Tap water restrictions lifted after river pollution incident

Villagers who were told four days ago not to use their tap water after a treatment works was affected by a pollution incident have been told it is safe to drink again.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it received several reports of oil in the River Dochart, near Killin, on Thursday and into Friday.

A suspected fuel theft from a petrol station is thought to have been the cause of the spillage into in the river in Stirlingshire.

On Friday, about 500 households and businesses around the village were told not to use their tap water for drinking, food preparation, brushing teeth or washing until further notice, however, by Sunday evening, they were told they could use it for washing.

Scottish Water said on Tuesday that all restrictions have been lifted with immediate effect after it was established that there is no risk to public health from the water supply.

It said that “extensive flushing” of the network has been taking place and specialist laboratory staff have worked round-the-clock to carry out “rigorous sampling”, before giving the all-clear.

Scottish Water’s chief scientist, Susan Lee, said: “Public health has remained our top priority throughout the response to this pollution incident and we’ve been analysing sample results meticulously.

“We’re now confident the water is safe to drink, use for cooking and other purposes.

“We recognise the inconvenience the ‘Do Not Use’ restriction caused to homes and businesses, however, it was necessary to put proper measures in place to protect public health.

“We thank customers for their patience while this water quality issue was resolved, and for the warm welcome and appreciation our teams received in the village.”

Scottish Water said that no water will be abstracted from the River Dochart for use in the water treatment works until Sepa has confirmed there is no evidence of pollution.

It said that water will be temporarily brought into the network by tanker from elsewhere, while work continues behind the scenes to prepare the local water treatment works for its return to full operation in due course.

Sepa’s national duty manager, David Ogilvie, said: “Sepa officers remain in attendance on site to further assess the impacts of the pollution incident and monitor the containment and clean-up works being undertaken.

“Water samples that were taken on Monday are now in the process of being analysed. Results to date, combined with survey work of the impacted land, which was today undertaken by Sepa mapping specialists, will be used to inform our monitoring strategy for the affected areas moving forward.

“Visual inspections today also indicate that the situation is continuing to stabilise and containment methods at the source of the pollution incident are proving effective. The east end of Loch Tay remains clear and no impacts were evident in the River Tay.

“Our investigations into the cause of the pollution are still ongoing and we are engaging with all relevant partners including Police Scotland and Stirling Council as this progresses.”