Douglas stinky beach

[Happier diner]

30 minutes ago, Max Power said:

A trip to our all singing all dancing incinerator daily then?

 

17 minutes ago, Banker said:

Not suitable for incinerator apparently.

No. It would have a negative calorific value unless it was dried first.

[Omobono]

the point I was trying to make is if the Gryones were replaced  most of the sea weed would probably NOT   make its way up the beach , the tidal flow below the Groynes would push the seaweed north or south , we didn't  have a tractor  a few years ago , and if you look at photographs of the  central promenade there used to be a six foot drop from the promenade walkway onto the beach  the scour is causing sand shingle and seaweed to settle on the beach along central promenade , I think the other problem is neither the corporation  or the DOI  want to accept responsibility for the fore shore and beach

[Non-Believer]

2 hours ago, Max Power said:

A trip to our all singing all dancing incinerator daily then?

I think once every couple of weeks would do it, if the stuff was actually being taken away and disposed of rather than just being recirculated, the volume being washed ashore (again) would be greatly reduced. Combine it by letting it dry out for that two weeks too so it can be incinerated.

The problem seems to be that nobody actually seems to want to try to resolve the problem by means other than, "this is the way we've always done it".

[The Phantom]

16 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

I think once every couple of weeks would do it, if the stuff was actually being taken away and disposed of rather than just being recirculated, the volume being washed ashore (again) would be greatly reduced. Combine it by letting it dry out for that two weeks too so it can be incinerated.

The problem seems to be that nobody actually seems to want to try to resolve the problem by means other than, "this is the way we've always done it".

It doesn't even need it that often.  A couple of times during the Spring would pretty much do it.  During the winter when the storms bring the bulk of it in, it doesn't decompose and stink and the use of the Prom is much reduced so no one really cares. 

During the summer, there aren't many storms and not much is washed up. 

The issue stands that from the end of the winter until now, none appears to have been collected, so you have the worst of both worlds. 

I'm pretty certain you can use it as fertilizer, it just has to be washed first to get rid of the salt.  It probably also needs to be done before it starts to decompose. 

[The Bastard]

Groynes aren't there to manage seaweed, and would actually make it more difficult to dispose of it. Groynes were there to slow the movement of sediment along the beach through longshore drift.

[Mercenary]

This looks pre-groynes and is very similar to the current situation :

https://imuseum.im/search/archive_record/view?id=mnh-museum-444826&type=archive&tab=all&from=&page=&term=central+promenade&size=20&sort=&filter=&view=&images=&ttmgp=0&rfname=&rlname=&machine=&race=&raceyear=&linked=0&pos=2

This is with groynes and again the level does not look much different:

https://imuseum.im/search/archive_record/view?id=mnh-museum-446189&type=archive&tab=all&from=&page=2&term=central+promenade&size=20&sort=&filter=&view=&images=&ttmgp=0&rfname=&rlname=&machine=&race=&raceyear=&linked=0&pos=38

 

Perhaps it has changed but I'd be cautious relying on memories for this sort of thing. 

[The Phantom]

34 minutes ago, Mercenary said:

This looks pre-groynes and is very similar to the current situation :

https://imuseum.im/search/archive_record/view?id=mnh-museum-444826&type=archive&tab=all&from=&page=&term=central+promenade&size=20&sort=&filter=&view=&images=&ttmgp=0&rfname=&rlname=&machine=&race=&raceyear=&linked=0&pos=2

This is with groynes and again the level does not look much different:

https://imuseum.im/search/archive_record/view?id=mnh-museum-446189&type=archive&tab=all&from=&page=2&term=central+promenade&size=20&sort=&filter=&view=&images=&ttmgp=0&rfname=&rlname=&machine=&race=&raceyear=&linked=0&pos=38

 

Perhaps it has changed but I'd be cautious relying on memories for this sort of thing. 

Remember too that (depending on which source you look at) sea levels have risen by 15-20cm since 1900. 

https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2021/03/01/new-data-reveals-british-sea-level-records-stretching-back-200-years/

 

[hissingsid]

The tractor gentleman was hard at it today piling seaweed up in piles like mini bon fires what will happen next is anyone’s guess unless the great plan is for the sea to wash the piles up on the beach again when the tide comes in.   Another cunning stunt 🤣 .

[The Phantom]

23 minutes ago, hissingsid said:

The tractor gentleman was hard at it today piling seaweed up in piles like mini bon fires what will happen next is anyone’s guess unless the great plan is for the sea to wash the piles up on the beach again when the tide comes in.   Another cunning stunt 🤣 .

To be fair though, if you were 'the tractor gentleman' it would be a pretty good job.  Driving up and down the beach all day in a tractor. 

[offshoremanxman]

5 minutes ago, The Phantom said:

To be fair though, if you were 'the tractor gentleman' it would be a pretty good job.  Driving up and down the beach all day in a tractor. 

Life is like a box of chocolates 

[Happier diner]

4 hours ago, The Phantom said:

It doesn't even need it that often.  A couple of times during the Spring would pretty much do it.  During the winter when the storms bring the bulk of it in, it doesn't decompose and stink and the use of the Prom is much reduced so no one really cares. 

During the summer, there aren't many storms and not much is washed up. 

The issue stands that from the end of the winter until now, none appears to have been collected, so you have the worst of both worlds. 

I'm pretty certain you can use it as fertilizer, it just has to be washed first to get rid of the salt.  It probably also needs to be done before it starts to decompose. 

No. To be useful as a fertilizer it would have to be decomposed first otherwise it would kill the area you wanted to fertilise. Much like horse manure does until it is rotted. I think it would make any crops useless because its got salt in it (not just on it) + all sorts of other nasties like heavy metals (like Arsenic)

Its nothing like as simple as it sounds

Dry it in poly tunnels, then burn it?

[Zarley]

8 minutes ago, Happier diner said:

No. To be useful as a fertilizer it would have to be decomposed first otherwise it would kill the area you wanted to fertilise. Much like horse manure does until it is rotted. I think it would make any crops useless because its got salt in it (not just on it) + all sorts of other nasties like heavy metals (like Arsenic)

Its nothing like as simple as it sounds

Dry it in poly tunnels, then burn it?

How did they do it in the old days? (Genuine question) 

[Passing Time]

23 hours ago, Broadcasterman said:

I seem to recall a Douglas Councillor dong a fairly detailed Tweet or Tweets earlier in the year explaining why the groynes weren’t needed any more from a design perspective and why the Victorians weren’t right (or something like that). Yet week by week the level of the beach still seems to be getting higher. So much for “experts” 

please don't use "expert" and "Douglas Councillor" in the same sentence

[hissingsid]

The farmers used to use it as fertilizer for donkeys years they used to collect it from the beach lining up with their horses and carts and I don’t think they would have done that I’d it had killed everything.   Look at the pictures in the museum.

[Zarley]

5 minutes ago, hissingsid said:

The farmers used to use it as fertilizer for donkeys years they used to collect it from the beach lining up with their horses and carts and I don’t think they would have done that I’d it had killed everything.   Look at the pictures in the museum.

I know they did this, what I'm wondering is what happened to the seaweed inbetween collecting it from the beach and spreading it on the fields? Was it - for example - washed/soaked in large vats first to remove salt etc?

People today say you cant use it but that's historically obviously not true.