Concerns as Harlow stream has chemicals pouring into it (again)
News / Fri 5th Nov 2021 at 06:13pm
ENVIRONMENT officers investigating why a water course had turned red said they had “traced the source of the pollution to a nearby industrial estate” reports the BBC.
An on-going investigation by the Environment Agency into Canons Brook in Harlow, found the cause of the pollution to be a water soluble dye.
The discolouration is the third incident to be reported to the agency in the past few months.
The agency said it had “not witnessed any impacts to fish or wildlife”.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency added its officers would return to the site should they receive any reports of wildlife being affected.
“Working with the water utility company, we have traced the source of the pollution to a nearby industrial estate where we are working with the site operator to mitigate the impacts and to prevent another recurrence,” he said.
In August, Canons Brook, which leads to the River Stort, turned bright blue but agency officers failed to trace the source.
At the time a nearby farm said it was not the first time it had happened, and it was “very concerning” as the stream was a water source for crops, and children and pets played in it.
The Environment Agency also found no evidence of harm to wildlife on that occasion either.
Photos courtesy of Elliott Wollen at Herts and Essex Community Farm
Bruce Downey
2021-11-05 19:16:01
How sad 😥
Jac Sparrow
2021-11-06 07:28:15
If whatever contaminated the stream is not safe to eat or drink surely it should be classed as a toxic substance weather or not it harms any fish or wildlife or plant life come to think of it, it’s still a form of poison the question is how much toxic substances are legally allowed to be dumped into streams and or rivers which eventually finds it’s way to our seas and oceans, is it a case of cross my plans with silver and I’ll look away.
J
2021-11-06 08:57:03
Children & dogs play in this brook. This needs to be sorted ASAP, & the person/company who’s dumping the chemicals, along with those who sometimes dump rubbish along this same Brook, need to be fined.
Ed
2021-11-06 10:10:34
Next time it might be toxic pesticides or any damaging chemicals, once those who pollute realise there's no real real measures in place to prevent, deter and punish such actions then it will continue, just like the dumping of raw sewage into rivers and the sea has continued unabated and was even supported by MPs last week in Parliament. Whilst water companies are allowed to make massive profits, often for foreign investors, by being allowed to make only token progress to eliminate the old Victorian system that combines surface water, industrial drainage and sewage systems together rather than collecting each separately and treating to remove all pollutants, we shall continue to have the worst and most ecology damaging rivers and beaches in Europe as well as ever more frequent flash flooding that puts raw sewage into the environment and people's homes. Our systems are Victorian, revolutionary in the 18th Century but out of date. One wonders why the systems were not continuously modernized and improved..... well profits have been more important than investment, public health and the environment. Great that there was such a public backlash to the vote in Parliament. Damage happens development by development. Let's hope that on the 17th November Harlow and East Herts on the 16th November the Councillors wake up and realise the damage that proposals going to planning Committees for the Eastern and Central Crossings from the Gilston Estate to Harlow will do to damage the wildlife and make worse flooding of untreated sewage into Harlow and the Stort River Valley, Save Our Stort and insist hggt pfp go greener by reworking the plans for transport and as Robert Halfon has said, by "Going back to the drawing board "
Christine
2021-11-06 10:58:12
I used to live in Canon's Brook our garden used to back on to the Brook and yes as a child I used to play in the brook and I will say this never in all the time I lived there did the Brook ever turn a different colour its wrong and any company that is found to be doing this should be made to pay for what that have done
Pauline S
2021-11-06 12:11:29
We need to keep up the presure (and indeed increase it) until the 'authorities' take the right action to aleviate the problem.
tony edwards
2021-11-06 13:46:45
Why are we not being given the name of the firm causing this pollution? Is it not time to name and shame?
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