What Lies Beneath Rattlechain Lagoon?

For this article I am indebted to information from Roy Martin, canal enthusiast. One of the most prominent features of the Birmingham Canal Navigations on which much of the local industry including that at Rattlechain “prospered” is The Netherton Tunnel. A long straight tunnel was opened in 1858, between The Old Mainline and the Rowley Hills and The Dudley No. 2 Canal at Windmill End Junction. Horse powered towed boats could not be accommodated by the earlier over used Dudley Tunnel, and the Lapal Tunnel at Halesowen which became  traffic bottleneck, where the boater had to “leg it” along the narrow dark walls.

The new tunnel was to be 2768 meters in length, with a two sided towpath capable of allowing horses access from both sides.

When taking a walk through here for the first time many years ago, I made the mistake of not taking a torch. A narrow pinprick of light was visible from the Northern End towards Tividale as I set off on foot not knowing what to expect from Netherton.

One of the most eerie aspects as I clung for dear life to the handrail were the seven ventilation shafts , like prison vents of light tempting a view to what lay above. What lay on the towpath was more troublesome, ankle deep pockets of water, especially around the middle, and a dip I the brickwork where I nearly went flying. It was 50 minutes I will never forget as I made it out to the other side relieved.

Many, many visits later on bike and I can get through there in around 20 minutes, but a more careful examination of the signs in and around the tunnel show how over time it has had to be repaired and reconstructed in nature, showing how frail Man’s inventions can be to the passing of time.

Each tells a story of their own, markers in time in one place, and the many who followed in the footsteps of those who died constructing it. Nine men died completing it and many more were injured. The latest in Winter 2012/13 saw it closed for several weeks, where massive bolts appear to have been fixed into the walls to stop subsidence.

A boat bollinder chugs along walking towards the Tividale end

Light at the end of the tunnel.

For one last time– Let’s open door 24.

And so the toxic legacy of Albright and Wilson persists. These two toxic santas went down the chimney and landed in the lake of fire. Rattlechain lagoon is just one of several Hell sites that their company left behind. Those who followed their legacy as apologists and spindoctors and liars will one day hopefully join them there.

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:8-21:8 King James Version.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Let’s open door 23

The closure plan for the rattlechain lagoon was accepted by the Environment agency, where in a freedom of information request it was revealed that the company name had now changed to “Rhodia Limited” from Rhodia UK Limited. The permit for the site was also supplied – copy attached.”

Let’s open door 22

The 2013 cover up works involved levelling the sediment, reconstructing the North and East embankments and then overlaying this below water with a “geotextile membrane”, a sort of permeable plastic sheet with a life of an alleged 25 years. On top of this they dumped sand leaving a much shallower pool than before. Nothing was done about capping the smaller lagoon however, and this continues to be a mystery as to why this was not undertaken- when the smaller lagoon was after all part of the original dumping ground single pool containing white phosphorus.

Let’s open door 21

The cover up works? In order to fulfil their closure plan for the site, Rhodia hired consultants ERM to undertake an “improvement works”  in 2013- all without really admitting that all the rubbish they had told previously about the site being “harmless” wasn’t.

This firstly involved removal of the iconic waste pipes– a visual distraction in that the waste that it had pumped was still below the water line.

Let’s open door 20

A “Mere” cat sitting on a waste discharge pipe. With bird deaths, fires, and our decisive Freedom of information requests revealing unpublished information of concern, people on the Callaghan Drive estate were concerned at what they had moved next to. This along with necessary legal management of the site prompted Rhodia to undertake a PR exercise into “human health“- trying to draw attention away from the now proven source of the bird deaths- white phosphorus.

This exercise consisted of a sham of a group being set up, together with a report full of holes and inconsistencies like the ones that had gone before.

Let’s open door 19

Rhodia removed barrels  in May 2009, which they had added to the lake supposedly to deter swans from landing.

On 25/5/09 on a very hot bank holiday Monday they inexplicably caught fire needing the attendance of West Midlands Fire service. Though Rhodia tried to claim that this had started due to “a grass fire” there was no evidence of this. It is more likely that sediment on the barrels containing white phosphorus had fully dried out and spontaneously ignited what it was in contact with.

This alerted residents to the issues on the lagoon.

Let’s open door 18

Once white phosphorus had been identified as a likely cause of death, Rhodia finally got around to undertaking white phosphorus testing in dead birds retrieved from the lake. There had been a long prior history of inconclusive post mortems– because they had not been transparent about the nature of the waste and its toxic properties. To date 12 birds of 5 different species have found the chemical within their remains, present in significant quantities. Systemic poisoning of wildfowl at rattlechain lagoon has been demonstrated.

Let’s open door 17

That’s when good neighbours become bad for ” the friends”. The advent of building houses on a former sewage works that had lain dormant for several years ended the dumping legacy for Rhodia. It has become clear talking to people who bought houses that were built on this site, only after a planning appeal which controversially overturned the rejection that Sandwell council made, that they were not given the truth about the history of this site. The hazardous waste sign disappeared off the front gates when Barratt Homes were selling the new homes. People as well as animals are victims of industrial pollution.

Let’s open door 16

Chase the birds. In their attempt to divert attention away from their toxic waste causing the deaths of birds, Rhodia took to trying to prevent them stopping on the lake. Like German paratroopers had been considered a threat in the 1940’s, so swan invaders were repelled with bizarre methods at first- a helium filled balloon on the end of the pipe with a scary face, a model boat, barrels stretched across the lagoon on ropes and finally chasing them with a motor boat. All bizarre to the passer by, but the more serious problem remained beneath the water when the birds took flight.