Thursday 30 October 2008

In the Eye on China Gateway and the leak

I was a bit tied up yesterday half term and so on, so am just catching up this morning, Thanet again features in Private Eye’s rotten boroughs, the China Gateway decision and the Cyclohexanone leak feature.

My stance now is that there is sufficient evidence that putting a very dense industrial development on the source protection zones is just too risky, we can do without China Gateway but we can’t do without the water supply, or risk poisoning people.

I am hoping that the environment agency can be persuaded to review the safeguards, the Cyclohexanone leak was much more to do with the sort of thing that just happens on industrial estates than about the way industry is regulated on the underground water reservoir.

I have worked in several local factories as an engineer and at the time I had no idea that I was on top of the drinking water aquifer, and doubt that the hundreds of engineers coming and going on the site, once it is built, would all know that any spillage there would go into the water supply.

I have severe reservations about the environment agency’s competence there was all that business over not having the resources to read the China Gateway plans properly.

Then they said. “There is thought to be some control over the quality of water used for irrigation and crop washing, although this is not regulated by the Environment Agency.”

Their decision not to maintain the north Wantsum sea defences in 1953 we lost miles of railway and had the Thanet Way been there that would have gone too, this is all based on an actual sea level rise of less than 10mm they seem to have decided that if global warming won't cause a catastrophe yet they will make it happen anyway.

2 comments:

  1. I received an acknowledgement letter from Environment Agency re my request that they determine the truth about whether the pipe and vessel welds at the Pfizer Development failed the original contractual standards.

    There are team consultations going on at EA. So when I get told whether or not they are checking this out I will send you a copy of the EA letter at that time.

    I have received no acknowledgement from TDC yet (though Chief Executive Richard Samuel has taken over handling my FOI requests) about my request for information re alleged contamination incidents at Thor Chemicals and TDC yielding lead agency response to Govt departments in their regard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Rick I look forward to reading it with interest.

    I find one has to be very patient with TDC they must waste an enormous amount of time and money by just not answering simple questions in a straightforward way.

    ReplyDelete

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