Latest news with #DwrCymruWelshWater
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Plans to rebuild Llanerch Bridge scrapped despite £1.5m spent
The cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) considered a report on rebuilding Llanerch Bridge after the original structure was destroyed during Storm Christoph in January 2021, when the River Clwyd burst its banks. Council officers warned that if they drilled into the riverbed, it could contaminate a water supply to 85,000 homes. That's because the old bridge was above a vital freshwater aquifer that Dwr Cymru Welsh Water use to supply drinking water to residents. Councillors heard how drilling into sandstone layers could create fissures, contaminating the lake. MORE: Rhyl man 'who just wanted to get home from Chester' fined for drunken abuse Paul Jacksons, the council's head of highways and environmental services. said: 'There's not been a design solution that has been found that completely removes the risk to that water asset. 'Therefore, the detailed design stage has concluded that it is not possible to construct a new bridge without the required foundations penetrating the weathered section of sandstone and putting a potential fissure in the aquifer, and again, interrupting that water supply. 'Welsh Water has stated that drilling into the aquifer would ultimately create a pathway for the risk of the water supply being contaminated, and that could lead to several factors, including risk and safeguarding their customers. 'It is a public health risk, and Welsh Water has stated that should the risk come to fruition, rectifying the issues created by drilling into the ground would be far from straightforward and extremely costly to resolve. It may not even be feasible to repair if we drill a physical pathway into the aquifer.' MORE: Rhyl mum and daughter create detailed post box topper in tribute to Mike Peters He added: 'They consider this to be extremely high risk, and they would suggest we don't go ahead with this project.' Mr Jackson said every design possible had been considered. Last week, backbench councillors Chris Evans and James Elson argued about the inconvenience and extra cost to residents, raising the solution of a temporary bridge. The pair said not building a bridge drastically affected the lives of residents in Tremeirchion, Rhuallt, Bodfari, Cwm, as well as those in Trefnant, Denbigh, Henllan, and Ruthin, particularly with the rise in the cost of fuel. £1.5 million of Welsh Government funds has already been spent on the design work of the project. Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Alan James also raised the matter of building a temporary bridge. But Mr Jackson said a temporary bridge would still require the same foundations, so the risk would remain, arguing the proposal was unfeasible. Leader Cllr Jason McLellan warned the cabinet: 'If we go ahead and start construction, knowing the risk to the damage to the aquifer, we essentially owe a duty of care to Welsh Water's customers that their water supply won't be affected, and quite clearly the advice is that it might be, so that chain of events would mean that we would be negligent and liable. 'We haven't got insurance, so we wouldn't be able to go through the insurance route. We would be liable, and it could potentially be millions. You think what the number of days without water looks like, without the ability to run a tap, boil the kettle, flush your toilet, have a shower. What does that look like for 85,000 homes after two days, three days, four days a week. Our liability would be off the scale.' Mr Jackson said the council would improve the road network, with £950,000 already secured from Welsh Government to upgrade 'alterative routes' and the diversion to make it 'more pleasurable for commuters'. But Cllr James Elson said the council had promised the residents a bridge. 'We must deliver on that promise,' he said. He added there must be a solution such as a single-track bridge or a temporary 'pre-fabricated' bridge set on benches without drilling. He said the cost of such a bridge would be less than the £1.5m Denbighshire had already spent, claiming he had been given a quote by a construction company two years ago. Mr Jackson reiterated a temporary bridge wasn't possible, explaining a bridge without foundations could present a danger to 'life and limb' during a flood. Cllr Chris Evans then echoed Cllr Elson's comments. 'There has been very little engagement from Denbighshire Council, which has had a detriment to this project,' he said. 'This again has had a massive impact on residents, feeling the bridge is not going to get built. It has been gone for four-odd years, and we have spent, or Welsh Government have spent, £1.5m to get to a set of drawings. I think that issue alone needs to be taken to the audit and governance committee.' Cllr Evans then claimed that a local building contractor had indicated to him a bridge was possible. 'We have not looked with conviction at the temporary bridge,' he said. 'I don't mean to be disrespectful, but Jones Brothers builds motorways. He is the person that does the job. He is the knowledgeable chap that has looked at that.' He added: 'The residents want a crossing.' Cllr Evans added residents and businesses were suffering and children couldn't get to school. He asked the cabinet to defer the decision so the matter could go to full council. But Cllr McLellan said that would put Denbighshire in the 'line of fire' for future litigation. Corporate director Tony Ward said officers couldn't win, having been criticised for spending £1.5m on designs, with it also being suggested they hadn't done enough. Cllr Gwyneth Ellis questioned whether a smaller bridge would need the same foundations, but Mr Jackson explained the foundations needed were due to the water pressure, not the weight on any bridge. The cabinet voted unanimously in favour of ceasing work on the project.
Wales Online
14-05-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
Huge sinkhole suddenly emerges in Welsh road leaving locals without water
Huge sinkhole suddenly emerges in Welsh road leaving locals without water Residents in the area have been left without water while the road is likely to remain closed until the end of the week This was the scene at the road at Pontsticill on Tuesday following the caving in of the road due to a burst water pipe (Image: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council ) A huge sinkhole emerged in Merthyr Tydfil county borough following a burst water pipe. Merthyr Tydfil council officers and workers from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water rushed to the scene on Tuesday morning following the burst pipe near Penygarn at Pontsticill which had led to the road surface on the main route through the village caving in. Video footage taken on Tuesday morning showed water spraying from the pipe at the site of the new sinkhole while some locals reported they had no water at a community meeting held at Pontsticill's memorial hall on Tuesday evening. In response to the new sinkhole at Pontsticill the council allowed vehicles to use the Pant road at Ffynnon Dwyn between Brecon Mountain Railway and the water treatment works, which has been closed since November following two landslips on the road which occurred during Storm Bert. Drone footage from the site on Wednesday showed the sinkhole being filled in by council officers at the scene (Image: John Myers ) One resident said on Tuesday: 'The Pant road has been closed for five months with nothing happening. This morning a burst pipe at Penygarn has formed a huge sinkhole and closed the road to Cefncoed. Article continues below 'The only access to the village is now by the Clyn single track road. The council are opening the Pant road this evening (Tuesday evening) with traffic lights. A road that was too dangerous to walk on yesterday is okay to drive on today.' Following the fixing of the pipe the road through Pontsticill remained closed (Image: John Myers ) The council is using a traffic light system at the Pant road temporarily to ensure the route is safe to navigate while the road at Pontsticill is closed for ongoing works. Article continues below In a statement the council said the road at Pant is safe to use due to the current period of dry weather. "This is a temporary diversion with two-way traffic lights and has been deemed safe to use in the short term following inspections and due to the warm, dry weather," the statement reads. Drone footage from the Pontsticill site on Wednesday showed the sinkhole being filled in by council officers at the scene following the fixing of the pipe while the road through Pontsticill remains closed. Councillor Lisa Mytton said on Wednesday afternoon that water has been reinstated and the road at Penygarn will hopefully be open by Friday evening.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Warning UK rivers are ‘toxic chemical soup' as all now plagued by sewage
All of the UK's rivers are now polluted with sewage with campaigners warning of a 'toxic chemical soup' in our waters. Leading campaign group Surfers Against Sewage is calling on the government and water companies to tackle the issue, as new data showed only 40 per cent of rivers are deemed to be good ecological health. According to the website Top of the Poops, which collects information on sewage dumps, found there were at least 513,234 spills into rivers in 2024, lasting more than 4 million hours. Sewage can harm wildlife and river ecosystems because chemicals – including everything from pharmaceuticals drugs to phosphates – entering the water from sewage systems are toxic. It can fuel the rapid growth of algae, which can choke out other forms of life by consuming all the oxygen. It can also be a source of E. coli, which can cause diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever when ingested by swimmers. Wessex Water was listed as the worst offender, with 5,221 sewage spills into the River Avon, which runs through the southwest of England between Bath and Bristol. Other rivers with significant pollution include the River Trent with 3,186 spills last year, as well as the River Ouse in Yorkshire and the River Severn in the South West. In Wales, the River Teifi endured 2,232 sewage spills by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water over 22,288 hours. Consistent dumps were recorded in Cardigan Bay despite its popularity with swimmers, kayakers and its abundance of wildlife. In its annual water quality report, SAS recorded spills into Scotland's rivers and lochs every 90 seconds last year, with a lack of accuracy over its data leaving people unsure if it was safe to swim. The group said that while the 'missing data' means the true figure is not known, it could have been as high as 364,629 discharges. SAS chief executive Giles Bristow told The Independent: 'Every time we test the water we find a worse toxic chemical soup. It's pharmaceuticals, toxins, sewage - it's worse than we've feared, we can only describe it as a continued environmental degradation. 'We are the canaries in the coal mine, these are rivers and lakes that are poisoned with sewage fungus and toxic chemicals. 'Nature does not have a chance, yet we pay these water companies to clear up these issues.' SAS said it received 1,853 sickness reports in the UK last year, which it said was the equivalent of nine years' worth of sick days linked to sewage pollution. But it warned the true scale of sickness was likely to be 'far higher' as most people don't report it. Kirsty Davies, Community Water Quality Manager at Surfers Against Sewage: "Our rivers are in a dire state. 'People up and down the country rely on our blue spaces for their physical and mental wellbeing, but risk their health each time they take a dip. This is unacceptable and all thanks to our profiteering water companies, who treat our rivers like open sewers. "With the weather warming up and the official bathing season about to start, more and more people will be flocking to the UK's rivers and beaches to enjoy their natural beauty. 'However, these waterways remain choked with sewage pollution. Despite the government promising billions in further investment to clean up our waterways, we cannot end the sewage crisis until we see radical, systemic change and end to pollution for profit."
