Scottish water quality project will waste £30m, says regulator

Water quality monitoring

Scottish water quality project will waste £30m, says regulator

08 Dec, 2009

Published over 16 years ago. See the latest and most current information on Water quality monitoring.

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) has said that a government scheme to improve the water quality of Loch Ryan will be a waste of money.

Located in Dumfries and Galloway, the loch is used for oyster fishing and therefore must satisfy EU standards for water cleanliness, Scotland on Sunday reports.

WICS chief executive Alan Sutherland told the newspaper that the £30 million earmarked by ministers for the clean-up is "disproportionate", as only one oyster fishery is currently established there.

"You can buy a lot of jobs with £30 million", Mr Sutherland commented.

However, a spokesperson for the Scottish government defended the level of spending at Loch Ryan.

"This essential investment is necessary for Scotland to meet its environmental obligations set by European directives," he told the publication.

Based in Stirling, WICS took over the regulation of the country's water and sewerage services from the former Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland in 2005.

Posted by Claire Manning

Latest News

IET 36.3 May

Explore our Digital Edition

Discover the latest news and research

Digital edition

Explore Our Other Sites

Labmate Online
Repurposed drug offers new route to faster tuberculosis treatment
Explore more Arrow
Pollution Solutions Online
Energy efficiency first: Why shipping must act now while low-GHG fuels scale
Explore more Arrow
Petro Online
UK refining capacity falls to four plants after a second unplanned closure
Explore more Arrow
Chromatography Today
SLAS Technology Volume 38 highlights AI-driven laboratory automation, transcriptomics and gene therapy
Explore more Arrow