If you are concerned about windfarms and your water supply you must watch this video – you will not believe it could happen to our water supplies in the UK today:

This post construction report: Scottish Power Renewables commissioned Jacobs to produce a post construction survey of groundwater change

This video is widely circulating around the world and has been sent to MPs, MSPs and the Scottish Environment Minister. Graeme Pearson MSP has raised a question in the Scottish Parliament concerning Trihalomethanes.

“To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions an elevated level of trihalomethanes has been detected in treated water in each year since 2011.” The answers are PQ S4W-22216 and PQS4W-22219

“Did you know that in 2010 Alex Salmond announced that Scottish Water would partner with Renewable Energy to enable 80,000 acres of ‘our’ land to be available for windfarm development. This precious land for reservoirs and their catchment area can now be contaminated with burrow pits (quarries) and turbine foundations. Alex Salmond and the Scottish Government have also done the same with ‘our’ Forestry Commission Scotland land – now divided up for wind farm development.   The accelerated destruction of increasingly large areas of forests, which naturally soak up C02 emissions, is now ripped up by giant clawed diggers, releasing carbon from the peaty ground, which is then washed by heavy rain into our reservoirs. Were you, the Scottish people fully consulted on this decision to change the use of ‘our’ land?   Dr Rachel Connor who lives close to Whitelees windfarm, south of Glasgow, reveals how our public and private water supplies are being allowed to be polluted by wind farms (especially during the construction period).

In Scotland  SEPA is responsible for the general standard of the environment surrounding our water supplies, but during the construction period of a windfarm the testing of water is delegated to the developer. This raises huge concerns for our public and private water supplies.

Recognising that waterbourne diseases such as cholera could be eradicated with clean water, our Victorian forebears built sophisticated reservoirs and supply systems distant from industrialised cities. Recent Scottish Government policy is destroying that vision by encouraging the industrialisation of water catchment areas, producing consequent water pollution.  The evidence demonstrating that this results in excessive levels of Trihalomethanes (THMs) in the public water supply was part of a study by Cranfield University into the formation of disinfection by-products of chloramination, potential health implications and techniques for minimisation.  THMs are recognised by the World Health Organisation as possible carcinogens.

One affected reservoir is highly unlikely to be an isolated case – the building of windfarms next to reservoirs or on water catchment areas is a major departure of Government policy. With absorption of THM’s orally, through the skin and by inhalation, young infants may be at particular risk and this has the potential for serious future health problems and increased cancer rates. It is clear that this is likely to be happening not only in the UK but wherever there is a similar policy and geology, but globally.

How can we be sure the water supplies around all windfarms have not been affected in this way? How can we be sure that the mitigation is  in place which will protect our water supplies when this has been ‘allowed’ to happen at Whitelees and Braes of Doune scandalonthebraes-lores1 ?

Dr Rachel Connor has done a  study on Caigendunton Reservoir which supplies 50,000 homes in the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley. How the water to these homes has been polluted with Trihalomethanes  and how these can cause cancer. This could be about to happen at Penwhirn Reservoir where a major project to increase the capacity of the reservoir which serves high-quality drinking water to communities throughout Wigtownshire has been completed. Scottish Water has invested £8 million at Penwhirn reservoir to help provide an increasingly secure supply of drinking water for customers well into the future. Glenapp windfarm development  is sited on the catchment area for this reservoir. A windfarm may well be sited close to a reservoir or private supply close to you. (see chapter 4.5 pages 51 -71 in Request for Action )

Our government is blinded by short term gain. Scottish water stand to make £300 million a year from their renewable investment – why should they worry about our health? Lobby your MP and MSP and make sure there is a Geohydrology report  for any windfarm in your area.   Watch this video (40 minutes)   and prepare to be astounded that this is actually happening in our country”