Diving team brave the cold for litter pick on bottom of Urwick Tarn
Last updated at 16:39, Tuesday, 26 February 2013
A TEAM of divers donned Arctic suits for the first in a series of clean-up missions.
Furness Diving Club, based in Barrow, took part in a litter pick to clear rubbish dumped at the bottom of Urswick Tarn.
Around 12 divers attended the event on Sunday, and braved icy cold waters for around 40 minutes to search the south west corner of the tarn.
The team was supported by an inflatable boat, which allowed them to remove the rubbish, and a team of five non-divers.
Neil Martin, chairman of Furness Diving Club, said: “The clean-up was a huge success. We covered about one sixth of the tarn, and we are planning a series of events to cover different areas. The tarn has great visibility, and nobody complained about the cold.”
Some of the objects pulled out during the dive included a fisherman’s umbrella, an old oil container, a water tank, a few five gallon drums and an old pop bottle with a marble for a stopper.
Mr Martin said: “I was quite pleasantly surprised with how clean the tarn was. We have had reports of tyres that have been dumped but we could not find any.
“There is quite a thick layer of silt in the tarn so it might be that some of the rubbish has sunk below the bottom.”
Although the south west corner of the tarn was not too heavily polluted, the divers believe they may face more of a challenge when they clean the north of the tarn.
“The north area is a lot closer to nearby houses, within throwing distance, so it could be that there is more rubbish there,” said Mr Martin.
The club will also be involved in assisting researchers looking at the tarn’s rare geological features.
“We are going to work with Dr Ray Wilson who has been working with various universities on the geological and historical aspects of the tarn, and the plan is to assist finding the springs that keep the tarn full,” Mr Martin added.
The next dive should take place some time in the next few weeks.
First published at 16:25, Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
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Have your say
Urswick Tarn is fed with water from 'Clerks Beck' which once and still does to a lesser extent drain the mines from Lindal Moor. There were seventeen shafts and access points into the level some which are still accessible today but must not be attempted due to silt build up in the tunnel and a couple of collapses. hope this helps
Posted by dalehead on 26 February 2013 at 18:13