Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Moselle
Does anyone know whether the work to prevent sewage flowing into the Moselle has been completed? The signage in Lordship Rec says it was scheduled for completion in Oct 2018.
Tags for Forum Posts: moselle
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by EMC2 on
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Osbawn, the Council have a full-time officer working on the misconnections to the Moselle who is updating the Haringey Rivers Forum. Between Haringey, Thames Water, and the Environment Agency, most of the business/domestic misconnections have now been dealt with. Unfortunately the most serious source of pollution has yet to be resolved. When open, the Alexandra Primary School, on Western Road, is discharging raw sewage directly into the Moselle. I understand the discharge from its toilets, washing machines, showers, and kitchens is equivalent to 300 misconnected domestic properties. A previous tender to complete the works in the October half term failed to secure a contractor but I understand a contractor has now been appointed and will complete the works in the Christmas half term. So fingers crossed this dreadful pollution will stop by early 2019.
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I had a wander past Alexandra PS today. Very disappointed that there were no sign of ground works, water or otherwise. It doesn't look like the sewer works have been started. Hopefully when Haringey Rivers Forum next liaise with Haringey they'll have some news, which I'll pass on...
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Update - the work could not proceed due to unforeseen complications arising due to a specialised playground surface, which meant it was not possible to follow the original groundworks plan. The Council/Contractors have come up with a work-around and the toilets *should* be reconnected to the sewer by the end of February. When, fingers crossed, this is completed, decontamination work the Parks department are commissioning in Lordship Rec will go ahead in March.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Thanks EMC2. Could you please give the sources for your two sets of information?
That is, the success rate in detecting and rectifying domestic misconnections; and the huge problem caused by Alexander Primary School. Is it suggested that pollution from the school may have been continuing for many years; or that it is the result of recent faulty work?
It is a serious failing that this has been allowed to continue.
As once a councillor for sixteen years I don't recall the latter problem being raised. Nor do I recall it raised when I was a governor (at different times) of several schools and a chair of governors of one primary school for several years. (Which was said to have an underground stream responsible for damp. It wasn't true; there was a water leak.)
Perhaps it would help if more public capital funds were available for Haringey Community schools as well as poured into Academies. And now under discussion - a proposal for a semi-privatised Foundation School to receive - possibly as a substantial and high risk loan? - the largest part of the currently available capital.
Do you also know anything about the difficulties some Haringey schools are reportedly having about massive bills being sent by a new monopoly private supplier Castlewater?
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/castle-water-drowns-in-complaint...
A personal point. We and all our neighbours are individually littoral owners - to midstream - each of a section of alleyway above the culvert of one branch of the Moselle. Nobody has ever notified us of such works or any plans to de-culvert. Over the years we had a chronic problem of dumped waste in the alley. It was gated to try reducing problems including burglary, dumping and car burning. Deculverted and opened-up, at minimum it could pose a risk of urban flooding and provide a very expensive-to-clean dumping ditch.
Failure to clean and clear the many ditches/streams running into the River Lee was a regular reason for landowners being summoned and fined by the medieval Manorial Court.
I too like attractive views of rivers, rivulets and "water features"; and confess to having pastoral illusions. I also appreciate that property developers can charge a premium for views of, or a walk along even a heavily polluted watercourse.
But somebody has to pay.
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I got my updates at meetings of the Haringey Rivers Forum (and from PMRA ) where we received updates from the Council Officer, Thames Water and the Environment Agency. The schools sewage has been misconnected to the rain drains for many years - you prompted me to google and this is a recent Council update (note- it does not actually answer 'how long?'):
Full Council Questions 27th November 2018
Written questions:
10. From Cllr Hinchcliffe to CllrHearn
Q. How long has the Council been aware of the elevated levels of sewage discharge in the River Moselle? What information does the Council have about why this happened? What steps have the Council and its partners taken to rectify the situation and what impact have these had?
A. The Housing Improvement Team has been working on the drainage misconnections emanating from Alexandra School and residential properties in the vicinity polluting the River Moselle for 12 months.
To date we have identified 77 residential properties that are polluting the River Moselle of which we have taken action and rectified 52. This is an ongoing project that we will continue to work on with our partners to ensure the condition of our watercourses are significantly improved. These misconnections happen because homeowners carry out building works without correct applications and inspections being in place.
Alexandra Primary School has been a complex project where our Drainage Technician has had to determine the most cost effective and sustainable solution. We have carried out four separate surveys to ascertain gradient falls and services in the vicinity and a CCTV survey on the highway. Following receipt of the surveys, it was deemed the most appropriate course of action would be to:
Divert the existing drainage within the school grounds to a new manhole chamber.
Then, run new waste to the foul sewer in the highway from that point. This new system will be
gravity fed and will avoid the use of pumps that would be expensive to fit and maintain.
A schedule of works was drafted that went out to nine companies for tender with a target to have the works completed in October. Unfortunately, no tenders were received due to the complexity of the works and tight timescales for the works to be completed. A successful tender was eventually received and the contract has been awarded to Lanes Group PLC.
The school has agreed to works commencing at the earliest opportunity and we are awaiting a start date from Lanes Group PLC. Works should be completed in December and will take two to three weeks.
Following completion of the drainage works there will be a substantial environmental improvement to the River Moselle. In order to monitor the improvements to the water quality, the Council will be approaching the local friends groups who have access to water sampling equipment.
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Thanks EMC2. for that thorough and helpful reply.
It's a shame that the Council staff did not seem to have provided a comprehensive answer to Cllr Justin Hinchcliffe. Though tackling Alexandra Primary School as, it seems, one of the main sources of pollution, seems very sensible.
As you know the problem has been highlighted far longer than twelve months. For example - again as you probably know - it came up during preparations for the London Olympics when pollution of the Lee - via Pymmes Brook - was a major concern. Raised in particular by a journalist who was renting a boat at the time. He wondered about the stink and had the River's water analysed.
Thanks again. Building on your information I'll ask some further questions.
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