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Mapping seaweeds
that the pesticide is gradually absorbed by the plants. In this case, Phorate was evidently spread, inappropriately, by a light aircraft on land bordering Birdham Pool and was windblown into the nearby harbour with catastrophic results. As the Wilson Report ('Marine Pollution Bulletin' 1(1) : 3; 1970) pointed out, organophosphorus pesticides are gradually replacing organochlorines and since they are not persistent, there is everything to be said for that. The manufacturers of Phorate have designed the product in a form unsuitable for aerial spraying, which in normal circumstances should give protection against widespread distribution of the pesticide. One difficulty over the use of dangerous materials, as this incident shows, is to ensure that they are n o t misused by the ultimate purchaser and the problems of control at this level are immense.
How to deal with Sewage Strong measures, including reorganization of administrative structures, have been recommended to combat the growing problems of sewage disposal in England and Wales. Among the recommendations of the working party on sewage disposal, set up by the British Government in February 1969, is the extension of the responsibilities of river authorities to cover all discharges to tidal rivers, estuaries and the sea. In its report (Taken for Granted, HMSO, 10s) the working party suggests that the new authorities should take over from the eleven Sea Fisheries Committees, which watch over the welfare of fish and shellfish around the coasts of England and Wales. For this purpose the reconstituted and renamed river authorities would need an influx of marine expertise. The general state of sewage disposal in England and Wales which was revealed to the working party is clearly far from satisfactory, especially in view of the growing demands on the existing organizations. The volume of water used in England and Wales is increasing by about 3 per cent per year, and the volume of sewage effluent is increasing at the same rate. By the end of the present century it looks as if the need for water, and the consequent production of liquid waste, will be twice the present value. The inevitable need to use more purified sewage effluent as an essential part of the water supply will demand higher standards of treatment. Rivers already supply two-thirds of the public water supply, which often has to come from stretches of water containing appreciable quantities of sewage effluents. This the working party regards as cause for concern, and considers it imperative that where river water is to be used as a source of drinking water the discharge of industrial effluents be closely controlled. Eutrophication is n o t seen as a threat to free flowing rivers, although there could be problems when they discharge into lakes or impoundments. According to the wol:king party, the time has come when tidal rivers and estuaries should be subject to pollution control of the sort exercised over non-tidal rivers -- those used for water supply -- by the Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Acts 1951 and 1961. These acts give river authorities powers to control discharges. The reconstituted authorities, which the working party would like to see, would have such powers over all rivers, estuaries -- where amenity and shellfisheries are often threatened by sewage pollution -- and the sea. Because there is no control of coastal discharges by local authorities and no systematic monitoring of conditions on beaches, it was not possible to assess the exact extent of coastal pollution by sewage. But there is clear evidence of 118
significant pollution when discharged sewage is washed back onto beaches. In a few places in England holding tanks are used to retain sewage until tidal currents are favourable to carry it well out to sea. On the other hand, two-thirds of local authorities which discharge into the sea do so with at least some untreated sewage. To satisfy the standards it considers necessary the working party recommends three criteria for coastal discharge of sewage. First, particles of sewage should n o t reach bathing area; second, the point of discharge should be far enough offshore to render the sewage slick inoffensive to people on shore or bathing, a n d third, the siting of outfalls should take local fisheries into consideration. Enforcement of such criteria would be under the aegis of the new authorities, together with the control of dumping from ships within the three mile limit.
Mapping Seaweeds The British Phycological Society in collaboration with the Biological Records Centre at Monkswood has launched a scheme to map the distribution of seaweeds around the British coast. Seaweeds are valuable indicators of pollutants in the sea, b u t before changes in the flora can be used to assess the rate and extent of marine pollution it is essential to know the distribution and abundance of fixed algae on the coast. Knowledge of even the commonest species is still very sketchy, particularly for sub-tidal species. By a concerted effort it is hoped to collect a large number of records and begin to get a firm idea of the present situation. Record cards for thi~ purpose can be obtained from Dr T. A. Norton, Department of Botany, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, W.2., Scotland. This enterprise also has its more positive side. Seaweeds are an important resource and many are used commercially, so that the more information available about their distribution and abundance, the better.
Cleansing Achievements The achievements of the British Water Pollution Research Laboratory in Stevenage during 1969 included ridding a polluted pond of unpleasant odours, helping several companies to purify their effluents and establishing the toxicity to fish of metals they encounter in waters pervaded by industrial wastes. This was all part of a year's work devoted to investigations of methods for treating effluents and the study of pollution in natural waters. It is recounted in 'Water Pollution Research 1969', the latest annual report from the laboratory (price 17s 6d). The pond in question had become polluted as a result of chemical processes taking place within discharged trade effluent. Organic matter had deoxygenated the water and sulphates had been reduced by bacterial action to sulphide. This combined with mesityl oxide, a known constitutent of trade effluent, to produce the odorous compound mercaptan. Four and a half tons of hydrogen peroxide had proved unsuccessful in removing the catty odour, b u t the experts from Stevenage found the answer when they suggested calcium nitrate. Apart from banishing the odour, it changed the colour of the water from black to fawn after the first treatment. Although this is not a new way of coping with odours, the report notes that this was probably the first of such applications in Britain. The companies that were helped to purify their effluents last year included a pharmaceutical manufacturer with a desire to treat its waste so that the local authority would
How to deal with Sewage Strong measures, including reorganization of administrative structures, have been recommended to combat the growing problems of sewage disposal in England and Wales. Among the recommendations of the working party on sewage disposal, set up by the British Government in February 1969, is the extension of the responsibilities of river authorities to cover all discharges to tidal rivers, estuaries and the sea. In its report (Taken for Granted, HMSO, 10s) the working party suggests that the new authorities should take over from the eleven Sea Fisheries Committees, which watch over the welfare of fish and shellfish around the coasts of England and Wales. For this purpose the reconstituted and renamed river authorities would need an influx of marine expertise. The general state of sewage disposal in England and Wales which was revealed to the working party is clearly far from satisfactory, especially in view of the growing demands on the existing organizations. The volume of water used in England and Wales is increasing by about 3 per cent per year, and the volume of sewage effluent is increasing at the same rate. By the end of the present century it looks as if the need for water, and the consequent production of liquid waste, will be twice the present value. The inevitable need to use more purified sewage effluent as an essential part of the water supply will demand higher standards of treatment. Rivers already supply two-thirds of the public water supply, which often has to come from stretches of water containing appreciable quantities of sewage effluents. This the working party regards as cause for concern, and considers it imperative that where river water is to be used as a source of drinking water the discharge of industrial effluents be closely controlled. Eutrophication is n o t seen as a threat to free flowing rivers, although there could be problems when they discharge into lakes or impoundments. According to the wol:king party, the time has come when tidal rivers and estuaries should be subject to pollution control of the sort exercised over non-tidal rivers -- those used for water supply -- by the Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Acts 1951 and 1961. These acts give river authorities powers to control discharges. The reconstituted authorities, which the working party would like to see, would have such powers over all rivers, estuaries -- where amenity and shellfisheries are often threatened by sewage pollution -- and the sea. Because there is no control of coastal discharges by local authorities and no systematic monitoring of conditions on beaches, it was not possible to assess the exact extent of coastal pollution by sewage. But there is clear evidence of 118
significant pollution when discharged sewage is washed back onto beaches. In a few places in England holding tanks are used to retain sewage until tidal currents are favourable to carry it well out to sea. On the other hand, two-thirds of local authorities which discharge into the sea do so with at least some untreated sewage. To satisfy the standards it considers necessary the working party recommends three criteria for coastal discharge of sewage. First, particles of sewage should n o t reach bathing area; second, the point of discharge should be far enough offshore to render the sewage slick inoffensive to people on shore or bathing, a n d third, the siting of outfalls should take local fisheries into consideration. Enforcement of such criteria would be under the aegis of the new authorities, together with the control of dumping from ships within the three mile limit.
Mapping Seaweeds The British Phycological Society in collaboration with the Biological Records Centre at Monkswood has launched a scheme to map the distribution of seaweeds around the British coast. Seaweeds are valuable indicators of pollutants in the sea, b u t before changes in the flora can be used to assess the rate and extent of marine pollution it is essential to know the distribution and abundance of fixed algae on the coast. Knowledge of even the commonest species is still very sketchy, particularly for sub-tidal species. By a concerted effort it is hoped to collect a large number of records and begin to get a firm idea of the present situation. Record cards for thi~ purpose can be obtained from Dr T. A. Norton, Department of Botany, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, W.2., Scotland. This enterprise also has its more positive side. Seaweeds are an important resource and many are used commercially, so that the more information available about their distribution and abundance, the better.
Cleansing Achievements The achievements of the British Water Pollution Research Laboratory in Stevenage during 1969 included ridding a polluted pond of unpleasant odours, helping several companies to purify their effluents and establishing the toxicity to fish of metals they encounter in waters pervaded by industrial wastes. This was all part of a year's work devoted to investigations of methods for treating effluents and the study of pollution in natural waters. It is recounted in 'Water Pollution Research 1969', the latest annual report from the laboratory (price 17s 6d). The pond in question had become polluted as a result of chemical processes taking place within discharged trade effluent. Organic matter had deoxygenated the water and sulphates had been reduced by bacterial action to sulphide. This combined with mesityl oxide, a known constitutent of trade effluent, to produce the odorous compound mercaptan. Four and a half tons of hydrogen peroxide had proved unsuccessful in removing the catty odour, b u t the experts from Stevenage found the answer when they suggested calcium nitrate. Apart from banishing the odour, it changed the colour of the water from black to fawn after the first treatment. Although this is not a new way of coping with odours, the report notes that this was probably the first of such applications in Britain. The companies that were helped to purify their effluents last year included a pharmaceutical manufacturer with a desire to treat its waste so that the local authority would