What a 'Quacking' Home!
02 September 2010 13:13
The Works, which is currently undergoing a £5 million upgrade, was previously home to two families of ducks; however, one of the families has relocated to the nearby Glen River. The remaining family built their home in the final effluent tank, highlighting the quality and purity of the water after treatment before release into the River Lagan.
With the Treatment Works currently under construction, one of the ducklings living in the Glen River had a narrow escape when it got stuck in a tank which was due for demolition.
Rescuers Nicky Hill and Frank Quinn explain:
“With the Works currently under construction, we were about to demolish an old disused tank when we discovered the duckling trapped inside. Given our previous experiences of rescuing wildlife including swans and buzzards, we knew we had to try to rescue this duckling which couldn’t even fly yet. We managed to get it out and return it to its family at the Glen River.
“The family of ducks around the works are like colleagues now, you see them everyday and they are actually helping us by eating the algae which forms in the last treatment process before the final effluent is discharged in the River Lagan. We just hope the construction work doesn’t scare them away.”
This duckling isn’t the only wildlife the guys have rescued. In the past, they have helped an injured buzzard, numerous swans and in a Treatment Works in Hollywood, they rescued a seal and a small dolphin! Looks like a day in the life of a sewage worker is more interesting than previously thought!