Dorset Spearfishing 2007

"If you catch a bass with two heads, take it immediately to the Winfrith Atomic Research Establishment as it may have paid a visit to their outfall at Arish Mell Gap" - The Sea Angler's Guide to Britain & Ireland by John Darling

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"IN 3. UKAEA undertakes a range of activities within the boundaries of the nuclear licensed site at Winfrith, including radioactive waste management and storage, treatment of liquid effluents, and the decommissioning of redundant nuclear facilities. It also receives radioactive waste for treatment and disposal from undertakings on the site that occupy buildings on the site as tenants carrying out commercial operations. Radioactive waste in the form of gases, mists and dusts is discharged directly to the environment from buildings after filtration. Radioactive waste in the form of liquids is discharged to Weymouth Bay pipelines at Arish Mell and to the River Frome at Winfrith adjacent to the site. Solid radioactive waste is transferred to Drigg in Cumbria, for disposal and to UKAEA Harwell for storage. Solid and organic liquid radioactive waste is transferred to the incinerator at Charleston Road, Hythe, Hampshire for disposal.
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Winfrith. All radioactive effluents discharged to ALES are removed via gravity-fed local sumps and delay tanks to sea disposal tanks, where they are analysed for radioactive and chemical content prior to being disposed of to a sea discharge pipeline which has its outfall near Arish Mell.
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2.4.3 The inner pipeline contains the radioactive effluent, while the outer pipeline contains trade waste discharged from the Winfrith site. The effluent discharged through the outer pipelines is essentially non-active trade waste, though on occasions trace levels of radioactivity may be present. The two inner pipelines discharge approximately 4 km from Arish Mell into Weymouth Bay and carry the main radioactive liquid wastes. The two outer pipelines discharge approximately 15 metres beyond the low water mark at Arish Mell."

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"It must therefore be assumed that the concentration at the shore in Dorset will be relatively ten times greater than at Windscale and this factor must be taken into account in determining the permissible discharge. The permissible activity on the shore must not exceed that found by many years experience to be harmless at Windscale. This means that anyone may safely spend 100 hours a year at the low water mark on a beach contaminated consistently at this level."

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