Accidents happen.
That's why a precautionary approach must always be taken when dealing with groundwater and aquifers.
HS2 loses large amount of potentially highly polluting bentonite into the chalk aquifer and the @EnvAgency says blah, blah, blah.
— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) September 10, 2021
“We take the protection of groundwater and watercourses – including chalk streams – very seriously, as...........",https://t.co/fUSfnLytR3
HS2 has lost vast amounts of a potentially highly polluting substance in an aquifer during the construction of the high-speed rail link, it has emerged.Environmental campaigners have raised concerns about the impact of this on the water supply.The company lost 1,600 cubic metres of clay slurry known as bentonite, which is used in construction work, in the last few months of last year.A Network Rail environmental guide to bentonite says that as a liquid it is highly polluting. “If it enters watercourses or drains it can cause damage to plants and animals,” the guidance says.HS2’s development partner Align has produced a report analysing the impact of this loss on the aquifer on the site where works are being carried out, north of Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire.The lost bentonite is thought to be sitting in the fractures and fissures around the sides of the aquifer.Align’s own report states that while no lasting damage is thought to have been done by this loss, at two monitoring boreholes there has been "significant effects on pH, turbidity and other water quality parameters"….An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "We take the protection of groundwater and watercourses – including chalk streams – very seriously, as well as the protection of the wildlife and ecosystems that rely on them.""The agency is working closely with HS2, their contractors, local community groups, the water industry, and local authorities to ensure the environment is protected throughout the project."
