The long term effects of oils spills can cause damage years after any spill ever occurred, with some of the wildlife never returning to it’s original home creating irreversible effects to the eco system. This effect can continue to cause devastating effects to the wildlife
and those that rely on area for agricultural means for decades. The short term effects of oil can smother fish resulting in depleting fish stocks. The plants surrounding local rivers and streams absorb oil through the roots destroying any vegetation and the animals that survive around these rivers could be poisoned by the oil waste.

As a polluter there are severe consequences. There is legislation that states ‘If the spillage goes into the groundwater network, then any costs incurred by the Enviromental Agency, will be recovered from the polluter. POLLUTER PAYS POLICY

Not only do you have to cover the costs of by the environment agency, you have to cover the on going costs to restore the river or lake back to its natural habitat. This isn’t a one off payment, if the fish, plants and wildlife don’t take straight away, then you have to slowly keep applying until it’s restored to natural order.

There are many different pollutants that are harmful to our water ways, oils and chemicals being obvious ones, however kitchen waste can also cause many problems. An largely unknown devastating pollutant is milk, it contains bacteria a living organism, it grows when within the water, deoxygenating the water and killing the fish. This is why is vital to have Pollution Prevention procedures in place. It is better to prevent the spill from happening that to be clearing it up.

‘‘A British food producer was fined £8,000 for discharging dirty effluent into a stream at Boston. It was also ordered to pay full Environment Agency costs of over £4,000. The Environment Agency sample testing indicated that the stream was likely to have been polluted for more than a few days which had a significant effect on invertebrates in the water. Although this incident happened more than a year ago the natural wildlife is still being monitored to ensure there are no further adverse effects”. Could you afford to be in the same situation?

Spills are preventable, if you have suitably trained staff, monitoring equipment for all your interceptors and drain closures devices to make sure that any pollutants are never allowed to reach the river. To find out about your obligations you download the latest Pollution Prevention Guidelines here

If you would like to read more about the Water Resources Act. You can read the most recently amended one here.

References:

http://www.oiltanktub.com/expert/pdf/Ontario_Mutual_Insurance_Association.pdf

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/57/section/161D

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/138474.aspx?page=2&month=3&year=2012

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/3104/contents/made

Hose pipe bans are already being considered and the farming industry has raised concerns on a lack of water causing an unhealthy crop.

The government and organisations are looking at ways in which the impact of this drought can be reduced with many investigating alternative, short and long term solutions.

Individuals can make a difference:

• Take a short shower and not a bath

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth

• Water the plants with a watering can and not a hose pipe

• Only use the washing machine and dishwasher when full.

Individually these small changes can make a big difference, not only to the conservation of water but also to the cost of your water bills.

Commercially there are many things that can be done and the installation of a Rainwater Harvesting System is an extremely effective way to reduce water consumption. The building industry is already starting to tackle the longer term problem, by installing rainwater harvesting tanks in new build developments in both residential and commercial ventures. This system provides excellent use of rainwater in grey water utilities.
Interestingly www.waterguide.org.uk states that “Business owners can claim 100% tax relief on rainwater harvesting systems under the enhanced capital allowance scheme as long as the product is approved on the water technologies list and a typical domestic rain harvesting system can yield up to 70% of the non-potable water needs of an average family of 4, with a typical pay back period of 3 years”

When we consider the benefits of water conservation it makes sense to make the changes now. Some water providers state that the if usage continues at its existing rate then water shortages and restrictions could become a permanent fixture in some parts of the UK.

For more information on rainwater harvesting click here

Although anti-freeze will naturally breakdown within a few weeks it is important to acknowledge that by this point the damage can have already been done. Anti-freeze spilt on gardens will kill most plant life and an estimated 10,000 cats and dogs are accidentally poisoned annually. High concentrates of anti-freeze released into the watercourse can damage the natural eco systems and kill fish. Toxic levels can be found in high volume traffic areas such as runways and motorways.

Obviously the airports and highway agencies have to use large quantities of antifreeze and grit in order to keep the country moving, unfortunately these chemicals move from tarmac to the earth and drains very quickly and once mixed with water can be very hard to detect to ensure safe disposal. Current detection systems can be expensive and ineffective and many agencies are looking at ways in which we can reduce the impact anti-freeze has on the environment.

Unknowingly to many consumers there are two kinds of anti-freeze; there are propylene glycol based products, which are biodegradable, anti-corrosive, and recyclable, and work just as well as the highly toxic ethylene glycol antifreeze. The difference being is that the second of the two is slightly cheaper. Our advice too all consumers is to ensure you use propylene based products and ensure that any waste anti-freeze is disposed of correctly.

The Environment Agency has produced a guide for business in the storage and disposal of anti-freeze with the use of drain sealants and secondary containment systems in order to prevent leaks. For more information click here.

For more information on anti-freeze detection and disposal please contact us.

How they work

The Control Unit continually monitors the condition of the probe units attached by checking their condition approximately every 30 minutes. The current status is then displayed via the LCD on the front of the unit. If an alarm condition is detected, a warning message is displayed. After the Separator has been emptied and refilled with water, the control re-scans the probe sensors attached and presuming no alarm condition is detected ‘All Correct’ will be displayed.

Your Options

CHECKVALVE™ APPLICATION
• Ability to contain large heads of water
• Site can be sealed inside three seconds
• Can be ATEX approved for discharge to combined or foul sewers

IMPLEMENTATION
Able to be multi-activated and used as a proactive measure to guard against pollution in areas such as:
• Sealing site when deliveries are being made
• Weekly fire defence checks
• Can act as a Non return valve against flooding risk

REDUCED WASTE MANAGEMENT COSTS
Decanting valve option to enable quick & effective waste removal

ALERT & ACTIVATION OPTIONS
Choose from a combination of:
• Manual – push button
• GSM – text activation
• Automated – through the fitting one or all of pH, turbidity, odour sensors
• Fire Alarm – link the system to your fire alarm for immediate remote closure

POWER OPTIONS
A choice of mains, battery or solar panel available to minimise civils work required
INSTALLATION
Can be retrospectively fitted to drainage system where required

INTEGRATED SYSTEMS
Can be integrated into other systems such as SCADA or Building Management Systems

KEY INFORMATION

• Removes water from sumps at a minimum rate
• of145 litres/min
• Available to be used within zoned areas
• Fast return on investment
• Low maintenance required
• GSM Alert option
• Uses conductivity probes to contain pollutant in sump
• Enables a discharge rate of <5mg of oil per litre
• (5 parts per million)
• Available as single or double units
• Reduces Waste Management Costs
• Provides a safe & dry work area
• Provides 110% bund capacity at all times
• Ensures site compliance with PPG’s

The Bund Water Control Unit works 365 days a year, 24hours a day as it works to keep your bunded area dry and free from oil contamination. It works by detecting the difference between oil & water and pumping away the water into the surface water drainage system or a soak away. This allows for economical and effective waste removal and will have
the added benefit of reducing your disposal costs whilst protecting the bund from disintegration. The units are situated in a range of applications from substations to oil bunds to underground lift shafts.

To find out more about the Bund Water Control Units please contact us

How they work
The Control Unit continually monitors the condition of the probe units attached by checking their condition approximately every 30 minutes. The current status is then displayed via the LCD on the front of the unit. If an alarm condition is detected, a warning message is displayed. After the Separator has been emptied and refilled with water, the control re-scans the probe sensors attached and presuming no alarm condition is detected ‘All Correct’ will be displayed.

Your Options

The performance of all of Aquasentry’s products can be enhanced by the use of the wireless technology whether it be linking it another piece of equipment or using it to monitor and alert over large distances or zoned areas. It also helps to reduce risks from a Health & Safety and Environmental perspective.

The equipment is supplied with a years battery life and a unique secure one-way radio protocol with over 4-billion addresses, rolling code and CRC check sum that ensures that wherever the equipment is installed it cannot interfere with any other equipment. You can have both GSM and Email alerts, with it also being connected to the Web Interface

The Control of Pollution (oil storage) Regulations 2001 stipulate that an oil-tight secondary containment system, such as a bund, must have the capacity and integrity to contain a leak should one occur.

PPG2 states bunds must be protected with a lining to make it impermeable to oil and water, and there should be no direct outlet. The secondary containment system must provide storage of at least 110% of the tanks maximum capacity.

To ensure compliance it is essential that bunds are inspected regularly and that any defects identified in the bund wall or lining are repaired promptly. It is imperative that any draw-off or fill pipes that pass through the bund wall are adequately sealed, and are regularly emptied and cleaned to maintain the bund capacity.

Aquasentry offers a full range of bund maintenance packages, which include:
• Inspection and cleaning
• Surface decontamination
• Bund wall and substrate repairs
• Bund wall and substrate preparation
• Bund specific sealing and coating systems