Blackford public water source (PWS) on Moorhall Road South Harefield remains closed. It was closed in May 2021 because of HS2 works next to it. It needs to be brought back online to resupply the local tap water. In order to reopen Blackford, water quality must be at safe drinking water standards. So in April/May 2024 HS2 Ltd and Affinity Water Ltd conducted a 30 day constant rate trial, opening the public bore holes, doing daily chemical testing and emptying the groundwater from deep in the chalk aquifer into the Grand Union Canal.

The water quality results have not yet been made public, see here.

Even though the water quality results have not been made public, work continues at Blackford water pumping station. A new discharge pipe is now being built from Blackford pumping station towards the Grand Union Canal, photo 22 August 2024.

The post Hillingdon Water Quality update August 2024 appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

See here for the report

The post Candidates lay down their cards in lively debate appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

Click this link to contribute.

Funding Three Constituencies to be Fairer and Greener.

The Greens believe humanity must live in balance with the natural world – and with each other. Hillingdon Green Party is a small but very active group of local people who want to make life better for everyone in Hillingdon and beyond. We, our children and grand children need to be in a place where people can live their best life, be good neighbours and have good neighbours. We see politicians slagging each other off and not really tacking the big issues. The Green Party nationally is full of good ideas and we want to bring them here.

We’re proud to be people powered. But to make a real impact we need funds – and you can help. Please ask your friends and family to donate to our crowdfunder, and share the link amongst local contacts

We have paid out the £1,500 for the deposits, leaving our funds depleated.

We would like to raise £1,200 to pay for the printing and dispatch of freepost leaflets to local households to let everybody know voting Green will help them.

Jess Lee is the candiate for Ruislip Northwood and Pinner, Christine West is standing in Hayes and Harlington and Sarah Green for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. These three constituencies cover the London Borough of Hillingdon and part of Harrow. We are on the front line boundary between London and the countryside. The border is the River Colne and we are fighting for our water: clean water to drink and a healthy river.

We are standing for what we believe in. We need your help to raise funds for the campaign materials that will make sure local people know about what is going on here and all the good things the Green Party stands for. Help local people make an informed decision on July 4th.

For a healthier greener Hillingdon (and a bit of Harrow) please give generously today and or share this crowdfunder.

We really appreciate your help,

Christine, Jess and Sarah

Click this link to contribute

The post Can you help the General Election Candidates? appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

Greenpeace is calling for a national retrofit insulation programme funded to the tune of £6bn a year to tackle the health crisis and make homes warmer, more efficient and cheaper to heat, and urging Labour to reinstate its pledge to spend £6bn a year on energy efficiency.

What happened to the mayor’s ‘Retrofit Revolution’ ?

City Hall Green, Zack Polanski highlighted this pressing issue in a very detailed report last autumn.

Jess Lee and the Greens are campaigning for warm homes and community spaces fit for use. Jess has experience of both domestic and community retrofit projects.

Jess said “Renters, home-owners and community groups need spaces that are comfortable in both cold and hot weather.”

Jess is offering to work with the mayor to create a living knowledge bank of best practice to help owners and builders get their projects right.

The post COLD HOMES COST LIVES appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

Southall Black Sisters do fundamental work supporting and advocating for women escaping domestic violence – particularly for Black & minoritised women, and those with No Recourse to Public Funds.

Ria’s tweet on the visit.

The post Visit to Southall Black Sisters appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

Only about half of the people in the UK vote.

With elections coming up to make your voice heard please register and get you friends and family to register also.

Here are some useful links:

To register online.

To register by post.

To register a proxy vote.

To vote from abroad.

Electoral Commission register link

As well as being registered to vote you will need a valid photo ID to vote.

If you do not have a type of photo ID that allows you to vote, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.

The post Are you registered to vote ? appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

Nature is disappearing faster than at any time in history, vote Green to save nature.

See here for Hillindon Friends of the Earth’s letter published in the Hillingdon Herald about the relocation of HOAC to Broadwater lake.

The post Biodiversity threatened in the Colne Valley appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

Floodwater passing through a nearby historic landfill site conducted hydrogen cyanide gas (HCN) into Zane’s home, where it was later detected at high levels by Surrey Fire and Rescue Services. Zane’s father was left paralysed, with a medical diagnosis of HCN poisoning.

A 2010 ‘desktop study’ report on this landfill, commissioned by the Environment Agency in relation to a planning application, confirms that the local authority knew then that the land potentially posed a ‘high risk to life’. Yet they did nothing to warn residents, either before, during or after the 2014 flooding. And to this day, they have adamantly refused to fully test the land, which has flooded catastrophically again this year.

It’s time for Zanes Law.

Hillingdon Green Party is working with others across the country to Make Toxic Landfills safe and support Zane’s Law.

The post Make Toxic Landfills safe appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

We know that a major London landfill site at New Years Green in south Harefield has been polluting the chalk aquifer and drinking water source at the Ickenham pumping station since the 1990s. There is a legal duty on the owners of the landfill to put this right and we are trying to find out what has been done and how far the remediation has got.

Hillingdon Council has been refusing to answer questions about what they are doing to prevent further contamination leaking from New Years Green Landfill Site, into groundwater at Ickenham Public Water Source.

The History of the New Years Green Landfill Site and designation as Contaminated Land due to pollution of Controlled Waters (Drinking Water) can be found in the Atkins (2011) London Borough of Hillingdon Remediation Options Appraisal here.

We know that London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) are the responsible body for the control of pollution from New Years Green landfill site. We know that the landfill site was passed to HS2 at some time in recent years but is the only piece of land given back to the Council. Therefore we are asking the LBH:

• Why have LBH accepted back ownership of the New Years Green contaminated landfill site from HS2 Ltd and the Department of Transport in 2023? Can the landfill site ownership transaction and communications between LBH and HS2 Ltd, be made public?

We know that a network of groundwater monitoring boreholes was created across the landscape south of the New Years Green landfill site. We also know through the EA that LBH adopted the preferred options identified in the Atkins (2011) appraisal (above). Therefore we are asking LBH:

• What has happened to the monitoring data collected for New Years Green Landfill Site? Is this monitoring ongoing or was it stopped, if so at what date and for what reason? Has there been an evaluation of the monitoring data of levels and spread of pollution from the landfill in surrounding groundwater? Has natural attenuation been proven to be active?

We know that there is a legal duty to improve groundwater quality to standards acceptable for human consumption and that the Ickenham source was granted a derogation under the Water Framework Directive to become good quality be 2027. Therefore we are asking LBH:

• What is the next step for stopping pollution from New Years Green landfill site reaching Ickenahm PWS or from reaching other local public water sources?

There is now a real risk that pollution spread from the landfill has speeded up or changed direction due to extensive HS2 works to the east, south and west of New Years Green landfill site. Therefore we are asking LBH:

• Is LBH working with HS2 Ltd, Department of Transport and/or others to monitor or prevent the spread of landfill pollution in the aquifer?

The post Landfill and water pollution – What next? appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.

The post Open Letter to MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip appeared first on Hillingdon Green Party.