River Almond Investment

Introduction 

Scottish Water is delivering a programme of investment across the River Almond catchment to support improvements in water quality, increase environmental monitoring and strengthen the resilience of local wastewater infrastructure.

Background

In recent years, there has been a growing level of public interest and engagement regarding the wastewater cycle particularly in relation to how Scottish Water’s infrastructure interacts with local rivers and burns. One notable area of focus has been the River Almond near East Calder.

Scottish Water is working in collaboration with community groups and partner agencies to explore and deliver environmental improvements in this area. We have committed to a range of investment activities to support both short-term progress and longer-term environmental outcomes.

Investment Activities

In 2021, Scottish Water published its Urban Waters Route Map, setting out plans to invest up to £500 million in Scotland’s wastewater network. This investment aims to drive further environmental improvements and ensure that Scotland’s rivers, beaches and urban waters are free from sewage-related debris. Our latest update published in 2024 is linked below. 

Our work in the Almond catchment includes a combination of infrastructure upgrades, enhanced monitoring and future digital developments designed to improve understanding of how the system performs. Key elements include:

• Targeted upgrades to wastewater infrastructure, including treatment works and overflows, to help reduce the impact of storm conditions.
• Improved screening and network resilience, helping to prevent sewer-related debris reaching the watercourse.
• Catchment-wide monitoring, with sensors and telemetry providing data on flows, rainfall and overflow activity. This supports earlier detection of issues and allows us to respond more effectively during severe weather.
• Strengthening collaboration with partners, ensuring information is shared and aligned with wider environmental objectives in the River Basin Management Plan.

This programme enables targeted investment in areas such as enhanced monitoring and upgrades to the worst-performing overflows. 

Within the Almond catchment, we are installing advanced monitoring technology and sensors to deliver on our commitment to improved performance oversight. These sensors, now operational in East Calder, are already providing valuable insights that help prevent sewer debris from entering the river.

In addition, we are undertaking significant investment to upgrade seven wastewater treatment works including East Calder and five CSOs identified in River Basin Management Plans as necessary to support achieving ‘Good’ ecological status for the River Almond. 

As part of our commitment to openness and transparency, we have launched a publicly accessible overflow map. This online resource enables users to view near real-time data from monitored CSOs and better understand how storm overflows operate within the local environment.
View the Live Overflow Map

Lighthouse project: Bringing Together Data for a Healthier River

Scottish Water is a partner in the Lighthouse Project, a multi-agency initiative currently in its early stages. This project is focused on gaining a comprehensive understanding of the River Almond and East Calder catchment and identifying potential solutions to the environmental challenges it faces. A key area of exploration is sustainable rainwater management and the types of interventions that could deliver meaningful, long-lasting improvements.

As part of our commitment to the River Almond’s long-term health, the Lighthouse project is a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies, environmental experts, and community stakeholders. This initiative is designed to integrate a wide range of data - river levels, rainfall patterns, overflow events, and ecological indicators, into a single, user-friendly platform.

In particular, the Lighthouse Project is working closely with Scotland’s International Environment Centre (SIEC) and the Hydro Nation Chair programme based out of the University of Stirling to leverage their expertise in digital catchment monitoring and platform development.

In addition, the project is working closely with the UKRI and NERC funded research programme MOT4Rivers. The vision of this research programme is to explore the ecological safe space within which ecosystems can thrive, as delimited by changing hydrological, chemical and biological stressors.

Focused on the River Almond and working with multiple academic institutions MOT4Rivers will combine state-of-the-art science and next generation technology from the catchment to the national scale to deliver:

1. Intelligence on the hydroclimatic controls on the fate and impact of pollutant cocktails
2. Understanding on the differential sensitivity of ecological communities and their structure and function
3. Decision Support Tools for testing interventions for mitigation and adaptation

The data that is now available from this research is hugely valuable to understanding and predicting river health and will be the foundation of any future digital tool for the River Almond catchment.

What the Lighthouse Project Will Do:

• Unified Data View: It will bring together real-time and historical data about the river, making it easy for the public to understand how the Almond is changing over time.
• Community Engagement: By providing accessible insights into river health, the platform will allow residents to monitor conditions, participate in citizen science, and see the impact of improvement efforts first hand.
• Supporting Long-Term Solutions: The Lighthouse project isn’t just about data it’s about helping all of us make better decisions for the river’s future. By having a clear, shared picture of how the river is doing, we can work together more effectively to protect and improve it.

This project is a cornerstone of our long-term vision for the Almond, and we’re excited to involve the community in this journey

Communications and Engagement

Scottish Water is a member of the River Almond Water Quality Improvement Group, which is chaired by Angela Constance MSP. The group is geographically focused on the West Lothian section of the River Almond and is particularly engaged in supporting a potential Bathing Water designation near East Calder. The group meets quarterly to share updates, discuss priorities and support coordinated improvements across the catchment.

We will shortly be hosting a community engagement event centred around the Lighthouse Project to share an update on current work, outline the next steps in the catchment, and gather views from local residents and groups.

Further information on how to attend will be provided soon.