Water quality
Salford Quays were once part of the thriving Manchester Docks, built over 110 years ago at the head of the Manchester Ship Canal. The Docks established Manchester as the third busiest port in England. However by the 1970s containerisation and changing trade patterns led to their demise.
In 1983 Salford City Council purchased 90 hectares of docklands and has transformed it into the new commercial, residential and leisure quarter we know today.
The Quays were badly polluted by the waters of the Ship Canal but in 1987 a water quality management strategy was introduced to combat this. The dock basins were isolated from the Ship Canal with the aim of improving water quality and creating a focal point for new development.
Bunds (dams) were constructed across the three former docks and the resulting basins were treated like enormous fish tanks, with an artificial mixing system using compressed air to maintain oxygen levels.
By 1989 water quality had improved to such an extent that 12,000 coarse fish were introduced into the enclosed waters. Growth rates observed since stocking have indicated that the Quays supports some of the fastest growing species in the UK - testimony to the environmental and habitat improvements achieved. The significance of this achievement was recognised by the Institute of Fisheries Management and the Angling Foundation, who awarded Salford Quays the UK's most prestigious fisheries award, The Good Management Award.
The water quality in the Quays is tested by APEM, a dedicated science based environmental consultancy concerned exclusively with the aquatic environment. Although water in Salford Quays has not been designated as 'Bathing Waters' the European Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC) is used as a monitoring framework to safeguard the health of water users.
APEM field scientists monitor the waters at eight locations within Salford Quays every two weeks. The comprehensive monitoring programme includes the analysis of total and faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci, salmonella, enteroviruses, phytoplankton, phenols, heavy metals and cyanides.
Test results are available from the Watersports Centre.
This page was last updated on 27 May 2008
Bookmark this page using:
Find out more about social bookmarking.
These sites allow you to store, tag and share links across the internet. You can share these links both with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.
If you come across a page on our site that you find interesting and want to save for future reference or share it with other people, simply click on one of these links to add to your list.
All of these sites are free to use but do require you to register. Once you have registered you can begin bookmarking. Each of the sites works slightly differently so use the links below to find out which service best suits your needs.
Find out more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia.
