Residents in Throop have reported that Berry Hill Sewage Works have become progressively more odorous in recent times and the number of lorry movements has increased.
Other areas of concern are:- |
• Lorry speeds
• noise they make crossing the speed humps in Throop Village (a Conservation Area)
• damage they appear to be causing to the rubber humps in Broadway Lane
• the smell from the open topped/tarpaulin covered vehicles
• effect on the School
• apparent increase in capacity at berry hill
• sewage being brought in from other areas in Dorset, e.g. Weymouth
• problems at Poole being covered at Berry Hill |
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| On 20 April, 2009, Nick Watson, Senior Environmental Protection Officer and Steve Wood from Bournemouth Borough Council, visited Berry Hill and the subsequent letter to the new Wessex Water group manager - sludge, Sean Hill is reproduced below:- |
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Sean Hill, Group Manager - Sludge
Wessex Water, Claverton Down
Bath BA2 7WW |
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| Dear Mr Hill |
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Environmental Protection Act, 1990
Berry Hill Sludge Centre Watery Lane Throop Bournemouth |
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I refer to my visit to Berry Hill STW this morning accompanied by my colleague Steve Wood and would confirm that odour complaints were received this morning in respect of odours from the site on Saturday and Sunday (18th & 19th April 2009).
On arrival this morning a strong odour was noted in the area of the site entrance. I have serious concerns about the following points noted whilst going around the site: |
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Strong odour in wet well area and from adjacent screening skip which was uncovered.
Discharge of untreated sewage (from Poole?) from tanker through flexible unloading pipe on to settlement beds. Is this the best way to minimise odour?
Holding area adjacent to liming plant contained two heaps of treated sludge, one giving off a strong odour of ammonia and the other a musty odour.
Adjacent to liming plant is a settlement bed containing old sludge with some straw bales in it. The contents of this bed have started to surcharge into the storage area beside the liming plant.
The two settlement beds furthest from the site entrance are both full of old sludge to which Eco compost is currently being added ‘to reduce the moisture content so that it can be removed to landfill.’ These beds are covered with large numbers of brown flies.
At least three of the six open-top circular sludge tanks at the north east of the site contain a malodorous sludge that was described as having been there for some time.
There was a noticeable odour from the eight open top secondary sludge digester tanks.
There were many areas of the site where sludge spillages were noted, some fresh, some that had dried out and, in general, the site did not show evidence of regular ‘housekeeping practices’ compared to previous site visits. |
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The custom and practice in recent years has been that the site has been operated to the Wessex Water Odour Management Plan a copy of which was provided to the Environmental Health Department. This is considered to meet the requirements of ‘Best Practicable Means’ as defined by the Act. Any change in operating practice is notified to the Department and, where appropriate, temporary amendments to the odour management plan have been provided.
I am concerned that when the above matters were raised today the 1st June was the date mentioned for addressing many of the above matters.
You will also appreciate that there are a number of issues relating to odour and noise caused by lorries travelling to and from the site using Broadway Lane. This letter specifically addresses only issues of odour from the site itself.
I should be obliged if you would respond to each of the bullet points raised above specifying the time scale in which they will be addressed.
Mr N Watson Senior Environmental Protection Officer |
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| and the response |
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| Dear Mr Watson, |
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| Berry Hill Sludge Centre Watery Lane Berry Hill, Throop, Bournemouth |
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Thank you for your letter of 20th April 2009 regarding operations at Berry Hill. Following the visit by yourself and Steve Wood, and in response to the points raised please see below our planned actions to remedy affairs on site. |
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We will thoroughly clean and wash down the screenings area (by May 2nd) and ensure that any adjacent leakage from the adjacent presses is washed down daily.
We have ceased direct unloading of tankers into the drying beds - they now discharge into Howard tanks.
The more odorous/ammoniaical limed cake, if produced, will be removed off site within 24 hours of production.
We will investigate possibilities of introducing the sludge into the balancing tank using a downward bend - rather than current horizontal bend.
We plan to have the two drying beds free from sludge by 9th May.
We will regulate the compost mixing activity in drying bed 5 ( and small adjacent bed), to just days with SW wind. When we take this material off site, we will notify yourselves of the additional activity.
We plan to remediate and remove all the current rag/grit material off site by 9th May.
The sludge in tank two is lime treated (compliant) and is planned to export direct to land as liquid as soon as possible. However drilling season is almost finished and it now looks unlikely that we can use this option. Our secondary plan is to process this material through the belt press and lime plant and export as cake - This would take place after Poole digester cleaning has finished (from 25th May?)
The secondary digester storage is always left open topped, and currently presents little or no odour issue. |
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I hope that these points give you confidence that we are taking this matter very seriously. We are also installing procedures to get the site back to acceptable tidiness standards, and to instil a sense of pride and ownership in the cleanliness of site.
Yours sincerely
Sean Hill
Sludge Manager Wessex Water |
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| Councillor Whittaker arranged a meeting with Wessex Water, Environmental Health and interested parties including the chairman and Secretary of TMSTH Area Forum on 22nd April and subsequently wrote to the Chairman of Wessex Water as reproduced below:- |
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| Tel: (01202) 575621 |
Councillor Ron Whittaker,
Throop & Muscliff [Independent],
35 Glenmeadows Drive, Kinson,
Bournemouth. BH10 5HQ
24 April 2009 |
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Mr. Colin Skellett,
Chief Executive and Chairman,
Wessex Water Plc.,
Operations Centre,
Claverton Down Road,
Claverton Down,
BATH. BA2 7WW |
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| Dear Sir, |
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ISSUES AROUND BERRY HILL SLUDGE TREATMENT CENTRE,
WATERY LANE, THROOP, BOURNEMOUTH |
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On Wednesday 22nd April, a meeting was held with Sean Hill, Group Manager - Sludge, Wessex Water, at our local Muscliff Primary School, which is just a short distance from Berry Hill Sludge treatment works, Throop. Attending the meeting was Nick Watson Environmental Protection Officer and Stephen Woods, also from Environmental Health, who has been dealing with many of the complaints being made about the strong odours and the number of tankers going into and out of the site. A number of the vehicles causing the present problems are open lorries with only sheeting on top and they are sending out strong odours as they travel down Broadway Lane, especially when passing the local Primary School. With some 40 tanker/open truck vehicles entering and leaving this site daily between 0700 hrs. and 1800 hrs. they are causing serious concerns to all the residents within the Throop village which, I hasten to add, is also a conservation area.
This meeting was called by myself with the support of my two other Ward colleagues. Five residents were at the meeting, together with a Highways Officer and Steve Davies from Planning. The purpose of the meeting was initially to hear from Sean Hill how the main problems of odour complaints were being dealt with. Firstly, can I say that Sean Hill acted immediately once Environmental Health Officers visited the site on Saturday, 18th and Sunday, 19th April, whereby a detailed letter was sent on 20th April highlighting eight areas at Berry Hill that needed immediate attention. I am therefore PLEASED AND GRATEFUL TO SEAN HILL FOR HIS POSITIVE RESPONSES AND I KNOW THAT HE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THE CONCERNS OF RESIDENTS, but Berry Hill has now reached its full capacity.
The following are matters raised in a letter from Environmental Health:- |
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Strong odour in wet well area and from adjacent screening skip which was uncovered.
The response here is that the area will be thoroughly cleaned and washed down the screening area by 2nd May.
Discharge of untreated sewage [FROM POOLE] from tanker through flexible unloading pipe on to settlement beds.
Advised that direct unloading of tankers into the drying beds has ceased.
Holding area adjacent to liming plant contained two heaps of treated sludge, one giving off a strong odour of ammonia and the other a musty odour.
Advised that the more odorous/ammoniacal limed cake will be removed off site within 24 hours of production.
Adjacent to liming plant is a settlement bed containing old sludge with some straw bales in it. The contents of the bed had started to surcharge into the storage areas besides the liming plant.
Informed that possibilities of introducing the sludge into the balancing tank using a downward bend will be investigated.
Two settlement beds furthest from the site entrance are both full of old sludge to which Eco compost is currently being added to reduce the moisture content so it can be removed to landfill; these beds were covered with large brown flies.
Sean advised it is planned to have two drying beds free from sludge by 9th May.
Three of the open-top circular sludge tanks at the north east of the site contain malodorous sludge that was described as having been there for some time.
Sean advised that they will regulate the compost mixing activity in drying bed 5 to just days with SW winds. When the material is taken off site it was promised we would be notified of any additional activity. |
| Due to the many dozens of complaints received, it is vital that any removal of material must be made at times when the weather is not still. |
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Noticeable odour from eight open top secondary sludge digester tanks.
In response the plan is to remediate and remove all current rag/grit material off site by 9th May.
Many areas on the site where sludge spillages were noted. |
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As you can see we have many issues that have generated very understandable complaints but unfortunately none of the above will deal with the present problems of some 40 plus tankers in and out of the site and, more so, the vehicles that remove the treated sludge by way of only being sheeted on top. These are causing many of the complaints, added to which is the amount of noise created when these vehicles go over the permanent concrete humps. What came out of the meeting are the concerns and fears that Berry Hill is now one of the MAJOR TREATMENT CENTRES SERVING THE SOUTH WEST AND EAST; more so knowing that sludge is brought into Berry Hill as far away as WEYMOUTH. All this being added to by further endless problems at POOLE. We receive sludge from many other areas such as Christchurch, Dorchester, Corfe Mullen, Tarrant Crawford, including Kinson and I also mention Salisbury, although I am not sure if this is still continuing. I refer here to a confidential report from 2004 whereby it identified Berry Hill as being the most economic plant compared to Poole. Berry Hill has far outreached its capacity for this site and there is a clear need now for WESSEX WATER TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVE LOCATIONS to prevent large tankers travelling hundreds of miles when investment needs to be made via pipe lines and help towards the carbon footprint.
WHAT RESIDENTS REQUIRE NOW IS TO KNOW WHEN THE PRESENT UNACCEPTABLE TANKER MOVEMENTS WILL BE REDUCED TO A MORE ACCEPTABLE LEVEL.
I REALLY DO TRUST THAT MY REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT BERRY HILL AND PRESENT AND FUTURE ACTIVITY WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND ADDRESSED.
Yours faithfully,
COUNCILLOR RON WHITTAKER |
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| And on 30 April 2009, Colin Skellett replied:- |
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Dear Councillor Whittaker
Thank you for your letter of 24 April. I am sorry local residents are unhappy with recent activities around Berry Hill sludge treatment works.
Following the meeting on 22 April, I understand Sean Hill, our recycling manager, confirmed in writing that all matters raised by the environmental health team will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Tanker volumes at Berry Hill have risen whilst we carry out essential work at Poole sewage treatment works. Movements were significantly reduced last week and we plan to reduce levels back to normal as soon as our work at Poole is completed.
We use single sheeted lorries for all cake haulage, but because of the nature of the lime treated material currently being produced, there is a different odour from the lorries. We understand this can be a less tolerable smell for some people and we are again looking at ways to minimise odours. We will remove the temporary treatment plant from site as soon as our Poole work is complete, which should be the end of May.
We will do everything we can to minimise our impact on the local community. I have asked Sean to update you regularly on progress.
I hope this is helpful. I enclose a copy of our Code of Practice for Enquiries and Complaints for information.
Colin Skellett
Chairman |
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| Councillor Whittaker continues to lobby Wessex Water to identify sites which could cope with increasing sewage treatment needs within Dorset as Berry hill has outgrown the present site due to its location. |
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| Forum will continue to follow this matter and support Members who are affected by the smell and inconvenience from Berry Hill and Holdenhurst Sewage Treatment Plants. However, it is absolutely vital that complaints are made in writing, by e-mail or phone to Wessex Water and/or the Council’s Environmental Health Department, as only then will the problems be addressed. |