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BACK 08 August 2001 An Environment Agency Toxicity Officer has informed the Epynt Action Group (EAG) that the Environment Agency is no longer responsible for monitoring water pollution emanating from the contaminated carcass burial and burn site on the Epynt military ranges on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The National Assembly of Wales and DEFRA have taken over responsibility and Sue Essex, Environment Minister at the Assembly, has confirmed that stream samples have been taken and continue to be taken but results have not yet been made available to the public. Meanwhile the EAG has taken its own stream samples, which have been tested by an independent laboratory, and the results make depressing reading with up to 7 times acceptable ammonia levels after heavy rainfall. The National Assembly informed the EAG that they were removing the 20,000 tons of ash (from burnt cattle and sheep carcasses, sleepers, coal, plastics) to a safe landfill site at a rate of 30 lorry loads a day over 8 weeks from 30 July. Given the very heavy rainfall in recent days the EAG is worried that lorry movements may have been interrupted and that the ash, which is spread out on hard standing with no lining, will be leaching into the soil and causing further contamination of the rivers and surrounding environment. The public was told that carcasses were removed from the burial pit because of very bad contamination and burnt instead. However, foxes are now digging up carcasses from the pit. The EAG’s warning right from the start, that the decision to use the Epynt for carcass disposal would lead to terrible consequences, has proved to be right. Will the person responsible for such a terrible error of judgement, causing possible long term health damage as well as environmental pollution, now listen to those people who tried to warn him? Every effort should be made to remove the ash safely and speedily and return the site to its original state. REMEDIATION and NOT REINSTATEMENT is required which means ALL carcass remains and pollution should also be removed. The EAG believes anything less than this will be disastrous for the area. Given that pollution has already occurred, and given the scale of the damage, continued monitoring of streams for years to come must be undertaken and the results made public so the public can protect itself if necessary. Last, but not least, health screening of local residents and site workers should be carried out over many years given the huge pyres which burnt continuously on the Epynt for three whole months. For more information visit www.epynt-disaster.co.uk. - ENDS -
EAG/007
10 May 2001
A further environmental disaster is about to happen at the contaminated Epynt burial and burning site in mid Wales if the National Assembly goes ahead with its plans to bury the residue of carcasses and toxic ash in the back fill of the burial pit where burial was stopped following ground contamination above the tributaries of the major Rivers Towy and Usk. The current plan is subject to the approval of the Assembly’s consultants and the Environment Agency Wales who are responsible for the pollution that has already occurred. Tony Joss, spokesman for the National Assembly told Chris Dennis of the Epynt Action Group today that the carcass residue in the burial pit at Epynt is proving very difficult to remove along with the toxic ash from the aborted attempt to burn the carcasses in the burial pit. He claimed that the material being returned to the pit will dilute the contamination. Advisors to the Epynt Action Group examined the Assembly’s proposals and quickly concluded that contamination will leach from the back fill in the pit and enter the surrounding land and water courses in very little time, a matter of days during the next period of heavy rain. The springs on Epynt supply private water to local farms and residences as well as major rivers supplying public drinking water to large conurbations such as Swansea, Carmarthen and Brecon. The Epynt Action Group feels that Carwyn Jones, the Minister responsible at the National Assembly of Wales, and the Environment Agency have learnt very little from their previous negligent management of the Epynt site over the past month and are about to compound and exacerbate the situation if they go ahead with this very dangerous plan. "Under the requirements of remediation, all the contamination from carcasses, fuels, ash and disinfectant must be removed from the site and treated correctly before the burial site is filled in and returned to its previous state." says Tony Jukes of the Epynt Action Group, Local resident and businessman Andrew Maclean said "No costs should be spared in the remedial work which needs to be done. Specialist contractors should be called in to do the work, not just advise. The communities have already paid a very high price in terms of their health for the mistakes the authorities have made. Reports have been received of respiratory problems, nosebleeds, vomiting and diarrhoea and people working on the site have been hospitalised. The long term health implications of, for example, cancers, birth deformities and other serious diseases, will only manifest themselves in the years to come. The burial and burning site, contrary to people’s perceptions, is not in such a remote position. For example, Llandovery, which has a population of approximately 2,000 people has been badly affected by smoke from the pyre which has been burning for a record 34 days. Given that the site was on top of a hill, instead of the smoke rising, it fell down into the valleys where it remained for long periods. The Assembly owes it to the people around Epynt to at least put the site back how they found it and create no further threats to human and animal life." The original intention of the Environment Agency Wales was to burn for 2-3 days but when burial became impossible the Assembly gave instructions to burn 5,000 sheep carcasses at a time on a massive pyre and subsequently when they could not burn the hazardous carcass residue in the burial pit they moved them to this pyre. As a result of this action the burning has continued for over a month. Plastic linings were also burnt on the pyres as it was impossible to remove them from the carcass residue. The local community is also worried about the thousands of cubic metres of ash residue at the burn site which has to be removed to a specialist processing plant. They are worried that if high winds occur before they are safely collected and dispatched the area will be further contaminated by this highly dangerous substance. There are also concerns that suitable vehicles will be used to transport it. According to Tony Jukes, "This is controlled, if not special waste, and even the Pollution Agency Wales will not get away with spreading this waste all over Wales. Tipper lorries and builders' cavity foam sheeted down with a tatty tarpaulin will not do this time." Tel: 01874 636591, 63 6838, 636960. |
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