Archived press release

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY CHALLENGED OVER WATER SCHEME

31 July 1996

The Environment Agency will sanction potentially serious damage to Yorkshire's wildlife unless it chooses to stand up to Yorkshire Water's Kielder transfer scheme Friends of the Earth claimed today.

The transfer scheme threatens to:

* destroy populations of globally threatened species such as the freshwater white-clawed crayfish [1]* increase the risk of flooding the village of Danby on the Wiske* spread disease through Yorkshire's salmon and trout populations* increase the flow of the River Wiske to 1,000% of the Summer average * change the ecology of several rivers* spread pollution - if an incident occured as far away as the River Tyne, pollution would be spread throughout Yorkshire's rivers.

The threats have been outlined in a report presented to the Environment Agency Northumbria and Yorkshire Region by Friends of the Earth [2]. The pipeline to transfer the water is almost ready for use, but is not expected to be used this year. However, no full environmental assessment has been made of its impact. Research suggests studies should be conducted for several years before such transfers are made.

Matt Phillips, campaigner for Friends of the Earth said: "This is the first big test for the new Environment Agency. If it doesn't stand up for wildlife and object to this potentially damaging scheme, taxpayers will begin to wonder what exactly we pay the agency to do. The agency should have objected to this scheme before the pipes were put in and should have pressed Yorkshire Water to invest in water conservation measures instead. [3] Now it must ensure the pipeline is never used and demonstrate it is a watchdog and not Yorkshire Water's lapdog."

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] The white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is listed under the European Habitats Directive annex II and the Bern Convention annex III as a protected species. It is also in severe decline in the UK and the subject of a Government action plan to promote its recovery. This plan was among 116 for rare species adopted by the Government on 15 May 1996.The organisation responsible for taking on the plan is the Environment Agency.

If the scheme results in the introduction of the invasive alien Signal crayfish(Pacifastacus leniusculus) - which kills our native species and snatches bait from anglers lines - it may also be illegal. The Signal crayfish is listed under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act as an invasive species. Any person who releases or allows it to escape into the wild without taking all reasonable steps and exercising due diligence to avoid doing so will have commited an offence.

[2] MacGuire, F. (1996). The Environmental Threats of the Kielder Transfer Scheme. Friends of the Earth, London.

[3] The Environment Agency has a Demand Management Centre' based in the South East which is there specifically to promote water conservation measures.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust