Oil pollution in pond

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Oil pollution in pond
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Foghorn

Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Barcombe, E Sussex

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 09 10:33 pm Post subject: Oil pollution in pond
Hello, A neighbour has managed to deposit a quantity of heating oil (kerosene I believe), into our pond, via an old drain. Does anyone have any ideas about how to remove this oil? I'm tempted to just toss a match over my shoulder onto the surface of the water, while walking coolly away, in the best traditions of the action film. But there must be safer/more reliable methods? Mustn't there...?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Mar 16, 09 11:34 pm Post subject: Re: Oil pollution in pond
Odds are the match will just fizzle. Kerosene burns fantastically well, doesn't take instantly though. How big is this pond? Is it practical to skim most of it off?

Foghorn

Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Barcombe, E Sussex

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 12:42 am Post subject:
It's about 5 yards by about 15

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 1:12 am Post subject:

Gosh, pretty big then. I don't know what the rules regarding reporting that kind of thing to the Environment Agency or the local water board would be.

If ots a few drops here and there on the surface, I'd leave it be. It'll degrade soon enough (kerosene is broken down by bacteria surprisingly fast). If its loads of it, a thicker layer on the surface, I'd be looking to skim off as much as I could.

Brownbear

Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 14929
Location: South West

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 5:47 am Post subject:
I suggest you approach the berk who landed this on your plate, and give him the options of either getting a firm in to clean it up, or having you call the Environment Agency and watching them nail his head to a tree, and making him pay for the cleanup anyway.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 7:07 am Post subject:

Brownbear wrote:

I suggest you approach the berk who landed this on your plate, and give him the options of either getting a firm in to clean it up, or having you call the Environment Agency and watching them nail his head to a tree, and making him pay for the cleanup anyway.

I'm with BB although possibly beginning a little more diplomatically: depends how you get on with said neighbour, I suppose.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8957
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 7:56 am Post subject:
I had this problem when I lived in Garn- oily runoff from a yard went into my pond and stream-from a neighbour- Water Board were out like a shot with practical help, Environment Agency needs to know too (0800 807060)

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 8:12 am Post subject:
They were out like a shot to make sure it wasn't a pollution incident from any of their drains or sewers. If it is clearly a private issue their interest will be limited but worth a call for the free advice. If the drain is theirs they'll have to clean up though from the way you've described it I don't think this is the case.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 9:11 am Post subject: Re: Oil pollution in pond

Foghorn wrote:

Hello,

A neighbour has managed to deposit a quantity of heating oil (kerosene I believe), into our pond, via an old drain. Does anyone have any ideas about how to remove this oil? I'm tempted to just toss a match over my shoulder onto the surface of the water, while walking coolly away, in the best traditions of the action film. But there must be safer/more reliable methods? Mustn't there...?

The pillock shouldn't be dumping oil down the drain. Definitely a hanging offence and EA should be told about it.

crofter

Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 2252

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 10:21 am Post subject:

Foghorn wrote:

It's about 5 yards by about 15

Could be less than a litre of oil. But not easy to remove once it is spread out.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91� N

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 10:36 am Post subject:
Before you get too irate bear in mind the neighbour might not know they have spilled any oil. For example it could be a slow leaking tap dripping into a surface drain or a minor spill from their last fill, from their point of view it's just the same old tank that smells of oil just as it always has and one litre out of the tank is almost imperceptible.

Foghorn

Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 49
Location: Barcombe, E Sussex

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 1:18 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the replies, folks - glad to get some moral support!

For info, the spillage is probably of the order of 10 - 100 litres, and it probably happened due to a leak, that the neighbour may not have known anything about. However, he is being a bit of an arse now by denying it had anything to do with him (a day after he had his oil tank repaired).

Enivornment Agency were pretty uninterested, I guess because it occurred on private land.

It may be worth doing some skimming to reduce the amount of pollution - any practical advice about how to do this (in the absence of a very large spoon...)?

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 1:27 pm Post subject:
How about sheets of cardboard or layers of paper to soak it up?

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 1:40 pm Post subject:
Does the pond have an overflow - raise the water level until the fule runs off?

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 09 2:20 pm Post subject:
Best to remove the oil sooner rather than later, as it will prevent the water being aerated which will not only kill off wildlife there, but also cause nasty blue-green algal blooms. Use paper towels or old rags to get the worst off the surface so that some air can get through.

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