Pollution & Environmental Quality

Transcription

1 Towards policy for Dorset s Coast: Pollution & Environmental Quality Dorset Coast Strategy aims to achieve integrated management of the whole of Dorset s Coast and inshore waters out to the 12-mile limit for the first time. The Strategy s policies are voluntary, and are promoted by the Dorset Coast Forum. Accessible beaches and clean coastal waters are two of the main attractions of the Dorset coast. The public s health and environmental expectations are increasing and it is important that the quality of the coastline is maintained. Extensive investment by the water companies together with work undertaken by the Environment Agency has contributed to cleaner water and beaches in Dorset. However pollution problems can and do still occur and continual effort is needed to maintain the high quality and a clean public image of Dorset s coastline. This topic paper: Summarises the position and potential changes within the pollution and water quality sector in Dorset. Invites comment from the Forum about issues related to Pollution & Environmental Quality along the Dorset coastline. Bathing Water Quality Bathing water quality in the near shore area is measured by the amount of bacteria within water samples. These counts are undertaken to see if the water quality meets the EC s Bathing Water Directive. At present compliance with the Directive requires that in order for bathing water to comply, 95% of at least 20 samples, taken at weekly intervals between May 1 st -30 th September must have less than 10,000 total coliform bacteria and no more than 2,000 faecal coliforms per 100ml. Guideline criteria (used for some beach awards) are stricter than this requiring 80% of samples to be lower than 500 total coliforms and 100 faecal coliforms per 100 ml. Since 1995 records of compliance have been increasing in Dorset due to the completion of many coastal investment schemes and other works carried out by Wessex Water, South West Water and the Environment Agency. Between there were 33 classified Bathing sites in Dorset, this number increased to 34 with the addition of Poole Harbour Sandbanks Car Park in In 1993 a total of 28 (84%) sites passed the bathing water tests and by 1995 all sites passed. However due to high rainfall last year, which caused high levels of storm run off during the period that several of the samples were taken, the compliance rate fell to 94%. It is expected that some amendments may be made to the Bathing Water Directive in the near future. The Proposals state that testing for total coliforms will no Pollution and Environmental Quality 1

2 Pollution and Environmental Quality in the Coastal Zone, and who regulates it... Intertidal The Channel Maine litter washed up in strand line Litter left by visitors Land Open Sea (UK Waters) Litter left by visitors Dog fouling Maine litter/pollution washed up on shore during storms Oil \ Chemical spills Litter from ships Oil \ Chemical spills Litter from ships English Channel Median Line 12 Mile Limit 6 Mile Limit 3 Mile Limit Port Limits Mean Low Water Mean High Water The Regulators International MARPOL Prohibits discharge of litter from ships (requires that port authorities provide reception facilities for garbage) UNCLOS London Convention on the prevention of marine pollution Europe National Region Port Authority County District Parish Bathing Waters Directive Shellfish Waters Shellfish Hygiene Directive Urban Waste Water Directive (EA responsible for all in the UK) Environment Agency (EA) responsible for discharge consents on land and overall water quality and pollution control within the 3 mile limit, Under the Water resources Act 1991 and the Environmental Protection Act MAFF have responsibility for issuing licenses for disposal at sea under the Food & Environmental Protection Act 1985 MPCU/Coastguard are responsible for containing and clearing spills at sea under the Merchant shipping Regulations No statutory role, however SCOPAC and the 3 coastal groups provide a co-ordinating role for coast defence authorities. Statutory duty to clean up spills with in the port area. Production of safety and oil spill contingency plans From 1998 are statutory required to prepare waste management plans Disposal of solid waste on land requires consent from local authority Local authorities responsible for waste disposal on land under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Production of emergency plans and a non- statutory responsibility to clean up coastline in the event of an oil (or similar) spill. Various bye-laws on land owned by County and District councils Various byelaws on litter and prohibiting dogs, water craft and other activities from certain areas. Pollution and Environmental Quality 2

3 longer be required and standards for faecal coliform will remain unchanged. However new criteria will be set with mandatory sampling for enteroviruses. This change may affect compliance rates of some bathing waters along the Dorset coastline. It is a common misconception that all bacteria in bathing waters originate from sewage schemes. As discharges from sewer outlets improve it is becoming increasingly apparent that there is a significant problem with diffuse sources such as land run off, illegal private discharges, animal faeces and storm outfalls. (For information on discharges from recreational craft see the recreation topic paper) Sewage Treatment Under the Urban Wastewater Directive 1991, it was specified that by the year 2000, a minimum of secondary water treatment systems should be in place for all conurbations of >15,000 people. In 1994 an amendment was made, that certain discharges to estuarine or coastal waters could receive a minimum of primary treatment (rather than secondary) as long as the discharge was made into waters identified as High Natural Dispersion Areas (HNDA). In addition any scheme would be subject to comprehensive studies which would need to indicate that the discharge would not adversely affect the environment. The central map indicates where sewage treatment schemes discharge into Dorset HNDAs. An explanation of the different levels of treatment is given below: Preliminary Treatment This consists of screening raw sewage to remove large particles and grit before discharging into receiving waters, generally via a long sea outfall. the settled material (activated sludge) is disposed of on land and the supernatant liquid disposed to receiving waters. Tertiary Treatment The liquid derived from the secondary treatment is retained in sediment ponds or passed through filters to remove suspended solids. Ultra violet treatment may also be undertaken to kill any remaining bacteria/viruses. A modern treatment plant providing secondary treatment of sewage, for a population of 12,500 people costs in excess of 4.5 million to build. If we include the cost of sewers, etc., and running costs, this cost quickly mounts up and becomes an expensive venture. Funding Water Quality Improvements Since 1990, Southwest and Wessex Water have spent in the region of 104 million on improving their coastal sewage schemes in the county. It is estimated that Wessex Water is to spend a further 54 million on the completion of several schemes by the year 2001, including a scheme at West Bay, Bridport. The completion of these schemes will ensure that the region complies with EC requirements. Wessex water has indicated that they prepared to provide a higher standard of treatment than that required by the EC. The amount that the water companies are permitted to charge the consumer, in order to undertake further environmental improvements is limited by OFWAT, the water regulators. Market research undertaken by the Environment Agency and Wessex Water indicates that 95% of domestic water customers would be prepared to forgo small reductions in water charges in favour of funding these improvements. Informing the Public Primary Treatment Sewage is initially screened to remove large solids. It is then macerated, producing slurry, which is left to settle in large tanks. Once settlement has occurred the liquid portion is discharged into the receiving waters. The remaining sludge is disposed off on land by a variety of methods. Secondary Treatment There are several methods used, however the process consists of filtering the liquid portion from the primary treatment stage, through bacteria beds which break down organic matter contained within the liquid. Again Pollution and Environmental Quality 3 At present there are a wide variety of different awards and accolades given to beaches in the UK aimed at enabling the public to make an informed choice of where to bathe and undertake their coastal leisure activities. Much confusion has resulted because each award means something slightly different. However a beach award is an important asset to a seaside resort as many people are attracted by such an accolade. The major awards include the Seaside Awards (a yellow and blue flag) and the European Blue Flag Award, both of which are awarded by the Tidy Britain Group for the duration of 1 year. Both flags require the bathing water

4 quality to comply with the mandatory value of the Bathing Water Directive (the European Blue Flag criteria goes a step further, requiring compliance with the guideline values). However the flags are not necessarily a measure of the current water quality as they are awarded in June using the previous years' water quality results. Coastal Litter In 1997 the Great Dorset Beach Clean took place on 20th April, attracting over 700 volunteers who removed a total of 1,286 full black refuse sacks from the 29 beaches included in the scheme, (7.7 metric tonnes). A report based on the 1997 event states, Nine years after MARPOL and nine Beach cleans later the coastal rubbish pollution in Dorset is as bad, if not worse than ever. MARPOL (Annex V) applies to all ships and prohibits the discharge into the sea of all plastics, synthetic fishing nets, garbage bags and other materials in specified areas of the sea. However within the report it is estimated that the key polluters are shipping, beach users, fishing and pleasure craft who are continuing to dispose of their rubbish overboard for it to be subsequently washed up onto our beaches. These findings are backed up by both Coastwatch UK and the Nation-wide Beach Clean, although both of these also place emphasis on litter generated through tourism. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, it is the responsibility of the local authorities to remove litter on amenity beaches above the high water mark. Toxic Chemicals Under the North Sea Conference, agreements (1987/1990), the UK Government made a commitment to reduce the disposal of all toxic, persistent and bioacummulating substances into the sea by the year The Environment Agency who are responsible for monitoring for these substances have recorded levels of both nickel and gamma HCH (Lindane) above the acceptable levels stated under the Directive, at several areas within Poole Harbour. In other areas of the county, atrazine (a herbicide), mercury, cadmium, zinc, arsenic and dieldrin (an insecticide) have also been recorded in quantities above that permitted. Mel. This discharge is monitored independently by two different bodies: UK Atomic Energy Agency (UK AEA) Environment Agency (EA) The levels of titanium discharged are significantly below guideline levels and do not pose any safety or pollution risk. Emergency Response In the event of an oil or chemical spill the Marine Pollution Control Unit are responsible for the clean-up and containment of a spill at sea. In addition, Dorset County Council s Emergency Planning Department is in the process of revising their oil spill contingency plan which underlines the processes including clean up operations, in the event that a spill reaches the coastline. In many cases the best solution can be to leave the spill to break up and disperse naturally, as the clean up operation can in some cases intensify the problem. However it is not often acceptable to allow nature to deal with the problem, as public pressure intervenes and the responsible authorities are required to take action in order to minimise the effect on the tourism industry. Nutrient Enrichment Algal blooms which occur as a result of the nutrient enrichment of the water can change the equilibrium and hence ecology of an area. One of the main sources of nutrient input is direct discharges from industry, with concerns at present about run off contamination originating from several industrial parks within the Weymouth area. The other main input is agricultural runoff, with farming practices in the region moving away from cattle grazing, towards the production of arable crops, the quantities of manure and fertilisers used on the land have increased, therefore intensifying possible contamination from run off. In early 1994 the potentially toxic red-tide algae Alexandrium spp. was identified in Weymouth Harbour. In response to this a joint monitoring and liaison program was set up involving the Environmental Agency, MAFF, Chief Port Health Officer and Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, to tackle the problem of nutrient enrichment along the Dorset coast. Since the late 1950's UKAE Winfrith has been discharging cooling waters containing trace amounts of titanium into the sea, via the long sea out-fall at Arish Pollution and Environmental Quality 4 During 1995 it was reported that a bloom occurring in Poole Park Lake consisted of two potentially toxic bluegreen algae causing the area to be closed for a period of time.

5 Nutrient enrichment is considered to be a problem in the Fleet - Dorset s only proposed Special Area of Conservation. In the Fleet significant amounts of the potentially toxic algae - Prorocentrum lima, have been recorded each year since 1994 (with the exception of 1995 when no blooms were recorded). Other species such as Alexandrium tamarense, have also been observed in the Fleet during this period. Shellfish & Shellfish Water Monitoring The EC Shellfish Directive came into force in 1979, and specifies quality standards for waters supporting designated shellfish populations. A variety of parameters are measured including ph, Salinity, suspended solids and tests for a variety of heavy metals and bioaccumulating substances referred to earlier. The Environment Agency are responsible for monitoring the water quality in the designated areas and if compliance levels are breached they are required to identify the pollution source and undertake measures to remedy the situation. In order to protect consumers, the Shellfish Hygiene Directive was adopted in This directive does not impose any obligation to meet specific quality, but classifies harvesting areas according to the quality of shellfish populations. The waters are awarded one of the following classifications: A- Can be sold direct with no treatment B- Must be cleaned or relayed until they meet standards in category A. C- Must be relayed for at least 2 months followed by specific treatment to achieve category A or heattreated by an approved method. Disposal at Sea The disposal of spoil waste at sea is carried out under licence from the relevant fisheries department of MAFF under the Food & Environmental Protection Act 1985 (FEPA, -part II). There are 3 spoil sites off the Dorset coast, although at present, licences are only issued for one site situated in Swanage Bay (see map). Several marine based organisations, including, Poole Harbour Commissioners are licensed to dispose of maintenance dredging at this site - this year amounting to a maximum total of 226,900 tonnes. No licences have been issues for the site at Poole Bay within the last 12 months and the site off Weymouth has not been used since Noise Pollution Noise pollution caused by activities such as marine recreation, can be a problem to both the public and wildlife in some areas, especially in the summer months in the main visitor season. There is a growing awareness that underwater noise from boat engines and propellers, echo sounders, naval activity and seismic oil surveys could have an impact on marine wildlife, including commercial fisheries and some forms of marine recreation (e.g. diving). Regular monitoring is taking place at Durlston County Park and techniques are being developed to compare the data on levels of noise from different sources, with dolphin sightings. The issue of noise from watercraft, audible above water will be dealt with in the topic paper on Recreation. Shellfish harvesting is prohibited in areas, which have a poorer quality than category C. There are several designated shellfish water sites within Dorset, including Poole Harbour, the Fleet and Portland Harbour. Over the past few years, some areas in Poole Harbour have exceeded the mandatory levels of copper and the Environment Agency has carried out investigations to determine the causes. Pollution and Environmental Quality 5

6 Integration of Pollution and Environmental Quality within Dorset s Coastal Zone Environmental quality and pollution affects many activities within the Coastal Zone. The potential impacts of pollution on other activities in the coastal zone are as follows: Archaeology It is possible that some changes in water quality may affect the preservation of some archaeological material. Coastal Defence In areas where beach recharge is to take place care must be taken to sample dredged marine sediment for heavy metals and other contaminants. When the sediment is deposited onshore these contaminants can become free causing a decrease in the near shore water quality. Educational Use Pollution can affect education for example, by spoiling prime sites for studying the marine land interface. There is increasing interest in pollution and environmental quality indicators in coastal management at the postgraduate level. There is a need to increase public education to raise awareness of the outcome of their actions. Fishing Each year marine litter causes financial losses to fishermen as litter gets caught in their nets. Some forms of litter can cause nets to become tangled or ripped requiring them to be mended. In addition litter caught in the nets must be removed before the catch is landed. Nets themselves can become a problem when discarded by fishermen. Ghost fishing caused by nets discarded into the sea, can kill high numbers of fish, seabirds and marine mammals which become entangled. The water quality can have a marked affect on both the location and the survival of fish stocks. This is especially important to shellfish beds where the stock are predominately sedentary thus cannot locate elsewhere. The location of sewage outfalls is extremely important especially in designated shellfish areas where the shellfish can be quickly affected in areas of poor water quality. Geology & Geomorphology Some types of geology can create the illusion of pollution, by releasing sediment into nearshore waters. Landscape & Seascape Oil and litter on beaches can have a serious negative impact on landscape quality. Atmospheric pollution can have an indirect effect on landscape through its effect on plant life. Marine Aggregates The introduction or discharge of contaminants or metals into the marine environment can affect the condition and hence possible future uses of marine aggregates. This can also occur by the dredging of the surrounding areas releasing contaminants into the system, which then settle in these areas. Maritime Industries Only as a pollution source Military Activity Only as a pollution source Oil & Gas Only as a pollution source Ports & Shipping Port authorities have a statutory responsibility to clean up any pollution incidents occurring within their boundaries. Port authorities are also required to provide reception facilities for garbage. Recreation A known decrease in water quality will affect a persons decision to undertake marine recreation activities. In the past it has been suggested that viruses in bathing water may have been the cause of various illnesses, in those participating in activities where they are submerged, ranging from ear ache and throat infections to quite serious illnesses such as dysentery or meningitis. Tourism All forms of pollution including a decrease in water quality can affect tourism in an area. The lack of an appropriate flag or poor description in a publication such as the Good Beach Guide will often deter many visitors. Litter is a continuing problem on many beaches. In an area such as Dorset where the environment is a major attraction, any spill at sea which results in oil or chemicals on the beaches could have a devastating affect on tourism. Pollution and Environmental Quality 6

7 Wildlife The effects of an oil spill on both marine and terrestrial wildlife has been widely publicised. However poor water quality can also have a serious effect on marine and coastal wildlife, upsetting the normal ecological balance and affecting the food chain. Litter can also be lethal to wildlife, plastic bags can be eaten in mistake for jellyfish or other food types by many marine animals including dolphins which are frequently seen off the Dorset Coast. On land, litter that has been washed up can be just as fatal with rusty tins or broken glass being a hazard to wildlife foraging for food. Noise pollution below the water surface is believed to affect fish and can cause interference with dolphin sonar. Policy Directions for Environmental Quality and Pollution on the Dorset Coast The following questions in relation to policy direction are proposed for discussion: 1. How can we reduce illegal discharges into the sea and our river systems? Would improved reception facilities at main ports reduce the amount of marine litter? Should we be looking at increasing compliance levels? Should the litter burden be successfully divided under the polluter pays principle? Should fines be increased to ensure that the treat of prosecution is a real deterrent? 2. Rather than placing all emphasis on the prosecution of individuals or industries producing litter and waste, should we not being doing more to prevent the problem initially? 3. Should we look at ways of encouraging full reception facilities in ports, harbours and marinas for pumping out in order to discourage recreational water craft from emptying their waste into the sea? Is it necessary? Who would fund the construction and maintenance of these facilities? Have the ports/harbours the necessary space and infrastructure at present for such facilities? Would the public be prepared to pay for the use of the facilities? 4. Should we encourage more research into tackling diffuse pollution sources? How can this be achieved Do we need tighter control on fertilisers and pesticides? Should we be encouraging buffer zones next to rivers where tighter controls on chemical use are encouraged? Can a method or way of reducing pollution from agricultural run off be achieved? 5. Can a way be found to ensure that information about the state of coastal waters at a particular point in time is given clearly and accurately to coastal users? Who would fund such a scheme? How would organisations sponsoring present flags and awards react? Would the proposed changes to the bathing water directive affect the method used? How would the public be made aware of a demonstration scheme in Dorset? Do we need to inform those producing litter /pollution of the affects and the clean up costs involved? Is there the need for more education and interpretation on this issue? Should more pressure be placed on companies to reduce packaging? Pollution and Environmental Quality 7