News / SIC supervisor suspended for dumping waste
SHETLAND Islands Council is understood to have suspended a supervisor at the Gremista landfill site in Lerwick pending an investigation into the unlawful discharge of untreated waste into the sea.
The incident came to light on Friday last week and is thought to relate to three separate incidents of leachate being dumped into Bressay Sound without being properly processed.
Leachate is the liquid run off from landfill sites, which in Lerwick contains any matter that cannot be incinerated at the waste to energy plant at Rova Head.
Under the council’s discharge licence, the leachate should pass into a holding tank. It then goes into a treatment tank before it can enter the general sewage system.
Samples are taken of the final discharge by Scottish Water every month to ensure it is environmentally safe.
It is understood that the council discovered three significant discharges of leachate amounting to around 200 cubic metres of liquid that had not gone through the treatment process.
One source said that leachate at the Lerwick landfill site should not contain toxic material and is usually made up of organic waste from industry, such as dead fish, or households.
However others say it is possible that metals from batteries and other dangerous items could sneak their way undetected into the site, and thus into the leachate.
Dead organic matter can cause major problems in waterways such as burns, where it can remove the oxygen and kill fish, however Bressay Sound has a strong tidal stream that would disperse any waste, the source said.
The disposal of untreated waste is in breach of the council’s discharge licence issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
SIC infrastructure director Phil Crossland said he could not comment on whether any staff member had been suspended, but he confirmed that an investigation was taking place.
“Management have identified there were a number of incidents in July where there was a discharge of leachate that had not gone through the proper process,” he said.
“We have informed SEPA and launched a thorough investigation into the reasons for that and have committed to giving the details of the investigation once it is completed to SEPA.
“This is a breach of our permit so it is an issue for SEPA to decide what action should be taken.”
SEPA unit manager Chris Matthews confirmed that the SIC had advised them of problems with the leachate treatment system at its Gremista landfill site.
Mr Matthews said: “The operator is investigating the causes of this incident and will advise SEPA of the end result.
“We will continue to liaise with the council and monitor the situation to ensure any environmental impact is controlled and minimised.”
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