Half a Million Tonnes of Sewage Kill Thousands of Fish on Tidal Thames

[FishingMagic]

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: Half a Million Tonnes of Sewage Kill Thousands of Fish on Tidal Thames

 

[david harvey1]

Cheers for posting that up.

This is as we reported it last night Massive Fish Kill following Thames Pollution incident | Thames Anglers' Conservancy (TAC)

And a response now from Thames Water Thames Water response to Tidal Pollution incident | Thames Anglers' Conservancy (TAC)

Very sad day for the Thames and why we need the Tideway Tunnel as soon as possible. All the opposition is just delaying it and without doubt as the climate changes, thses fish kills will happen. Add in Hydropower...

Been speaking to the EA fisheries guys today and the disolved oxygen levels are still low until the nutrient levels drop. They are working very hard have no doubt but the sheer scale of it.

Cheers

 

[Morespiders]

What a nice letter, makes me feel bad about being so annoyed

 

[tuolumne fisher]

to witness any animal in its death throes is bad enough, but when there are thousands, we aint got the words
everything that lived in the river from shrimps, mitten crabs and every fish, was happy to beach itself and die rather than remain in the water
its akin to us jumping from a building on fire, and it'll haunt me for yonks

 

[Bob Hornegold]

And that " Mushroom " is the message that must be got out to the Public, the Local Authorities and Politicions !!

But will anyone be there when the Telivisions cameras are on the River bank to put that over.

Bob

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

"we had no alternative to making these discharges, which are legal and consented, as this is the way the system was designed in the 1850s, in order to prevent sewage overflowing back up into streets and homes".

The above quote from Richard Aylard shows the double standards applied to pollution in our waterways. Can you imagine ICI releasing a similar statement relating to the release of chemicals they were unable to contain within a production facility? The subsequent prosecution and heavy fines imposed would have ensured that work would have been carried out immediately to prevent a re-occurance of the event.

As an example, consider the prosecution of companies following the fire at Buncefield Refinery, Hemel Hempstead,

Between the 10th day of December 2005 and the 31st day of December 2005, Total UK Ltd caused polluting matter, namely fuel and firewater chemicals to enter controlled waters, namely ground waters in the chalk aquifer underlying the vicinity of Buncefield, contrary to sections 85(1) and (6) of the Water Resources Act 1991
Total UK, which was ordered to pay a fine of £3.6m and £2.6m in costs. The company had already pleaded guilty to offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Water Resources Act.Between the 10th day of December 2005 and the 31st day of December 2005, British Pipeline Agency Ltd caused polluting matter, namely fuel and firewater chemicals to enter controlled waters, namely ground waters in the chalk aquifer underlying the vicinity of Buncefield, contrary to s.85(1) and (6) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
The British Pipeline Agency was ordered to pay £300,000 for environmental offences and costs of £480,000.

The basis of the prosecution, the Water Resources Act allows for:

Water Resources Act 1991
The Act governs the quality and quantity of water by outlining the functions of the Environment Agency (previously the National Rivers Authority). The WRA sets out offences relating to water, discharge consents, and possible defences to the offences. The Environment Agency has the power to bring criminal charges against people or companies responsible for crimes concerning water.
Section 85 of the WRA is concerned with the offence of polluting controlled water. The purpose of the section is to impose criminal liability on those who pollute natural water resources. The main offence states that it is an offence to cause or knowingly permit poisonous, noxious, or polluting matter or any solid waste to enter any controlled waters. Further offences, for example, a breach of conditions in a discharge consent, are also introduced by s.85.

S.93 – Water Protection Zones; The Secretary of State may designate water protection zones, where appropriate for prohibiting or carrying on in that area of activities which the Secretary of State considers likely to result in water pollution. This enables the Environment Agency to exercise control over pesticides and other potential pollutants within the zones.

Perhaps some of our members with a legal background can explain just how Thames Water cannot be prosecuted for failing to take the neccessary steps to avoid this pollution, especially in the light of audited profits of £331,000,000 for the tax year to 31/3/2010?

 

[Tee-Cee]

So is this a case for A Trust..............................?

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

So is this a case for A Trust..............................?

Or HSE...............................................?
Or EA.................................................?

 

[Tee-Cee]

Mmmmmm.....if anglers have a voice (?) then I hope they step forward NOW!!

.....or is it the case that we are up against agreeed polution and thats that!

 

[Alan Tyler]

Isn't the situation that the EA and Thames water are desperately trying to get the interceptor tunnel dug, but a single borough council is playing NIMBY on the planning permission front?
If so, pump the excess **** up at the borough's borders and run it down their high street until the electorate see sense and elect a different band of brigands, say I.

 

[thames steve]

Perhaps some of our members with a legal background can explain just how Thames Water cannot be prosecuted for failing to take the neccessary steps to avoid this pollution, especially in the light of audited profits of £331,000,000 for the tax year to 31/3/2010?

No legal background but from what I've learned...

When the government privatised Thames Water in 1989, to increase the price and to make for an easier sale of shares, they lowered sewage treatment requirements. Dumping sewage into the Thames is "consented" to quote them.

Thames Water make great play on the fact they've inherited a Victorian sewage system. However, they fail to mention they've had since 1973 when they were formed to do anything about it. Or since 1989 to invest some shareholder cash instead of paying dividends.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I've just edited the article again and added two pictures at the end of two very lucky fish!

 

[geoffmaynard]

And that " Mushroom " is the message that must be got out to the Public, the Local Authorities and Politicions !!

But will anyone be there when the Telivisions cameras are on the River bank to put that over.

Bob

Hello Bob, welcome (back?) to FM. ITV News just ran a piece on it and did just that. Quite a good article.

 

[stu_the_blank]

No legal background but from what I've learned...

When the government privatised Thames Water in 1989, to increase the price and to make for an easier sale of shares, they lowered sewage treatment requirements. Dumping sewage into the Thames is "consented" to quote them.

Thames Water make great play on the fact they've inherited a Victorian sewage system. However, they fail to mention they've had since 1973 when they were formed to do anything about it. Or since 1989 to invest some shareholder cash instead of paying dividends.

Like you Steve, no legal background but I believe that the EA allow them to let the surcharge into the Thames. That being so, they may say they're sorry but they are legally entitled to do so and as you say, they've shown no inclination to to anything about it for decades. I think that we should be asking the EA what they intend to do about it. They licence the discharge.

Stu

 

[woody]

That's right Stu. It's the EA that's largely to blame, but because it has so many departments, working against each other, it's impossible to change it.

I think it was Mogden that way back in the 30s it had a large piece of land which was set aside for huge tanks in which to hold excess rainwater/sewage mixed, but Thames Water thought better of it once privatised and sold the land off to a developer to build pretty houses. Had they have built the tanks instead, this may not have happened.

Interesting piece on the news. How many more times will it happen before this damned tunnel is built?

 

[thames steve]

Video footage we took on Monday night, hours after the sewage spill.

A wide range of fish species dying or dead. Check out the flounders 60 miles in from the sea, nearly in Surrey. Estimated 5lb mullet also found dead not in the video.

Taken at dusk on a cheap camera so probably best not viewed full screen.

YouTube - ‪Mass fish kill on the river Thames‬‏

 

[david harvey1]

Thanks mate, more shocking than you said on the phone.

 

[watatoad]

I believe the figure for temporary licenses granted for the release of sewerage into rivers is currently at 20,000 such licenses, some of these temporary licenses are over 20 years old...rather long temporary period to my way of thinking.

Simple question what do you think the chances are of this happening around the Olympics time period?

Simple solution scrap the licenses and then if it happens again no fine which will only be added to peoples bills but incarceration and seizure of all assets for all the directors of any company guilty of such an act, bet that would put an end to it happening again.

An interesting link to Urban Pollution Management Control:- enough to make you cry - It downloads as a word document

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&so...sg=AFQjCNFwdXJYLYkDKRmp5G3Jc6XR8qrV4A&cad=rja

 

[dezza]

I notice "the sewage system designed in 1850".

Come on Thames Water, what **** is this you are stating.

50% improvement??

Why not spend the profits made last year on a new sewage system?

 

[tuolumne fisher]

nice one steve and paul for the footage, although you had there to understand how it feels to witness thousands/millions of animals in their death throes

harrowing, haunting and friggin helpless we were, its bang out of order

we're trying to cobble some kit together for the next one, so if anyone has and petrol driven pumps we can use as fountains, or oxygenators then please contact admin@rivertac.org