SEPA’s 2000–2006 review describes the River Almond as heavily impacted by sewage, stating that in dry weather about one-third of its flow is treated sewage effluent. Together with recorded incidents and licence breaches, this indicates a chronic sewage burden entering the Firth of Forth via the Almond throughout the early 2000s.
A detailed study of beach-litter deposition at selected Firth of Forth beaches (July 2001–Dec 2003) found high loads of litter, including items associated with sewage and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) (e.g. cotton-bud sticks, sanitary items). The authors explicitly note links between some litter types and CSO or sewer discharges.
A survey of 14 Firth of Forth beaches in 2002 assessed aesthetic water/shore quality. Bathing beaches were cleaner than non-bathing ones, but litter (including plastics) was still a visible water-quality issue requiring frequent cleaning.
SEPA’s Water Quality Classification 2004 identifies “unsatisfactory discharges at Lower Largo” and notes that “improvements to unsatisfactory CSOs are required to reduce bacteriological contamination at Pathhead Sands in Kirkcaldy” – both Forth coast bathing waters. This shows that sewage discharges and poorly performing CSOs were a recognised problem in these Firth of Forth locations in the early 2000s.
SEPA’s Water Quality Classification 2003 report records “a significant pollution incident on the River Almond near Whitburn in October 2002”, noting that subsequent improvement in a 1.4 km stretch was probably recovery from this incident. The Almond ultimately discharges to the Firth of Forth at Cramond, so pollution here affects the estuary.
Longer-term scientific work reviewing decadal changes in the Forth estuary and Firth of Forth shows that although water quality improved significantly from the 1970s, sudden oxygen sags still occurred during storm-water discharges in the period up to 2000–2005, indicating ongoing impacts from sewage and storm overflows on estuarine ecology into the 2000s.
A sanitary-survey document for the North Berwick to Dunbar shellfish area records Scottish Water investment in the Dunbar sewerage network, including upsizing the main sewer and work at Shore Road combined sewer overflow, and building a new sewage treatment works. The Biel Water uses the existing long sea outfall as a storm overflow, highlighting historic concerns over sewer overflows to the coast at the eastern end of the Forth region.
SEPA’s Scotland’s Water Environment Review 2000–2006 records that Bathgate STW discharged effluent with elevated biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in May and June 2006, breaching its licence. The problem was traced to defective sand filters. The River Almond, receiving these discharges, flows directly into the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh.
Off Seafield WWTP, Edinburgh - A major mechanical failure at Seafield wastewater treatment works led to millions of gallons of untreated sewage being discharged directly into the Firth of Forth, triggering a health alert along ~10 miles of coastline and a warning over fish and shellfish.
Heavy rain flooded an Ineos stormwater channel, contributing to an oil spill that created slicks over “several square miles” of the Firth of Forth
SEPA’s Forth Area Management Plan (2010–15) and bathing-water profiles identify several Firth of Forth beaches (e.g. Portobello Central & West, Kinghorn Harbour, Kirkcaldy Seafield, Elie/Earlsferry) as historically failing or at risk due to short-term pollution events, often linked to sewage inputs and storm overflows.
Veolia Water Outsourcing admitted discharging about 120 million litres of raw sewage into the Firth of Forth
INEOS Manufacturing Scotland was fined £100,000 after an “uncontrolled release” of crude oil from a pipeline at the Grangemouth refinery site on the Firth of Forth. The Health and Safety Executive described it as a pipeline over-pressurisation incident; crude oil sprayed over a pump house and adjacent pipelines with other dangerous substances. The company stated the leak was quickly contained and cleaned up, minimising environmental impact.
In the policy documentation around the Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Operations) Regulations 2010, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency notes that in 2009 there were two oil spills during ship-to-ship transfers, the larger being 5 litres, contained within harbour limits.
Repeated SEPA reports flag CSO discharges as an ongoing pollution problem requiring investment in sewerage infrastructure.
The ACOPS Annual Pollution Survey 2010 notes that port and harbour authorities reported tanker incidents at several ports, including the Firth of Forth, but the snippet doesn’t list dates, volumes, or whether those incidents involved actual oil entering the water versus near-misses.
An unauthorised discharge of untreated sewage from an overflow at the Scottish Water pumping station entered the burn for over two weeks. SEPA classified it as a Category 1 (major) pollution event. Sewage concentrations in the burn were about 20 times worse than the legally recognised “poorest” quality standard (EQS). Fish and other aquatic life were killed; SEPA said it would take years for the affected area to recover.
SEPA Scottish bathing-water annual reports (e.g. 2010, 2011) that list sampling failures and discuss CSOs and rainfall as causes, but don’t always say whether a beach was formally “closed” to bathers.
The culvert which discharges to the Murray Burn at Longstone is causing a point source sewage pressure on this water body.
A pipeline serving the terminal developed a small hole, leaking “dirty water” / ballast water from a tank farm into a nearby burn which flows into the Forth. The water was described as bright yellow-green with a strong “rotten-egg” smell (likely hydrogen sulphide or similar), prompting a 100 m exclusion zone and multi-agency response. The Scotsman Authorities concluded there was no lasting public-health impact, but SEPA investigated possible environmental implications for the Forth.
Seafield WWTP, Edinburgh - A pump failure at Seafield caused “millions of litres of raw sewage” to pour into the Firth of Forth over several days until temporary pumps were installed.
The Sanitary Survey Report – Forth Estuary: Anstruther (Cefas, 2013) lists numerous WWTWs, CSOs, emergency overflows and long sea outfalls around the outer Firth of Forth shellfish waters. cefas.co.uk It doesn’t give “incident” narratives, but it is a good authoritative map/list of sewage discharges and overflows into the Forth as of that time.
A 2022 paper in Marine Pollution Bulletin looked specifically at “sewage-associated plastic waste on the beaches of the Firth of Forth estuary” and found that plastic items associated with sewage (cotton-bud sticks, sanitary items, etc.) were colonised by faecal indicator organisms and Vibrio species at several Forth beaches.
Historically poor water quality from CSO discharges. Led to the Cowdenbeath Wetlands Project and CSO upgrades mid-2010s to treat storm overflows and improve water quality.
The ACOPS Annual Pollution Survey 2014 summary includes an entry: “ES/129. 26/11/2014. Firth of Forth. Oil. Marine gas. 5 litres. MTUG Forth Drummer. Bunkering spill, clean-up completed.”
AN environmental watchdog has confirmed a new 'burning rubber' smell plaguing residents in Leith is coming from Seafield sewage works. And now campaigners are calling for an odour abatement order to be slapped on the plant.
SEPA’s bathing-water profile records that the Bleaching Hill CSO, which discharged combined sewage into the Lady Burn (flowing into Kinghorn Burn and then the harbour), was identified as a “key pollution source” affecting this Firth of Forth bathing water. The CSO was closed off in Sept 2018 after engineering works costing ~£700k, indicating prior repeated sewage-pollution problems at the harbour.
Scottish and NGO beach-litter surveys show very high levels of sewage-related debris (cotton-bud sticks, wet wipes, “unflushables”) on Scottish beaches; a case study at Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth found cotton-bud stems and wet wipes among the most common items, clearly linked to sewer overflows and people flushing unflushables.
Local minutes record an overspill of untreated sewage into the burn beside the Bow of Fife road. A community representative reported this “over spill of untreated sewage” and that it had been raised with the authorities. letham.org.uk Status: This appears as a local pollution incident documented in community council papers, rather than in national media or SEPA press releases. No readily accessible online record of prosecution or fine.
FOI data obtained by Forth Rivers Trust and the River Almond Action Group shows more than 500 sewage overflows in 2019 alone, with 113 CSO spills from East Calder wastewater treatment works in 2018–19, all ending up in the river system that discharges to the Firth of Forth.
Leith Links Community Council and Leith Links Residents Association received the following excellent news yesterday from local MSP Ben MacPherson that Scottish Government now realise that something has to be done at the Seafield plant. You just have to travel round the city to see the number of new housing developments and villages like Wallyford doubling in size. All these new houses feed into the same sewage network which ends at Seafield. Leaving out politics this is good news for Leith residents who for years have had to put up with the great stink from the sewage treatment plant
A sewage leak following a power failure at Levenmouth WWTP led to pollution of the river mouth / coastal area. Fife Today Environment agencies warned residents to stay away from the water near the beach and river mouth due to potential health risks. People were advised not to swim, paddle, collect shellfish/seaweed or let pets into the water, and to keep above the high tide mark. Fife Today Response: A clean-up operation was carried out, and SEPA began water testing to assess environmental impact. Short-term advice was to avoid bathing for “the next two or three days” after the incident
A forklift driver ruptured a large container of chemical coagulant (polymer Zetag) while moving it. Around 400–500 litres of the chemical leaked onto the forecourt and then into surface drains that discharge to the River Eden, despite attempts to mop/hosing it up. The spill killed at least ~500 fish (mainly brown trout, plus salmon and sea trout) and was expected to impact stocks for 4–5 years. Outcome: Scottish Water pled guilty to an offence under section 20(3)(a) of the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003. Dundee Sheriff Court imposed a £6,700 fine in 2021, explicitly tied back to this October 2018 River Eden pollution incident.
Marine Scotland “Microplastics in Scottish intertidal sediments” case study (Heriot-Watt et al.), baseline 2014–2018, published in Scotland’s Marine Assessment. Marine Scotland Sediment concentrations ranged from 30–440 particles/kg (fragments) and 1,723–5,831 fibres/kg dry weight, dominated by polyethylene and polyester. This baseline shows chronic contamination that continues into the 2020s unless cleaned up.
This is just one more sign that Seafield is not fit for purpose. Since January, via this LLCC website form, there have been 76 reports of bad smells (70 of which came in between 24 February and 31 March). It is still smelling, today. Reports of the noise have been coming in since 5th March, continuing steadily until now, from at least 20 different people. John Telfer, Head of PFI, Scottish Water, says “In the first instance I apologise for the fact that …members of the community have been inconvenienced by recent odour and noise issues….
Investigations in 2019–2021 found thousands of sewage-overflow events across Scotland. The Alloa monitoring point on the River Forth (near the tidal limit) recorded 573 sewage overflows in 2019, directly affecting water quality entering the Firth.
Sunday Post “war on nurdles” special report, plus photo-essay coverage showing Limekilns pellet pollution and local conservation groups gathering nurdles. sundaypost.com +1 Article describes Forth beaches as worse affected due to estuarine currents and proximity to plastic-processing sites at Grangemouth, calling it “chronic nurdle pollution”.
Research carried out at the University of Dundee has shown the scale of plastic pollution in the Firth of Forth to be much worse than previously thought
Stretching from the tidal limit at Stirling past the petrochemical complexes at Grangemouth, under the iconic rail bridge and past Edinburgh to the wide estuary mouth between Dunbar and Fife Ness, the Firth of Forth covers an area of almost 650sq miles. A quarter of Scotland's population lives along its shores and every year millions of marine animals make it their home. Sadly, like on many beaches in Scotland, nurdles are washing up on the Forth's unique coast line in worryingly large numbers.
A caustic effluent discharge from Belhaven Brewery severely damaged the biological treatment at Dunbar wastewater treatment works, causing foaming and an overflow. The plant, which discharges to the Biel Water that flows into the Firth of Forth, had to be shut down and the brewery was later fined.
Cheeky chalk stencils are appearing by the drains emptying into the water of Leith: a green fish, with the messages “No Littering” and “Drains to the Water of Leith”. They're the work of campaign group #SOSLeith, who is reviving its campaign to make the river by The Shore and surrounding area safe, clean, and a proud heart of the neighbourhood.
Edinburgh Live previously reported community organisation Friends of the Water of Leith Basin (FOWL.b) had raised concerns after sewage began pouring into the basin.
Historically the Water of Leith was Edinburgh’s sewage disposal route and as a consequence the cities main sewer still runs alongside or even under the river. This means the CSO or combined sewer overflow network uses the river to vent sewage and surface water in very wet conditions, went the main sewer cannot cope with the load. Screens are fitted to the CSO to prevent the nasties we should not be putting down our toilets (wipes, sanitary pads, tampons, cotton buds, fat etc) going into the river, if these screens become blocked sewage can end us in the river even in dry conditions. Problems also occur when surface water and foul drains are not connected properly – usually at the construction phase of new properties. The river has 65 licenced CSO’s and Scottish Water are responsible for their maintenance.
FOI data showed 12,238 sewage “overflow events” from wastewater treatment works and sewage pumping stations in 2020, meaning untreated or partially treated sewage was discharged into Scottish waters, including habitats and marine protected areas connected to the Forth.
In the East Lothian village of Aberlady, resident Frank Neate has been recording evidence of what he says is waste water and sewage debris being discharged from CSOs into the village's bay during dry weather.
The pipes – known as combined sewer overflows (CSOs) – discharge sewage into the river as a relief for the system when there is particularly heavy rainfall or flooding. But Scottish Water acknowledges they are not monitored, so there is no data showing how often there are sewage spills or how serious they are.
Scottish/UK microplastics study (Russell et al. 2021) and Marine Scotland “microplastics in surface water” assessment, plus 2022 Firth of Forth reported among the highest microplastic concentrations, up to 8,200 particles per km² in some samples.
#SOSLeith is a small group of local resident volunteers concerned about issues of litter, water quality, sewage, silt, conservation and heritage in and around the lower basins of the Water of Leith. We formed in 2019, primarily to take action about piles of rubbish forming at the Victoria Bridge.
Local environmental groups warned of an "obvious increase" in discharges of human waste in Edinburgh's waterways. Allowing raw sewage to be pumped into Edinburgh's waterways has been compared to 're-legalising gardyloo' - as calls are made for urgent action to address the "scandal". Environmental groups which monitor rivers and burns across the city say there has been an "obvious increase" in discharges of human waste and accused the organisations responsible for water quality of "marking each other's homework".
Along the entire river, there are about 60 odd sewage outlets. In the area that we're concerned, in our neighbourhood here, SOS Leith, we have eight, spilling right into the water.
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