Why I Pick up Litter

Some months ago in a blog post I mentioned that I try and take a plastic bag with me while river sampling and spend a few minutes before leaving picking up any litter. Link  A few people have commented about this and asked precisely why.  So here is why:

So all that litter on the road finds its way into ditches and streams eventually ending up in estuaries and  the sea.  So picking up litter really is a positive action, and next time you walk on the beach, take home some  of that rubbish that has been washed up.  Sir David Attenborough agrees:




For more information vist http://www.plasticoceans.net/

Nick Gray

Red List highlights six Irish freshwater species at risk of extinction

Pollan
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Six of Ireland’s 15 native fish species and one of its three amphibians have been included in the revised Red Data List of Irish Amphibians, Reptiles and Freshwater Fish published by the National Parks and Wildlife Service Link. The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is listed as Critically Endangered and five more fish species (pollan, Artic char, twaite shad, Killarney shad and Atlantic salmon) were found to be Vulnerable. The Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita), is classified as Endangered.

For the first time, the status of naturalised non-native fish is discussed. Two of these, dace and chub, have been identified as invasive requiring management. The report sets out management polices and actions for the preservation of Irish Amphibians, Reptiles and Freshwater Fish.

UK river quality continues to improve

The official figures for UK rivers have shown a significant improvement in overall quality with many famously polluted rivers now of good quality. There is no doubt that the new Water Framework Directive has given that extra impetus for the improvement with all agencies, landowners and other stakeholders working closely together to achieve good quality status or higher in all surface waters by 2015. Link In contrast, Irish rivers struggle to meet EU targets with EPA figures not revealing the true extent of the problem.

Environ 2011

UCC main quadrangle
Copyright UCC

The 21st Irish Environmental Researchers’ Colloquium is being held in University College Cork (UCC) from Wednesday, April 6th to Friday April 8th, 2011. With over 300 researchers and delegates from a wide variety of scientific and engineering disciplines in attendance, this is Ireland’s largest annual environmental event. Postgraduate researchers from throughout Ireland share their research offering a unique opportunity to experience the latest ideas in environmental science and technology. Most of the researchers from the Water Technology Research Group will be in attendance at this year’s colloquium. List of presentations

Swan mortalities on the Grand Canal

Seventeen dead swans were recovered from the Grand Canal in Dublin  between the 9th and 10th of March and a further ten seriously ill swans removed from between Portobello Harbour and the Suir Road Bridge. Initially it was thought this was due to Avian flu but this has subsequently been ruled out with experts now believing the cause to be a bacterial disease, most likely botulism. However, what is of concern is that this is close to the area currently being dredged and that dead fish have also been reported. The dead animals are undergoing tests at the State Laboratory although confirmation of the cause of death is not expected until the end of the month. Swans are particularly vulnerable to sudden changes in water quality and contaminated food resources, especially in urban locations on canals where they do not find it easy to move from one enclosed stretch to another. In my opinion a possible link to the dredging activity does need to be positively ruled out so that this important maintenance work can continue in future years with any necessary safeguards in place.

Weil’s Disease (Leptospirosis)

Olympic rowing champion Andy Holmes died last week after contracting Weil’s disease (leptospirosis).  This tragic news highlights the risk to all those working with water and sewage, and of course those who use inland water for recreation, from this waterborne bacterial disease.  Globally up to 10 million people contract the disease each year, although the number of reported cases of the disease in the British Isles is around 100-150 people annually, with farmers, sewage workers, freshwater ecologists and water sport participants (i.e. canoeists, wind surfers and rowers) all in the high risk category.  Advice on safe working practices for those engaged in freshwater monitoring and research can be found in sections 9.2.3 and 13.6 in Water Technology.  The primary infection route for leptospirosis is through damaged skin. So no matter how minor the damage may be (e.g. scratches, rashes etc.) ensure that the area is covered by an effective waterproof barrier if there is a possibility that the skin will come into contact with water potentially contaminated with rat urine (i.e. almost all surface waters). For more information Link.

The Coastwatch Survey 2010

The Coastwatch survey 2010 is currently taking place from the Black sea to the Baltic and the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The organization is seeking volunteers to participate as surveyors. It involves walking a chosen 500m piece of coast once around low tide, eyes peeled for lots of information set out on the questionnaire and noting down your observations. For those interested, it can also include water quality tests.  To take part in the survey use the link www.coastwatch.org where you can find the survey sheets, explanatory notes and an interactive online map to input the location of the survey.

Ballast Water and the Control of Invasive Species and Pathogens

Following on from Don's comment below there is now a large body of evidence that both invasive species and pathogens can be transferred by ballast water between ports. My previous comment really referred to the acceptance of this problem and making it part our existing barrier approach to pathogen control. There is an excellent website operated by the GEF/UNDP/IMO Global Ballast Water Management Programme (GloBallast) which is supported by the International Maritime Organization. It looks at the evidence and up to date research, including international regulations, concerning ballast water treatment and management. The site provides numerous technical reports and guidelines that can be downloaded. Link

Replacing COD with TOC

A new study published by Donata Dubber of the Water Technology Research Group.

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is widely used for wastewater monitoring, design, modelling and plant operational analysis. However this method results in the production of hazardous wastes including mercury and hexavalent chromium. The study examined the replacement of COD with total organic carbon (TOC) for general performance monitoring by comparing their relationship with influent and effluent samples from 11 wastewater treatment plants. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) was also included in the comparison as a control. The results show significant linear relationships between TOC, COD and BOD5 in settled (influent) domestic and municipal wastewaters, but only between COD and TOC in treated effluents. The study concludes that TOC can be reliably used for the generic replacement of both COD (COD = 49.2 + 3.00*TOC) and BOD5 (BOD5 = 23.7 + 1.68*TOC) in influent wastewaters but only for COD (COD = 7.25 + 2.99*TOC) in final effluents.

Dubber, D. and Gray, N.F. (2010) Replacement of chemical oxygen demand (COD) with total organic carbon (TOC) for monitoring wastewater treatment performance to minimize disposal of toxic analytical waste. J. Environ. Sci. Health, Part A, 45, (12), 1595-1600.

River Danube at Risk

A number of people have emailed me asking about the chemical nature of the sludge and its potential impact.  Little has been posted about the exact composition of the sludge except that it is very alkaline ( up to pH 13) and contains heavy metals including cadmium and chromium although in low concentrations.  These wastes are also generally rich in fluoride, sulphate and of course aluminate, but other metals such as nickel, manganese, lead arsenic etc. are also present.  Of course it is also rich in ferric oxide which gives the sludge its distinctive red colouration. The sludge now has entered the Danube which is 2,850 kilometers long and so provides a huge potential dilution for the pollution.  Croatia, Serbia and Romania have all begun testing the river every few hours with high pH values initially reported (pH 9-10) making ammonia a critical problem as it shifts into its unionized form.  Key impacts are suspected to be sedimentation of the solids, ammonia and aluminum toxicity (until pH neutralizes) and possible metal interactions.

Kolontar. Could it happen in Ireland?

Following the disaster in Kolontar, Hungary where a million cubic metres of toxic red sludge, a by-product of the refining of bauxite into alumina, escaped from a storage lagoon when its earth bund failed engulfing a 42 square kilometre area.  Efforts are underway to minimize the effects of the waste on the River Danube. Apart from being a huge human tragedy, this accident could prove to be one of the most serious river pollution episodes in recent history.  This has raised worries about the condition of mine waste storage lagoons in Ireland, where the encasement bunds have not been well maintained.