Today London Wildlife Trust met with Thames Water, the Environment Agency, FORCE, Crane Valley Partnership, The Wandle Trust and Thames Angling Conservancy to investigate how best to carry out reparations to the River Crane following the catastrophic sewage pollution incident at the end of October.A full Thames Water ecological report on the presence of river invertebrates, just after the sewage spill, has now been published. As expected, the report’s findings are bleak. The only thing left alive in the river was a species of snail which had the ability to seal its shell when oxygen levels plunged. The absence of chironomid midge larvae – which can survive in exceptionally low levels of oxygen - is indicative of an extremely severe pollution incident.
The report suggests that it could take up to a year before invertebrate communities were replenished. Without these, there are few opportunities for fish and many birds to colonise the affected stretches of the Crane for many years.
Thames Water have agreed in principle to provide some immediate resources to assist the river’s recovery.
Alex Robb our Richmond Area Manager says, ‘Oxygen levels are still poor in the vicinity of Crane Park Island and contamination is particularly serious in this middle stretch of the river.Very low rainfall has exacerbated the situation creating low movement in the water in the river near our reserve. Plans are being put in place with our partners to revive the river beyond its pre-polluted state. London Wildlife Trust is well placed to carry out wildlife monitoring and improvement works on the river. Through the Crane Valley Project and the ongoing work of the Trust at Crane Park Island we will be helping interested volunteers to get involved in wildlife monitoring as soon as it is safe.’