What Lies Beneath Rattlechain Lagoon?

“something smells fishy Johan, do you think it might be phosphine-
I think we might need a bigger boat.”

Towards the end of last week and upto the Easter break, a giant pipework network began to be created across the two pools. Part of this utilised some of the old pipe  previously dismantled by the contractors (how resourceful).

The length of this network reminds one of the hit game “snake 2”  and appears to stretch some few hundred metres into a collection vessel.

This vessel now sits in the larger lagoon anchored by a piece of rope to the Eastern embankment. Presumably this will be attached to Goldmember making him one well hung mariner dude.

Another vessel to arrive was one I’ll call “Guilitt” which appears to winch up items from the causeway path.

Guillit and the goose

One has to wonder if they could not be bothered to dismantle the pipe across the causeway path that discharges water into the Birmingham canal?

 For whatever reason, the causeway path has now been flooded for many weeks in contravention of the permit. This has happened on numerous occasions before,(as noted in EA inspection records for the site) but not when it is proposed to dredge the toxic material in the so called “clean side” lagoon that contains toxic white phosphorus.  At the same time the pump has been in continuous operation discharging water into the BIrmingham Canal. Will this continue during dredging we have to ask? Do the Environment Agency care about this? Of course they don’t.

The breached causeway path, and a licence condition.

 The rattlechain site is now starting to look like a film set given the amount of machinery and the erection of a giant pipe even bigger than the Guns of Navarone. One has to wonder what will appear next. Nothing would surprise me any more

Scenario 1 “Smokescreen”

The setting for the next James Bond. Terrorists plan to steal the P4 from the lagoon and inject it into the water supply. Can our hero save the day?

Licensed to spill

 Scenario 2 “Battle for Rattlechain Ragoon”

With North Korea having invaded Britain, Premier Kim Jong -Un reveals himself to be a keen twitcher. He has single handedly saved the red backed shrike, which is now officially off The People’s republic of Britain red list. A grand parade has been organised in Oldbury to welcome his highness to the West Midlands, where he plans to unveil his regional residence  at the converted Sandwell Council House. Little known to Kim, a resistance army led by the works management of Rhodia have dug tunnels in the embankments of Rattlechain lagoon utilising the former mine shafts. Equipped with a supply of AW bombs can they liberate the B69 area of this RED DAWN?

“Is that a rittle ringed prover?”

 SCENARIO 3 “Return to the forbidden zone”

After the nuclear holocaust, birds have become the sentient beings on the planet. A human space traveller finds a woman and a stray Tipton Hos from what remains of the Cracker and enters an area with razor wire, fencing and hazardous waste signs scattered about. But what’s that sticking out of the causeway path? Is this parrallel  world Old New York?

“God damn you all to Hell!”

The atrocious weather has left the lagoon site looking strangely wintery for this time of year. Usually at this point coots would be busy gathering materials and making mountains around the pipe and pontoons, oblivious that the site is a chemical quagmire.

Obviously the work appears to have taken a setback, but today saw the arrival of  more machines on site, including a massive crane. At this rate I’m going to run out of names for this lot, though the “Europeaness” of this endeavour ensures a plentiful array of mirth.

We had the frogs at Rhodia, the Belgians, and now Dutch firm Klaar have joined the Euro jamboree @ Rattlechain lagoon. Shall I compare shee to a shummers day? The Dutch attack force are raring to go.

A large boat with the name “phoenix” written on it. Please….. anything with this name is doomed to failure from day 1, except “phoenix companies” of which there are no shortage of in this part of the world.  I therefore rename this ship  for future reference as “Goldmember”.

The assemblers onboard were busying themshelves (sic) obviously setting up this cutting dredger on the contaminated “clean side lagoon”. According to the information given at the public consultation in January this side is going to be dredged with the sediment then deposited into the larger lagoon. We have questioned the rationale behind this and have not been given any satisfactory answer, especially when they will not be capping the smaller lagoon with their “cappingslaag”.

Anyway, I had to ponder what this guy was doing with a bucket and a bottle of fairy liquid- as if we need any more bloody chemicals here!  Answers on a post card please.

Splash n dash

Pontius pilate

“Where’s yer gloves, naughty boy”

There was also some hacksawing going on with various hosework.

Around the southern part of the lagoon a double ring of connected pipework has also appeared.

“cappingslaag” what a wonderful Dutch word.

The inevitable day finally came; the removal of the long pipe from the pool and its associated pontoons. The vessel with which Albright and Wilson and Rhodia poured out their toxic Trinity Street rubbish, and the fountain with which birds were poisoned by its milky chalice wrath.

Napoleon and Bonaparte worked in unison to reel in the metal leviathan from the murky depths and began the deconstruction of its constituent parts.

Each time a piece of pipe or pontoon was clasped aloft, it was quickly hosed down by an additional new boy at the site, I’ll name it “The Burntwood Noo Noo.”

Systematically the metal parts were stacked like a set of giant toxic laced lego on the bankside. As the PPE clad posse busied themselves with the task, the unprotected birds watched their roosting perch/nest building site of days past slowly disappearing over the course of the afternoon. A young swan unfortunately flew in, we will wait to see what happens there, but there was no attempt by Rhodia to chase it off.

The swan and toxic barrel

And so to the last piece. A moorhen clinged to the upturned pontoon, like a survivor from a Titanic form that had met its fate.

And then a bizarre image caught my eye. From the foreground the mast of Thunderbird 4 juxtaposed with the pontoon, the shape of a cross and a bird clinging to salvation. Was this a message from beyond the grave from old Arthur Albright? Turning to walk away after I had garnered a medley of useful footage, I decided that this must be a sign of some sought. Was a new Pope and white smoke, symbolic of the phosphorus pentoxide that had been seen from the lagoon earlier? And The Archbishop of Canterbury’s gig today? Was the date of relevance? 21/3/13?

I decided to do a bit of bible bashing, not particularly my favourite epistle. The Gideon red one that they dish out at schools got burned years ago. I pondered and turned to book 21 Ecclesiastes (The Preacher). Chapter 3. I didn’t get to verse 13 as I got goosebumps from the passage I recognised. Somehow divine intervention must be taking place here!

To Everything There is a Season

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The Excellence in God’s Works

9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. 14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. 15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

From Dust to Dust

16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. 17I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. 18I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? 22Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”

And so it was that on the 21^st day of the 3^rd month, old pipey met its end. During the second World War Lord Haw Haw, (the traitor?) was reported to have said of the phosphorus stack which was demolished in case it became a bombing landmark “Albright and Wilson, you can take down your big stack, but we will still find you.”

Today “Rhodia and Albright and Wilson, you can take out your big pipe, but we will still find you.”

I don’t do forgiveness!!!!!

“UP YOURS MONSIEURS- THEY DON’T LIKE IT UP EM!”

Work at the lagoon has been strangely lacking over the course of the last week. Where have they gone? Napoleon, Bonaparte and T4 have lain idle for days.Three theories have emerged.

1. The Great British weather.

2. Phosphine levels on site were dangerously high.

3. They have been kidnapped by The Tipton Taliban and are being held for ransom.

I suppose we would only ever learn of the first one. Not to worry there’s always something to blog about, and today it’s the concept of silence.

This is a word that we have become used to. Press releases have been issued, organisations approached concerning the lagoon, yet more often than not SILENCE.  Are our emails being hacked, packages intercepted so that they do not reach their destinations, or is it just that most people could not care less about rat poison being put down in the open air?

Perhaps its the location- The Black country is hardly top of most peoples’ places to save. Politicians only care about London, as do all the London press- pity they don’t know about Albright and Wilson’s activities in Stratford WITH PHTHALATE PLASTICISERS – but that’s all been covered up now with the glorious Olympic games that some people got excited about. Not me -it sucked.

Or is it that because you are from this area and perceived as “thick”, they just don’t take you seriously? What ever, the sound of silence.

Approaching many of “the top table” organistaions involved in “protection” of birds and the environment initially when embarking on our campaign to find out the truth about this site in 1999, it was amazing at how little they cared. The RSPB were approached both locally and Nationally, the latter not even bothering to reply. So much so that I would never urge anyone to give any money to this organisation, because when it really counts it is silent on the poisoning of wildfowl by big business and the chemical industry.

On the other hand the RSPB actively supports the destruction of “trash” birds such as Ruddy ducks. Today I happened to see a sign in Witton lakes, in “The Friends of Witton Lakes” notice board. Naturally I thought they had put it there.

Apparently those nice men from FERA had slaughtered a family of 7 birds on 1st March BY SHOOTING THEM DEAD. An explanation was offered concerning the white headed Spanish duck (the animal cruelty capital of Europe). Apparently some people get worked up about who some birds have sex with. And for their crime, the ruddy ducks in the UK have been exterminated – to save some Spanish birds that will be shot anyway- makes perfect sense.

“culled humanely” for being different

It also makes me believe that the green wing of The National Socialist Party of 1930’s Germany is alive and well amongst the ornithological snobs of Great Britain who have instigated this holocaust. These are the same people and organisations who have been silent about the poisoning of birds by white phosphorus in Britain, and the same people who organise petitions against foreign Governments, safe in the knowledge that this “outspokeness” will not harm their charity bank balances, but make it look like they actually care, WHEN IN REALITY THEY COULD NOT CARE LESS ABOUT SOMETHING HAPPENING ON THEIR OWN DOORSTEP. Cowards and murderers, gutless silent yellow cowards.

As for the last Labour Government which instigated this cull, a department presided over by a now convicted tax payer thief, the less said the better. And the current CON-DEM morons in charge just following in the same footsteps of those who were silent before.

One can only wonder what the last of the witton lakes seven left alive thought before it too was butchered by air gun wielding thugs, who are no different than the scum who shoot birds on canals and are seldom convicted because the CPS in this country could not care less about wildlife crime. I only hope that poetic justice, and Karma comes to these people, and those politicians and  civil service penny whores who instigated this policy. May their  gold plated pensions become polluted by Polonium 210.

If this offends anyone, or seems “amateurish” , KISS MINE, I could not care less. Because sandwell swanwatch is not going to remain silent  on such issues, and the voice with which the story is told is secondary to the fact it is being told at all.  When many others will SAY NOTHING, WE WILL. We don’t need the help of top table conservationist organisations who have always been silent. We will never say nothing because evil triumphs when people say nothing.

An animal charity that says something

COMMENTS

“I have submitted a Freedom of information request to Birmingham City council regarding this incident, given that they own this site.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/slaughter_of_ruddy_ducks_at_witt

Birmingham has had its fair share of gang and gun crime, so is it a good thing that people with firearms range around a public site carrying such weapons when Government and local “community leaders” (self elected) condemn such actions? And how about this “diverse” authority which created the term “Winterval”? Diverse with people but non diverse with ducks? The “speciesists”- there’s another neologism they can add to their fascist left agenda.

Generally it says a lot about a society where Government agencies like FERA can waste so much money killing birds to “protect” others in a foreign country, yet do absolutely nothing to save “native” protected birds from being poisoned by a foreign company in this country with white phosphorus. Just about sums up their uselessness.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Avian “racial cleansing”. And as I understand it, the Canada Goose is under a similar sanction – if one gets injured in this country, it has to be euthanased (killed) for the same reason – “it’s not one of ours!”. Bloody minded small minded fascists!”

Load of old barrels

The last couple of days have seen Napoleon on the spud barge stirring up more rubbish on the East embankment, following his retreat from the North side. Another Albright and Wilson barrel with what looked like solidified material inside was left floating around, and was still there today. Accompanied by the scary looking lollipop man complete with his measuring stick, work kept stopping, presumably to take phosphine gas readings. But was the battery working on the Draeger PAC III this time I wonder? No problem to Napoleon who advanced down the Eastern flank towards the beach area.

Today he was joined on site by a potential mate Thunderbird 4, who already comes with the name “aurora”, though this “dawn” looks rather faded and old.

Thunderbird please go!

Both Naploleon and Bonaparte were clearly competing to see who was the Alpha male, gathering up reeds already ripped up earlier in the campaign as lollipop man raked over the remnants.

Rakey Rakey

Bonaparte’s offering nearer the causeway path was to uncover the failed geotextile membrane trial laying exercise that had gone before.

Load of old sheet.

Thunderbird 4 didn’t look that impressed with either of them, and neither did a passing buzzard,perched on a tree on the North embankment that Napoleon had felled previously. Presumably it was looking for a meal, unaware that with white phosphorus, it is poisonous to secondary predators. Seeing enough it flew towards Sheepwash.

I think it appropriate at this point in the proceedings to name the two mechanical diggers of Heyrman-de-roeck that are causing rampant destruction at Rhodia’s “mere”.

Napoleon

The squat of the two, “Napoleon” is a particularly destructive beast with his handler felling trees, ripping up reed bed and scouring out banks.

“Bonaparte” on the other hand is a much more sedate creature, spending most of his time near to the houses on the South side of the site, the long arm able to scrape up the parts that  Napoleon cannot reach.

Bonaparte

By the end of last week Napoleon had wrought havoc on the unstable North embankment. Also exposed was a remainder of the old pipe that boats used to use for disposal from the adjacent canal.

According to the HPA Human health risk assessment preceding these works, “If any remedial action or significant site works are undertaken at the site in the future, a risk assessment should be undertaken to assess any potential risks to health during the works and subsequent potential hazards.” Hollow words indeed. A potential hazard is the adjacent canal and its contents, yet here we see an unstable embankment being made even more so with the pretense that this has something to do with “protecting birds”.

I do fear for the safety of Napoleon should he continue to operate on this embankment, as one slip could see him finding his Watery-loo.

This afternoon saw the devastation of the North embankment reedbed by a digger on a spud barge. The aftermath looked like a tsunami had hit rattlechain lagoon with vegetative debris scattered everywhere. In addition some of the barrels that got away when Rhodia attached them to deter birds from landing on the lagoon, but couldn’t be bothered to collect up over the last 10 years were scooped up.

There was nothing careful about this exercise,  it was just random dredging  and for all the talk of the geophysical analysis that had taken place to locate metal objects in the sediment according to ERM at the public exhibition, what a crock. One metal barrel in particular appeared to be from the Albright and Wilson era, where they used to be sunk sometimes by rifle fire or just rolled over the embankment into the water- no characterisation of what they contained. This appeared to contain packaging, some of it in bin liners- but who knows?

Decades of toxic waste containing white phosphorus were being churned up which was completely avoidable. To make matters worse, when the barge had left the scene birds returned to feed on the newly poisoned chalice.

Whilst carefully positioned operatives stood taking pictures on the East embankment, no doubt for the next PR leaflet, the spudbarge returned to the causeway path, to unload the barrelled cargo. I suppose when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go, even if there are portocabin toilets just a few yards away. Or perhaps the driver was “using his initiative” to hose down any traces of white phosphorus that may have been on the spud barge.

Oui Monsieur?

They say Hennig Brand discovered phosphorus from urine after all.

The way it was

BEACHED PIPE AND PONTOON

Today saw the removal of “the beach area” pipe. Clearly visible during the excavation of material in this area were plumes of white phosphorus pentoxide springing up as the white phosphorus that has lain dormant probably for decades was disturbed in the soil. There is no question that this area nearest the houses is heavily contaminated with p4. The camera does not lie unlike the environmental consultant and their client produced reports.

WHITE PLUME OF PHOSPHORUS PENTOXIDE AFTER WHITE PHOSPHORUS IN SOIL DISTURBED

Not surprising really, given this Environment agency inspection report from 1999, just a few weeks before I observed the first dead swan on the lagoon, that’s after the EA had told them to “clean up” the area.

This material which would still have contained p4 was shovelled with no regard towards the water along with pieces of previously dumped hardcore and bricks within the dirt. In addition the reed bed areas were also stirred up with floating debris in attendence.

SHOVEL IT INTO THE WATER

A pair of canada geese looked on bewildered, as coots danced across the water and seagulls retreated to the North embankment. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

With work scheduled to start on the lagoon area on January 28th, it appears to have got underway week commencing 2oth February. The arrival of several containers and machinery on site which have obviously been noted, not least by the Tipton tatters.

Plenty of excavation of the South embankment nearest the houses. Plenty of soil being tipped and moved about.

Sowing the seeds

And some curious no doubt “highly sensitive scientific monitoring equipment” “draeger tubes” etc.

I think it looks like something you could probably get for £5.99 from down Wilko, but what do I know being a thick bloke from the black country.

Weather experiment?

Gaffer tape?