Pollution in Scotland's rivers sparks plan for army of sewage police

Forth Rivers Trust is now raising £5000 to help communities identify and monitor sewage outflows along the River Almond and others in the Forth basin to try and stamp out the problem.

They aim to set up a volunteer force to create safaris mapping sewage outflows so communities can use the information to campaign for cleaner healthier rivers in their area.

Over 1000 people have now signed a petition to halt the release of raw sewage into the River Almond.

The Outfall Safaris are to be supported with crowdfunder as part of a Clean Rivers, Healthy Rivers campaign for the Forth catchment which includes 13 rivers and is home to roughly 25% of Scotland’s population together with a wide range of wildlife.

The Trust hopes to raise £5000 for the project, saying the initiative will train communities to understand different types of outfalls, what to look for and how to record them.

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They also plan to set up an online reporting tool to help communities report sewage incidents. Information collected by the safaris will then be used to identify the key areas most at risk.

The information will be used to lobby agencies such as SEPA and Scottish Water for clean ups but also better protections for the environment.

The area that it will cover runs from Dunbar and Fife Ness in the East to Balquhidder in the West, to Kinross in the North and the pentlands in the south.

Alison Baker, director of Forth Rivers Trust said: “Sewage has become an increasing problem in the Forth Basin as old systems are not renewed but still expected to take the waste from an ever increasing population around the central belt. Sewage can smother habitat for aquatic wildlife but also cause issues for the communities that live next to rivers which have sewage in them.

"If this crowdfunder is successful we will be able to identify where the hot spots are for sewage, it will mean volunteers and communities can monitor these areas and report sewage spills quicker. The project will also hopefully bring around real change by putting pressure on agencies to invest in the network where it needs it and also clean up after themselves so that the rivers around the Forth are healthier and protected for the benefit of wildlife and communities.”

Concerns over the Almond comes as the Forth Rivers Trust makes a 'bathing waters' application to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for a 400m stretch of the River Almond in Almondell and Calderwood Country Park.

But the stretch is upstream of Livingston and is subject to sewage discharges from water treatment plants.

According recent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for 4 of the 7 Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTWs) in West Lothian operated by Veolia from 2019, there were 501 discharges across the four sites into the River Almond, amounting to 572,577 cubic litres.

The worst performing WwTW was the Whitburn Sewage Treatment Works which overspilled 177 times during 2019. It alone discharged 334,976 cubic litres of untreated sewage.

One of the community groups in the Forth Basin keen to get involved in this project is the River Almond Action Group which said: “As a grassroots organisation run by volunteers and concerned residents who share a special connection with the River Almond, we are campaigning to stop the unacceptable recurrent sewage discharges into the river.

"The Outfall Safari is a great initiative to gather evidence of where, when, and how often sewage is being discharged into our rivers."

In launching the petition the group said: "The River Almond is a symbol of persistence, despite the pressures it has faced.

"It has continued to flow through the industrial pressures, pollution, weirs and dams and exploitation faced upon it by our ancestors. We appreciate the role of the several Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTWs) in managing and processing our wastewater.

Wet Wipe Island,  River Almond

"Over the past few decades, the river has started to recover and is seen as the jewel of West Lothian, with salmon, brown trout and sea trout in it and otters, heron and kingfisher regularly seen along its banks. Communities have increasingly relied on the open space of the river and the physical and mental health benefits it provides throughout the pandemic.

"However, as the river increasingly improves, multiple Wastewater Treatment Works still regularly pollute the river through several outfalls, with combined sewage entering the river. This has resulted in large stretches of the river and its banksides littered with sewage debris which includes toilet paper, sanitary products, baby wipes and more."

The group has launched a #CleanRiverPledge asking all candidates in the Lothian Region to support its campaign to tackle the problem of sewage discharges in our rivers."

A Scottish Water spokeswoman said: “Our waste water network and treatment works are operated under strict regulatory policy and regulated licences. Scottish Water strives to protect the environment whilst providing an essential service to our many customers. All discharges into water courses must comply with quality standards set in these licenses.

“Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are an integral part of most of the sewer network in Scotland (and indeed across the UK) ensuring sewers do not back up and flood homes and streets during heavy rainfall. Usually this only happens when there’s been a very heavy rain downpour or prolonged wet weather with any water released into rivers or the sea unlikely to cause environmental damage due to this water being so diluted.

“What can impact the environment from overflows is when items wrongly flushed down the toilet – such as wipes and sanitary products - mix with the storm water. These items can make their way into rivers, burns and coastal waters from CSOs and we campaign to urge people to only ever flush the 3Ps (pee, poo and loo paper).

“We are working with a range of partners, including local community groups and other agencies, to help improve the River Almond and more widely other areas of Scotland. When concerns regarding overflows are reported to us we always investigate and carry out clean-ups if needed.”