There's a warning out about Cyanide and raw sewage coming down the Trent - 
presumably could enter the canal at Alrewas 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/8293898.stm

Do watch out folk
-- 
Ian Cardinal
aka Norman the Narrowboat

Expect the river section to be closed whilst the pollution passes through.

Martin Nicholas formulated on Wednesday :
> Expect the river section to be closed whilst the pollution passes through.

When BW get round to it, nothing on their stoppage list yet and I have 
not received an email alert yet, still its only 9-30 and the BBC only 
reported it 3 hours ago, may be the EA haven't told BW

-- 
Brian traveling on Harnser
 http://nbharnser.blogspot.com/

Here's the advice from BW:

Pollution incident at Yoxall

Wednesday 7 October 2009 until further notice

We have been made aware of a serious pollution incident on the River Trent,
currently moving downstream of Yoxall. 

The Environment Agency are advising boaters, anglers and dog walkers to stay
away from the area. 

The pollution (a mix of cyanide and raw sewage) is expected to reach Burton
on Trent this afternoon (Wednesday 7 October).

Once the pollution reaches British Waterways' waters we will issue a further
update.

In article <AcZym.330465$uD.24598@en-nntp-09.am2.easynews.com>, Martin
Nicholas   on Wed, 7 Oct 2009 at 10:30:07 awoke
Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>Here's the advice from BW:
>
>Pollution incident at Yoxall
>
>Wednesday 7 October 2009 until further notice
>
>We have been made aware of a serious pollution incident on the River Trent,
>currently moving downstream of Yoxall. 
>
>The Environment Agency are advising boaters, anglers and dog walkers to stay
>away from the area. 
>
>The pollution (a mix of cyanide and raw sewage) is expected to reach Burton
>on Trent this afternoon (Wednesday 7 October).
>
>Once the pollution reaches British Waterways' waters we will issue a further
>update.
>

It would be useful to know which cyanide they are talking about.
Cyanides range from the 'ooh nasty' to relatively innocuous and even the
therapeutic.  Potassium and Sodium Cyanide will kill in very small
quantities and tend to produce hydrogen cyanide gas in relatively weak
acid conditions.

Ferro and Ferri cyanides are commonly found in dyes (eg Prussian Blue)
etc. and are not particularly poisonous.

I notice that the story also refers to raw sewage, which may well be
responsible for the fish deaths.

-- 
Nicholas David Richards - 

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

Brian on Harnser wrote:
> Martin Nicholas formulated on Wednesday :
>> Expect the river section to be closed whilst the pollution passes
>> through.
>
> When BW get round to it, nothing on their stoppage list yet and I have
> not received an email alert yet, still its only 9-30 and the BBC only
> reported it 3 hours ago, may be the EA haven't told BW

They have now and a stoppage notice issued, but at that time Brian it had 
not yet reached the BW crossing.

Mike

-- 

Mike & Krystyna Wooding
nb Draco:  http://www.draco.me.uk
Blog:  http://tinyurl.com/ybrdnto
Draco Crafts: http://www.dracocrafts.co,uk

Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
> In article <AcZym.330465$uD.24598@en-nntp-09.am2.easynews.com>, Martin
> Nicholas   on Wed, 7 Oct 2009 at 10:30:07 awoke
> Nicholas from his slumbers and wrote
>> Here's the advice from BW:
>>
>> Pollution incident at Yoxall
>>
>> Wednesday 7 October 2009 until further notice
>>
>> We have been made aware of a serious pollution incident on the River
>> Trent, currently moving downstream of Yoxall.
>>
>> The Environment Agency are advising boaters, anglers and dog walkers
>> to stay away from the area.
>>
>> The pollution (a mix of cyanide and raw sewage) is expected to reach
>> Burton on Trent this afternoon (Wednesday 7 October).
>>
>> Once the pollution reaches British Waterways' waters we will issue a
>> further update.
>>
>
> It would be useful to know which cyanide they are talking about.
> Cyanides range from the 'ooh nasty' to relatively innocuous and even
> the therapeutic.  Potassium and Sodium Cyanide will kill in very small
> quantities and tend to produce hydrogen cyanide gas in relatively weak
> acid conditions.
>
> Ferro and Ferri cyanides are commonly found in dyes (eg Prussian Blue)
> etc. and are not particularly poisonous.
>
> I notice that the story also refers to raw sewage, which may well be
> responsible for the fish deaths.

The Severn Trent Water website does not refer to raw sewage discharge

http://www.stwater.co.uk/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.3712

I very much doubt that it is raw sewage or the oxygen demand on the river 
from a works the size of Strongford would have resulted in extreme fish 
kills due to the oxygen demand imposed on the river and the TV reports would 
definitely have shown shoals of dead fish - much more photogenic than 
talking heads.

Despite a discharge of cyanide to the sewer, the inlet screens and the 
primary tanks at the works would still operate and reduce the strength of 
the discharge to the watercourse.

Cyanide is toxic to the community of bacteria in the activated sludge 
process which help to remove the dissolved waste components that impose an 
oxygen demand. It will be this part of the process that is affected.

In message <SJ3zm.41763$UJ3.19756@newsfe13.ams2>, Clot 
 writes
>
>I very much doubt that it is raw sewage or the oxygen demand on the river
>from a works the size of Strongford would have resulted in extreme fish
>kills due to the oxygen demand imposed on the river and the TV reports would
>definitely have shown shoals of dead fish - much more photogenic than
>talking heads.
>
Raw sewage was mentioned on the R4 report early this morning.

-- 
David Long
Sankey Canal Restoration Society http://www.scars.org.uk/
A Road to Wigan Pier Webcam: http://www.scars.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/webcam/
St. Mary's Church: http://www.acny.org.uk/venue.php?V=15337&P=1

David Long wrote:
> In message <SJ3zm.41763$UJ3.19756@newsfe13.ams2>, Clot
>  writes
>>
>> I very much doubt that it is raw sewage or the oxygen demand on the
>> river from a works the size of Strongford would have resulted in
>> extreme fish kills due to the oxygen demand imposed on the river and
>> the TV reports would definitely have shown shoals of dead fish -
>> much more photogenic than talking heads.
>>
> Raw sewage was mentioned on the R4 report early this morning.

I hope and suspect that their comment is incorrect.

Journalists often get this sort of thing wrong no matter how well briefed.

A journalist who had worked with the New Scientist for many years, despite a 
University researcher and myself correcting the individual prior to 
publication, got the cart before the horse reporting on some work that we 
were doing with the result that I and the researcher had a hard time with 
our peers until the NS published a letter explaining the issue. Nowadays, 
the NS has a small item hidden near the back at the end of the Letters 
section that corrects cock ups in previous issues. I happen to have at hand 
the 05/09/09 issue which has three corrections in it, which is about par for 
the course.

When working with the Health and Safety Executive many years ago to produce 
an informational leaflet about possible AIDs health risks associated with 
working with wastewater, one of the HSE staff blew the issue out of all 
proportion. Fortunately that was not made significantly worse by any 
irresponsible journalists.

The "press office" of the Environment Agency published an incorrect 
statement on their website that could have had serious repercussions. 
Fortunately, due to a longstanding professional working relationship with 
various EA staff members, I was able to get the publication revised within 
hours.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant. I hope that it is read as objective and 
informative.

In article <GS7zm.26940$s13.20669@newsfe02.ams2>, Clot
  on Wed, 7 Oct 2009 at 22:37:41 awoke Nicholas
from his slumbers and wrote
>David Long wrote:
>> In message <SJ3zm.41763$UJ3.19756@newsfe13.ams2>, Clot
>>  writes
>>>
>>> I very much doubt that it is raw sewage or the oxygen demand on the
>>> river from a works the size of Strongford would have resulted in
>>> extreme fish kills due to the oxygen demand imposed on the river and
>>> the TV reports would definitely have shown shoals of dead fish -
>>> much more photogenic than talking heads.
>>>
>> Raw sewage was mentioned on the R4 report early this morning.
>
>I hope and suspect that their comment is incorrect.
>
>Journalists often get this sort of thing wrong no matter how well briefed.
>
>
That is true however the EA  press release states:

"Severn Trent Water has confirmed that cyanide entered the Strongford
Sewage Treatment Works in Stoke-on-Trent.

This disrupted the treatment process, allowing partially treated sewage
to be released into the River Trent."

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/111616.aspx?
-- 
Nicholas David Richards - 

"Où sont les neiges d'antan?"

Nicholas D. Richards wrote:
> In article <GS7zm.26940$s13.20669@newsfe02.ams2>, Clot
>   on Wed, 7 Oct 2009 at 22:37:41 awoke Nicholas
> from his slumbers and wrote
>> David Long wrote:
>>> In message <SJ3zm.41763$UJ3.19756@newsfe13.ams2>, Clot
>>>  writes
>>>>
>>>> I very much doubt that it is raw sewage or the oxygen demand on the
>>>> river from a works the size of Strongford would have resulted in
>>>> extreme fish kills due to the oxygen demand imposed on the river
>>>> and the TV reports would definitely have shown shoals of dead fish
>>>> - much more photogenic than talking heads.
>>>>
>>> Raw sewage was mentioned on the R4 report early this morning.
>>
>> I hope and suspect that their comment is incorrect.
>>
>> Journalists often get this sort of thing wrong no matter how well
>> briefed.
>>
>>
> That is true however the EA  press release states:
>
> "Severn Trent Water has confirmed that cyanide entered the Strongford
> Sewage Treatment Works in Stoke-on-Trent.
>
> This disrupted the treatment process, allowing partially treated
> sewage to be released into the River Trent."
>
> http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/111616.aspx?

Thanks for the information. When I looked at the EA site this a.m. that 
information wasn't present. I could not determine when during the day it was 
posted. It confirms what I expected. Still not good for the watercourse but 
nowhere near as devastating as an equivalent volumetric release of raw 
sewage into the Trent would have been.

Nicholas D. Richards explained :
> In article <GS7zm.26940$s13.20669@newsfe02.ams2>, Clot
>   on Wed, 7 Oct 2009 at 22:37:41 awoke Nicholas
> from his slumbers and wrote
>> David Long wrote:
>>> In message <SJ3zm.41763$UJ3.19756@newsfe13.ams2>, Clot
>>>  writes
>>>> 
>>>> I very much doubt that it is raw sewage or the oxygen demand on the
>>>> river from a works the size of Strongford would have resulted in
>>>> extreme fish kills due to the oxygen demand imposed on the river and
>>>> the TV reports would definitely have shown shoals of dead fish -
>>>> much more photogenic than talking heads.
>>>> 
>>> Raw sewage was mentioned on the R4 report early this morning.
>> 
>> I hope and suspect that their comment is incorrect.
>> 
>> Journalists often get this sort of thing wrong no matter how well briefed.
>> 
>> 
> That is true however the EA  press release states:
>
> "Severn Trent Water has confirmed that cyanide entered the Strongford
> Sewage Treatment Works in Stoke-on-Trent.
>
> This disrupted the treatment process, allowing partially treated sewage
> to be released into the River Trent."
>
> http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/111616.aspx?

And this suggest it happened Monday

-- 
Brian traveling on Harnser
 http://nbharnser.blogspot.com/

Brian on Harnser wrote:
> Nicholas D. Richards explained :
>> In article <GS7zm.26940$s13.20669@newsfe02.ams2>, Clot
>>   on Wed, 7 Oct 2009 at 22:37:41 awoke Nicholas
>> from his slumbers and wrote
>>> David Long wrote:
>>>> In message <SJ3zm.41763$UJ3.19756@newsfe13.ams2>, Clot
>>>>  writes
>>>>>
>>>>> I very much doubt that it is raw sewage or the oxygen demand on
>>>>> the river from a works the size of Strongford would have resulted
>>>>> in extreme fish kills due to the oxygen demand imposed on the
>>>>> river and the TV reports would definitely have shown shoals of
>>>>> dead fish - much more photogenic than talking heads.
>>>>>
>>>> Raw sewage was mentioned on the R4 report early this morning.
>>>
>>> I hope and suspect that their comment is incorrect.
>>>
>>> Journalists often get this sort of thing wrong no matter how well
>>> briefed.
>> That is true however the EA  press release states:
>>
>> "Severn Trent Water has confirmed that cyanide entered the Strongford
>> Sewage Treatment Works in Stoke-on-Trent.
>>
>> This disrupted the treatment process, allowing partially treated
>> sewage to be released into the River Trent."
>>
>> http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/111616.aspx?
>
> And this suggest it happened Monday

Possibly over the weekend. I picked it up during the day on Monday.

Ian Cardinal wrote:
> There's a warning out about Cyanide and raw sewage coming down the
> Trent - presumably could enter the canal at Alrewas
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/8293898.stm
>
> Do watch out folk

Just picked this up and thought it might be of interest.

I'm quite surprised that they thought it necessary to make a comment.

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/oct/cyanideleak