The fifth and final phase of improvements to Campbeltown’s waste water network is well advanced and on target for completion late this year in a scheme for Scottish Water.
The first four previous phases of improvements to the network were designed to increase the pumping capacity from Kinloch Park Pumping Station to Slaty Farlan Waste Water Treatment Works and extend the outfall at the pumping station.
The final phase of the work is being carried out by Black & Veatch, which will improve the pumping station and provide storm treatment at the WWTW and increased foul treatment. Part of the work includes improvements to the sewer network and increased capacity in the Main Street, McCallum Street and St John Street area of the town centre.
The current fifth phase involves an investment of about £10 million and will take Scottish Water’s investment in all phases of the improvement work to about £23 million.
Mr Eddie Burns, the project manager, said: “This phase is a key stage of our programme of work on the long-term solution for Campbeltown’s waste water network and will build on the good work already carried out.
“The completed improvement work has reduced the frequency of discharges of storm water in storm conditions to Campbeltown Loch in compliance with existing consents from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.”
Mrs Jane McKenzie, Scottish Water’s regional community manager, said: “Scottish Water has worked with the local community, Argyll & Bute Council and SEPA during the delivery of the all phases of our work.”
One of GMJV Contractors certainly went the extra mile during one day’s work last year, when his quick thinking might have saved the life of a canoeist who got into difficulty in the Firth of Clyde.
David Torrance, who was working for GMJV, contractors on the Dunoon sewerage scheme, was finishing work at the town’s West Bay shortly after 4pm when he noticed something in the water about 200 metres from the shore.
He initially thought it was a seal, but then realised it was a person and heard very faint cries for help. David quickly called 999, and got through to HM Coastguard.
Clyde Coastguard called out the Dunoon Coastguard Rescue team and dispatched the police launch Rhona to locate and identify the object.
The Royal Navy Rescue Helicopter R177, which was in the air on exercise, was sent to assist. The police launch, after arriving on scene, was able to confirm that the reported object was a man who had been canoeing. 
It is understood that he capsized his craft and fell in the water. He was winched into the helicopter and taken to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, after spending an hour in the Clyde.
Scottish Water is the sole provider of water and waste water services to an area of 79,000 square kilometres (over 30,000 square miles), a third of the area of Britain. And Scotland has a longer coastline – over 11,000 kilometres (over 6,800 miles) – with a small and relatively dispersed population which requires a large number of small water and waste water treatment works.
Scottish Water is the fourth largest water and waste water services provider in the UK and at £1 billion it is in Scotland’s list of top 20 businesses by turnover.
