Response to oil spillage in river praised

Response to oil spillage in river praised

16 September 2015

A POLLUTION incident at the Glasswater River in Crossgar is being blamed on a leak from a home heating oil tank.

The Environment Agency was alerted to the incident last Wednesday after a member of the public raised the alarm when he spotted a thin film of oil on the water close to Cedar Integrated Primary School.

Environment Agency officials who inspected the river shortly after they were notified confirmed the presence of oil and were able to ascertain the discharge occurred 400 metres from Crossgar.

The following morning, water quality inspectors identified a storm sewer in the vicinity of Cedar Primary as the point where the oil was discharging into the river. An oil absorbent boom was deployed and remains in place as a mitigation measure against further oil discharge.

The Environment Agency said the spillage was “almost certainly” home heating oil which is most likely to have come from tank failure at a domestic property.

The organisation confirmed the storm sewer from which the oil was discharged served a significant housing area and, despite major efforts, the specific property involved has not yet been identified. The Agency said it will continue with its investigations in a bid to trace the source of the spillage.

Local councillor Terry Andrews, praised the Environment Agency’s prompt response to the incident. He said it seems clear the spillage was not deliberate.

“The spillage was spotted by a concerned member of the public who made contact with me. I immediately raised the issue with the Environment Agency which deployed staff to inspect the river last Wednesday evening.

”Water quality inspectors returned the following morning and I am glad this incident does not appear to have had a major impact on the river. Environment Agency officials responded quickly when the alarm was raised and deserve praise for their prompt response.”

He added: “The member of the public who spotted the spillage deserves credit. The fact water quality inspectors were deployed so soon prevented the situation from getting worse. The spill was contained. No fish have been killed and I hope the owner of the faulty tank can be traced so the necessary repairs can be carried out.

“Given there are so many houses in the area it may be difficult to trace the source of the leak. However, I have every confidence water quality inspectors will be tenacious in their efforts to locate the house from where the oil spilled.”

A DoE spokeswoman said another visit to the Glasswater River on Monday confirmed there was no visible oil remaining.

She added: “Whilst there was no fish kill in respect of this incident and the environmental impact was assessed as low, the Environment Agency would remind householders of the importance of checking the integrity of their domestic oil tanks, particularly as winter approaches and the tanks topped up.”