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URGENT - need to clear oil spill in small wildlife pond

sjdavies100sjdavies100 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Had some work done clearing weeds, workmen used petrol trimmer & some oil seems to have escaped into nearby pond, with a small rainbow slick drifting on surface although not all over. Tried skimming but still there - any advice on how best to clean it off and not harm anything living please?

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 11,441
    Have you got any fish in it ? If so you need to get them out ASAP.
    Hopefully someone will have some ideas.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,319
    If it's only a little bit, kitchen roll would soak it up.
    Alternatively could you put a hose in and flood it out?
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,979
    Good point @Pete.8 ... as the pollution is going to float on top of the water it’ll be the first to run off when it overflows ... is a dump of some sort could be rigged to take the overflow ...  🤔 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 11,195
    I'd try a small hand towel perhaps on the surface to blot the oil/petrol up first.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • matt_fendermatt_fender Posts: 169
    Bear in mind that if you can actually see a rainbow "sheen" on the surface of the water, then the film must be very, very thin - something like a few thousandths of a mm or less. So you probably only have a very small amount of petrol in there, like a drop or two. Whether or not that is enough to harm any wildlife I am not qualified to say. Personally I'd try the kitchen roll approach - just laying it flat on the top and repeating until you can't see it any more.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,319
    I sometimes find a small oily patch on my WL pond after pigeons have been bathing in it, and they always leave a layer of dusty scum
    I agree with Matt that if it's just a small patch of rainbow, then it's likely to be a tiny amount
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • lmtetselllmtetsell Posts: 10
    Do you have a local dog groomers? We used to have a man collect the clippered dog fur to use for oil spills. It clings and clumps around the fur and then it's easier to remove. You can ask for some lay it all over the top and then fish it out with a net after an hour or so.
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