In 2006 British Waterways are using bales of Barley Straw to control the Blue-Green Algae. The bales are strung out across Marsworth, Startops and Wilstone Reservoirs. There is a notice at Marsworth Rerservoir whaich explains that as the bales of Barley Straw naturally break down they give off Hydrogen Peroxide which kills the algae and oxygenates the water (I don't really follow how the water becomes oxygenated). The notice says this is safe and environmentally friendly.
Non-update 28-1-06. No more information seems to be available on this. It seems to turned into a cold wet fish.
Update 13-12-05. Following the explosions and fire at the fuel depot in Hemel Hempsted, apparently 16 million litres of water from the Grand Union Canal was used to help put out the fires. This priority no doubt helps explain no reply from British waterways yet. Also it may affect water levels.
Original article
Information from various sources including the BBC News web site (1-12-05) and the Tring and Berkhamsted Gazette (7-12-05, page 12)
10,000 bream were found floating in a 50 metre stretch of the Grand Union Canal at Startops End on Tuesday, November 29, 2005. The affected fish all came from this year spawning and other species were unaffected.
The Environment Agency are investigating what the caused the deaths. They saw no signs of fish in distress at the scene and water quality was found to be normal in tests at the scene. Further samples, including from Startops Reservoir, are to be analysed in a laboratory and they hoped to get the results by the end of week commencing 5-12-05.
This is the third similar incident in the Tring and Berkhamsted area in the last 6 months but no links have been found, yet. The canal and reservoirs are expected to recover in good time.
If you see any signs of fish in distress in the canal, call The Environment Agency Hotline number immediately to report it 0800 80 70 60.
Has anyone seen or heard anything more about this? I have asked British Waterways about it and await their reply.
Is it coincidence or is it to do with the Blue-Green Algae or Hydrogen Peroxide solution? (Ref. our feature 'Low Water Level at Tringford Reservoir and Blue-Green Algae'(September 2005) below.)
You may well have noticed how low Tringford Reservoir has become over the last few weeks. You may also have noticed Wilstone Reservoir has gone up in the same period so there is very little exposed mud there now. All this is very unusual.
We saw British Waterways treating the water in the canal feed next to the Marsworth Car Park on 16-9-05 and asked them what was going on.
I'm sure you know Tring Reservoirs are used to feed the Grand Union Canal, hence the seasonal variation in water levels. In late summer there is a build up of poisonous Blue-Green Algae in the reservoirs. Apparently the algae could build up in the canal and kill off the fish.
In the last few weeks British Waterways have been using Tringford Reservoir (instead of Wilstone, Marsworth and Startops) to feed the canals because it doesn't have the Blue-Green Algae. Tringford is now as low as they can take it so they have stopped taking water from there and started using the other reservoirs.
They told us they are now treating the water entering the canal system from the other reservoirs with Hydrogen Peroxide to kill off the Blue-Green Algae. It's all being monitered by the Environment Agency to make sure they don't put too much in etc.
So Tringford should now start refilling and Wilstone should start emptying again.
Colin Lambert