Raw Sewage Will No Longer Go into Loch

Raw and partially-treated sewage will not have to be pumped into a picturesque Highland loch for much longer following a Scottish Water decision to invest pounds15million in a new sewerage system.

At present, the communities of Aultbea and Mellon Charles in Wester Ross do not have a public sewer system, which means there are dozens of private discharges of sewage emptying into Loch Ewe, adversely affecting local beaches and the loch’s shellfish waters.

But, following discussions with the community, sufficient numbers of householders expressed an interest in connecting to a new public system to enable the water company to push ahead with the scheme.

Eight main pumping stations will be installed in Aultbea and Mellon Charles to take the communities’ sewage to a new waste water treatment works comprising four underground tanks.

Effluent will then be discharged from the end of a long outfall pipe in the deep waters of the Minch, away from Loch Ewe. Dave Turner, project manager for Scottish Water Solutions, said: “We’re very pleased with the support for this scheme from the community.

“Many people have said to us that they’re fed up with sewage washing up on the local beaches. It’s a major investment and technically complex with a lot of detail to be discussed with numerous local landowners.

“We’re still at the stage of submitting planning applications and carrying out detailed design work, but we hope to start laying the main sewer system in the coming weeks.”

The Wester Ross project is part of a Scotland-wide move to install public sewerage systems in rural communities where the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has identified a strong environmental benefit.

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