Sludge Dumpers Risk Highland Environment
29-June-09
People in the Nairnshire, Badenoch and Strathspey areas of the Highlands are being asked to keep an eye out for sneaky cheats who are dumping foul sewage sludge into local drainage systems, putting rivers and beaches at risk of pollution.
Monitoring has been stepped up by Scottish Water at its sites in the areas following three incidents in the past three months where gallons of poor quality effluent were found entering the waste water treatment works at Cawdor. Kincraig and Nethy Bridge have experienced similar problems in the past and it is feared they could be next.
The dumped sludge appears to be the sort removed from septic tanks, which is supposed to be taken to large treatment works such as Allanfearn near Inverness that can process concentrated waste. Smaller treatment works struggle to cope and there is a risk of their final effluent deteriorating, which in turn could affect the water quality in the local environment.
The treatment works at Cawdor produces a high quality effluent that can be safely dispersed in the River Nairn, which in turn flows out to the popular bathing beaches. And the treatment works at Kincraig and Nethy Bridge produce high quality effluent dispersed in local water courses which eventually flow into the famous River Spey.
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Sheila Campbell-Lloyd, Scottish Water’s Waste Water Manager for the North, said: “Our treatment works are carefully designed and operated to handle the waste water from the local area, so when someone dumps a large quantity of concentrated sludge into the system, they struggle to cope. We use an organic treatment process involving bacteria and oxygen and a shock dose of sludge can upset this process, causing our effluent to turn acidic. The Highlands’ beautiful environment is at risk and we would urge anyone who spots anything suspicious to get in touch by calling us on 0845 601 8855.”
Alistair Thomson, Highland Council's Head of Environmental Health and Trading Standards added: "This practice is entirely unacceptable and Environmental Health Officers are adding their support to Scottish Water's efforts to identify and punish the culprits. This reckless disregard for public health and safety could result in the exposure of the public to potentially dangerous bacteria such as E coli O157 and anyone with information on this practice should contact Scottish Water immediately."
