figured it'd be good to compile a list of where and when pollution occurs, and maybe by who

basically where could I find out how many rivers were polluted last year, let alone by what and who

so if you can assist wiv this 'ere list
then put it on 'ere, and it'll become clear

Suspected pollution causes fish to die in River Ash

A blue substance entered the River Ash over the weekend and caused fish to become distressed and die.

Officers from the Environment Agency are currently investigating after large numbers of fish were killed on the River Ash.

The Environment Agency received a call from a member of the public earlier today (Sunday 8 August 2010) with a report that a blue substance was entering the River Ash.

An environment officer arrived at the River Ash in Shepperton to find at least eight different species of fish dead or dying.

Victoria Owen, a senior environment officer, said: “This is a serious incident but as the substance that entered the water has caused it to turn a blue colour, we have been unable to quantify numbers and the extent of the damage. We estimate that eight different species have been affected.

“Environment officers are on site investigating and monitoring the situation. It is too early to tell what extent of damage there may have been on the river.”

The Environment Agency believes it has traced the source of the suspected pollution and will oversee the remediation

THAMES Water has said it is "really sorry" after a toxic flood was released into the River Ash at Shepperton.

Thousands of fish were killed during the discharge on Sunday, August 8 and now people have been warned not to go near the water.

The Environment Agency investigated after the water turned bright blue as dozens of people attempted to rescue suffocating fish.

Thames Water said the blue-green algae pollutant came from its Ashford Common Water Treatment Works.

An unusually high volume of water containing the algae entered the site and the company decided to release it into the river.

Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, drastically reduces oxygen levels in water, can cause skin rashes and is linked to nerve damage.

A spokesman for the water firm said: "Although our processes have removed it [from the drinking water], the plant that deals with the leftover algae was overloaded, leaving us with no option but to discharge it to the River Ash.

"We could not stop this as to do so would have meant shutting down the water works, which supplies 30% of London. We are really sorry for this."

Spelthorne Natural History Society chairman Peter Routley, who lives in Shepperton, said: "It's been a hot summer and you do get algae growth, but there are chemicals to disperse it.

"They [Thames Water], of all people, should know how to treat it."

Environment Agency contractors were working on the water in Sunbury until Thursday last week (August 12).

Mr Routley, 66, said: "It was devastating for fish and other wildlife - dragonflies, frogs and toads. Any wildlife that have lungs and can breathe."

Spelthorne Borough Council has posted notices along the River Ash warning of the contamination.

A letter to households from the Environment Agency read: "We have done a clean up of the River Ash to remove many of the dead fish, however there are some remaining which we hope to collect as soon as possible.

"There may be some risk to the public from the decaying fish during this time

Just in case people aren't aware, this incident was back in August 2010 and not the weekend just gone by.

River Wey near Alton on new years day, fish deaths around a mile long

Thames Water fined in December for two incidents. Funny how the same name keeps coming up...

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/122208.aspx


Also this little snippet, does not who but makes interesting reading

The Cost of Pollution Incidents to Business


http://www.environmental-innovations.biz/the-cost-of-pollution-incidents-to-business/

our honorary president reported a vile smell, foam, and funny coloured water, mid river at the london apprentice at low water

our enquiries to thames water, were met with the standard flim flam

in a nutshell they decide when to do it and if you should know

TW called back yesterday luchtime and were getting an engineer to site.

The area affected seemed to be where the Mogden, TW outfall is on Isleworth Ait.

There have been none of the normal notifications of any discharge, so await the rely.

had a wander down teddington lock today,was talking to allan (the guy who caught that 5.09 perch last year) hes a member of the club. anyway he pointed out 2 pipes spewing out vile smelling waste. if your on the ferry road side its to the left of the launchway. maybe someone could check this out? ill be fishing at teddy tomorrow.
willie

on the bonesgate, a trib of the hogsmill which is a trib of the thames

last week, a milky liquid entered the brook 150 yds downstream of where we were removing fish passage barriers
fortunately we were with an EA employee who called a colleague, he arrived quickly and took a water sample in a plastic bottle

check out the thread right place right time

Thames Water again....


Berkshire water company ordered to pay £17,403 for Surrey canal sewage spill

A water company which allowed untreated sewage to enter a Woking canal, killing hundreds of fish, was today (Friday) ordered to pay a total of GBP17,403 by magistrates.

Thames Water, based in Reading, admitted a charge of allowing polluting matter to enter the Basingstoke Canal and was fined £12,000, made to pay £5,388 costs and a £15 victim surcharge by Woking Magistrates’ Court. The charge was brought under the Water Resources Act 1991.

Environment officer Ruth Clayden was called to the canal at Boundary Road, Woking, at around 8am on September 7 2009. She walked under the road bridge and noticed a discharge coming from the surface water outlet, which was entering the canal on the right hand bank looking downstream.

The water was cloudy, with a strong smell of sewage and a number of fish were seen either dead or gasping for air on the surface. Readings taken upstream of the discharge point at 9.55am showed: Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels were 44.8% and Ammonium (NH4+) levels were 3.24 milligram’s per litre (mg/l).

A reading taken near the discharge point at 10.05am showed DO levels were 5% and Ammonium (NH4+) levels were 33.27 mg/l.

Fisheries officer Dominic Martyn arrived at 11.20am and walked further downstream with the environment officer. More readings were taken and 35 dead fish were seen over a 200-metre stretch from the discharge point. This number contained roach, bream, perch and gudgeon.

Thames Water were contacted and arrived late morning as they were working on a blocked sewer in Victoria Way, which was cleared soon after. The environment officer took another reading at the discharge point and the ammonium reading was recorded as 12.51 mg/l, a decrease since the blockage had been cleared.

Ruth Clayden walked downstream again in the afternoon and although fish seemed fine at the end of the stretch of the affected water, roughly 420 metres downstream, they were still gasping near the discharge point so it was decided that Thames Water would install aeration equipment.

The Environment officer attended the scene with a colleague the following day and more readings were taken but these showed DO levels were still low. Thames Water contractors confirmed aeration equipment did not arrive until 6.30pm the night before and had been switched off overnight.

On September 9 Thames Water gave Ruth Clayden some readings over the phone which showed DO had marginally increased. It was decided to deploy two more aeration kits and the Environment Agency gave permission for Thames Water to tanker several loads of clean water from the nearby Goldsworth Park balancing pond.

On the morning of September 10 Thames Water called and gave more readings which showed the pollution was still bad but a further reading taken on site by Ruth Clayden at 2pm showed the equipment was having a positive effect on DO levels.

Thames Water called to say 230 dead fish had been counted. The aeration equipment was removed in the afternoon of September 11 due to rising oxygen levels and the canal was monitored over the weekend.

Readings taken by Ruth Clayden on Monday 14 September showed DO readings were now at a level not to cause any harm to fish in the canal.

During an interview under caution on December 15 2009 Simon Rawles, Thames Water’s Area Network Manager, accepted the company was responsible for the sewers in the Woking area. He admitted a blockage was found in the foul sewer where two drain rods, which have since been removed, had collected fat, oil and grease.

He said once this blockage had been cleared the pollution had stopped. Although foul sewers and surface water sewers in the surrounding area were investigated, no structural defects or misconnections that could be connected to the pollution incident could be found.

Ruth Clayden, who investigated the incident for the Environment Agency, said: “This was a distressing incident and it was upsetting to see so many fish either dead or gasping for life. The area is popular with anglers due to its urban location, and is fished regularly.

“Water companies have a statutory duty to maintain their sewers, which Thames Water had not done in this case. It sends a clear message to other companies that if you fail in your environmental responsibilities you may be prosecuted.”

Ends

Thames Water contractors have been pumping heavily silted water into a roadside gully which has then entered the River Rythe at Thorkhill in Thames Ditton.
This happened for a number of consecutive days resulting in the death of all fish, including small roach, chublets etc etc
apparently it took a number of phone calls and days before the EA responded

have inquioured about this as i am a member of BCAA, no fish was replaced, as the numbers killed was to small,

I like to kown who got the £17000, some of that money should have gone to replacing the dead fish

I think we've got crossed wires keith, this incident happened last week, most of this tiny river runs at the back of the detached houses
I'm meeting up with a resident later today, we're gonna don the waders and walk the affected stretch

will post up our findings later

a couple of TAC reps visited the area yesterday, we met one of the movers'n'shakers from the residents association, and spoke to the resident who reported the incident to the EA, and boy did she have the hump with everyone concerned, interestingly no-one from the residents association had visited the area previously

it seems that thames water contractors had been pumping water that was filling their hole into the kerbside, this had then entered this tiny river as run of, the result being a sandy deposit covering the riverbed, a lack of fish and no more sightings of the kingfisher
it was agreed that as time was running short, and there appeared to be no restrictions to flow, we'd nip back today with our waders

James Page wrote:

I think we've got crossed wires keith, this incident happened last week, most of this tiny river runs at the back of the detached houses
I'm meeting up with a resident later today, we're gonna don the waders and walk the affected stretch

will post up our findings later

I was going on about the basingstock canel, I should have put it in my last message, my fought

In an email from the EA today, can not see its gone out as news anywhere...

The Environment Agency is investigating a fish kill on Salt Hill Stream (flows into Chalvey Ditch trib of Thames), Slough. We attended the scene immediately after being informed that approximately 40 – 50 dead fish had been spotted in the watercourse. We have been monitoring the situation and taking samples of the water. There is no invertebrate life for around 400metres in Salt Hill Park area and the current total of fish killed is approximately 100. However, downstream by Willow Brook there has been little impact and dissolved oxygen levels are good.

To help reduce the impact of the pollution, we are looking at what action can be taken to improve oxygen levels in the water.

Our investigations are ongoing and we will continue to collect evidence to see if we can identify the source of the pollution.

Members of the public can report pollution incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s emergency hotline on 0800 80 70


Posssibly Thames Water, same old I am afraid, past news...

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/122208.aspx

Bakery fined for Avon oil spill

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/131369.aspx?month=7&year=2011

River Ray this week

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-14200238

Hmmmm...

http://www.gamesmonitor.org.uk/node/1284

nice one dave, it seems the elzebub, thames water, may have spawned a junior

Beverage company fined £36,000 for polluting river
10-Aug-2011

Universal Beverages Ltd, a subsidiary of Heineken UK Ltd pleaded guilty at Hereford Magistrates’ Court to seven offences on 2 August 2011.

The company, of Little Marcle Road, Ledbury, was fined £36,000, ordered to pay £20,825 in costs, along with a £15 victim surcharge.

The charges were brought by the Environment Agency under Section 85(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

Nicholas Cole, on behalf of the Environment Agency, told the court how the site was a former jam factory which had been converted to mill fruit. Between 21 October 2008 and 22 January 2009 there were a number of incidents where the Preserves Brook, which runs through the company’s site and into the River Leadon, was found to be polluted with leachate from apple waste. Environment Officers found large piles of apple waste next to the brook, from which polluting liquid was leaching out and into the watercourse. The levels of pollution in the brook far exceeded the permitted levels.

On 14 September 2009, Environment Officers went to the Preserves Brook after reports of pollution by a member of the public. The brook downstream of the company’s site was found to be a greyish white colour with sewage fungus on the brook bed. It was identified that floor cleaning fluid had been poured down a surface water drain which lead to the brook. The company subsequently identified that a drain from the boilerhouse on site had been wrongly connected to the surface water drainage system. This meant that contaminated boiler water was also being discharged to the brook.

On 25 September 2009, officers from the Environment Agency were called after reports of dead fish in the River Leadon. Officers attended the area on 26, 27 and 28 September 2009 where the dead fish were observed.
On the 30 September 2009 a biological survey was conducted on sections of the River Leadon and Preserves Brook. The results from the sampling of the brook indicated it had suffered from significant organic pollution. Sewage fungus was also observed in the river. During a further visit to the site on 30 September 2009, Environment Officers identified red coloured polluting matter in the brook immediately downstream of the company’s site, a sample of the red coloured liquid taken from the brook smelt of apples.

The investigations also identified several breaches of the conditions of the environmental permit. An Enforcement Notice was served to the company for revised operational procedures, completion of training and outstanding improvement conditions.

Speaking after the case, an Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation said: “It is the company’s responsibility to ensure that they have a full understanding of the operation of their site and have adequate control measures and staff training in place to prevent polluting material from impacting on the quality of the local environment. We take such matters seriously and will prosecute where circumstance justify.”

In mitigation, the company was given credit for its early guilty pleas and the proactive stance taken by the new site management on environmental issues. On behalf of the company, Stuart Ponting, offered sincere apologies for what had been an operator error and management failings which had now been remedied.

Oil spill into the Thames today from a storm drain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-14672837

although 'comparitively small'
enough smalls can combine to make a big impact
thank gawd a member of the public alerted the authorities, 'cause without members of the public, the country would be empty

Pollution causes fish kill in Swalecliffe Brook
26-Sep-2011

Environment Agency officers are currently investigating a pollution incident after dead fish were found in the Swalecliffe Brook in Kent.

The Environment Agency is supervising the clean up operation after a number of fish have died, including around 300 sticklebacks and populations of eels, which are an endangered species. Initial investigations by the Environment Agency have revealed that the incident was caused by a sewage leak.

Contractors have been brought in to increase the levels of oxygen in the water with specialist equipment so that any further harm to wildlife and the environment is minimised.

Colin Bowley of the Environment Agency said: “This is a serious incident which has affected a significant stretch of the brook.

“Our officers have taken action to use the tidal sluice to isolate the pollutant in the worst affected stretch and we are now concentrating our efforts to improve water quality in the brook. Environment officers are currently on site collecting evidence, taking further water samples from the river and monitoring the watercourse closely.

“In partnership with Canterbury City Council, we are investigating the causes and impact of what has clearly been a serious incident. Both organisations have been busy advising the public and putting up signage to warn people of the incident.”

The Environment Agency has traced the source of the pollution and will continue to oversee the clean up of the incident. The investigation is ongoing and no further details can be released at this stage.

Members of the public can report pollution incidents by calling the Environment Agency’s emergency hotline on 0800 807060.

This looks awfull, sewage again in the Midlands

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/05/23/fish-dead-as-canal-polluted/