Farming has been blamed in part for health fears as 14 Scottish beaches fail pollution tests. According to the Scottish Herald, paddlers, surfers, swimmers and bathers at 14 Scottish beaches are being put at risk by pollution from overflowing sewers and farms.
The annual survey of Scotland’s bathing waters is shortly due to be released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and will reveal contamination from both human and animal faeces. Three samples of water from Heads of Ayr in August contained levels of e-coli bacteria caused by heavy rain resulting from sewer overflow and washed-up animal waste from farmland.
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The Marine Conservation Society in Scotland also confirmed that more beaches across Scotland would fail to meet new standards of safety and highlight the impact of heavy rainfall on water quality, amongst other variables.
Farmers have, however, benefitted from the recent heavy rainfall, especially those farms that incorporate rainwater harvesting solutions. Enduramaxx has helped farmers across the country to channel roof run-off rainwater and to store it in dedicated rainwater tanks for when required. Tanks are of a very rugged design and protect against the elements, keeping rainwater in good condition. Horizontal tanks and vertical storage tanks make the best of space available and are manufactured in sizes up to 30,000 litres. More rainwater collected on farms, also means less run-off into local water supplies and the sea.
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