The report is a sham and I do not know how they sleep at night knowingly contributing to a very possible unmitigated environmental disaster.

But why?

What is behind the Scottish Government’s relentless desire to destroy our beautiful environment……?

……….Of course……… it is all in the name of saving the planet, all this new so called ‘green’ legislation.

Who is pulling the strings?

This 20 minute video explains what is really going on – https://www.stopworldcontrol.com/fuellmich/

Corrupt governments are in bed with ‘Mr Global’. Iberdrola is part of that new world order:

Accenture is one of the companies running the show. Iberdrola and the Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises have signed a collaboration agreement whereby the energy company will advise associates on the value of energy efficiency. In addition, through segment specific customer service channels, Iberdrola provides energy management and engagement as well as tailored products for B2B customers. https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/pdf-93/accenture-smb-energy-experience-pov.pdf

Blackrock is major player with Mr Global. The bosses of the world’s biggest investment firm, Blackrock, the biggest bank in the US, JP Morgan, as well as the top brass from energy giants…………..By far the biggest single investment is from Spanish firm Iberdrola, which owns Scottish Power. Its announcement of a further £6bn in offshore wind investment – on top of £10bn over the last five years – will cement the UK’s position as a world leader in offshore wind, just two weeks before the major climate summit in Glasgow. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58959061

https://thecorner.eu/financial-markets/ibex/blackrock-second-shareholder-in-iberdrola-with-5/74200/

Blackrock Second Shareholder In Iberdrola With 5% https://thecorner.eu/financial-markets/ibex/blackrock-second-shareholder-in-iberdrola-with-5/74200/

I have been researching Covid for 18 months now, on the back of the corruption in the wind industry which I have been researching since 2011.

Only with the spurious Arecleoch decision did I join the dots with Big Wind.

This is about our freedom. Covid is a ‘conspiracy’; history is made up of conspiracy theories. We are being lied to by our governments and the media who are puppets of ‘Mr Global’.

In my opinion, investigative journalist Corey Lynn has gathered all the evidence here and lays it on the line for us with Catherine Austin Fitts. https://www.coreysdigs.com/health-science/catherine-austin-fitts-corey-lynn-discuss-vaccine-id-passports-and-global-control/

The Global Landscape on Vaccine ID Passports Part 1

Part 2 broke down the who, what, when, where, why, and how. Part 3 tackled the key implementers of the digital identity being assembled through the vaccine id passports, revealing the true agenda. It’s good to understand what’s at stake and who’s behind it, before diving into part 4. Blockchained will cover some of the most important aspects of this entire agenda against all of humanity.

The indoctrination by the media, especially the BBC and Sky is aiming to close down discussion, divide us, weaken us, make us dependent and ultimately to control every aspect of our existence. This video shows how it happened in Nazi Germany and how it is happening step by step again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxZfSlkC_wo

Too many countries around the world are those doing the bidding of Mr Global: Jacinda Adern, Scott Morrison, Macron, Trudeau, Nicola Sturgeon, Boris Johnson…the list of those involved goes on and on.

This is a battle for the minds. Good against evil. What we believe about the future is so important.

We must all question what’s going on. Something is deeply socially, politically, morally and ethically wrong . We need to face it, not fear it.

Why are those speaking out being censored?

Nelson Mandela said: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but triumph over it”.

The full report: whitelee-extension-phase-3-pli-report

The ‘Request for Action‘ was lodged with the Scottish Government and agencies in July 2015.

A  Letter from SEPA   dated 29th April 2016 provided an update that SEPA had completed its initial assessment.

Not only are all the areas of alleged contamination acknowledged, but it demonstrates the length of time the authorities are taking to do anything about it.  SEPA is therefore neglecting the potential for harm in current developments and are ignoring:

Environmental Liability Directive ELD.200435.CE Article 5

Dr. Connor is also communicating with the UK water authority SEPA over the contamination caused by the construction of Whitelee windfarm.  She has pointed out that the developer, Scottish Power Renewables (SPR) allegedly failed to comply with planning conditions (conditions 6.8 and 6.9) which required it to monitor groundwater in a statutory protected drinking water catchment area (The Water Environment (Drinking Water Protected Areas) (Scotland) Order 2013) during construction of the Whitelee windfarm Extensions and failed to follow the advice of its own environmental consultants to continue to monitor groundwater on the original windfarm site in view of the recorded adverse quality changes and the appearance of significant levels of synthetic semi-volatile and volatile chemical compounds in groundwater.

Given that there has been no continued monitoring of Private Water Supplies, which only occurred between 2006 to 2012, and taking SEPA’s comment of ‘in order to determine whether it is satisfied that the request has demonstrated in a plausible manner that environmental damage or an imminent threat of such damage exists‘ – Dr Connor has requested clarification as to whether SEPA will be judging whether pollution of drinking water supplies and the hydrological environment which occurred in the past, during the windfarm construction which ceased four years ago, will be judged by examining monitoring results from the present (if such results for groundwater and PWS became available).  There is a danger here from SEPA’s comments to Dr Connor (quoted above), that the use of semantics will obscure the actual evidence of previous harm to the hydrological environment and damage to public and private water supplies from the multitude of monitoring results conducted by Scottish Water, SEPA and the developer, as well as Glasgow University between 2005 to 2009.

The effects of the bacterial water pollution are likely to have caused or contributed to recorded illness in the consumers of those private water supplies at that time.

The effects of chemical contamination on those water supplies and consumers are unknown and may occur in the future (see Open letter to Dr Aileen Keel , Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland), but the change in the public raw water quality from the Whitelee site has led to Scottish water abandoning two reservoirs and a recently upgraded water treatment works in favour of bringing ‘clean water’ to the area from over 20 miles away, at a cost of £120 million pounds to the taxpayer.

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. More on contamination of public and private water supplies by windfarms

However SEPA decides to assess plausibility, it is clear that adverse effects on human health and finances did occur, which coincided with the building of the adjacent, single largest construction project in Scotland at the time.

SEPA also points to the fact that their report is yet to be concluded and that alarmingly, there is no time frame in which they are obliged to provide an answer.  So we still do not know by what ‘yard stick’ SEPA measures environmental damage; whether this relates to a  peat slide that occurs today, or a current change in water quality or quantity in response to a precipitating event more than 5 years ago.

No one seems to take responsibility for proscribing either what test parameters are required ( eg hydrocarbons) or what the  test intervals should be. So as in the case at Whitelees, it was 7 years of drinking polluted water ( – although East Ayrshire Council had had some historical water test data showing that a LOW level of intermittent bacterial contamination in @ 1986- 1990 was present (though not conveyed to the 10 householders on the supply) No one independently scrutinises the developers risk assessment of Public Water Supply and yet this is so important.

How safe is your drinking water if the reservoir which supplies your area is close to a windfarm?

To watch Dr Connor’s video 

DR Rachel Connor claims the water has deteriorated since construction work started on the windfarm.

CONTAMINATION caused by building Britain’s biggest windfarm has forced water bosses to construct a new £120million pipeline, according to a campaigning doctor.

Scottish Water announced the major works between Ayrshire and Glasgow last month.

They said 29 miles of new water mains would give 200,000 customers “greater security of supply”.

The utility firm added that organic material in the reservoirs near the windfarm pre-dates building work. They said the need to pipe water from treatment works in Milngavie has nothing to do with construction of the Whitelee windfarm in East Renfrewshire.

But Dr Rachel Connor claims the water has deteriorated since construction work started on the windfarm.

Dr Rachel Connor of Galston believes Scotland’s largest windfarm, the Whitelees Wind Farm, has contaminated water supplies

She claims it has contributed to reservoirs in Ayrshire being taken out of use with water now being sought instead from outside the area.

Her claims have been backed by an MSP who says her research “indicates water in the windfarm area has deteriorated in recent years”.

We can also reveal Energy Minister Fergus Ewing last month met Dr Connor and local MSP Graeme Pearson over her concerns.

The windfarm, on Eaglesham Moor, was built between 2006 and 2009, with an extension constructed from 2010 to 2013.

It’s run by Scottish Power Renewables, who are owned by Spanish utility giants Iberdrola.

Whitelee’s 215 turbines are each over 200ft high and Dr Connor believes work on cabling and foundations affected water supplies.

Dr Connor, 59, a clinical radiologist, who lives near Galston, said: “We know there was organic material in the water before the windfarm was built.

“But I believe that during the construction period, it deteriorated to levels beyond which the local treatment plant, at Amlaird, could cope with.

“This treatment plant was upgraded in 2005 – just before construction of the windfarm began.

“A risk assessment for Scottish Water in 2010 stated windfarm construction may have had an effect on raw water quality.

“I believe there is now an insufficient supply of local water of an acceptable quality, leading to the need for engineering work to deal with this.”

Pearson said: “Dr Connor has obtained information that indicates the water in the area has been subject to deterioration which has made it unfit for consumption.

“I have been working with her for more than three years on this issue and I believe the evidence she has gathered justifies her claims.

“It is evidence the various authorities have not been helpful in providing.”

Scottish Water say their investment will benefit customers in towns across Ayrshire and into Renfrewshire.

They said: “Our £120million investment is to improve security of supply to more than 200,000 customers.

“It will also enable us to close three water treatment works, including Amlaird, and supply clearer, fresher drinking water from the modern Milngavie treatment works.

“This also means we will no longer require raw water from two reservoirs.

“The raw water from these reservoirs contains naturally occurring organics not uncommon in the UK.

“The presence of these organics pre-dates windfarm activity in the area.

“There is no evidence to suggest the Whitelee windfarm has affected the public water supply.”

A ScottishPower Renewables spokesman said: “Whitelee Windfarm has not affected public water supplies.

“There is no suggestion from any authorities that it has.”

The Scottish Government said: “The investment is designed to improve the resilience of existing networks, provide capacity for economic growth and address water quality problems at Amlaird water treatment works.”

The Drinking Water Quality Regulator said: “Scottish Water gave a legally binding undertaking in 2013 to resolve the risk of non-compliance with drinking water quality standards in the Amlaird supply zone.

“We are monitoring progress with the undertaking to ensure that Scottish Water comply with the agreed completion date of March 2017.”

The new work will consists of a 10-mile pipeline from Waulkmill Glen reservoir, near Newton Mearns, to the Fenwick area, a 13-mile pipe from Fenwick to a tank near Dundonald and six miles of mains in south Glasgow.

Comments are the result of research and dialogues, not only with professionals, but many at the grass roots of society both here and abroad who are now experiencing what it is like to live with the results of imposed energy policies. Having experienced the professionalism and humanity shown by the Committee during their handling of my complaint ACCC/C/2012/68  and subsequent ratification of their decision, I should like to join others in voicing appreciation of the work undertaken in all aspects of the subjects in hand by Committee members. 

My comments on the second progress report from the UK on Decision V/9n and the position of the UK on matters of energy policy involving articles of the Aarhus Convention and wind power can be downloaded here: Comment on the 2nd. progress report from the UK on Decision V.9n. Final (1)

Mrs. V (Christine) K. Metcalfe.

The main points include

1. On Access to Justice and the important issue of judicial reviews I comment as follows:

a.    I will not be alone in finding grounds for grave concerns over plans to curtail judicial reviews as outlined……….

b. If implemented the UK would be inviting further and justified complaints to the ACCC from UK citizens adversely affected by such curtailments.

c. As the UK (and Ireland’s) common law system has been allowed to develop into a bad and challengeable cost basis, it should perhaps be remembered that the Compliance Committee can tire of non-compliance or delaying tactics as they have with those of the EU………

d. Judicial reviews are ‘part and parcel’ of the public participation process so it follows that having being found non-compliant with Article 7 before (as in ACCC/C/2012/68) it makes little sense to risk a repeat ruling………….

e. The Judiciary have an obligation to be efficient and productive, just like everybody else in society…….. See

f. The destruction of Scottish Power by Euan Mearns . is a guide to the current situation being faced in the UK (and Ireland as another member State).  It reinforces the widely held view that many planning deals have been agreed long before they go to planning, which reduces the likelihood of any being ultimately refused.   That this is ‘par for the course’ can be shown by examining page 17 of : http://westcorkwind.com/images/Adobe/EPAW_N-S.pdf  of interest to the Committee will also be p.74  8.2  covering ‘How the EU’s Renewable Targets won’t be met, particularly by the UK.’

2. .The problems being faced by UK citizens, and especially those residing in Scotland when looking at the overall picture of Aarhus Compliance, is that whilst public participation takes place to a degree via consultations and Freedom of Information requests, the results and suggestions made are rarely taken up. Essentially public participation exercises become a ‘box ticking’ method of compliance and little if anything, improves. FoI requests can be lengthy and time consuming with Government agencies and departments often taking way beyond the time allocated for replies. A prime example of this has been the dialogue held with the CAA over Air traffic Safety involving wind turbines radar and turbulence issues. The questions related to the FoI are yet to be answered despite numerous assurances since October 2015 that a reply will be sent. That response is here  Freedom of Information Act request F0002371.with questions demonstrating the seriousness of this little appreciated aspect.

Replies received are often seriously redacted using ‘business confidentiality’ or ‘intellectual property rights’ to avoid giving the information required. Examples rendering the information provided almost useless are attached as ‘Screggagh_Report_Redacted – ’ (a turbine collapse incident for which more information and reports are available upon request) and ‘Sneddon Law windfarm, Annex A– FOI2015 2654pdf.

Other examples relevant to public participation difficulties occur. One such being the refusal of Scottish Water to provide a report requested under FoI regulations by the Non Government Organisation the John Muir Trust (JMT) relating to a water pollution incident in North Lanarkshire. It is not unreasonable that the JMT feel that 7 months is long enough to wait for an outcome of this request. These environmental problems are occurring and the public are essentially powerless, despite apparently having protective legislation in place.
As in the SW refusal: ”In this case the public interest in making the information available is outweighed by that in maintaining the exception.”
It is abundantly clear however, that there can be no better example of where the public interest is better served than publishing information on a pollution incident that affected many people’s drinking water.

In respect of water contamination and wind power developments, the experience at the Whitelee wind farm development outside Glasgow airport in Argyll Scotland should be outlined due once again, to its importance and relevance not only to articles of the Convention but breaches of EU water Directives.

Scottish Power Renewables (SPR) monitored private water supplies for 7 years and were fully aware of contamination and yet did not comply with planning conditions (for the Whitelee Extension) to notify the local authority, or local residents at any time. ……………………………………………..

During the height of Whitelee windfarm construction in 2008, the degree of bacterial contamination in untreated drinking water reliant on the Whitelee windfarm water catchment area was recorded up to 730,000 coliforms/100ml in 2008 (UK and WHO standard = 0) This was considerably worse than drinking untreated drinking water from the Limpopo river in Mozambique in 2004, which at its worst was 870/100ml. (Challenges Facing Drinking Water Production In Mozambique- A Review Of Critical Factors Affecting Treatment Possibilities Matsinhe N. P et al Submitted for publication in the Journal Water Science and Technology). (WHO recognise Mozambique as a third world country with very limited availability of treated public water)In 2015, untreated private water supplies were supplying over 3% of Scotland’s population with an estimated 150,000 PWS, mostly in rural Scotland (Scottish Government Figures 2015) In contrast to the untreated water in Mozambique, over the course of windfarm construction at Whitelee, 2006 to 2013, monitored PWS regularly had bacterial contamination running into the thousands. These PWS, like most PWS in Scotland, had previously shown only intermittent low level contamination………………..

Scottish water (SW) was contracted by SPR to monitor the PWS and provide accredited results. SW was therefore fully aware of the dangerous, contamination levels found in these test results. When contacted, SW’s response about the failure to disclose this public health information, (Prof. Simon Parsons, Customer liaison and services development manager) was that their duty was to protect commercial client confidentiality. This was surely a conflict of interest with the prospect of profit out weighing public health concerns. SW did not/would not, even notify in confidence, the local Consultant in Public Health (CPHM) so that the Local Authority could independently confirm results and allow private consumers to take simple measures like boiling water or drinking bottled water.

To compound this, Scottish Water regularly failed to meet standards for public potable water from the Amlaird water treatment works, because of the deteriorating quality of raw water from the two public reservoirs on the Whitelee Windfarm site. (Monitoring data over this period has been obtained from SW and SPR from relating to surface, groundwater and public reservoir raw water and potable water monitoring data.) DIRECTIVE 2004/35/CE ‘Request for Action’ submitted to the Scottish Government and being ‘reviewed by SEPA shows water test results from other water treatment works, demonstrating that this is a growing problem recurring at other reservoirs on SW land associated with windfarm development. Groundwater monitoring at Whitelee windfarm also demonstrated EU list 1 pollutants appearing in groundwater over 400 times the allowable drinking water levels, as well as increase in minerals (iron, manganese and aluminium) more than 20 times over baseline and well above allowable statutory levels in drinking water.

Surface water monitoring at Whitelee also demonstrated a documented deterioration from monitoring conducted both by Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities and by SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency)over seven years , such that contrary to requirements of the Water Framework Directive(WFD),( EU Water Framework Directive(2000/60/EC, Article 7 (7)) there was a deterioration of the overall status of water bodies arising from the Whitelee windfarm site persisting until at least 2013.

Failures to comply with the WFD, transposed into Scottish Law, have clearly been breached with documented evidence in relation to the public water supply from Whitelee windfarm site:
Drinking Water Protected Areas have to be protected with the aim of avoiding any deterioration in their quality that would compromise a relevant abstraction of water intended for human consumption. A supply intended for human consumption would be compromised if as a result of deterioration in the quality of the water body:

an abstraction (or planned abstraction) of water intended for human consumption
– has to be abandoned and an alternative used to provide the supply;
– water abstracted (or planned to be abstracted) has to be blended with water
– abstracted from another source
– additional purification treatment has to be applied; or
– the operating demand on the existing purification treatment system has to be
– increased significantly.
N.B. All of the above are documented in response to FoI requests to have occurred in relation to the Public water supply from the Whitelee windfarm site.

At Whitelee SW ‘host’ 60 of SPR’s turbines on a public water catchment area, which is supposedly protected under statute under the terms of the Water Framework Directive (The Water Environment (Drinking Water Protected Areas)(Scotland) Order 2013, amended from 2007.)
First Minister Alex Salmond pushed through a bill requiring SW to ‘develop’ its resources for renewable energy purposes in 2012. This involved an important amendment to the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002. Section 25 of the Water Resources (Scotland) Act 2013 In Support of Renewable Energy

…………………………………………………………………….

Despite investigation and remedial upgrades to the Amlaird WTW, SW has still been unable to consistently produce potable water to statutory standards. Following enforcement action from the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR), SW’s solution is to abandon the two Whitelee reservoirs and build a new, approximately 30 km, 1m wide pipeline to supply water from north of Glasgow (Loch Katrine) to over 50,000 consumers in Kilmarnock, surrounding towns and the Irvine valley – all paid for by the public purse at a cost of many millions of pounds, whilst the profits from hosting these 60 turbines are fed into Scottish water Horizons Ltd.
The DQWR’s role in all of this (in unison with SW) is to publicly deny that there is, or has been a problem for public water which has resulted from windfarm construction.

…………………………………………………………..

It is perhaps relevant that water pollution is no different to the smells, noise and polluting fumes as regards page 60 …………………………………………………………………..

3. Of particular relevance to issues of public participation is the fact, as noted by various UK groups and individuals, is that we are now all at risk of being unable to follow through with complaints in the UK Courts.
Mr. Paul Mobbs for example, notes his concerns which serve to highlight Aarhus Convention problems arising in his warnings found at : http://www.theecologist.org/essays/2986484/uk_government_attacks_public_right_to_environmental_justice.html ………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Current unprecedented flooding events in the UK can be associated with areas where the developments of wind farms have aided the potential for increased water run-off in the upper reaches of river catchments. Indeed the Environmental Statement for Whitelee wind farm predicted a 10% increased flood risk for the River Irvine lasting for 10 years. This river flooded in Kilmarnock last year trapping shoppers who were rescued by boat. Evidence of other towns being similarly affected is compounded by a study from Aberdeen University which can be viewed at http://bankssolutions.co.uk/powys/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/7-Smith-et-al-Windfarms-on-undegraded-peatland.pdf

Conclusion. The UK would appear to be no further forward in fulfilling full compliance with the Articles of the Aarhus Convention as cited in Decision V9n concerning United Kingdom. It is hoped that the Committee will feel able to ask for more information should any of the issues raised need further clarification or more supporting documents.

The Scottish Government response stated that SEPA is responsible for damage to the Water Environment: “In the Environmental Liability (Scotland) Regulations 2009 transpose the Environmental Liability Directive, article 7 of the 2009 regulations identify SEPA as the competent authority in respect of damage to waters or land.”

Thus SEPA was instructed to ‘review’ the ‘Request for Action’.  SEPA requested the following: (page numbers are those in the Request for Action)

Q.1 Monitoring recorded as a requirement for Whitelee windfarm construction 2006-2009 (page6)
Q.2.Evidence indicating Groundwater contamination had occurred from the original windfarm on designated Drinking Protected Area (page11)
Q.3,4 and 5 Dr Connor’s statement and accompanying documents.(Pages 11 and 16)
Q.6 EAC test results for collection tank at Airtnoch Farm February 2013 (page 17)
Q.7 SPR monitoring of PWS (page 18)
Q.8 All Planning Monitoring Officer Reports
Q.9 Figure 2 (page 18)
Q.10 Monitoring Results obtained by RPS and the ecological clerk of works as reported to the PMO. (page 19)
Q.11 Monitoring Results for Airtnoch water supply, 2006 to 2013) obtained by EAC (page 19)
Q.12 Figure 3 (page 19)
Q.13 Monthly monitoring results from 02/23/05 to 02/11/07 (page 26)
Q.14 Peer Reviewed Study S. Waldron 2009 (page 27)
Q.15 S. Carroll, hydrology of Whitelee Windfarm 2015 (page 27)
Q.16 Surface, groundwater and PWS monitoring (if different from above) (page 40)
Q.17. SPR PWS monitoring results for WLWF (page 45)
Q.18. Evidence of Failure of mitigation measures at Braes of Doune windfarm

My response letter to SEPA contained all the requested evidence and more. (Evidence used in Whitelee 3 PLI is in the public domain and can be found on the DPEA Web site).

Other important points in this letter:

I restated that  it should not be forgotten that it was the Scottish Government who passed a law to industrialise pristine protected water catchment areas on Scottish Water Land and Forestry Commission Scotland Land which has enabled developers to industrialise them.

The Closing Submission by Connor/Harrison Group is emphasised as it includes late evidence produced for Whitelee 3 PLI. The Conclusion (pages 76-85) illustrates why there is an immediate need for action in the interest of public health and safety, and the evidence presented demonstrates that there has been a failure to comply with legislation, plans and policy.  Closing Submissions

Not only does SEPA breach their existing guidance under the Land Use Planning Guidance No 31 (2014) as it appears to fail to protect both the quality and quantity of PWS from effects of windfarm construction, with adverse effects being seen in groundwater dependent springs and boreholes more than 1Km from construction related excavation, but SEPA is not even following its own guidance when assessing wind farm applications – even when this is challenged by local authorities.

In particular, SEPA have failed to require developers to identify water sources and water catchment areas which provide drinking and domestic water for PWS. Extract from the letter to SEPA dated 26th October 2015 
Ironside Farrar, environmental consultants for EAC have also raised questions about the effectiveness of SEPA’s current guidance to windfarm developers as being inadequate to protect adjacent PWS .  This is now on the DPEA website re. the PWS conditions Appeal for Sneddon Law. (The DPEA link )

It is pointed out  that much of this pollution could have been avoided if SEPA had taken the correct action following the presentation of the scandal on the braes of Doune.(see high-lighted sections)

The monitoring results from Whitelee, now publicly available, were collected by SPR, SEPA, Scottish Water and academic institutions. The Department of Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) has not yet made a decision on the evidence presented by the objectors and by the Appellants, Scottish Power Renewables. This decision is not expected to be  presented to the Scottish Ministers by DPEA until the end of November.

Under the terms of the Water Framework Directive, adopted by the Scottish Government as a Member State under The Water Environment (Drinking Water Protected Areas)(Scotland) Order 2013, groundwater must reach a status of ‘good’by 22 December 2015. It should be free of listed pollutants and not to have deteriorated.

You can find the surface water classification for your local rivers and streams here (under SEPA’s website)

This directive was set up in order that the basic constitutional law principle was upheld:

“The prevention and remedying of environmental damage should be implemented through the furtherance of the “polluter pays” principle, as indicated in the Treaty and in line with the principle of sustainable development. The fundamental principle of this Directive should therefore be that an operator whose activity has caused the environmental damage or the imminent threat of such damage is to be held financially liable, in order to induce operators to adopt measures and develop practices to minimise the risks of environmental damage so that their exposure to financial liabilities is reduced.”

Why has SEPA not taken action when the Environmental Liabilities Directive has been breached?

Anyone with proof of pollution of surface or ground water has the right to Request Action. If you have evidence that your PWS has been affected by windfarm construction or that your rivers and streams have been downgraded then please get in touch. info@windsofjustice.org.uk

To watch Dr Connor’s video 

Original article: https://www.windsofjustice.org.uk/2014/08/169/

Sunday Times coverage on 8th February 2015 

This ties in with the recent article in the Scotsman (below) and I suggest that everyone should be asking questions about their own water supply and how safe it is to drink:

Scottish Water hit by safety watchdog

• The Scotsman
• 27 Jul 2015
• JENNY KANE

SCOTTISH Water has come under fire from the official safety watchdog for a deterioration throughout the water supply system.

A report by the water regulator reveals 53 significant, serious and major incidents across Scotland in 2014.

Water quality standards for coliform bacteria, an indicator of contamination, were breached on 40 occasions during that time – more than double the number from 2013 when standards were breached 17 times.

Drinking water quality regulator Sue Petch has launched legal enforcement action because of an unacceptable level of faecal parasites and a number of incidents at one Aberdeenshire water works.

Meanwhile, the E. coli bug, known to cause infections, was found in single samples at Mannofield and Perth.

The regulator said she will be monitoring performance very closely and if necessary will consider the need for regulatory intervention.

Ms Petch continued: “I am disappointed to have to report this position and have requested that Scottish Water examine disinfection processes, in detail, at all of its treatment works.”

Scottish Water said equipment is being upgraded at some sites and that 99.89 per cent of samples taken in 2014 met regulatory standards.

Simon Parsons, the company’s customer planning director, said: “We undertake detailed investigations into all water quality issues to understand the cause, as well as working proactively and taking steps to avoid such issues occurring. We will continue working with the [Regulator] to help us focus on the areas we need to improve on.”

A Scottish Government spokesman expressed confidence that Scottish Water’s planned investments will deliver improvements.

Simon Parson’s responded with his own letter -below- but in my mind if you read the Request for Action  and the final submission we, the public, have a lot to worry about:

SCOTLAND’S WIND FARMS CAUSE WATER POLLUTION

Request for Action pdf download here 

Susan Crosthwaite is calling for an immediate and full independent investigation into the pollution of surface and groundwater of ALL Scottish windfarm developments sited on River Basin Districts.  It has been revealed that the construction of giant wind turbines has led to the industrialisation of water catchment areas damaging water quality and public health. She demands that relevant legislation be adhered to vigorously to ensure complete protection of Scotland’s reservoirs, lochs and private water supplies can be restored.

Commenting from her home in South Ayrshire Susan Crosthwaite said: “Windfarm development in Scotland is clearly breaching The Environmental Liabilities Directive and the Water Frameworks Directive. Developers and government bodies have allowed these developments to proceed in the full knowledge that there are risks to surface and groundwater. Authorities such as SEPA, Scottish Water, Councils and the Scottish Government have failed in their legal duty to protect the water environment. Public authorities should ensure the proper implementation and enforcement of the scheme provided for by this Directive.

People wonder how windfarms can possibly contaminate our water. Firstly, most are constructed on areas of unspoilt moss, heather and deep peat, often with associated forestry. Construction vehicles churn up the ground to make access roads and clear the forests (approximately 3 million trees were cleared at Whitelee). Trees are pulled up, and the churned up peat is washed into the river systems by heavy rain, releasing excessive carbon which the water treatment works are not able to deal with.

“The construction teams then blast quarries and ‘borrow-pits’ to provide rock foundations for access roads and turbine bases – six quarries with 85 articulated dump lorries ferried almost 6 million tons of excavated rock around the Whitelee site for roads and turbine foundations. These excavations allow access to the numerous faults (fractures) and dykes (intrusions) which crisscross Scotland and act as conduits for ground water. Chemical and  diesel spills, therefore, have an immediate channel to the aquifer. 

Illustration by Dr. Connor

“The evidence of pollution discovered by radiologist Dr. Rachel Connor stems from her own experience of living close to Whitelee, the largest windfarm in Europe, and experiencing first-hand the results of drinking contaminated water. Evidence of pollution was discovered in monitoring reports which  were a requirement for the Whitelee windfarm construction 2006-2009 and were brought before a Public Inquiry re a 3^rd extension to Whitelee, where Dr. Connor underwent a 5 hour cross examination. It included a failure to monitor and test for instances of specific contamination related to chemical spill or diffuse contamination from dangerous chemicals- some of which may have come from 160,000 m3 of concrete which were used in turbine foundations and other areas.

“There was also evidence of contamination of private water supplies where springs had failed completely, boreholes had silted up temporarily and water quality was rendered unfit to drink. There is no effective protective mechanism for private water supplies if the local authority responsible for protecting the water supply has no mechanism to insist that a developer find, chart and protect the water source, and is subsequently not responsible for the hydrological environment upon which that water supply depends.

“Windfarm developments have not been monitored or assessed according to the legal requirements which under a European Directive require Member States to ensure the establishment of programmes for the monitoring of water status in order to establish a coherent and comprehensive overview of water status within each river basin district. It is clear that incidents and concerns have been reported by a Planning Monitoring Officer to the regulatory authorities but have not been investigated. Indeed Planning Monitoring Officers are not routinely employed and in any case, information from such officials may be difficult and costly for the public to access. Consequently developments proceed unchallenged.

Windfarm construction has coincided with an increase in raw water colour at Amlaird and other Scottish Water treatment works. Scottish Water test results indicated high levels of colour, iron, manganese, coliforms, E coli and turbidity, but these were not investigated and resolved by the appropriate authority. The disinfection procedures meant that drinking water failed to meet European and UK regulatory standards leading to increased levels of Trihalomethanes – recognised by the WHO as possible human carcinogens. Cranfield University Study

“Now Scottish Water test results from 2005 to 2014 for colour, iron, manganese, coliforms and e coli in Loch Bradan, Afton Reservoir and Penwhapple Reservoir (see chapter 4.5)– also show a deterioration in water quality associated with windfarm construction and pre-construction forestry clearance. This means that many people in East and South Ayrshire are drinking water below the Drinking Water Regulatory Standards. Where water quality has fallen consistently below regulatory standards, statutory authorities have not informed the public of the potential risks to their health despite an EC Directive that insists  ‘Member States shall ensure the necessary protection for the bodies of water identified with the aim of avoiding deterioration in their quality in order to reduce the level of purification treatment required in the production of drinking water’. 

“As Whitelee is Scottish Power Renewable’s flagship windfarm, the credibility of all their windfarm developments is based on the belief that their professed mitigation measures are successfully preventing any water pollution. How can the public be confident that this is the case if they do not constantly and consistently monitor all subsequent developments with results made easily available to the public?

“Arecleoch SPR windfarm consists of 60 turbines, operational since Autumn of 2011 This windfarm along with Hadyard Hill, Hadyard Hill Extension, Assel Valley, Millenderdale and Straid windfarms are all sited within the River Stinchar water catchment protected area. Tralorg plus the 5 ‘Straiton’ windfarms including Dersalloch are sited on the Girvan and Doon water protected catchment zones. None of these developments, according to the FOI, have been adequately monitored or assessed. Indeed failure to monitor the impact on surface and ground water before, during and after the construction of the 60 turbines at Arecleoch constitutes a direct breach of the water directives.”

Letters have been sent to the First Ministers,  DECC and DEFRA, various Scottish Government Departments, all 32 Scottish Councils, MSPs and some MPs, MEPs and UNESCO – samples are below:

Letter to DECC        Letter to First Minister      letter to councils

EPAW links  http://epaw.org/echoes.php?lang=en&article=ns114 

Breitbart article by Donna Edmunds:

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/07/18/new-evidence-wind-farms-contaminating-water-supply-in-scotland/