This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Measures to improve water quality in Islands
24/07/2002
Measures to provide higher standards of sewage treatment
that will improve the environmental quality of coastal
waters in the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland were
announced today.
Making the announcement, Minister for Environment and
Rural Development Ross Finnie said:
"We are asking Scottish Water to improve the standard of
urban waste water treatment at Kirkwall, Lerwick and
Stornoway. As a result of the withdrawal of High Natural
Dispersion status, measures will be taken to provide higher
standards of sewage treatment.
"The Executive is committed to improving the
environmental quality of our coastal waters. These measures
will provide benefits, not only for the water environment,
but also for people using these waters for fishing and
recreational purposes."
Following a 4 yearly review, the High Natural Dispersion
Area status for Lerwick, Kirkwall and Stornoway is
withdrawn under the terms of the Urban Waste Water
Treatment (Scotland) Regulations 1994.
Where an area of water ceases to be identified as a High
Natural Dispersion Area, it means that there is no longer
an option to allow less stringent treatment than is
normally permitted for urban waste water discharges.
Secondary standard treatment is the normal level for
treatment of urban waste water throughout the European
Union. It means that domestic and biodegradable industrial
waste water is given biological treatment before being
discharged.
Scottish Water has recently upgraded the sewage
treatment works at Kirkwall from primary to secondary
standard, and will do so for Lerwick and Stornoway. The
upgrading of these sewage treatment works will bring them
into line with the standard of treatment provided for towns
of similar size across Scotland. It will provide further
protection to the waters into which the treated waste water
is dicharged, resulting in general environmental
benefits.
The 3 HNDAs at Lerwick, Kirkwall and Stornoway were the
last of 24 HNDAs that were originally identified in 1994 in
Scotland. A Notice about the withdrawal of the HNDAs will
be placed in the
Edinburgh Gazette. Maps of the areas that are held
by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will be
withdrawn from public display.