Fuel in canal

[Sandra F]

Anyone any information on probable fuel spillage affecting Staffs and Worcs in Wolverhampton?

 

Clearly noticable in Newbridge area this morning, and when walking dog this lunchtime nearer Compton, very obvious in water at weir by lock, and strong smell a bit further north by the Meccano bridge.

 

And by then canal completely devoid of ducks, moorhens, coots and no doubt the other less obvious birds. Ayone know if these creatures survive fuel in the water?

[carlt]

Anyone any information on probable fuel spillage affecting Staffs and Worcs in Wolverhampton?

 

Clearly noticable in Newbridge area this morning, and when walking dog this lunchtime nearer Compton, very obvious in water at weir by lock, and strong smell a bit further north by the Meccano bridge.

 

And by then canal completely devoid of ducks, moorhens, coots and no doubt the other less obvious birds. Ayone know if these creatures survive fuel in the water?

There's no shortage of wildlife around certain marinas so they should be ok.

 

If the spillage appears serious then it should be reported to the EA.

[koukouvagia]

And by then canal completely devoid of ducks, moorhens, coots and no doubt the other less obvious birds. Ayone know if these creatures survive fuel in the water?

 

A few years ago a large floating diesel tank belonging to one of the Thames trip boat firms sank at Bermondsey. The resultant spillage was on a massive scale. Not only did thousands of litres pour into the river, but also a tug which was moored to the tank was pulled down with it.

The surface of the river was covered with fuel for the best part of half a mile. I wondered whether the PLA would pour industrial quantities of Fairy Liquid onto the spillage, but they said diesel was only a light fuel and would disperse naturally within a day or two with no damage to fish or wildlife.

I was sceptical, but after a couple of tides there was no trace.

 

[Nickhlx]

A few years ago a large floating diesel tank belonging to one of the Thames trip boat firms sank at Bermondsey. The resultant spillage was on a massive scale. Not only did thousands of litres pour into the river, but also a tug which was moored to the tank was pulled down with it.

The surface of the river was covered with fuel for the best part of half a mile. I wondered whether the PLA would pour industrial quantities of Fairy Liquid onto the spillage, but they said diesel was only a light fuel and would disperse naturally within a day or two with no damage to fish or wildlife.

I was sceptical, but after a couple of tides there was no trace.

 

 

So a few drips / tea-spoons even, from a jerry-can re-fill, aren't going to result in too big a clean up operation then ?

 

Nick

[cheshire~rose]

There was no evidence of any problem when we came through there on Sunday.

[Dutch]

No sign of anything here at Hinksford

[Smelly]

I wondered whether the PLA would pour industrial quantities of Fairy Liquid onto the spillage, but they said diesel was only a light fuel and would disperse naturally within a day or two with no damage to fish or wildlife.

I was sceptical, but after a couple of tides there was no trace.

 

However might "tides" be the word that undermines your lack of concern?

[estwdjhn]

I once had dinner with a man from the EA - he was involved in the polution control of the Macclesfield canal.

 

I asked him if diesel spills were a major problem - he said no, unless they were really really massive.

[The Toad in the Hole]

Whilst any pollution isn't good, and a canal spillage is different to a big river spill, diesel is one of the better pollutants from an environmental perspective- it does disperse quickly and doesn't cause a big threat to most wildlife - a spill of milk or silage liquor would cause much more long term damage.

 

However, I would call the EA - There was a spill from a hire boat that clobbered the drydock at Trevor a couple of years ago (I was in the dock at the time!) and the EA were out with mats and bunds pretty quickly, but the Llangollen is a different case to most canals - it's used for drinking water and has a discernable current.

[Dominic M]

An interesting point about diesel spillage though - and it doesn't take a lot on a canal - is the thread about people breaking ice removing moored boats' blacking. Diesel dissolves it. No one's mentioned that here.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Dominic M

[Chris J W]

When I went up Heartbreak Hill I stopped at the small cafe near one of the locks (I forget which, but it's one where the second of the pair of locks has been filled in and made into an overspill instead) . It's self service with quite a inflexible hose and a pump-trigger that needs both hands. So, just over a hundred litres in the tank and about 10 in the cut I thought - 'Oh, better put some washing up liquid on that...' which I did.

 

There was a lovely white plume with hundreds of bubbles from the overspill for a while ....

 

I had it explained to me another boater that there's a time and place to do the right thing and that that was neither.

 

Oppps?