SEPA investigates foam-on-Forth concerns
Foam, which has appeared on the banks of the Forth in recent weeks, is the result of natural processes according to environment watchdog SEPA.
A Stirling dog walker who regularly walks her dog in the Cornton area said last week that scum has been accumulating on Forth riverbanks in recent weeks.
The resident, who did not wish to be named, said:“I walk the same stretch of river daily, I am not sure where it starts, but I have seen it from where the river path starts at the back of Corton Vale right to the end of the path which comes out onto Corton Road maybe half a mile from the auld brig. It appears to be worse further up the Forth near the prison end and thins out further down the river.
“I’ve been walking that stretch of the river for maybe a year and a half. It happens regularly, but this is one of the worst examples I have seen. I would say maybe once a week or fortnight you will see much smaller patches of what seems like the same stuff.
“I’d like to know what it is, where it is coming from and why it keeps happening.”
A spokesperson from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said following investigation the foam is due to natural processes rather than pollution.
He added:“Scum can often appear in watercourses as a result of natural processes, not environmental pollution. SEPA officers attended the banks of the River Forth to investigate and have concluded that the formation of scum is the result of a natural process.
“This is due to the presence of organic material such as decomposing aquatic plants, combined with water turbulence where the Allan Water enters the River Forth and the tidal action of the River Forth itself.”