Energy / SSE to look into silt pollution incident
THE DEVELOPER of the Viking Energy wind farm has confirmed that an “follow-up investigation” is to be carried out to establish how an unspecified amount of silt was released into a waterway in the Kergord valley.
SSE Renewables said immediate action had been taken.
Local residents reported “silt pouring down the Setter brig” on Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesperson for SSE Renewables said: “A small amount of silt was inadvertently released from controlled prevention systems into the Burn of Droswall (a tributary of the Burn of Weisdale) by a contractor as they went about their job.
“The incident was reported quickly, and immediate action taken.
“Our contractor RJ McLeod tested the burn which found concentrations to be well below the 100mg/l reportable threshold. A follow up investigation on why the incident occurred is to be carried out.”
The release of fine-grained soil (silt) into waterways has been a concern to local people for a long time, and it is not the first time photos have circulated of pollution incidents related to the construction of the large wind farm.
Silt control measures such as the green netting that can be seen across the construction site are designed to reduce the water flow to allow silt to settle.
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