One of the most prominent features at Rattlechain, and the symbol of waste expulsion was the giant discharge pipe, removed early on in the cover up works of 2013.
These were supported in the water by several large floating pontoons that held the discharge pipe in place. Some of these were saturated in the contaminated sediment, and were washed down by operatives wearing full PPE. The birds eating waste contaminated with white phosphorus would not have had such luxury or protection.
Oddly in the bad old days of waste dumping the pontoons actually supported life above the water in the form of nesting spots for common terns. They would have fed on fish from the canals, but the secluded nature of the site did make for unlikely residence for these birds. It also attracted the gulls as well as other birds, especially when the pipe began to start sagging.
Starting to twist
The deconstruction saw sections dismantled, and systematically stacked like pieces of lego on the south embankment, but it is not clear from our observations at the time if these were taken off site, scuttled below the surface before the cutting dredger came into action, or if they were even buried in the embankments, to add shape. Another five card trick. Perhaps Solvay got a weigh in down the local tat yard?
What is clear is that one of the large floating pontoons that held the discharge pipe in place on the water was transformed into a temporary pump, before the construction of the new pier pump. I acknowledged at the time that this was a stroke of ingenuity, but following the works and subsequently for the last year or so, the pontoon remained in the uncapped smaller lagoon.
In the last couple of weeks, the pontoon has moved into the main lagoon, and is anchored to the causeway path. Is it awaiting removal, will it go to scrap?- either way another reminder of the industrial history of the site. It may be an Albright and Wilson relic to some, but I remember what this carried, and it is not pleasant- their toxic poisonous crap that killed wildlife.
The last pontoon has moved back where it came from
Scum marks clearly visible
The founding chemical allies, Albright and Wilson