A new map has revealed the six spots where asbestos has officially been found buried underground at Rickmansworth Aquadrome.
The data from Three Rivers District Council was detailed in a survey that emerged after Rickmansworth Canal Festival was cancelled amid new plans to manage the waste.
The hazardous material was discovered in five spots around Batchworth Lake, and another at the south edge of the park just west of the carpark.
While the history of the contamination is unknown, TRDC believes “significant quantities” of asbestos cement, textile, insulating board and other materials were buried after gravel was extracted in the 1920s and 1930s.
Although those spots are the only ones confirmed, officials believe asbestos is underground throughout the site.
The council has stated that the recreational space is safe for day-to-day use like dog walking, picnics, and water sports, but any public activities will have to comply with the site’s “no dig” policy.
The Rickmansworth Waterways Trust cancelled this year’s Rickmansworth Canal Festival indefinitely after it learned that any activity that would potentially disturb the material was prohibited.
The festival's structures would need to be secured above ground with heavy weights instead of being staked into the ground, and it would cost between £5,000 and £8,000 a day to monitor asbestos levels in the air before and after the festival.
- Importance of the canal to Rickmansworth and Three Rivers
- Rickmansworth Canal Festival cancelled over buried asbestos
While the council offered the trust advice and additional funding at a meeting in December, the trust said it would not be possible to organise the event in line with the restrictions.
Water-based sports such as sailing, water-skiing, and fishing are believed to be safe as the asbestos fibres in the lake are "encapsulated" by the water and not released into the air, according to Three Rivers District Council.
The organisers of the Aquadrome parkrun have also said that they will continue the event as the restrictions do not affect them.
The map of known contamination is based on several surveys of the area and will be updated as more works are undertaken.
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