Woolton Hill nature reserve re-opens after sewage leak

The National Trust, owners of The Chase, an extensive area of open countryside, near the village of Woolton Hill, has confirmed the site was re-opened yesterday evening (Tuesday).
A spokeswoman for the trust, Jo Dyson, released the following statement:
“The pond will remain sectioned off to the public whilst Thames Water carries out bio-remediation work to ensure that any remaining contamination is cleared. We have been advised that this might take four months.
“We want to thank everyone for their cooperation whilst we have worked with Thames Water, the Environment Agency and the Environmental Health team to ensure the site is remedied to the satisfaction of all parties.”
The leak was first reported to the trust on Monday September 3, by a member of the public. The spill affected invertebrates in a stream, but the main lake and stream at the nature reserve were unaffected.
Thames Water spokeswoman, Natalie Slater, said a pump failure at Broad Layings pumping station, owned by Thames Water, had caused the leak.
Thames Water have released the following statement:
"A small section of The Chase still remains closed to the public as we continue a clean-up operation around the newt pond. Because it is under dense shade - it recovers more slowly so we are having to use a special ecological technique called microbial remediation. This means using naturally occurring bacteria to eat the contamination in the water to turn it into harmless, naturally occurring products, such as carbon dixide and water.
This organic process is likely to take around four months and during that time we'll be constantly monitoring the process of recovery. We're really sorry for the inconvenience."
A clean-up operation involved small tankers, 4×4 vehicles, aerating the water, and use of an aquatic hoover to minimise damage to habitat, along with a boom in the watercourse to halt the pollution.
The sewage leak was the third in recent years. In July In July 2006, a sewage leak at the same nature reserve killed thousands of fish, including protected species such as lamprey, native crayfish and bullhead.
After admitting polluting The Chase, Thames Water were fined over £40,000, in May 2008 at Reading Crown Court.
In 2007, the nature reserve was polluted by the same, 36-year-old Thames Water sewage pipe. High water levels at The Chase in 2007 ensured the damage was prevented from escalating to serious levels.