Dec
10
2007
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CONTAMINATION INFORMATION - COUNCIL WEBSITE |
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Written by editor
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Monday, 10 December 2007 |
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ERSKINEFAULD CONTAMINATION
It was brought to my attention that there may be some updates about the ongoing contamination surveys on the Renfrewshire Council web site. I did a search for Linwood and found the article below which includes a useful map showing esitmated boundary of the Brediland Chemical works and the locations of the holes being drilled for soil and water sample testing and monitoring. Something I find "curious" is the importance given to the Sun Foundry in preference to the Chemical Works. You may ask why that makes me curious. Simple fact being that it is well documented that the Sun Foundry was only in operation for 3 years. I find it interesting to say the least that a business in operation for 3 years seems to have more importance than a chemical works that was in operation for at least 40 years,maybe more.
QUOTE FROM TOXIC TIMELINE DOCUMENT WITH REFERENCE TO SUN FOUNDRY
1886 - CLOSURE OF MINES
1896 - Sun Foundry relocated from Parliamentary Road, in Glasgow city centre, to what was then known as Clippins in Linwood, suggesting that the company were starting to struggle. They closed in 1899, only three years later. The actual site of this Foundry (metal works) was approximately at what is now Oxford drive, off Kilbrennan road, on border of the Erskinefauld road park.
1899 – Sun Foundry CLOSED – *ref - http://www.scottishironwork.org/georgesmith.htm
Erskinfauld Park site investigation works (taken from Council web site)
What is happening?
The Council is investigating a black, tar-like substance that has been coming up to the surface near the Sports Centre, children’s play park and skatepark.
In the past, part of Linwood was home to the Sun Iron Foundry and later the Brediland Chemical Works. Planning and Building regulations weren’t as strict then and accurate records aren’t available on how thoroughly these sites were cleaned up when they shut. Some limited clean up work has been done in the area as part of recent building work.
The Council intends to find out what the tar-like substance is and where it’s coming from. Contractors working for Renfrewshire Council are digging around 30 boreholes so that soil samples can be take and analysed. This will give the Council a clear picture of what’s in the soil and the groundwater (water which flows below the surface).
The Council needs this information to decide what kind of clean up operations might be needed to deal with the tar-like substance and any other pollutants found.
Back to questions
What will be involved with digging the boreholes?
Experienced contractors will dig around 30 boreholes. These will be 10 cm (about 4 inches) across and 3-5 metres (9-15 feet) deep. About 10 of the boreholes will be fitted with standpipes so that the Council can continue to monitor gases in the soil and the condition of the groundwater. All the other boreholes will be filled in and turfed over immediately after the soil samples have been taken. We expect that digging the boreholes and filling them in again will take seven working days.
Once the work on the boreholes has been done there will be three monitoring visits, spaced over six weeks, to take soil gas and groundwater samples from the standpipes. The samples that are gathered will be sent to an external laboratory for testing.
All the boreholes are going to be dug on Council land. Below is a map showing the location of the boreholes:
 Map of the Linwood boreholes
You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this map. Download Acrobat Reader here.
Back to questions
Is there any danger from the drilling work?
No. Health and safety is our chief concern and protecting you and your property is essential. The contractors are putting a full range of safety measure in place and these are listed below:
- a small, tracked drilling rig is being used to minimise any disturbance
- the boreholes will be fenced off with mobile barriers while the work is being done
- the boreholes will be filled in or fitted with a secure standpipe immediately after the samples have been taken. No holes will be left uncovered
- the work will be supervised full-time
- any turf that’s removed will be kept damp and put back after the drilling is finished
- wooden boards will be used to transport the drilling rig across grassed areas
- anything that gets spilled on paths or roads will be cleaned up immediately
- any waste will be collected up and taken away every day
- no equipment will be left on site overnight
- before any work starts, a full health and safety plan will be drawn up detailing all the steps involved and how they will be managed safely.
Back to questions
How long will the work take and will there be any disruption?
The drilling work will take about seven working days. After that there will be three visits to monitor the gases in the soil and the groundwater. These will be spaced over six weeks. All the drilling and monitoring will be finished within eight weeks of starting. All the work will be done between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The boreholes will be dug on council land and, as far as possible, on grassy areas. There may be some noise. Our contractors will do everything possible to keep this down to an acceptable level and to prevent it causing trouble on neighbouring homes and businesses.
Temporary barriers will be set up for safety reasons. Wooden boards will be laid under the drilling rig as it moves across grassy areas to limit any damage. The ground immediately round the holes will be covered with plastic sheeting to protect it during the drilling.
Back to questions
What happens next?
We’ll contact local residents with the results of the soil sampling when they’re available. The council intends to keep local residents fully informed about what is happening and how it might affect them.
Who should I contact for more information?
If you want more information about this work, please email the environmental protection team at
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
or phone the council contact centre on 0141 842 4411.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 December 2007 )
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