The Spen Valley Project

The Spen Report December 2004     More Pictures    The Spen Day  

The Spen Valley Project 2003/04 Report     Community Environment Assessment    More Photo's

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*   Yet more photo's have been taken of yet more pollution incidents in Hollowfield Beck ( see More Pictures ). Still no one but The Spen Group are at all interested. We spoke to the Local MP's, none of which have done a single thing to show they are interested. We had thought it being election year (2005), they might at least make an effort to look interested.

*   The findings of our 3rd consecutive annual report have once more been dismissed by the Environment Agency, as being bad science and factually incorrect. However they have not offered a single page of their contradictory evidence. I learned my methods from University and people in the NRA, who later joined to become The Environment Agency.

*   The Environment Agency has therefore written to the College where I teach Environmental Science to ensure I am refrained from teaching my findings as facts. They have also written to the local Newspapers saying similar things. In this way they have attempted to suppress my considered opinions, my right of free speech, and threatened my employment. As for my students I know they are most able to make up their own minds.

*   In response I have written pointing out they have offered not one scrap of evidence for their claims that the Spen is getting better year on years. Indeed nationally, the EA and Defra both point out that water quality did improve dramatically throughout the UK since 1990, but since the mid 90's little progress has been achieved. 

The EA so far have not taken up my challenge for them to bring their results, and show how, and where they found them, and how they compare with my findings for the sites I tested.

November 2004 Tests

Invertebrate & Colourmetric Chemical Analysis of the Spen River November 2004.

Apart from Hollowfield Beck ( 3a ) above the culvert, and Nan Hall Beck ( 7 ), all scores are consistently poor water quality. While the numbers of species at Brooklyn  ( 8 ) seemed to be quite abundant, the number of species found at Dewsbury Moor      ( 12 ) was much lower than in previous tests.

Once again the nutrient tests for ammonia, nitrates and phosphates show no effects from sewage or farm slurries. The BOD at sites 8 ( Brooklyn ) and 12 ( Dewsbury Moor ) seemed slightly elevated but not terribly high.  

Summary

Community action for a cleaner River Spen was urged on when a major pollution spill took place in Hollowfield Beck in December/ January 2002/03. Since that time there have been a continuation of pollution events, not linked to the Company involved with the major incident.

These are just a few of the ongoing photographic evidence of pollution events in Hollowfield Beck. The group has been told this is the 

result of road run off, and of vehicle washing down water, and not in any way industrial Pollution. When the foam and the black water 

is in greater abundance at night time, clearly this is the result of Industry getting rid of its black water under cover of darkness.

The official response from The Environment Agency is that water quality in the Spen is getting better, and that the work of The Group 

is encouraging fly tippers to dump rubbish along the valley.

Eric Bowers has been singled out in letters from the EA, for being the single source of complaints for pollution in Hollowfield Beck. 

Of course Eric’s high profile on this subject in the Oakenshaw area has meant that most complaints of pollution from the general public 

are reported to Eric, as public opinion is that reporting to the EA will get them nowhere.

The message from the group has been encapsulated in the newsletter titled Bog Off.

The findings of this report are as follows:-

·                    Water quality in The River Spen remains virtually lifeless.

·                    Industrial Pollution is at levels well above legal limits.

·                    The official view of the Environment Agency is that water quality in the Spen is getting better, and that the actions of the group                        is only encouraging fly tipping.

·                    Not one official body has taken action from this series of results 

The Spen Clearwater Revival Group continues with meetings along the valley, to meet with people to listen to their experiences of 

pollution in The Spen. The group remain committed to this campaign to bring about real improvements in water quality in The River Spen. 

The group welcomes new members.

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More Pictures

The typically gray colouring of the Spen at various sites, on frequent occasions is accompanied by a pervading smell.

Daytime foams Hollowfield Beck                                                                                       Almost midnight and 12 feet of foam

The gray water is said to be road run off, and the foam is supposed to be people washing their cars. Clearly we have very mucky roads, and people do more washing of their cars at midnight.

The above photos were taken by Eric, who has made himself well know to the EA with his regular reports, which seem to go unnoticed. Other locals speak of constant problems of pollution in the Spen and its tributaries. The group is now entering its third year of existence, and there is every reason to fight on until someone takes notice. 

Members of the Spen Clear Water Revival continue to campaign for a cleaner water quality for The River Spen. We have continually monitored and reported each of the above incidents. Yet the Environment Agency has denounced our findings, saying in the local newspaper that not only is water quality in the Spen good enough, but it is getting better. Not one authority department has taken a serious interest in the poor water quality found in the Spen. 

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The Spen Day

On one of the sunnier days there was a community day, where many groups displayed their work and goods for sale. The Spen Clearwater Revival managed to raise a good deal of interest in our work. 

Here we have students from Joseph Priestley College in Leeds, doing water quality testing with Spen Clearwater Revival. Also in the group is Julie Rowley, who is in her second year currently studying at Leeds Met University, but was previously also a student at Joseph Priestley College two years earlier. In this photo the group are waving to Colin Pitts from Leeds University who was speaking in a conference in Melbourne Australia, on his work on water quality in The River Spen. We emailed this picture to him in time for his presentation. Its funny how people at the other side of the world were interested in this work, but no one is interested nearer home.

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The Spen Valley Project  Report 2003/04           

The people of The Spen Valley ( from Oakenshaw to Dewsbury and the River Calder ) have become tired of the continuous pollution flowing into The River Spen. They have grouped themselves together, calling themselves Spen Clear Water Revival, and have set about putting pressure on those who are polluting their river. 

Introduction

Water quality tests have been carried out on The River Spen since autumn 2002. There were three  consecutive test carried out in 2003, from which a clear understanding of the problems of pollution can be made.

Water quality testing involves identification of invertebrates, and scoring according to the British Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) system. Additional colourmetric tests were taken for ammonia, nitrates, and phosphates.

On this test, samples were tested for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD).  This is an industry standard test. Waste water with COD levels above 300mg/L cannot be discharged to freshwater courses.

Method

Standard kick sampling methods were used to collect invertebrates. Identification tables and books were used to recognize invertebrates. Pallin Colourmetric test kits were used to identify levels of ammonia, nitrates and phosphates.

COD testing involved heating samples in the Hanna C9800 reactor for 2 ½ h hours. The vials were then measured using a Hach DR/2010 portable data logging spectrophotometer.

Sample sites for this test followed the numbering of the previous tests in January 2003. Based on this previous test, it was decided to test fewer sites on the following occasions.

Weather Conditions

It had been raining in the area from the previous day. Testing managed to miss each of the downpours in the day. Water levels were elevated, and the river contained considerable amounts of  sludge, both in the column and on the river bed.

Results

The results of tests for water quality were as follows:-