Public update event to be held in Ellon on historical River Ythan pollution incident

SCOTTISH Water is holding a public information event in Ellon to provide an update on its operational response and longer-term actions being taken, following a pollution incident which occurred during an extreme river spate in November 2022.

Taking place at the Meadows Sports Centre on February 29 between 1.30pm – 6pm, representatives from Scottish Water and its delivery partner, ESD, will be available to speak with residents about the extensive clean-up and recovery operation mounted after a large quantity of plastic biofilters escaped into the River Ythan when it rose to near-record levels and overwhelmed on-site containment measures at Ellon’s Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW).

As well as explaining what action was taken in the immediate aftermath, and beyond, Scottish Water will be setting out what mitigations and longer-term remedial works are being delivered to prevent recurrence.

So far the publicly-owned water company has committed more than £300,000 to clean-up and recovery, and has carried out an extensive technical review, the findings of which will be set out at this drop-in event.

Scottish Water’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Gavin Steel, said: “We recognise the seriousness of the incident that occurred at Ellon WWTW in November 2022 during an extreme river spate – both the impact this had on the environment and the concern it caused to local communities.

“Alongside extensive clean-up efforts, immediate measures were implemented last winter to ensure that there could not be any recurrence. A detailed investigation has been carried out since to ensure that all potential causes of the incident are understood and the right measures taken for the long-term.

“While our environmental regulator SEPA remains engaged in considering the findings of our investigation, we are keen to offer an update to the wider community so that people can find out more about what happened, the work that has already been done and what we are doing to address the causes of the problem. Members of our team will be on hand to answer questions and receive feedback; and we would encourage anyone who is interested to attend.”

Information from the event will also be made available online via Scottish Water’s webpage at Ellon Waste Water Treatment Works - Scottish Water.

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