Pollution of the Weaver Gowy Catchment
On the 11th of March Essar Energy Transition Fuels pleaded guilty to 12 charges brought by the Environment Agency for breaching environmental regulations between 2018 and 2020. These breaches included the release of chemicals into water courses, including the Manchester Ship Canal, Thornton Brook and the River Gowy.
Charlotte Harris, CEO of Cheshire Wildlife Trust said:
“Cheshire Wildlife Trust is shocked by this news as we have been working hard to improve the condition of our rivers, streams and brooks across the Weaver Gowy catchment area.”
There has been increased attention on the health of our rivers and water quality across the UK in recent years highlighting their importance for biodiversity, our health and wellbeing and the economy.
Charlotte went on to say:
“The state of rivers in the UK is dire with no single stretch of river in England being in good overall health. Despite this, rivers like the Gowy still support populations of the globally critically endangered European eel and the nationally critically endangered water vole, but with both species continuing to decline pollution events like these could potentially wipe out these small and vulnerable local populations.”
The Trust, along with our partners working across the Weaver Gowy catchment area have been working to remove invasive species, improve wetland habitats, and reintroduce species including water vole. The long-term effects of chemical pollution in the area are unknown and threatens to undo the progress made.
Sadly, the impact may not just be to the immediate area. The River Gowy feeds directly into the Mersey Estuary which has undergone a spectacular transformation over the past few decades. Previously documented as one of the most polluted rivers in Europe, the Mersey regularly sees dolphins and porpoises visiting and is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates.
We call on Essar Energy Transition Fuels to remediate any damage that was caused by these pollution incidents, and we request they make public further details on the measures they have put in place to prevent pollution incidents like this from happening again.
