NEWSLETTER JUNE 2002

THE FUTURE POINTS TO WEATHERLEES

Legal advisors had told us not to get involved in suggesting an alternative site for the Foreness sewage works with the words "that's not your problem, it 's Southern Water's ". On the day of our Public Meeting (26th April) a Southern Water spokesman interviewed on TV news said that alternative sites had been ruled out for environmental reasons. That is nonsense as it cannot apply to the vast sewage works site at Weatherlees (Richborough). Also, none of the six other alternative sites considered has as much environmental protection as Longnose Spit and the Foreness cliff face (SAC, SSSI & Ramsar)! English Nature reports biodiversity here is on a knife edge. Thereby the FEA are throwing down the gauntlet on the issue. "

The EC Bathing Water Directive reforms are due to be published sometime this month. Stricter standards on indicator faecal bacteria levels and testing for Salmonella and Enterovirus are sure to be introduced. Even the Ramsgate works (at Weatherlees) will require modernisation.

The answer is to build stormwater-sewage combined storage tanks so that its contents can be disinfected before discharge in dry weather periods.

Foreness works have a proposed UV-disinfection unit, but not a storage tank. Weatherlees has a storage tank (though it will require enlargement) but no disinfection unit. Foreness Point cannot accommodate the massive tank (40,000 cubic metres) required but there is much spare land at Weatherlees. Moreover, installation of units to remove sewage chemical contaminants will be required in the near future (by 2010?) which will occupy even more land.

It makes planning sense for a safer and greener Thanet to combine the Foreness (Margate) and Ramsgate sewage works into a single worksite at Weatherlees, with installation of a modern technical facility producing near-pure water. It is the best environmental practical option for full- sewage treatment not entailing excessive cost.

Foreness Environmental Action

Secretariat: 34 Clarence Avenue, Margate CT9 3DR