At the end of August Pitchcare and the ECB invited cricket groundsmen from across the UK, whose pitches had been affected by the Summer flooding, to attend a seminar at Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s Headingley Carnegie Stadium
Report by DAVE SALTMAN
WITH the help of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Yorkshire Cricket Board and Leeds Metropolitan University the Flood Seminar event was provided for free and all Groundsmen, volunteer and professional, were made welcome. All the guest speakers also gave up their time to speak to the delegates and passed on some valuable information to help those affected.
Dr Iain James, Cranfield Centre for Sports Surfaces
First up was Dr Iain James from Cranfield Centre for Sports Surfaces who asked whether flood sediments are hazardous? In the event of a flood, is sediment harmful to the grass, the players and the ground staff? He asked whether any one knew if a player or a Groundsman had become sick after playing on flood affected pitches and, if not, did this mean that there's not a problem?
So, how do you evaluate whether pitches are safe to play on following a flood and what are the obligations when handling the sediment left behind? Evaluating the risk means looking at the local sources of pollution and whether the pathway (i.e. the flooding river) can have been polluted locally during the flood.
Iain stated that there were various
sources of pollution from sewer overflows, industry, the urban and rural environment and from the sports ground itself.
The receptors, i.e. the players, ground staff and the general public could all be potentially at risk of ill health due to inhalation, ingestion and dermal exposure through cuts and abrasions. During a flood there is considerable harm to the environment in the form of leaching and runoff causing landslide. In early studies of the flooding this
year, where results will hopefully be published soon, Iain has seen widespread destruction and distressed groundstaff, although there has been a remarkable and overwhelming urge to reinstate the grounds quickly. Potentially, floodwater brings with it contaminants and diseases such as E. Coli, Salmonella spp, and petroleum hydrocarbons although, as yet, no heavy metal problems have been recognised. In the first instance the ground, and sediment, need to be tested to ascertain
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the levels of contamination. Then, the safe and responsible removal of the sediment needs to take place. The ground may need to be cultivated, allowing time for degradation processes of small traces of contamination. In summary, flood sediment is polluted although, generally, the risk of harm to health is thought to be low; site-specific analysis and risk assessment is advised. All ground staff should adopt the precautionary principle - wear PPE (NB - volunteers are considered to be groundstaff and, as such, subject to the obligations of the Health and Safety at Work Act). If removing sediment there is an obligation to ensure that it is not contaminated before disposal, and correct, practical advice is time critical Iain suggested that apart from the Cranfield website,
www.cranfield.ac.uk, where updates will be published, other sources of advice include:
The Environment Agency website - sediment disposal, flood management etc (www.environment-
agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood)
Health Protection Agency website - advice on clear up and health risks (
www.hpa.org.uk/flooding)
STRI website - turf health strategies (
www.stri.co.uk)
Jeff Perris, the STRI
Next to speak was Jeff Perris of the STRI. Jeff focused on the three A’s, following a flood disaster - Assess, Analyse, Action. When assessing the damage collect information and all the associated facts. How the flooding happened, was it expected, can it happen again, the extent and severity of the flood and its duration?
When analysing the flood is there risk
of repetition (DEFRA), risk of infection, risk of contamination to the grass and its playability but, more importantly, the chemical and physical analyses of the ground and sediment?
Flood affected clubs should carry out, or have carried out, particle size distribution tests, chemical tests (wide ranging) and growth tests to see how the area has been changed. Once the scale of the problem has been determined look at the best means of removal, timing of remedial works and the client’s needs.
Once assessed and analysed, look at the action for the future in terms of preventing flooding repetition (risk procedure) and dealing with potential health issues.
If the contamination is purely physical as opposed to chemical then action can be taken to remove the deposits safely and effectively.
Once all deposits have been removed commence corrective treatments to include chemical treatment (if necessary) and physical treatment of levels by means of aeration, topdressing, reseeding or returfing.
Alan Lewis, Total Turf Solutions
The final technical speaker of the morning was Alan Lewis of Total Turf Solutions who offered the practical options open to Groundsmen left in the wake of a flood.
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