Comings and goings at a Tividale Tip

This week has seen the symbolic end phase of Rhodia/Solvay’s run at Rattlechain lagoon. What a record pantomime run it was! Starting some time in the Second World War in 1942, 71 years later the white phosphorus placed there remains.

The final few trees were scattered around the site, along the Eastern front at the borderline of the adjacent tip. This was the area where muddy p4 laced algae was deposited earlier on, together with various other spoil arisings from around the site, including the North embankment which itself was the source of the some of the worst historic exercise in toxic waste disposal.

 

 

Meanwhile, there was the opening of the Rattlechain Pier box as the electricians moved in to crank up the new pump.

 

 

For the first time since February, as far as I am aware, a swan landed on the lagoon- which is what after all, started this whole sorry affair and drew attention to what lies beneath Rattlechain lagoon.

 

 

The reason for no swans landing on the lagoon during this time- nothing to do with the unfolding works discouraging them landing- there weren’t any in the area that would have been likely to land on here during this time. The number of swans in this area has dramatically reduced. Around 2001, you could find around 20 plus flying around the Tividale area, and what the lagoon didn’t wipe out, overhead powerlines and vandalism removed the rest.

Canada goose numbers were also limited during the summer months because of the moult. We now see a regular group   starting to return as they would have every year since we first looked at this site in the 1990’s.

The smaller birds were probably  disturbed from nesting at the site when the long discharge pipe was removed. But it is worth remembering that Rhodia/Solvay and their contractors mentioned nothing about the scale of works planned for the North embankment. This was something they kept up their sleeve- because these works never had anything to do with “protecting wildfowl.” If wildfowl are now “protected”, which has yet to be proven because of the lack of birds exposed to the covered up site , it will be only be as an indirect legally binding process of waste management permit closure and surrender.

We will be keeping as close an eye on this as the birds over the coming months. The young swan didn’t really hang around for very long. A couple of upends and a circuit before taking off over the houses.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m sure The Solvay sailors will be keeping their fingers crossed that there aren’t too many mutes landing here!

Another interesting visitor to the area was this little egret on Sheepwash.

 

But imagine my surprise to see “a cockney sparra” arriving at the gates of Rattlechain.

He and Max must have tried a few pieces of wasteland before trying to dump Carl in the white transit van. Might have been a good location for an execution before the Sand and Cappenslaag arrived- who would ever have discovered a body in a waste disposal site containing white phosphorus? I wonder how police divers would have coped with this one?

You never know- 60 years of waste dumping and several metres of sediment- that would be a bit of a problem digging up wouldn’t it! I wonder if they would be able to determine the cause of death, lol 😆

Today, Friday! I arrived to see the final cabin being towed away- the bogs I believe, how apt.

 

Psalm 127

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.