Is the Future ??Orange?? for the Bridgewater Canal?
SETPOINT Greater Manchester
Local residents say ??keep the Bridgewater Canal rusty!??
If you walk through the quaint village of Worsley, you will happen upon a canal. This is no ordinary canal. The waterway resembles the chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This unique canal is a distinctive feature of the area and is Worsley??s link to its industrial past.
Construction of the canal began in the late eighteenth century to transport coal from the mines in Worsley to the Manchester area. The tomato soup appearance of the canal gives the impression of being polluted. In fact, the orange colour is iron oxide or, in simpler terms, rust, from the iron ore residue in the mines! However, the future may not be ??orange?? for the Bridgewater Canal.
The Coal Authority proposed to build a plant to treat the iron-saturated water with aspirations to purify the discoloured water. The Coal Authority??s planning proposal states that the company plans to remove ??over 95% of the iron from the mine-water??, thus making the water clear like the majority of canals. The report claims that the project has been met with antagonism from residents of the Worsley area. However, the planning statement alleges that the sole reason that the residents are against the water-treatment plant is due to the fact that they do not want local roads to be used as access to the site. It fails to address reasons such as the loss of Worsley??s industrial heritage or the fact that the Salford is ??still the only city with an orange canal.?? Nevertheless, The Coal Authority plan to go ahead with their proposals.
The canal??s future is still uncertain as the debate continues: ??To be orange or not to be orange??? This is the question.
Submitted by: Shelley Deasey and Charlotte Thorley, 11 October 2004
