Tide must turn on beach’s poor water
I was on a cruise once. It was back in the day when ships sailed to exotic ports and aircraft flew to exotic destinations. We old timers called them “holidays overseas.”
This particular cruise was a “press facility trip” – aka “a freebie” – aka “a jolly”.
Basically, the travel company treated you to a wonderful holiday – on the understanding your experience would later appear as gushing prose, spread over a page of the Travel Section!
My press status snagged me a visit to the ship’s bridge – to meet the captain and his senior officers. I honestly believe they were just about to give me a shot at steering the damned thing – when a “Code Brown” alert came over the radio.
“What’s a ‘Code Brown’ alert?” I asked. The men in braided white shirts shifted uncomfortably - until the Captain nodded his approval that this sea-faring cipher could be divulged.
“It’s when there’s something in a bathing area that . . . er . . . shouldn’t be there,” said the First Officer.
So readers, based on all the above, I feel it’s the moral duty of this column to issue a ‘Code Brown’ alert to the good people of South Ayrshire.
For there is indeed – ‘something in a bathing area that shouldn’t be there’!
We’re talking intestinal enterococci here . . . but I think ‘Code Brown’ kind of covers it.
Last week it was revealed that Ayr’s South Beach – roughly Ayr harbour to Greenan Castle - has had its water quality rated “poor” for a fourth consecutive year.
A fifth ‘poor’ sampling could result in bathers being advised not to go into the water.
For a town whose shoreline is a huge attraction – and a huge part of the local economy – it would be a disaster.
Rather bizarrely, the latest samplings I can find show that Prestwick’s water is rated two levels higher at “Good”.
Girvan, Maidens, Troon, Seamill and Largs are all rated ‘Sufficient’ while Ayr’s South Beach and Irvine fall into Scotland’s bottom six per cent as “Poor”.
The problem appears to the management of waste water – both urban and agricultural – particularly during high rainfall.
As Scotty on Star Trek might put it, “The drains cannae take it, Captain!”
They overflow and leach bacteria into natural water courses.
In the case of Ayr’s South Beach, that would primarily be the River Ayr,
Slaphouse Burn and the River Doon. The answer is to build increased waste water storage that can reduce leaks and hold the water safely until it can be treated and released.
But the questions is – why has it taken so long? Fours years is a long time to be aware of a problem – and still have no proper solution.
Scottish Water are reported to be ready to spend £10 million on the problem.
After four years of watching horses bolting – it’s a very expensive and very late stable door.
Somebody has to ask what was done after the “Poor” results of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. And it might as well be me!
Was it money, manpower, mismanagement – or did the situation just run out of everybody’s control? The only certainty is that of the three agencies involved - Scottish Water, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and South Ayrshire Council – none will admit to any Code Brown on their shoes!
Two years ago, this page suggested that Ayrshire’s coastline was so important it needed a pan-Ayrshire body to protect it. Some sort of Shoreline Agency – made up with representatives of North, East and South Ayrshire councils – to monitor everything and anything connected to our precious seaside.
From industry to leisure, housing developments to ports and harbours, this body could oversee the ‘bigger picture’ of the jewel in our natural crown.
If it was needed two years ago – then it’s badly needed now. From memory, SEPA can be a prickly bunch. The last time I mentioned them, they filled the letters page the following week! If responding to this, I invite them to tell me what actually happens if Ayr’s South Beach fails it’s fifth test? My attempts to find out get lost in cyberspace. I doubt it will be as dramatic as a giant red flag fluttering over the esplanade. But does it go as far as warning signage – dotted along the sand – cautioning bathers that the water is unsafe? That would be a sad, sad day for my hometown. And £10 million wouldn’t even look at the damage to our tourism economy – never mind our reputation as one of Scotland’s great beach resorts.
The tide has to turn on this huge local problem. And quickly.