12-Feb-2019

New Year's Green
Contamination

Test drilling by HS2 threatens to contaminate the Aquifer in Hillingdon, and the West London Water Supply.

Sarah Green has been charged with aggravated trespass for taking action to stop the destruction of the Colne Valley wetlands, after entering the site of a new Pile Load Test compound, off Harvil Road. The compound is immediately adjacent to New Years Green Bourne, a waterway draining a contaminated landfill site. Piles (for testing the Colne Valley viaduct ) will be drilled to a depth of 70m, penetrating the chalk aquifer under the valley. There is a clear risk of polluted surface water entering the aquifer which supplies much of the drinking water for West London, but no risk assessment has been published.

Money is required to defend the charge of aggravated trespass, and expose the lack of risk assessments necessary to safeguard Drinking Water Supplies.

Support the Crowd Justice Appeal to defend Sarah Green,
and our drinking water

Source of Contamination

Hillingdon Council have determined that the land to the North East of Newyears Green Lane (a former landfill site, outlined in red above) is contaminated, with scope for significant pollution of Surface and Ground water. This has contaminated New Years Bourne -

"Pollution by ammonia in the New Years Bourne was first brought to the Council’s attention by the National Rivers Authority on 15 June 1995. The Council was informed by the Environment Agency, ‘EA’ of the closure of the Ickenham Public Water Supply Borehole by the Three Valleys Water Company, ‘TVWC’ due to pollution levels on 21 May 1997."

"The main controlled water receptor under consideration is the principal chalk aquifer which
is used by the public water supply borehole at Ickenham. Also considered are the
secondary A aquifer and the Bourne Stream.
The exposure pathways to the secondary and principal aquifers include migration of landfill
leachate vertically down to the major chalk aquifer through the sandy, gravely and clayey
horizons of the Reading Beds (Secondary Aquifer) after leaching from the waste. ...

There also may be preferential pathways created by the drains and culverts.
Due to the presence of contamination in the major aquifer including ammonia which is
consistently found it appears that this is a pathway is present."

HS2 construction and increased risk

HS2 contractors plan to pile drive into the Chalk Aquifer in Hillingdon in multiple places, one of which is adjacent to New Year’s Green Bourne, off Harvil Rd, Harefield, which is a known pollution pathway from a contaminated site. 

(See Full Presentation)

These risks were identified in the Hillingdon Local Environment Management Plan -

11.2 Potential contamination sources and sensitive receptors
11.2.1 The following land with potentially contaminative existing or historical uses has been identified as a possible contaminative risk to HS2 works (and can be seen in Volume 5 map book of the main ES (LQ-01-008a – LQ-01-012):
 Historical landfill on land off Harvil Road;
 Dew’s Farm historical landfill;
 Harefield Marina historical landfill;
...
11.2.2 With regard to the above identified contaminative risks, the Contractors will have due regard to the following sensitive receptors:
...
 controlled waters, including groundwaters in The Chalk bedrock (principal aquifer) and various Secondary A aquifers;

Clearly, drilling boreholes which might allow contaminated water from the Bourne to flow into the aquifer does not show "due regard for a sensitive receptor". No risk assessment has been published for this procedure.

The Pile Test Compound, and NewYearsGreen Bourne