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United Kingdom
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Colony's Dirty Beaches 'Improving' Pollution levels on Hong Kong's beaches have lessened over the past two years, but they are still unsatisfactory, according to senior biology lecturer at the Chinese University, Dr Mark Kai-keung. Dr Mark says that the pollution problems have probably lessened since the Government installed more toilets on the beaches, and warnings about the beaches were heeded by the public. But he says there are still no adequate sewage discharge points on the beaches and singled out several bays in particular as being a health hazard. Last year Dr Mark prepared a report which recommended that three Hong Kong beaches were so polluted that they should be closed. Dr Mark blames discharges from junks in the typhoon shelter as one of the main causes of pollution, particularly on Silvermine Bay. Dr R. A. Perry of the Urban Services Department, however, denied that conditions on the beaches were a cause for concern, and claims that regular monitoring of bacteria levels in Hong Kong waters has shown a decrease. He adds that the condition of the beaches is above the standard recommended by the World Health Organization, and that $2 million would be spent on improving sewage treatment facilities over the next five years.
BP's Boom Proves its Efficiency A new oil-collecting device, the weir boom, which was tested successfully during the Ixtoc I oil-well blow-out of 1979, could enable clean-up teams to collect up to 15 000 tonnes of oil per day. British Petroleum, who developed the weir boom, revealed details of its operational capabilities during the 1981 Oil Spill Conference held recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr Hugh Wilson of BP's research centre described how weir and conventional booms could remove about 15 000 tonnes of oil a day, the amount a major wreck could leak for several weeks. The weir boom has a higher rate of recovery than the average recovery device, the best of which picks up about 50 tonnes per hour. The weir boom is a simple device about 120m long. Oil and water is drawn into a void behind the weir through a suction pump, then transferred into a ship where the free water is separated and put back into the sea.
Fight Against US 'Acid' Rain The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to be taken to court by a Canadian ministry to prevent it relaxing emission standards in US power stations. The EPA propose to allow 18 stations to emit higher levels of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, but Canadians already claim their country is polluted more by acid rain produced by the Americans than by their own plants. Authorities in Ontario claim that the relaxed standards would double the amount of acid rain falling over their 144
country and they are supported by US environmental groups. Fears began to arise when scientists found dioxin in the Canadian Great Lakes, and it is claimed that Canada receives two to four times as much sulphur dioxide as is given to the USA, and four times as much nitrogen oxides in acid rain and snow.
Sludge Conference A specialized conference on the disposal of sludge into the sea is to be held in London, UK, from 29 September-1 October, 1981. The conference is sponsored by the International Association on Water Pollution Research (IAWPR), and aims to examine the extent and results of pollution of the sea caused by sludge disposal. It will also accept papers on legislation dealing with these problems and on the practical aspects of sea disposal as an acceptable method of sludge disposal. Further details can be obtained from IAWPR, Alliance House, 29-30 High Holborn, London WC1V 6BA.
Dr Ginjaar President of the Council of Environment Ministers Dr L. Ginjaar has recently met several European ministers to discuss compromises on three major issues. He has so far visited the French, German and Belgian ministers, the major topics under discussion being agreement on directives for the discharge of mercury into water, the Seveso disaster and environmental impact assessment. The first and most important of these-mercury discharges - involved French insistence on emission standards as opposed to the UK's preference for quality objectives as a means of pollution abatement. Agreement on this topic has become a priority so that standard regulations can be applied in new installations and factories. The ministers come together for full talks in June.
Round-the-World News United Kingdom Agricultural fertilizers have increased nitrate levels in the River Thames, endangering water supplies to the British capital city. The need to find new water supplies for London has now been expressed; possibilities so far include taking water from upper reaches of the river or building a reservoir near Oxford. It could still be possible to keep below the EEC nitrate limit by blending water or shutting off river intakes. Nitrates at the main Thames reservoirs have risen from 4.2 mg 1_ 1to 7.7 mg 1_ j over 11 years. Predictions say this figure could have doubled by 2000, without taking into account sudden increases when farmland runoff surges. A computer to analyse changes in nitrate levels will prove crucial later this year when final decisions about increasing London's water supplies are taken.
Africa Sixteen African countries have approved a treaty to protect their coastal waters from pollution, officials of
Colony's Dirty Beaches 'Improving' Pollution levels on Hong Kong's beaches have lessened over the past two years, but they are still unsatisfactory, according to senior biology lecturer at the Chinese University, Dr Mark Kai-keung. Dr Mark says that the pollution problems have probably lessened since the Government installed more toilets on the beaches, and warnings about the beaches were heeded by the public. But he says there are still no adequate sewage discharge points on the beaches and singled out several bays in particular as being a health hazard. Last year Dr Mark prepared a report which recommended that three Hong Kong beaches were so polluted that they should be closed. Dr Mark blames discharges from junks in the typhoon shelter as one of the main causes of pollution, particularly on Silvermine Bay. Dr R. A. Perry of the Urban Services Department, however, denied that conditions on the beaches were a cause for concern, and claims that regular monitoring of bacteria levels in Hong Kong waters has shown a decrease. He adds that the condition of the beaches is above the standard recommended by the World Health Organization, and that $2 million would be spent on improving sewage treatment facilities over the next five years.
BP's Boom Proves its Efficiency A new oil-collecting device, the weir boom, which was tested successfully during the Ixtoc I oil-well blow-out of 1979, could enable clean-up teams to collect up to 15 000 tonnes of oil per day. British Petroleum, who developed the weir boom, revealed details of its operational capabilities during the 1981 Oil Spill Conference held recently in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr Hugh Wilson of BP's research centre described how weir and conventional booms could remove about 15 000 tonnes of oil a day, the amount a major wreck could leak for several weeks. The weir boom has a higher rate of recovery than the average recovery device, the best of which picks up about 50 tonnes per hour. The weir boom is a simple device about 120m long. Oil and water is drawn into a void behind the weir through a suction pump, then transferred into a ship where the free water is separated and put back into the sea.
Fight Against US 'Acid' Rain The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to be taken to court by a Canadian ministry to prevent it relaxing emission standards in US power stations. The EPA propose to allow 18 stations to emit higher levels of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, but Canadians already claim their country is polluted more by acid rain produced by the Americans than by their own plants. Authorities in Ontario claim that the relaxed standards would double the amount of acid rain falling over their 144
country and they are supported by US environmental groups. Fears began to arise when scientists found dioxin in the Canadian Great Lakes, and it is claimed that Canada receives two to four times as much sulphur dioxide as is given to the USA, and four times as much nitrogen oxides in acid rain and snow.
Sludge Conference A specialized conference on the disposal of sludge into the sea is to be held in London, UK, from 29 September-1 October, 1981. The conference is sponsored by the International Association on Water Pollution Research (IAWPR), and aims to examine the extent and results of pollution of the sea caused by sludge disposal. It will also accept papers on legislation dealing with these problems and on the practical aspects of sea disposal as an acceptable method of sludge disposal. Further details can be obtained from IAWPR, Alliance House, 29-30 High Holborn, London WC1V 6BA.
Dr Ginjaar President of the Council of Environment Ministers Dr L. Ginjaar has recently met several European ministers to discuss compromises on three major issues. He has so far visited the French, German and Belgian ministers, the major topics under discussion being agreement on directives for the discharge of mercury into water, the Seveso disaster and environmental impact assessment. The first and most important of these-mercury discharges - involved French insistence on emission standards as opposed to the UK's preference for quality objectives as a means of pollution abatement. Agreement on this topic has become a priority so that standard regulations can be applied in new installations and factories. The ministers come together for full talks in June.
Round-the-World News United Kingdom Agricultural fertilizers have increased nitrate levels in the River Thames, endangering water supplies to the British capital city. The need to find new water supplies for London has now been expressed; possibilities so far include taking water from upper reaches of the river or building a reservoir near Oxford. It could still be possible to keep below the EEC nitrate limit by blending water or shutting off river intakes. Nitrates at the main Thames reservoirs have risen from 4.2 mg 1_ 1to 7.7 mg 1_ j over 11 years. Predictions say this figure could have doubled by 2000, without taking into account sudden increases when farmland runoff surges. A computer to analyse changes in nitrate levels will prove crucial later this year when final decisions about increasing London's water supplies are taken.
Africa Sixteen African countries have approved a treaty to protect their coastal waters from pollution, officials of