from Sunday Herald, 14 September 2008
For the second year running beaches across Scotland have been badly polluted by sewage in breach of safety limits, endangering the health of paddlers, swimmers and surfers.
Monitoring results released today by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) reveal that seven designated bathing waters have again failed to meet 30-year-old legal standards. Another six undesignated beaches also failed to make the grade.
A further 20 designated bathing waters narrowly missed breaching the limits but nevertheless recorded high levels of pollution. Overall this summer was as least as bad as last year, which was the worst for six years.
Since the beginning of June Sepa has analysed 1,520 samples from 80 designated bathing waters, compared to 1,200 samples from 61 bathing waters in 2007. The bathing season is officially due to end tomorrow (Monday).
By far the worst contaminated beach was at Saltcoats and Ardrossan in North Ayrshire. Four samples taken there in July, August and September contained concentrations of faecal coliforms in excess of the European limits.
Heavy pollution was also detected at Ettrick Bay on the Isle of Bute, at Portobello Central in Edinburgh and at Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire. The other designated beaches that failed the safety limits were in Aberdeen, Rosehearty in Aberdeenshire and Sandyhills in Dumfries and Galloway.
The undesignated beaches that failed were: Greenan and Barassie in South Ayrshire; Stevenston and Largs in North Ayrshire; Fisherrow West in East Lothian; and Lower Largo in Fife.
Government ministers and Sepa blamed this summer’s appalling weather for causing the pollution. Heavy rain has flooded sewers making them overflow, and washed animal faeces from the land into the sea.
August downpours in Portobello, for example, overwhelmed the Joppa sewage pumping station nearby. At Ettrick Bay, swollen burns carried animal wastes from farms into the sea.
“I am disappointed to see that some of our bathing waters have not met the required European standard,” said the environment minister, Michael Russell.
“The bad weather has had a deeply detrimental effect on the quality of our bathing water which is very unfortunate.”
Russell recalled that bathing waters had been very clean in 2006, and promised to try and achieve that again. “I am determined that we will achieve those standards as the norm even if our weather conditions are making it difficult at the moment,” he said.
Sepa pointed out however that rainfall couldn’t be blamed for every poor result. Where sewage leaks had been to blame, the agency had taken “swift enforcement action”, it said.
Sepa’s bathing water expert, Calum McPhail, stressed that nearly half of the designated bathing waters still managed to reach the highest guideline standard, with a few recording hardly any pollution.
“However, there is clearly more to do and we must all intensify our efforts to maintain progress and learn to cope with summer intense rainfall events,” he said. “Particularly as we are required to achieve tighter standards and new beach management duties in just four years time.”
The Marine Conservation Society was “disappointed but not surprised” at this year’s pollution. “Whilst welcome billions have been invested to upgrade Scotland’s once-creaking sewerage system, there is still some way to go,” said the society’s Calum Duncan.
Scottish Water, which runs the sewerage system, accepted that heavy rain could cause overloads. “We are investing significantly to deliver a cleaner, fresher environment across Scotland at thousands of wastewater treatment works,” the company said.
THE DIRTIEST BEACHES
Saltcoats/Ardrossan, North Ayrshire
Ettrick Bay, Isle of Bute
Portobello Central, Edinburgh
Aberdeen
Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire
Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire
Sandyhills, Dumfries and GallowayTHE CLEANEST BEACHES
Dornoch, Highland
Findhorn, Highland
Achmelvich, Highland
Loch Morlich, HIghland
Tentsmuir Sands, Fife
Elie Harbour and Earlsferry, FIfe
Gullane, East Lothian
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