Waitrose study

Hi Rosie,
I was (and still am) worried about the possibility of polluted water being released into the River Allen from the Waitrose development.
See the following for a summary of my concerns:
http://tinyurl.com/2u6zpz2

I was invited to the Environment Agency at Blandford, earlier this year, to discuss my concerns. Basically, the surface water from the development goes through a series of tanks to remove heavy sludges, and floating oils, from the water, before being released into the River Allen. There is absolutely no protection against dissolved pollutants, such as spillages in the loading bay area, toxins leaching from paintwork and concrete, or winter salt usage.

Their response to this is to say that the site drainage comprises a very small proportion of the total river flow that would render any pollution trivial. The impression given is that the EA is very much on the side of the developer, and quite relaxed about risk factors.

My viewpoint is that they could not use this reasoning if there were lots of similar outfalls, it would no longer be trivial. Further, the river flow is not always strong, and pollution does tend to be 'local' and not mixed uniformly with the full body of the river flow.

Best wishes,