Site operator Greener For Life Energy Ltd and site owner Nomansland Biogas Ltd both pleaded guilty at Exeter Magistrates’ Court to negligently polluting 2.5km of the River Dalch last year and contravening the requirements of an environmental permit.
An investigation by the Environment Agency found that liquid silage effluent escaped from the biogas plant at Menchine Farm in Tiverton. An Environment Officer who visited the site found extensive sewage fungus along a stretch of the river with 100% sewage fungus coverage for 1km from the discharge point and a total of 2.5km of the River Dalch impacted with significant sewage fungus growth.
Environment Agency investigating environment officer Richard Tugwell said: “Silage effluent has a severely polluting effect – it is 100 times more polluting than raw sewage.”
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