floating in the city

invasion of the green algae splurge

Thanks to the Babylon narrowboat crew for these pictures of the recent green algae invasion on the Lee River, London. Algae thrives on nutrients released by farmland fertilisers and sewerage systems. Meanwhile the Environment Agency says it is worried by the spread of algae that is threatening to choke wildlife along the south coast of England, and the Japanese have invented algae that 'sweats diesel' which sounds like a good idea, unless it escapes.

•  Because of so many foreclosed abandoned homes with stagnant swimming pools in Florida, USA, local health departments are now using a type of "Algae eater" fish from the Amazon called Pterygoplichthys to dump into the pools to eat up the algae. In California  local 'Mosquito Abatement Districts' have been using  'Mosquito Fish' to eat up mosquito larvae in stagnant swimming pools. Unfortunately these fish are also being used to control the mosquito in the wild, and are decimating native amphibians in rivers and streams where ever they are introduced.

how swimming pool shortage puts lives at risk on waterways

According to the Maldon and Burnham Standard, Essex, lives are being put at risk on waterways in the area:

YOUNG people are putting their lives in danger, risking disease, and breaking bye-laws on the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.

Several incidents of antisocial behavior have been reported on the waterway, which connects the tidal estuary from the river Blackwater at Heybridge Basin with Chelmsford, and now police are warning this sort of behavior cannot continue.

Hidden currents and rubbish can trap swimmers, unexpected changes in depths can lead to difficulties and swimming or bathing is described as very dangerous.

Those jumping into the navigation are also at risk of disease such as Leptospirosis - also known as Weil’s disease - which can cause severe illness.

Under the bye-laws it is an offense to swim within 36 metres of a lock or to jump or dive from any lock or other structure.

I am wondering if this has anything to do with Maldon District Council ending free swimming in March. Free swimming was very popular, resulting in a 21% increase in people using the local swimming pool, but now it seems the local waterways are the only place some people can afford to go, even if it means risking their lives.

At least Maldon Council still has a swimming pool. Nationwide public swimming pools are being closed almost as fast as Maggie Thatcher sold off the school playing fields.  In London there were 96 public diving facilities in 1977, there are now just six, a 94 per cent loss. And then they wonder why kids are jumping in canals?

A government backed initiative costing £5.5 million was earmarked for top-up swimming lessons for 11-year-olds in 2006 after it was found that one in five children could not swim 25 metres due to obesity.  But another government plan is destroying school swimming pools as fast as it can. It has been estimated that 2,000 [out of 3,000] school pools will have closed by the end of the 'Building Schools for the Future' program. This has been systematically destroying school pools in favor of more class room blocks.

For adults as well as children, the main threat to the local swimming pool, and possibly their lives, is that councils are not required by law to provide swimming pools, so when they have to cut something, swimming pools are one of the first public amenities to be closed down, often forever.

The latest front line in the battle for Britain's swimming pools is in Birmingham where local people from Sparkhill and Balsall Heath recently staged a public protest against Birmingham City Council. The Council is about to spend £10 million, partly funded by the NHS, for free swimming, gym and exercise classes to all residents in the city. Trouble is they have closed most of the swimming pools in the city, and have been allowing the remaining ones to fall into disrepair.

Perhaps we should start converting parts of the canals and other waterways into Safe Swimming Zones. With fewer and fewer swimming pools available, kids and adults alike are going to continue risking their necks for a swim in the canals, lakes, rivers and waterways, and some will end up drowning for sure.

outside my window

london swan accuses british waterways

There is a swan emergency going on according to this informant who blames British Waterways, and bad parenting by some humans.  Apparently a family of swans at the Car Mill Dam, St Helens are being forced to live in squalor, trapped in filth and rubbish, at the mercy of local yobs. But the worst thing is they constantly risk getting swept over the overthrow at the dam, and the RSPCA say they won't even bother to save them because it will just happen again. British Waterways refuse to install a safety barrier for the overflow. They say rubbish would get trapped and cause a flood danger. The swans agree rubbish could get trapped, but they point out it is British Waterway's responsibility to keep the waterways as clean as possible, including rubbish collection, so they have no excuse. The trouble is BW are so short of cash, swans are worried that they may soon be charged mooring fees.

Above: Rubbish collecting at St Pancreas lock, London. Just a small example of what swans and other wild life have to contend with while floating in the city.

• 50,000 fish were killed over night on 18th April this year due to a huge sewage spill by Severn Trent into the canal at Wolverhampton. Fish Legal, the legal wing of the Angling Trust is planning to sue. Conservationists are also worried about the impact on birds in the area, such as heron.

• British Waterways have been blaming London boat people for dumping their toilet waste into the cities waterways, but some people are saying if that is really true, it is because BW keep closing down waste disposal points.