New Sewerage Outfall Advertised

[Task Force]

You should all note that the advertisement on p11 of today's Courier which reads

“Notice is hereby given, in accordance with Regulation 13 of the 2005 Regulations, that an application has been made to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) by Scottish Water to carry out a controlled activity, namely:

CAR/L/1000560 – An intermittent discharge of screened sewage effluent from an amended Combined Sewer Overflow and Emergency Overflow from Kinloch Park Wastewater Pumping Station, Campbeltown to Campbeltown Loch at NGR NR 7227 2062.

CAR/L/1015528 - An intermittent discharge of screened sewage effluent from a new Combined Sewer Overflow from Kinloch Park Wastewater Pumping Station, Campbeltown to Campbeltown Loch at NGR NR 7452 2052.

“Any person who considers that they are affected or likely to be affected by, or has an interest in, the application and who wishes to make representations about the application, should do so in writing to The Senior Registry Officer, SEPA, Graesser House, Fodderty Way, Dingwall, IV15 9XB not later than <<DATE>> quoting reference number CAR/L/1000560 and/or CAR/L/1015528.”

“A copy of the application may be inspected free of charge, at the above address, between 9.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. Monday to Friday (except local and national holidays), by prior arrangement at the Lochgilphead office, 2 Smithy Lane, Lochgilphead, telephone 01546 602876 or at the Campeltown Post Office, Longrow, Campbeltown.“

“Written representations concerning this application may be made to the SEPA at the above address and if received within 28 days of the advertisement, will be taken into consideration in determining the application. Any such representations made by any person will be entered in a public register unless that person requests in writing that they should not be so entered. Where such a request is made there will be included in the register a statement indicating that representations have been made which has been the subject of such a request.”

is in fact the notice for a new Combined Sewer Overflow which is to be located at Slaty Farlan and is predicted to spill at least 97 times per year for an average of 2 hours each time. Many local residents feel that this number of spills is excessive and will effect people wishing to use the loch for recreational and water sports uses and that the effluent will also wash back into the loch on an incoming tide and land on the beaches at Askomel.
If you are one of those, you should write to SEPA and make your views known. If no-one objects Scottish Water and SEPA will assume we are all happy with this plan and it will go through unchallenged.

[Ship called Dignity]

is in fact the notice for a new Combined Sewer Overflow which is to be located at Slaty Farlan and is predicted to spill at least 97 times per year for an average of 2 hours each time. Many local residents feel that this number of spills is excessive and will effect people wishing to use the loch for recreational and water sports uses and that the effluent will also wash back into the loch on an incoming tide and land on the beaches at Askomel.
If you are one of those, you should write to SEPA and make your views known. If no-one objects Scottish Water and SEPA will assume we are all happy with this plan and it will go through unchallenged.

Task Force - purely to instigate debate on this I've heard someone with vast experience of the sea (from his time there) comment that the tide, alone, is not enough to wash the effulent back into the loch???

[Task Force]

Well, just to continue the debate, we have heard a number of local fishermen and other loch users say otherwise, and it is a fact that the Creamery effluent which comes out of a pipe much further out - nearly at McCringans Point in fact, can be smelt in the town and regularly appears on the beaches and Trench Point. The effluent from the new pipe which will be pumped at 800 litres per second into a depth of only about 4m will be fresh water (as opposed to salt water but not fresh in any other sense of the word) and so it will rise to the surface and will be carried into the loch by the prevailing wind as well as the tide.

[Ship called Dignity]

Well, just to continue the debate, we have heard a number of local fishermen and other loch users say otherwise, and it is a fact that the Creamery effluent which comes out of a pipe much further out - nearly at McCringans Point in fact, can be smelt in the town and regularly appears on the beaches and Trench Point. The effluent from the new pipe which will be pumped at 800 litres per second into a depth of only about 4m will be fresh water (as opposed to salt water but not fresh in any other sense of the word) and so it will rise to the surface and will be carried into the loch by the prevailing wind as well as the tide.

Thanks for the reply - was really just trying to get a discussions on this going.

Do the Task Force have a standard letter that people can use to save time?

[Jeanette]

Davie

Scottish Water will carry on with whatever they are allowed to get away with. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) are the body that ultimately has the say in whether SW get permission to do it or not and the pressure must be put on SEPA who after all are there to protect the environment for everybody no matter where they live.

This is everybodys problem and no matter where they live we as a community should all tell them that until they come up with a plan that tackles the problem for good they should go back to the drawing board.

Just because there is no flooding in the town does not mean that the problem has been fixed. It just means that rather than let us "Hicks" see it on the street they are pumping 70 - 80 percent of raw sewage into the loch. The problem hasn't gone away they have just moved it to an important part of the envoironment...... Our Loch.

SEPA should not grant this permission until SW get their act together. The sewage on the shore was so bad this year that the council had to put up notices telling people not to bathe at Dalintober.

How dare SEPA even contemplate allowing SW to carry on pumping raw sewage into our loch and prevent local people from using the area for recreation. Visiting yachtsmen are given gloves to pull in their ropes. Is that the image we want to give to tourists.

The only excuse they have is that it is purely political and if we all write to SEPA or sign a pre-written letter they will have to listen especially if all Campbeltown residents including outlying areas like Machrihanish added their voice.

jeanette

[Task Force]

Davie

The Task Force are having another meeting with SW and SEPA on Monday at which we hope that they will be able to give us some answers to our concerns. We have already written a draft letter to SEPA for those interested to sign and will finalise this after the meeting. We can then post it on the website and also distribute it in the town. We will also try and do a press release with the latest news. Any help or ideas will be gratefully received as there is not much time - the deadline for our submissions is 25th January.

[Ship called Dignity]

Davie

The Task Force are having another meeting with SW and SEPA on Monday at which we hope that they will be able to give us some answers to our concerns. We have already written a draft letter to SEPA for those interested to sign and will finalise this after the meeting. We can then post it on the website and also distribute it in the town. We will also try and do a press release with the latest news. Any help or ideas will be gratefully received as there is not much time - the deadline for our submissions is 25th January.

No probs - send it through by e-mail too and I will post it on the website for people to download if they wish.

This is everybodys problem and no matter where they live we as a community should all tell them that until they come up with a plan that tackles the problem for good they should go back to the drawing board.

Just because there is no flooding in the town does not mean that the problem has been fixed. It just means that rather than let us "Hicks" see it on the street they are pumping 70 - 80 percent of raw sewage into the loch. The problem hasn't gone away they have just moved it to an important part of the envoironment...... Our Loch.

SEPA should not grant this permission until SW get their act together. The sewage on the shore was so bad this year that the council had to put up notices telling people not to bathe at Dalintober.

I fully agree - seems, however, too many people think the problem has been solved. I also tend to think we all just leave it up to the Task Force now as they know better?

Why don't the Task Force get more backing from the Council, Councillors etc or do they? Again, just trying to encourage debate.

All the best

[Task Force]

The problem is far from solved! We are at the stage where Scottish Water has advertised a consent application for an outfall which will spill more than the Task Force and those of the community who have been in touch with us think is acceptable. The outfall will also be in shallow water near to a public footpath and will also mean that anyone wishing to canoe or windsurf or sail in and out of the loch will have to run the risk of passing through a plume of sewage effluent.
The Council have been helpful in as much as they can be - it is Scottish Water's responsilbility to design build and operate a satisfactory sewerage system and SEPA's responsibility to regulate them. The Council only has responsibility for roads and drains and where the responsibilities overlap there is some co-operation, although the Council are not funded for some of the expensive measures that should be undertaken. With regard to the Councillor's, it is up to the residents in each area to contact the relevant Councillor if they have concerns about what is going on. When we as the Task Force have asked the Councillors to ask Scottish Water for answers on our behalf, they have always done so.