A project to repair the environmental damage caused by toxic pesticide entering a 10-mile stretch of the River Kennet between Marlborough and Hungerford will be under way later this month.
Action on the River Kennet (ARK) has revealed it will be working over the next few months – and possibly years — with the Savernake Flyfishers and other river owners and managers to help to move invertebrates from healthy sections of famous chalk street into the dead areas.
“We are planning to do this to help the river to recover faster,” ARK director Charlotte Hitchmough told Marlborough News Online. We anticipate starting in mid September.
“And the impact of this human intervention will be measured by a research team from University College London.”
The pesticide that caused the disaster has been identified as Chlorpyrifos, though who was responsible for causing the pollution is unlikely to be discovered.
“It is very toxic, not just to aquatic life but also to people,” said Charlotte. “The quantity of pesticide thought to have entered the river has been estimated as just a couple of tablespoons — or just an eggcup full, which has killed almost all invertebrates from Marlborough to Hungerford.
“It now seems unlikely that the Environment Agency will be able to identify the culprit. They have told us that ‘it is like looking for a needle in a haystack’.”
The pesticide is used in arable farming, but also for managing sports pitches, golf courses, grassland and in fruit growing. In a commercial setting there are regulations and training requirements around using, storing and disposing of Chlorpyrifos.
Nevertheless, anyone can buy it online for around £30 with next day delivery.
During the purchasing process you have to tick a box to say you understand it is toxic, but there is no requirement to demonstrate that you have been trained to use it.
“I don’t know if you can buy it in garden centres — I have not looked,” added Charlotte. “It is made by an American company and is banned in some countries.”
That question has now been raised by Richard Benyon, Tory MP for Newbury, who is the environment minister responsible for river and water safety.
He is already under pressure from other MPs, including Devizes MP Claire Perry, over delays in the building of a £15 million pipeline to reduce the extraction by Thames Water of water from the Kennet for domestic use in Swindon.
“We have been talking to Claire Perry, but we have not asked her specifically to raise a question of banning Chlorpyrifos in the House of Commons because Mr Benyon is now on the case, alongside the Angling Trust,” said Charlotte.
“We will continue to keep her in touch with progress, and will support the Angling Trust in their call for a ban on domestic use of toxic substances.”
Bottoms up for Burbage Beer Festival
