Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said the River Taff pollution incident affected four kilometers (2.5 miles) of waterway, as wildlife checks and public safety advice continued after a kerosene spill at a GE Aerospace site.
GE Aerospace said the spill occurred during repair work at its Nantgarw site on Oct. 16 and that it isolated the source that day. The company said specialist teams and NRW were continuing cleanup work. NRW said on Oct. 21 that the pollution source had stopped.
NRW said the liquid traveled through underground drains before reaching a culvert and tributaries at several points. The Guardian reported that NRW had not confirmed how much kerosene entered the river. An NRW spokesperson told The Guardian that fuel already in the drains could remain there and that containment measures might not capture all of it. The Guardian also reported seeing oily patches in the water five days after the incident began.
NRW's early wildlife checks found fewer than 10 dead fish. Initial sample results indicated aquatic invertebrates may also have been affected, and further analysis is underway to assess damage to the river environment.
Public Health Wales advised people in the area to wait until the fuel odor had passed before opening doors and windows, avoid contact with affected water, and contact NHS 111 Wales if they felt unwell or worried about symptoms.
Sarah Llywelyn, a downstream resident who reported the leak to NRW, told The Guardian that the fumes irritated her eyes when she opened her garden door. Gerwyn and Jordan Lewis of Ynysgau farm told The Guardian that NRW had advised them the river water was unsafe for animals to drink. They said fields with river access could not be grazed safely and that they might need to purchase extra feed for winter.
The Guardian noted that the Taff had been recovering from a heavily polluted past. NRW said it was continuing to investigate how kerosene entered the drainage system and assess the river's impact.
