Up date on Canal Pollution Strike !

Councillor Gareth Ilman-Walker has again supplied information today Sunday at 13.00 on the progress being made with regard to this spill. Attached is the Environment Agency Briefing is below. I have spoken with the incident room dealing with the canal. They couldn't speak about the danger to pets or any poison that may be left. But the information given is useful.

Environment Agency Briefing:



We are continuing to tackle the pollution on the canal network in Wolverhampton and Wednesfield. In co operation with British Waterways we are increasing the flow through the Wolverhampton lock system allowing the water to move towards the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal.



Increasing the flow through the locks will pull the contaminated water through at which stage it will be treated by Oxyjets. The increased aeration of the water passing through the locks, combined with the concentrated peroxide dosing from the Oxyjets and the dilution with water from the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal is raising the level of oxygen in the water sufficiently so that there is no significant effect on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal.



British Waterways have provided a boat that we've adapted to peroxide dose the contaminated section of Birmingham canal and Wyrley and Essington canal. The boat will be dosing the canal between Dixon Street Bridge and Lane Head Bridge later this afternoon. This dosing will continue over the weekend for as long as required.



Our tests have shown that the pollution is mainly detergent from a warehouse fire in Bilston on 26 September. The detergent has reduced the level of oxygen in the water which resulted in the fish dying. We have no reports of further fish mortality today but are now continuing with the addition of Hydrogen Peroxide to the water to rapidly increase the level of oxygen.



The size of the incident and the amount of water that needs treating is the reason for the on going nature of this incident.



The Area Incident Room remains open