Environment Agency | The EA has secured £430,000 for West Country Rivers Trust from Imerys Minerals Limited, following six clay pollution incidents across a two-year period.
The money will be used to improve fish migration and engage local communities to monitor and champion river health.
Imerys made the offer after an Environment Agency investigation into the incidents.
In agreeing to the sanction, which is known as an enforcement undertaking and can be used as an alternative to a prosecution, Imerys has put in place robust measures to reduce the likelihood of similar pollution incident happening again.
This includes a review of operational procedures, installation of new equipment and a commitment to a 10-year pipeline replacement strategy.
The company will also cover the Environment Agency’s investigation and enforcement costs of £22,600.
The six pollution incidents took place across Cornwall, in the St Austell area, between September 2021 and July 2023.
In one incident, an underground pipeline at Imerys’ clay production plant in Cornwall near Goonamarris failed on 15 September 2021. Clay was released on the surrounding land as well as entering the Gwindra Stream, which then leads to the River Fal.
Imerys estimated that an equivalent weight of clay lost was 87.8 dry tonnes. Sampling suggested environmental impacts were still present two months after the incident.
An investigation found that the pipe fracture was likely caused by damage from machinery. Imerys believe that machinery had thinned and weakened the pipeline.
A second clay discharge to the Gwindra Stream took place in December 2022.
Other incidents included the failure of a buried pipeline joint causing a clay discharge into a stream, and a leaking joint at Imerys Maclarens tank site causing clay to flow into the River Fal.
