Bowmore’s new Waste Water Treatment Works enters key stage

The waders in Islay’s Loch Indaal will be as pleased as the local residents as Scottish Water’s new £9 million waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) at Bownore on the lochside moves nearer completion.

At the moment the waste water in the Bowmore area is untreated. All the flows go into the network of pipes and the untreated waste water is discharged into Loch Indaal via an existing short outfall. Literally antediluvian.

However, the new Treatment Works, which improve the natural environment by stopping raw sewage going into these coastal waters, is moving to completion later this year, with some critical recent developments.

The treatment lagoon, which will treat the village’s sewage, was completed last month and two pumping stations have been commissioned. Landscaping work around the WWTW and the pumping stations is due to be completed soon.

Meanwhile, a ship arrived recently in Loch Indaal to work on the installation of an outfall and two emergency overflows as the project progresses.

The ship is being used as a support vessel to allow divers to lay special mattresses – made of concrete blocks held together by steel ties – which will weigh down the outfalls and emergency overflows.

In an operation expected to take about six weeks in total, the ship will lower the pipes in sections on to the sea bed before the mattresses are laid.

One of the emergency overflows was installed last weekend.

Stephen Griffen, Scottish Water’s acting Regional Manager for Argyll & Bute, says: ‘We are delighted to be making good progress with this hugely important project on Islay, which will help to improve the natural environment and will benefit local people, visitors, businesses and wildlife’.

As we said, the waders will be relieved.