What Lies Beneath Rattlechain Lagoon?

Today saw the packing up of several familiar “new” landmarks at Rattlechain lagoon. The yellow Klaar container was on the back of a truck by dinnertime. I arrived just in time to see Willemena being hoisted onto the back of another.

Optimus Grime

We are supposed to believe that the sediment has now been dredged in both the large and smaller lagoons.  It is garbage, but yet the Environment agency will no doubt accept this as gospel because Rhodia/ERM have told them so. If they believe that there is no longer any contamination of white phosphorus or anything else in the smaller lagoon, confirmed in the HPA human health risk assessment, then they really are dimmer than I know they are already.

Disconnecting “the bed” from the bed.

The whole exercise is a joke and a pantomime show, which is why this blog has lampooned the new found altruistic intentions of Solvay as they now appear to call themselves,and  the progressing “work”  right from the start, and will continue to do so.  Indeed you have difficulty establishing WHO you are actually seeing or dealing with in connection to this site if you view the rival website to this one (reactive not proactive again), until you look at the contact us page- Rhodia still apparently.

Works on the North embankment were never discussed at the drop in session in January. They have now been slipped into the narrative (note that the embankment works  are not in the glossy photoshop images of how the site will look in a few months/years time).  These works together with the cheap burying exercise  are in the restoration options of Rhodia’s closure plan for the site submitted to the Environment Agency which is the real purpose of these works. The Heyrman de roeck website even mentions “restoring the dyke” as part of their subcontracted task- nothing about bloody birds. So why are they trying to push it as “protecting birds” or even anything else, – they look ridiculous and will only appear to continue to look ridiculous to their international peers until they admit to the real purpose of these works. WHO are they trying to fool- the local residents who could not give a toss about the birds on the lake? What is the problem- a face saving exercise, or is it late in the day guilt?

Rhodia/Solvay management- many of them EX Albright and Wilson have never admitted that white phosphorus is poisoning birds on this site, some of them would still try to blame it on just about anything else.  Indeed they appear to still be in denial and you would think that they have just arrived on this hazardous waste site as though they knew nothing about its history and are now tasked with “clearing it up”.

Throughout the time when we were asking questions, writing letters, making phonecalls- nothing but denial- and we are presenting this on this website as irrefutable evidence of this apathy and denial- as well as that of their regulator. They would like everyone to forget this or pretend it had never have happened- but it did, and we won’t forget that or let them forget it either.

They have never said “sorry”, have never shown any remorse that their company poisoned wildfowl on this site, never admitted anything that they did was responsible. It’s a small word, but also a fairly meaningless one to corporate entities like Rhodia/Solvay.

Indeed they have now started to use the wildfowl as pawns in their newsletters- and will no doubt do so when any return to this wretched hole when they have finished with their carpet weave deception.

The boreholes, newly installed are for “long term monitoring” of the closure plan- nothing to do with “protecting wildfowl.”

As for ERM, we have not really gone there yet with them fellas, but their monitoring of this site will form the eventual babystep to the sites sell off, when “protecting wildfowl” will be dropped and we will then be expected to believe that established fundamentals of chemistry and science have not appeared in this case and that no phosphine gas is being emitted from the site heavily contaminated with white phosphorus, so that more houses can be built on contaminated land in Sandwell.

And where will Solvay be then- “anonymously” blending back into the corridors of Trinity Street with the holy ghost that they left behind down the road.

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Internal viewing essential. DSS accepted. (please! we are desperate)

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Thank goodness the Heyrmans survived the sixth hour of the sixth day of the sixth month of the year thirteen. The only sacrifices were the trees as Napoleon and Bonaparte set about inserting them into the newy imported chipper.

Wee willie once again caried off the junk, and tipped them towards the Southern area of the site.

Friday saw the import of Goldmember onto the smaller lagoon- did he levitate over the causeway path or was it lowered again?

My what a big one

Up and down went the head as the sound of rattling in the vacuum like rear nozzle was audible around the rattlechain lagoon. Was it picking up old bricks with the weed?

And on the larger lagoon after it had passed around the elaborate pipe network, an ominous bubbling could be seen underneath the double bed.

But it was only a matter of time before the strain began to tell on the poor overworked fellow. From his back vessel a spurt of water began to spew and the Heyrmans onboard looked temporarily perplexed.

Disappearing below deck there was much banging, and prodding and probably a little Dutch swearing until the leak appeared to be fixed.

Mini member to the rescue

An exploration of Goldmember reveals a veiny mass of metal and hoses. If you ever wondered what the Terminator’s flexed “special part” looked like it would probably be something like Goldmembers. And though not yet taking human form he will no doubt be back in action tomorrow.

Another week and plodding progress around the smaller lagoon, that back in the day used to be refered to as “the clean side” lagoon- what a joke that one was to prove. Monday afternoon revealed Napoleon to be perched on the spud barge, which appears to be anchored by either he or Bonaparte wacking the hell out of one of the two metal pins to make them drop.

the weed being wound up like green spaghetti on a fork to the barge.

Plenty of splashing around but not really a great quantity yielded by the looks of it. Today it appeared that it had found its way onto the pile in the south side of the beach area.

It also appears that the cad digger has acquired a butch tattoo

Grrrrrrrr

Bonaparte on the otherhand is starting to show the strain of the campaign, now into its fourth month- has it really been that long since the first toxic sod on the South embankment was cut, well I never!

The Summer is virtually here and soon Tipton will be enjoying its range of community festivals. It must be interesting to the Dutch visitors carrying out the work on the lagoon on behalf of Rhodia/Solvay/ERM the quaintness of the English customs, and those of the local Tipton area. There are the maypole dancing activities, which usually involve the erection of a large metal pole, usually acquired from a local source.

Then there are activities involving animals, collected from various sources, and very often horses living in the kitchens of the local folk. The drinking of mead and the dropping of undergarments with men and fair? maidens dissappearing into bushes. It would perhaps be a disservice to describe Tipton as “The place where God’s underpants were found”, but if Soddom and Gomorrah were still around perhaps it would be twinned with them both.

I must say I have grown accustomed to the faces of The Heyrmans on the site, and now that they appear to outnumber the birds left at Rattlechain, I have started to note their individual behaviours and that they are a jovial bunch of chaps. With a little singing, a little dancing and the merry pitter patter of commands issued in Dutch with accompanying sign language  it could be possible courtship rituals- (no female Heyrmans detected on site but it’s a broad minded country).

The Heyrmans take a break

But as Summer nears and each day passes in the Tipton heat, I do fear for their safety. Indeed each day in my diary in the immortal words of Brian Hanrahan issued during  the Falklands War “I counted them all out, and I counted them all back.” For there is a dark presence in the area that worship “heathen Gods”. I am not sure that the trusting Heyrmans were told this in their contracts by The Lairds of Trinity Street.  In fact the signs are starting to look quite ominous that something is about to happen soon. Today Bonaparte and his handler had obviously been instructed to round up the wood pile of felled trees on the North embankment.

These were then placed systematically onto the spud barge.

 Later in the day, it was a ruddy big pile, which started to tower over the surrounding landscape. Tomorrow I expect it to be moved again- once more the Heyrmans being lulled into a false sense of security about what is about to happen to them. Their next task will be to construct it into the shape of a giant man, used in another daft “trial” experiment to scare away birds from the lagoon. And they will still think that they are still carrying out ERM/Rhodia/ Solvay’s phase work when

If a child goes “missing” in the area after following a pied piper- please Heyrmans get away whilst you still can, and do not go looking for them for it will be a trap, take heed  before the clans of Tipton descend on the Rattlechain lagoon for their summer sacrifice.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FOREMAN WHO CARRIED OUT THE TASK OF REMEDIATING ALBRIGHT AND WILSON’S GOWER TIP AT LOWER CITY ROAD!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEOQqnHMSMc

On the serious side unfortunately hired Foreign help is something that the chemical industry (Albright and Wilson in particular) liked to carry out- with dire consequences. I do fear for the long term health of anyone exposed to toxic chemicals, regardless of what “protective ” equipment is given to them when usually the instruction and the risk is not communicated transparently.

http://www.irwinmitchell.com/newsandmedia/2009/january/search-for-ex-workmates-after-oldbury-man-exposed-to-asbestos

 Former Agriculture minister Jack Cunningham, (Baron Cunningham of Felling)was a former paid industrial policy adviser for many years to Albright and Wilson and had in his constituency their polluting Whitehaven factory, now dismantled. His advice must have been extremely poor given the demise of this company not long after in 2000. Here’s a little bit of info on some funny goings on from the past.

Shamelessly jumping on the bandwagon, I just wanted to share that following his suspension today from the Labour party.

“Bottoms up to Albright and Wilson.”

He did ask one interesting question at least in 1989 about pollution by water companies which shows just how bad Severn Trent water really are.- but not as bad as Albright and Wilson!

Lobbying is all that is corrupt about politics in Britain today and it has been going on for too long- the chemical/pharmaceutical  industry being a major player.

Now I’ve got that off my chest to matters concerning the toxic lagoon. The giant Bonaparte removed some boreholes on the North side of the pool from by the embankment and carried off his prize to join the rest of the remaining scrap pile on the Southern side.

Inexorably we are moving to what can only be described as “the bollocks” of the operation- the dredging and disturbance of uncharaterised waste in the smaller lagoon, the purpose of which has not been satisfactorily explained- when it is not going to be capped thereafter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxXm8Ys3jMY

It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s not got to do it. The former pipe pontoons have been disapperaing out of view, but where are they going I wonder? At the “Exhibition” in January- (see post 1) it was intimated to us that they would be going in the drink with just about everything else in the North part of the lagoon. Out of sight, out of mind (at least for Rhodia/Solvay).

It had also been claimed in the joint ERM/Rhodia “newsletter” that the pipe had been “decontaminated. ” So why were these employees dressed in full face masks and protective overalls and gloves busily scrubbing the undersides that had sat in the sediment for so long?

DJ Solvay on the mixing decks

Hose-a

Hose-B

 It just surprises me that Rhodia managed to fork out for the PPE and not issue its staff/contractors with  toothbrushes and a couple of tubes of Colgate blue minty gel to leave the pontoons “All bright and shiny.”

Elsewhere today Napoleon got amphibious  again on the spud barge. Thrashing about water and watched by some of the Heyrman’s in the Orange boat.

For the last few days the website has been stuck on “Nelson” at 111 pages. Today a few more were added connected to military matters.

There is a saying that “one volunteer is worth ten pressed men”.

New life! This week appears to be the main hatching week for many wildfowl, particularly swans. The prolonged cold snap dosen’t appear to have affected many sitting birds’ nests as some had feared, and there are some evidently large broods about.

The coots are the architects of the wildfowl nesters. They will collect every stick,  branch or piece of vegetation they can carry as well as acquiring all the human litter they can find, plastic bags, crisp packets, even condoms. All get built into the mound, a giant castle in the water for such a small bird. Sometimes swans even steal the base of coot nests as they make a spacious extension to the foundations.

They are also fearless and excellent parent birds.

The armada

All aboard

A far cry from rattlechain lagoon. This week has largely been a tarting up exercise as far as the ongoing works go. A walkable circle has now been completed around the edge of the main pool with the completion of earth moving on the East embankment. In fact a number of distinct levels or “circles” have now been achieved.

Bonaparte scrapping the barrel and a man for scale.

 Elsewhere this week, I make it week 14 of the French/Belgian/Dutch campaign, more action from Goldmember and movement around the lake of the upturned double bed connected at the other end.

 And races between minimember and Gullit around the lake

You certainly could not get lost in the trees anymore around the lake and there is a plan behind this designed by commerce and not nature. The life of this tip is by no means finished – mark my words they are prophecy of the things to come.

“ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE”

The Birmingham New Mainline canal between Birmingham and Wolverhampton was built for business. Designed by Thomas Telford, by 1838 the New Main Line was complete: 22⅝ miles of slow canal reduced to 15⅝; between Birmingham and Tipton, a lock-free dual carriageway. It was also called the Island Line as it was cut straight through the hill at Smethwick known as the Island.

I could go into a long history lesson about this but this is not the point of this blog.

 The badger below was seen floating dead near Dudley Port a couple of days ago. I wonder if it was one displaced from the rattlechain as a consequence of the works? Telford canals are not wildlife friendly at all. The sides are too steep for anything to climb out of. They are a menace; a straight flight for two legged vermin on wheels to churn up paths, and a watery graveyard for mammals. I once counted 6 dead foxes between Tipton and Smethwick in one bike ride along this trail. Unfortunately the plight of the urban animal or bird is one which the great and the bad simply do not care about. They have no vote potential, they have no newsworthyness.

Urban wildlife does not have many friends. The RSPCA is perhaps the best of a bad bunch when it comes to the “top table” animal charities. Most of them are there for educational purposes and making money to further their own enterprises and sell merchandise. 

The politician is rarely on the side of wildlife but there were a few like Tony Banks who did care passionately and speak out against the intrusion and protection of business- particularly dirty business.

 It’s just a shame that there are few media outlets or newspapers that are pro wildlife. There are some that are so anti wildlife because they are also pro -business which means that if a farmer is going to be out of pocket as a result of TB (badger blamed), then brock will get the flack with a subtle run of stories about how they are digging up pensioners gardens and loosening the foundations, or even human graves.

Similarly we have had a run of stories about savage urban foxes entering houses and biting babies after the passing of anti hunt legislation. This has entirely been concocted by the pro hunt countryside lobby media who attempt to lobby the white middle class urban dweller. This dying breed, with a passion for all things 1950’s and rose tinted glass tales of king and country, days when religion mattered and when they thought that “British was best” are themselves a dying breed. They know this, but choose to sublimate their swansong days with attacks on “non native species”, usually using the “it’s killing our native species” argument (i.e they feel that they are being killed). But when these native species affect business, they become public enemy number one, and then we here the cry of “lets’s cull it”. Fox, badger, bird, deer,boar,otter etc etc.

The countryside matters whereas “brownfield land” is fine to build on- even that that has naturally greened without a bricklayer in sight to produce an oasis for urban wildlife- (this does not include rattlechain lagoon which has acted as a venus flytrap for wild birds).

But take a train ride through this important countryside and you will find delapidated farm buildings, slurry pits, piled plastic barrels of pesticides, broken tractors and agricultural machinery, doted with some livestock in fields where the money is to be made through subsidy. We here all the time in the media, some of it urbanly local that we must “protect the greenbelt”, wheras brownfield land is “ripe for development”. So it is fine for 5% of the population to own 90% of the land and enjoy the solitude and view whilst the rest are packed like rats with ever diminishing prospects of hope amongst the sprawl. The brownfield sites are the last places left for urban wildlife- and they are disappearing to fuel the pompous economy myth that building more houses will fix the problems caused by corrupt businessmen and their confederates in the housing markets who caused the recession in the first instance by building homes that could not be paid for.

Industry liked levelling the land for profit, and exploiting the natural for the avarice of the few.  “obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal”

And after this gluttony of spending come the dinnerparties. They give themselves “award” ceremonies to dress up in tuxedos and eat their roast pig dinners and celebate themselves and how good they are whilst the rest of us just read about it in manufactured publicity photographs.   The chemical industry has its own oscars, sponsored for and voted by the chemical industry. Rhodia UK have won a few awards, but don’t mention that their CEO is on the board of the chemical industries association in the PR write up.

This picture shows the scale of the North embankment. Historic records confirm that the original Barnett’s brickworks pit was “100 yards deep”. This is when it flooded in 1899 following the burst of the Birmingham Canal.

In Barnett’s day there would not have been the amount of fuss concerning Health and Safety, but this is only a fairly recent concept with this site in any case. There are now such a plethora that they outnumber the few birds that appear to want to cling on to what is left of the “natural” flora on the site.

No shee

On the banks itself, there is alleged to be a badger sett that is going to “be protected throughout the duration of the works.” I would really like to see how.

A visitor spotted today was this squirrel on the battered North embankment. In amongst the bricks, soil and old broken crockery and bottles it bounded about sniffing the air and looking for cover.

It’s just a shame the wildlife have to adapt to these chemical industry PR stunts. They didn’t create the mess, they just ended up in it

“Where’s me nuts gone?”

Today a cappuccino like covering continues to sweep across the pool. A dirty frothy mixture of soil being spread across the East side embankment and debris from the North embankment. Not the type of beverage that one would like to offer guests given the nature of the waste contained within.

Today also, there appeared to be several more human visitors on site than usual. They do love their boat trips across the mere- though it looked from the crispness of the high-vis vests that they were  not there to do any physical endeavour.

And highlight of the week so far, a flypast yesterday from a Boeing  chinook helicopter. If you’re looing for WMD guys -they’re down below you.

May its passengers have had a safe landing and look forward to better climbs….

A man patrols the mere with his animal. You certainly can’t say that the security of the site hasn’t been beefed up, but is it for human health security or that of the thousands of pounds worth of equipment to envious  eyes outside the fenceline? I’m surprised that he or she hasn’t been kitted out with PPE, but a rottweiller in orange boots and a little rain coat  wouldn’t go with the boxing rapist name would it?

Walkies

The other observation today was another Klaar boat.

Later in the day it was patrolling the smaller lagoon which still awaits to be dredged supposedly due to weed difficulties.

Get the plans to R2D2

More measuring around the edge of the lake

Later on a Dutch delegation appeared to be carrying out more sediment dabbling on Gullit