Stop to sewage at Deeside fishing spot

A £1.6million project to end private sewage discharges and protect a popular fishing tributary of the famous River Dee has just been completed.

Scottish Water’s investment at Belts of Collonach involved connecting 36 homes to a public waste water system for the first time, ending numerous discharges of poorly treated and raw sewage into the Water of Feugh. Local residents have welcomed the completion of the scheme.

The work was part of Scottish Water’s 2010 Vision for Aberdeenshire, a £62million programme of improvements ongoing throughout the region.

This project was extremely challenging due to geography and the lay-out of the community. We had to close a road, dig up fields and make sewer connections for each of the 36 homes.

We did everything we could to keep disruption to a minimum and I’d like to thank the local residents for their patience and understanding. The end result is a clean environment for all to enjoy.

Modern treatment at Banchory

Sewage from the 36 houses now flows to a local pumping station from where it is transferred to the waste water treatment works at Banchory. The discharge from the Banchory works is a high quality effluent that meets modern standards. All in all a mile of pipes was laid.

Alistair McWillie, unit manager for the area for SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) said:

"As a result of persistent pollution, SEPA nominated the area as a suitable candidate for sewage provision. We welcome this development which represents a considerable investment by Scottish Water as it will undoubtedly secure the environmental improvements sought."

The Water of Feugh is a major tributary of the River Dee and is well known among salmon anglers. It joins the Dee after cascading under the picturesque Bridge of Feugh near Belts of Collonach.