Concerns over smelly fluid discharge from landfill into River Wyre
Campaigners have raised alarms about fluid discharge
Campaigners say action should be taken against Fleetwood’ s Jameson Road Landfill site after foul-smelling fluid discharge leached into the River Wyre.
The liquid was taken away for analysis by the Environment Agency (EA) as part of its ongoing monitoring of the site.
EA says its investigations into the fluid are ongoing.
In a separate strand to the ongoing issues with this liquid and the vile odorous gas emissions which have been troubling nearby residents for almost two years, concerns have also been raised about the historic, legal despoting of “forver chemicals” at the site.
it is believed that they include PFOA from the former ICI Hillhouse industrial site in Thornton, a substance which has been linked to cancer.
Campaigner Jess Brown said residents were of the view that the EA had confirmed the fluid leaking from the south side of the site had been tested and confirmed as contaminated with chemicals.
But EA says testing of the discharge is still being carried out.
What campaigners say
Jess Brown, of campaign group Action Against Jameson Road Landfill, says any kind of chemical discharge into the River Wyre is unacceptable and she expected more to be done about it by EA.
She said: “We heard at last month’s meeting of Jameson Road Community Liaison group that the EA had told Transwaste they “need to take action.”
“Is that it? After nearly two years of us reporting it, filming it, and complaining about it, that’s all they’ve done.?“
And she said of the historic deposits from ICI: “And then we have the other contaminated water. Residents have been raising the alarm about that water since the very beginning, long before any of these agencies acknowledged it.
“There has also been the Panorama programme about ICI.So many residents have put in a huge amount of effort — gathering evidence, photos, videos, reports. This community has done the work the authorities should’ve done.
“Transwaste has always said all the toxic waste ICI used to dump is in “Phase 1” so they don’t have to test for certain chemicals. The EA and Wyre Council and LCC every authority just repeat the same line.
“They’ve known from the start what was on that land. We all have. The operators have disturbed god knows what from when ICI dumped forever chemicals and everything else on that site.
“Yet they still say hydrogen sulphide is the only issue. Hydrogen sulphide is bad enough, but what about the gases and chemicals you can’t smell? What about the long-term risks they never talk about?”
The campaigners are calling for the site to be closed down because of the vile odour, the potential health impact of these emissions and the fact that the River Wyre is being polluted by chemicals.
What EA says
The Environment Agency said of the liquid discharge at the site: “We received several reports of a small liquid discharge pooling at the southern edge of the landfill boundary.
“We have sampled this discharge and our investigations are ongoing. We directed the operator to carry out work to prevent further discharge and remediation.
“We are confident in the engineering standards of the current active landfill area and the site is fully lined, which is in place to prevent leachate escaping.
“Any leachate within the containment area is collected and sent off site for treatment. “
of the historic use of the lanbdm the EA said: “There are more historic areas around the current active landfill that would not have benefitted from modern landfill engineering standards.
“We recognise that the Hillhouse area of Thornton-Cleveleys, including its surroundings, has a complex industrial history
“We understand that third party testing was carried out in the areas surrounding the landfills and we asked for those results to be shared with us. We are working to better understand the potential sources of these discharges.
“These areas are not part of the current ongoing investigation into legacy contamination associated with the current AGCCE Ltd site being carried out by the Environment Agency on behalf of Wyre Council. “
On contaminated land investigations, the EA added: “Local councils have a statutory duty to inspect their areas to identify contaminated land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
“This includes historic landfills where emissions cause an unacceptable risk to health and the environment.
“Local councils also have the duty to require those responsible to remediate sites determined as contaminated land.
“This responsibility passes to the Environment Agency for contaminated land sites which local councils have also designated as Special Sites in accordance with the Contaminated Land Regulations .”
Transwaste comment
A spokesman for site operator Transwate said: “There are two phases to the site – the old Phase 1 (outer horseshoe) and the newer inner Phase 2.
“The old Phase 1 pre-dates Transwaste and is an old dilute and dispersed site which was inherited as a capped and completed site. Our obligations there are to maintain the external landscaping (trees and grass) and manage the gas and leachate extraction systems.
“Gas is extracted and burned to generate renewable electricity. Leachate is extracted and pumped to the onsite leachate treatment site before being pumped to United Utilities for final treatment and disposal.
“The whole process is enclosed with no exposure to the external environment. Whilst this site is closed and non-operational, it is still subject to an Environment Agency permit and as such is independently monitored to Environment Agency standards.
“The newer Phase 2 is a non-hazardous site which consists of 9 existing and proposed cells. Cells 1-5 were built by Suez to Environment Agency containment standards. This means they are lined with clay and an impermeable geo-textile liner at the base and then capped with a further impermeable geotextile liner, then a layer of clay and then soils on top so that they are completely sealed.
“Cells 1-4 are now permanently capped. Cell 5 is temporarily capped but will be permanently capped once it has reached its approved contours. Cell 6 has been built by Transwaste to Environment Agency CQA2 standards as outlined above.
“Design and construction of the cells has to be approved and is closely monitored by the EA. Cell 7 is in the process of being engineered. Any PFAS/PFOA disposal predates Transwaste operations at the site and would not be part of Phase 2, as Phase 2 is a non-hazardous site and is not able to accept such waste.
“All waste tipped at Jameson Road is screened at a waste transfer station beforehand to remove any recyclables and ensure that it conforms to the EA permit.
“The Watershed Investigations test was undertaken in the inter-tidal area which is regularly submerged by the river. The River Wyre is known to have high levels of PFOA contamination as a legacy of the chemical industry, so a PFOA reading is not unexpected.
“To put this into context, the test result showed 560ng/l whereas as the River Wyre when tested in 2021 had levels of PFAS/PFOA measured at 12,100ng/l, with fish in the river containing 11,000ng/l.
“As a legacy of the chemical industry, the Wyre Estuary has previously been shown to have the highest levels of PFAS contamination in the UK.
“The old Phase 1 is capped with an impermeable layer of clay to prevent water ingress. Any surface water run-off would be rainwater running off the site as it had not been able to penetrate the impermeable clay capping.”