Bridging the environment gap in Seil

What we're doing

The marine environment off the island of Seil – famous for its Bridge over the Atlantic – will be substantially improved following completion of a new public waste water system on its east coast.

The project, which will connect more than 160 properties in the Clachan-Seil and Balvicar areas to the network for the first time, will mean an end to waste water from almost all properties there being discharged into Seil Sound with little or no treatment.

The improvements will help protect shellfish waters and provide a boost to tourism, an important part of the island’s economy.

Amount invested

£8 million

Start date

July 2008

End date

Spring 2009

Partners

Balfour Beatty, working for Scottish Water Solutions, the joint venture partnership of utility companies and contractors set up by Scottish Water to help deliver the majority of its Capital Investment Programmes, will install six new transfer pumping stations, a new Waste Water Treatment Works, and all associated pipework.

Area Affected:

Where access to customers’ gardens is required as part of the project we will consult with them and ensure that all property is fully reinstated.

The work will inevitably mean some traffic disruption in the area and, while we do not expect there to be any road closures, some traffic management might be required.

We appreciate the patience of our customers in the area and hope they agree that any short-term inconvenience will be far outweighed by the improvements this work will bring

Seil of approval from VisitScotland

Welcoming the project, Scott Armstrong, VisitScotland's regional director, said:

"Scottish Water’s investment on Seil is great news for tourism. The area already attracts many visitors for its beautiful scenery and tranquillity, and improvements in the water quality can only enhance their visit.

"Tourism is Scotland’s most important industry, particularly in rural areas like Argyll. Investment to improve infrastructure is crucial as we work with the tourism industry towards our shared ambition of increasing tourism revenues by 50 per cent by 2015."

We want to hear from you

We appreciate all of your thoughts and comments on our investment in Argyll & Bute, fill in our form here.