Repairs to the sluice gate at Workhouse Lake have finally been completed, hopefully putting an end to complaints about a nasty smell and concerns it may be as a result of a sewage leak.
With the first complaint of a smell both the Environment Agency and Southern Water were immediately contacted by the Council’s Environmental Health Services and no sign of sewage was found. Tests are still ongoing but it is believed the odour was originally caused by an algal bloom, but in more recent days by the biological breakdown of detritus in the mud and seaweed when the tide is out.
“An Algal bloom is a natural process accelerated by hot temperatures which can then result in de-oxygenation of the water,” said, David Jago, Environmental Services Manager for the Council, “a problem that has been well documented on other sites in the past.”
“In these situations our first step is always to open the sluice gates and flush fresh water through, which usually resolves the problem. Unfortunately someone had already attempted to open the sluice gate and in doing so had damaged the equipment, resulting in it being jammed shut. This meant the gate could only be released safely at low tide. The repair of the gate has taken approximately 3 weeks and during this time the tide has been able to ebb and flow naturally. Without the constant covering of water, the mud and seaweed are obviously exposed to the sun and air which enables micro organisms to multiply and the area to produce another smell.”
Emergency work was undertaken at low tide to enable the sluice to operate normally. Unfortunately whilst carrying out the repairs, contractors discovered further damage, a result of vandalism, which delayed the final repairs until yesterday (Monday).
“Sadly vandalism, and even people with good intentions who open the gates themselves to allow the crabs and fish to have fresh water, can cause serious problems, both in damage and repair costs and to the environment,” added David Jago. “For that reason additional works are being done to prevent any future unauthorised operation of the sluice.”
If you see anyone operating or interfering with the sluice gates who is not authorised to do so please report it immediately on Tel: (023) 9254 5729 Monday to Friday, or out of hours call the main switchboard Tel: (023) 9258 4242 and your call will be diverted to the Duty Officer. Please also make a note of any vehicle registration as this would greatly assist officers. If you have any concerns and wish to report a problem with the lake please contact the above numbers.
The Council is also in talks with the Environment Agency about the correct management arrangements for the sluice operation to minimise any future problems.
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