Loch Ryan: Your questions answered...
What is the purpose of the Customer Drop-in day?
To explain the project to the local community and what Scottish Water has been asked to do to comply with legislation. To ensure that the views, issues and concerns of the local community are brought to the attention of Scottish Water and are taken into account as part of the overall considerations for the scheme.
Why does the Loch Ryan area need a new WwTW (Wastewater Treatment Works)?
Improvements to the wastewater discharges into Loch Ryan are necessary to satisfy the legal requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and Shellfish Directive. This will result in significant improvements to the water quality and shellfish environment in Loch Ryan.
Why can’t the existing Leswalt wastewater treatment facilities be upgraded instead?
Leswalt was considered as a stand alone treatment facility along with the other communities of Kirkcolm, Stranraer and Cairnryan. Evaluation of all of the options identified the current proposals as the best whole life cost as well as satisfying the other environmental, planning, third party and operational issues for the Loch Ryan cluster of schemes.
What was the site selection process for the new WwTW?
As part of a detailed optioneering assessment for both WwTW site selection and outfall location a number of options are considered including cost, third party issues, environment, site constraints, operation and construction. Consultation with the relevant statutory bodies (such as Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Natural Heritage), non-statutory bodies (such as Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and National Trust for Scotland) and the local community was a key part of the process.
Why can’t the new treatment works be located in Stranraer?
A number of potential treatment works sites were identified, with appropriate outfall locations. A works sited in the Leswalt area best satisfies the selection criteria, including whole life cost.
What was the site selection process for the new outfall location?
A number of outfall locations were considered along the coast, both north and south of Portpatrick. Some were more suited to specific potential treatment works locations. The main considerations were (a) geology of the coastline (b) accessibility for construction plant and equipment (c) sufficient space for construction at the landward side of the construction, (d) availability of a fresh water supply to assist in drilling operations (e) length of outfall pipeline to ensure 1:50 dilution in the sea water (f) provisional cost for construction. The potential environmental impacts were also considered.
How can you assure us there will be no odour pollution from the new WwTW?
Appropriate odour control measures will be included at the key points in the process to ensure that odour is controlled to an acceptable level. This is normally governed by restrictions in the planning conditions, and through a Code of Practice recently published by the Scottish Executive.
What about noise, dust and vibration during construction?
As you will see from the area we are considering for the WwTW site, it will be suitably distant from any resident’s houses to ensure any affects of construction have a minimal affect on customers.
There will obviously be some disruption during the construction phase. Our Contractor will be required to mitigate noise as far as possible, but the Environmental Health Department of the Council will enforce this. The Contractor will also limit dust and mud arising from construction.
What will be the impact on the environment?
The concept of the scheme is to remove continuous discharges of treated sewage from the sensitive water environment of Loch Ryan. This will have a positive impact on the quality of water in Loch Ryan. All the effluent from the four communities will receive biological treatment i.e. a greater level of treatment than is currently provided. By discharging into the turbulent waters on the North Channel, the effluent will be effectively dispersed.
There will be temporary disruption during the construction phase of the scheme. This is inevitable but all appropriate mitigation measures will be put in place to minimise the effect on the environment, businesses and local communities.
Will there be any disruption to the water supply or fluctuations in pressure as a result?
No.
When is the work scheduled to start?
The latest best estimate for work to start on the scheme as a whole is Spring/Summer 2010.
How long will the construction works take and what will be the hours of work?
The main civil engineering phase of the construction works is likely to take 15 to 18 months and will be followed by installation of equipment and testing. The overall construction and commissioning period is likely to complete in the Spring of 2012.
The working hours for the site will be agreed by the Contractor. The limits on hours are typically 08:00 to 20:00 Monday to Friday for the treatment works site. Some Saturday work may also take place with the agreement of the Council. The precise limits on working hours are likely to be a condition of Planning Permission.
What Public Consultation will be carried out?
We plan to conduct a wide range of consultation activity in relation to this scheme, including: website with regular updates & online feedback; customer letters; leaflets; statutory notification; meeting with land owners/adjacent residents; response to queries; press statements; Stranraer & surrounding areas exhibition. In due course our design proposals and planning application will both be subject to public consultation.
What about future operation?
Scottish Water Operations will operate and maintain the treatment works and all pumping stations. Visits to the remote pumping stations will be relatively infrequent (perhaps once a week) but there will be daily attendance at the main treatment works site. Operational activities are not likely to cause disturbance to residents.
