More Information On Polluted Canal & Fish Death.

Here is the latest public information on the canal contianed in a press release issued by the Environment Agency and British Waterways Board. It contains a detail of the contents of the spill. Whilst not in the press release, I understand that one swan has been found dead. But the cause of its death is not known.

The Environment Agency reports "We are continuing to tackle the pollution on the canal network in Wolverhampton and Wednesfield. The contamination currently covers 4.5km of the Wyrley and Essington canal between Marlowe Drive and the M6 Bridge at Rough Wood Country Park.

The dynamics of a canal are very different to a river and we are working closely with British Waterways to understand the specifics of this canal network.

We have dispersed a plug of contamination on the Birmingham Canal by aerating the water. This was achieved by peroxide dosing and increasing the flow of water through Wolverhampton Locks. The current pollution plug is in one of the largest pounds (area between locks) on the areas canal network meaning that there is limited opportunity to increase flow and provide aeration.

We are continuing to monitor the contamination whilst aerating and containing the contaminated water. Fish require oxygen to breathe and they get that from the water. The natural breakdown of the detergents and chemicals that entered the canal after the Bilston warehouse fire uses oxygen and therefore reduces the amount of oxygen available for fish. We are continuing to aerate the water to put oxygen back into the water. The Area Incident Room remains open.

Answers to questions raised-
Why didn’t we rescue fish at Hollybank Basin?

A fish rescue is a complex operation that requires careful planning. Our fisheries team are going to be on site today (Monday) to remove fish from the canal near Rough Wood Country Park, BW staff are removing fish from Hollybank Basin. The complex nature of a fish rescue meant that we did not have sufficient staff on site over the weekend to undertake this type of operation. By attempting a fish rescue without proper planning we can make matters worse (agitation of sediments on the bed of the canal) further adding to the poor conditions for fish. Hollybank Basin has been aerated to provide oxygenated water to help the fish,

What is the pollution/what is in the water?
The contamination in the canal is a cocktail of detergents and chemicals from the Bilston warehouse fire. The process of this material breaking down in the water causes a drop in the level of dissolved oxygen in the canal.



Why can we not break down the pollution?
The contamination plug is spread over a large area of canal (4.5km). The flow of water through the canal is very slow which stops the contamination spreading but makes it difficult to aerate and peroxide dose the water. We are continuing to aerate the water using a barge along the length of the contamination.

Why can we not pump the contaminated water out of the canal?
Pumping the contaminated water from the canal is an option that is being investigated but we are dealing with extremely large quantities of water. The foul sewerage capacity in the local area is not suitable for that quantity of contaminated water. We are investigating if there is a suitable location for the water to be removed to but this needs to be fully investigated as currently the contamination is contained. Removing the water without a suitable disposal method will make the situation worse.



Rob Lunt

Communications Business Partner

Environment Agency

Midlands, Central Area