Legal action to be taken over water pollution |17 February 2010

Mr Dogley was speaking to the media on the latest developments in the case, in which a building company working at the former Tracking Station site is believed to be responsible for polluting the water.

The pollution was attributed to failings in the system to treat waste water from the site and stop it leaking into the environment and the water supply of nearby residents.

“This is one of the worst cases of water supply pollution ever registered in the country, and we are doing our utmost to see that legal action is taken against those responsible,” said Mr Dogley. 

He said the Department of Environment has a clear policy about managing waste water, and it is recommended that any development should have an effective septic tank or waste water treatment system located at a certain distance from the infrastructure or river.

He said such problems have arisen in the past, being caused mainly by large-scale pig farmers. They were advised to put in place certain facilities to resolve the issue and prevent further pollution.

At construction sites with 100 or more workers, the builder is asked to put in place a sewage treatment plant, usually imported from abroad. This facility, although installed when the Americans ran the tracking station, was not being used by the current company, which allegedly had only a containment system in use.

Mr Dogley explained that most contractors with enough workers to require a treatment plant have complied. Certain cases of non-compliance are being dealt with through legal action, he added.

He said the possibility of an out-of-court settlement is available to the company, and if this happens part of the agreed sum will go to the Environment Trust Fund.  

Mr Dogley’s statement followed one from Joel Morgan, Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Transport, who said he has given clear directives since Sunday to the Department of Environment to take strict measures against the contractor for allegedly contravening the Environment Protection Act.

Mr Morgan visited the site on Sunday to ascertain the level of pollution coming from the site. He noted that the liability for ensuring the environment is not polluted lies with the building contractor, who should immediately enter into talks with all affected residents to pay compensation and costs for the damage caused.