‘States say the water’s safe, but won’t tell us what’s in it’

Wednesday 13th May 2009, 11:30AM BST.

Peter WithamTHE liquid being pumped from Mont Cuet into the sea is safe, according to two States departments.

Thousands of litres of water containing organic compounds, dissolved metals and minerals is being discharged 100 metres off Guernsey’s coast as part of the project to extinguish the Mont Cuet hot spot.

Fresh water has been pumped into the site, raising the water level in the quarry by 30 metres.

The water has mixed with the waste within the site forming a leachate.

The Environmental Health Department said it has been keeping a close eye on what is being pumped into the sea.

‘The treated leachate discharged via the Mont Cuet outfall poses no significant risk,’ said chief Environmental Health Officer John Cook.

Local environmentalist Richard Lord has said he would be keen to know exactly what the liquid contains.

The owner of Rocquaine Sea Farms, Peter Witham (pictured), collects mussels on the west coast. These shellfish are very sensitive to changes in temperature and water quality.

‘This could be a problem for fish and shellfish stocks,’ he said.


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  1. 1
    Jackie

    Peter

    Here’s the answer:

    “containing organic compounds, dissolved metals and minerals”

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  2. 2
    Lobster in the bay

    Sounds like a cocktail of very nasty poisons to me.

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  3. 3
    Bob

    Millions of nappies, many complete with various smallpox, polio, rubella, etc. vaccinations.
    Wife and I were told to handle first week’s “output” with extreme caution following vaccination of our lot.
    Millions of leaking batteries – cadmium, lithium. Probably a fair amount of everything that’s detrimental to health – human or marine.
    The emptyings of all the dog loos PLUS all the doggie and cattie owners that pooperscoop their own back yards then bin it.
    They were asked about this at the public meeting and we were told that their research indicated that as all this stuff wouldn’t sink (as leachate) the particles couldn’t accumulate within shellfish, etc. Someone tried to point out that shellfish are not confined to the bottom at the just hatched stage, and are highly vunerable in all their developmental stages – and not just to heavy metals. Shoulders were shrugged. Everything was OK because they only pump at around high tide (!) and the food chain wouldn’t contain any resultant contaminates. In a couple of years, it mightn’t contain any fish, either.
    How about some published sample results?

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