{"id":10781,"date":"2019-06-22T13:27:16","date_gmt":"2019-06-22T13:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?p=10781"},"modified":"2019-06-22T13:54:09","modified_gmt":"2019-06-22T13:54:09","slug":"very-dodgy-goings-on-at-the-gower-tip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?p=10781","title":{"rendered":"Very dodgy goings on at The Gower Tip"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sister dumping ground site to rattlechain lagoon –The Gower Tip <\/a>is another of Albright and Wilson’s toxic legacies for the future. I have written extensively about this site and will provide those links within this post. This post is an update on developments which have come to a head over the course of the last week and follows the last blog I wrote about this site in October <\/a>when it was apparent that Rhodia’s environmental consultants, ERM<\/strong>, \u00a0were pottering about on this site after having conducted a tree massacre earlier.<\/p>\n

The site is immediately adjacent to the Birmingham Canal Old Mainline , and you would not be able to see much from this restricted view, except the token warning signs from “Rhodia Limited”- , the convenience name\u00a0under which\u00a0 Solvay operate for the Albright and Wilson mothballed shit holes that they attempt to distance themselves from their own Belgian brand.<\/p>\n

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There’s a site welfare cabin hiding in there.<\/p><\/div>\n

It is also unfortunately now bordered by homes built by Morris Homes – specifically GEORGE WOOD AVENUE <\/strong>AND BHULLAR WAY<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Some basic info before reading on….<\/p>\n

This site was another “contentious site” given a site licence numbered SL32\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0by the useless former West Midlands County Council in 1977\u00a0 and more latterly\u00a0EAWML 40910\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/strong>by the Environment Agency. Prior to this, Alfred Matty the canal carrier took waste to the site by barge, \u00a0as they had at Rattlechain. The licence allowed Albright and Wilson to deposit the following.<\/p>\n

Phosphorus pentasulphide <\/a>30tons\/year<\/b><\/p>\n

Phosphorus sesquisulphide <\/a>2 tons\/year<\/b><\/p>\n

Dross from limestone mixed with small quantities of calcium phosphate 10 tons\/year<\/b><\/p>\n

Sodium carbonate mixed with small quantities of sodium phosphate 5 tons\/year<\/b><\/p>\n

Building rubble and lagging contaminated with\u00a0ASBESTOS 5 tons\/year<\/b><\/p>\n

Paper packaging contaminated with sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate or lime or trace quantities of other materials of similar toxicity\u00a0 15 tons\/year<\/b><\/p>\n

*Inert waste for use as cover.<\/b><\/p>\n

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From the SL32 licence<\/p><\/div>\n

I uncovered more about this site when looking into the granting of the licence by the WMCC waste disposal committee. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cI Background<\/b><\/p>\n

This site is a former clay marl hole which has been used as an industrial tip since 1938. The site has received large quantities of toxic and hazardous waste since this time. These are mostly comprised of various compounds of phosphorus together with some radio-active wastes, laboratory chemicals, solvents e.t.c. The site represents the major disposal outlet for the Company\u2019s waste phosphorus pentasulphide and phosphorus susquisulphide.<\/b><\/p>\n

These waste arisings are the main problem associated with this site since they are highly reactive especially with water<\/b>. \u201c<\/b><\/p>\n

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The licence was surrendered on 22 April 1994<\/strong> and cancelled with effect from that\u00a0date. Sandwell council<\/span> <\/span>in an FOI request in regards to investigating contaminated sites <\/a>stated;<\/span> \u201cThe Gower Tip has been assigned an inspection priority category of 3, i.e. contaminants may be present but are unlikely to have an unacceptable impact on key targets. The site has yet to be inspected under the strategy and therefore no determination has been made in respect of its condition; it is therefore not possible to say at this stage when this site will be subject to a more
\ndetailed investigation.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I have recently uncovered a news article prior to the surrender of the SL32 licence, but it is important to remember that “surrender” does not mean that the site does not pose a risk- especially as this surrender long predated any built development around the borders.<\/p>\n

This is from the Sandwell Evening Mail from 1990, and forms yet another of Albright and Wilson’s toxic archives. It appears that “a grass fire” had started at this site and that the fire brigade had had to force entry into the site to fight the area affected. Once there it is confirmed that they found a 45 gallon drum of phosphorus pentasulphide- part of the hazardous licenced waste allowed to be deposited there. We have of course come across the dubious “grass fire” before at Rattlechain, when Rhodia left some barrels out to dry that had been in the white phosphorus\u00a0contaminated sediment as bird deterrents when roped together across the lake<\/a>. It was certainly this that was the cause of the grass setting fire, and I have little doubt that the flammable chemicals on the Gower Tip were the cause of this one too.<\/p>\n

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What is more bizarre is the claim by the WMFS spokesman that they were unaware of the site. I have to say that I just do not believe this statement at all, but if true shows just how little WMFC actually knew about such sites at this time. Just months earlier they had fought another chemical\u00a0initiated fire at Rattlechain caused by a tanker driver dumping a barrel of white phosphorus waste <\/a>, and attempted to put out community concern with bullshit words that were straight out of the AW spin book. Indeed AW’s own fire service boasted about training with the professionals, which makes it even more implausible that the works management at the site had never told them about the Gower Tip, and its hazardous contents.<\/p>\n

One also wonders how they had missed the required hazardous waste area notice board at the entrance to the site, that is of course if it had not gone missing , as it frequently breached licence conditions at rattlechain!<\/p>\n

It is even more of concern as to the type of hazardous chemicals if the fire service had used water hoses.\u00a0\u00a0In doing so they would have made the situation worse, and put both them and any passers by in immediate danger.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Phosphorus pentasulphide’s reaction with water gives off hydrogen sulphide gas<\/span><\/strong>, which is toxic in itself and smells like rotten eggs, as well as phosphoric acid<\/span> <\/strong>which would cause people immediate eye and breathing problems.<\/p>\n

P4<\/span><\/sub>S10<\/span><\/sub> + 16 H2<\/span><\/sub>O \u2192 4 H3<\/span><\/sub>PO4<\/span><\/sub> + 10 H2<\/span><\/sub>S<\/p>\n

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As I had observed in October, Rhodia\/Solvay’s environmental consultants ERM were pottering about at the site, and I speculated that this may have had something to do with the ludicrous garden city proposals that believe that it would be a good idea to build more houses next to this unremediated chemical dump.<\/p>\n

This week I happened to notice a mechanical digger present at the site and actively being operated! It was quite apparent from my view at George Wood Avenue that this was moving earth and bricks from near the border of this Morris Homes site.<\/p>\n

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