Scottish Water get to bottom of Lindean’s sewage saga
Lindean Sewage. Lindean resident Mike Marsh at the septic tank which was overflowing with raw sewage.
LINDEAN residents have been relieved this week after a smelly situation was finally rectified by a utility company.
For three months raw sewage had been pouring from a blocked-up communal septic tank, but Scottish Water repeatedly failed to get to the bottom of the issue. Instead, a contractor dug a channel to stop the foul water from pooling in a field next to the A7, only to send it into the Lindean Burn instead.
The situation was finally resolved on Tuesday when a blockage in the tank’s tailpipe was removed.
Speaking to The Wee Paper earlier this week, local resident Mike Marsh said: “About six weeks or so ago Scottish Water sent a contractor who dug a channel to stop it flowing into the field, diverting it into a burn, but the burn fills a bath sunk into the ground for the sheep to drink out of. Fortunately, there are no sheep in the field just now. Everything has been going in to the water – everything.”
Mr Marsh added that the contractor had lifted a manhole cover over the tailpipe and wedged it open to allow the waste to overflow from there.
“It is a horrible mess,” he said. “It has been a continual discharge of dirty water.”
Mr Marsh said the tank serves about a dozen homes, but is no longer fit for purpose.
“The tank leaks anyway. It is an old brick one that should’ve been changed years ago. In the summer it reeks and the place gets riddled with flies.”
He added that following the creation of the channel a grey sludge and rubbish had appeared on stones in the burn.
A Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) spokesman said it had received two complaints about the overflowing untreated sewage in October and November, with Scottish Water asked to investigate and clean-up, which it did both times.
The spokesman added: “Discharges of sewage effluent from the septic tank into the Lindean Burn are allowed, provided that the effluent has been treated and no longer poses any risk of pollution to the watercourse.
“Following the complaints received in 2012, no further issues have been raised with SEPA regarding this site.”
Selkirk councillor Gordon Edgar said he was aware of the blockage before Christmas, but believed it had been sorted after contacting Scottish Water.
However, after speaking to residents a fortnight ago, Mr Edgar contacted Scottish Water again and asked them to resolve the problem.
A Scottish Water spokesman said it would “continue to monitor the tank”, but gave no indication if it planned to upgrade the septic tank.
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Weather for Selkirk
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
