Drains, noisy recycling and Legionella in showers

An update on these three issues...

Photo: Calender by local photographer Mike Gallagher - this was the proto-type for one that the Ruscombe Valley Action Group was thinking about producing. Costs were too high and some were concerned we would not sell enough to make any money - anyhow I'm very pleased to have this and use it every day - of course need to turn the page to Feb now!

Drains

See many previous blogs on this topic - particularly 14th and 17th January 2008. Below is one of my emails to Highways which I enclose here to cover part of the background on this issue. Anyhow apparently the drains all get attended to once a year! The actual programme of maintenance is not available but the sites listed below are all, also attended to after heavy rain, as they are known areas that get blocked. Infact Ash Lane site had works last year to put in the maximum size drain to cope with the water - it still doesn't cope - in other countries they have drains much larger than that. In Norway I have seen monster sized drains! I think Highways may need to review this issue - anyhow Humphreys End has also had work done on it - so the answer to my question as to whether we could get the drains improved further by Highways is no.

This is unsatisfactory - and clearly an issue that needs taking further with Highways and the County - if flooding is set to get worse we need to put in more permenant improvements rather than unblocking on each occasion it rains...I'll write another letter but other residents could also write...

The other issue about contractors putting muck they clear out of drains on the side of the road will be addressed following our correspondence. At Humphreys End the muck sucked out or shovelled away was piled up around the drain - as soon as it rains again it goes straight back into the drain...the trouble is the muck is costly to dispose of so is easier to leave on site - however in some cases it will now be removed and in others contractors will be reminded to put it on roadside more carefully.

Lastly apparently the hole in the road near Court Farm some consider is due to water forced down BT pipes - they don't agree - a road closure may well be imminent if funding can be found to attend to it.

Re Drains/Gullies

There seem to have been on-going problems at a number of road drains over recent years in the Randwick area. The levels of rainfall during the last year would seem to indicate very strongly that at several sites the drains are insufficient to cope with the water. This could be due to the lack of regular maintenance or the need to redesign them to cope with larger flows of water/debris etc?

I have had phone calls from several residents about the unsatisfactory state of these drains, although I would like to note that they were attended to very promptly after my phone call to your drains hotline. In the light of this I would request that the following drains are reviewed to see if they can be improved. There maybe others but these are the ones identified as needing extra work so far:

1. The dip at Humphreys End was nearly a foot deep in water - the drain has now been cleared although debris/sludge etc has been piled up too close to the drain and will no doubt be washed down when we have more rain.
2. Bottom of Redhouse Lane
3. Far Westrip - opposite telephone box
4. Ash Lane
5. Two sites near Court Farm, Randwick

Noisy recycling

Some residents have been woken at 6.15 by noisy recycling. I wrote to the Officer concerned at the District to clarify the situation and also met with him yesterday very briefly. It would seem that Veolia, who have the contract, are of the opinion that from April next year they would be considering moving to a five day week. The impact of this should overcome the noise created during the early hours as their start time will revert to between 7am and 7:30am. This is not yet set in concrete but it seems likely that this will happen - although it is clearly a long way off!

In the meantime, there appears to be little that can be done other than to alert Veolia to the issue and in particular ask them to treat the matter of placing glass into the vehicle stillages (containers) more carefully during the initial collections each morning. Perhaps if others are also experiencing a problem it could be worth letting the District know.

Legionella in Showers

See my blog on 29th January about Legionella in the showers at Stratford Park. The good news is that the showers are working again. I have also received assurances that District councillors will be kept informed in future when such disruptions to service occur. I also requested they consider a discount when a service is prolonged. This issue will be raised with the contractors by District officers - to me it is unacceptable to charge full price for services when showers are not available - particularly when many including myself have some concerns re the dangers of chlorine and are keen to remove it after a swim.

See for example the Daily Telegraph regarding the dangers of taking baby swimming classes before the age of two - research indicates it may double the risk of a child developing asthma and chronic lung problems. Chlorine is also known to irritate some skin (especially some skin conditions) and has apparently been associated with skin rashes like eczema.

The other concern is triahalomethanes - why should they matter to you in pools? Well trihalomethanes are carcinogens that result from the combination of chlorine and organic compounds in water. These chemicals do not degrade very well and are usually stored in the fatty tissues of the body. At first glance, that may not seem so bad, but when you consider that some of those “fatty tissues” consists of the breasts, and by extension, mother’s milk, you begin to understand why some people are growing increasingly concerned. These chemicals also known as organochlorides have been found in blood and semen. The result of this are thought by some to be potentially extremely harmful since organochlorides can cause mutations in DNA, suppress the immune function of the body and interfere with cell growth. Various other research into chlorine also links it with other concerns - read more here.