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Microbial measurements in relation to sewage pollution of the Firth of Forth, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

James S. Buchanan
James S. Buchanan
Affiliation:
Inveresk Research International, Inveresk Gate, Musselburgh EH21 7UB, Scotland, U.K.
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Synopsis

The history of Edinburgh's sewage disposal to the sea from the open ditch system of the 17th century to the present day, together with the changes in legislation affecting sewage discharges to the firth, are reviewed. During the last thirty years sewage discharges have been monitored monthly for levels of faecal coliform bacteria at approximately thirty-four shore sites and twenty offshore sites. These coliform counts are used as bacteriological indicators of sewage pollution, in order to assess the risk to humans of infections that might result from the consumption of contaminated shellfish or from bathing in sewage-polluted waters. Most of the areas sampled from the inner firth were shown to be grossly polluted, particularly in late summer, and regularly to exceed guideline levels throughout the year. Since the commissioning of the new Seafield sewage works in 1979, a general improvement in bacterial and viral counts has been recorded on the south shore of the inner firth. In the last decade two European Community directives relating to the quality of seawater for bathing and shellfish growing have been promulgated, which set guideline and mandatory levels for the number of faecal coli in seawater. The Scottish Development Department has recently designated five beaches as bathing beaches and two areas on the north and south shores of the firth as shellfish growing areas. These areas have been regularly monitored by the Forth River Purification Board and the published results of both surveys are analysed. The virological studies carried out by the Forth Pollution Group of Napier College before and after the major change in the sewage discharge pattern into the Firth of Forth are reviewed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 93 , Issue 3-4: The Natural Environment of the Estuary and Firth of Forth , 1987 , pp. 363 - 376
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1987

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