Pipeline leak into Forth tackled

BP said it is managing a discharge of water from an effluent pipeline
12 April 2012

Authorities are tackling a leak from an effluent pipeline into the Firth of Forth.

The pipe carries waste water between BP's Hound Point Terminal and Dalmeny oil storage tank facility near South Queensferry where it is treated.

Lothian and Borders Police are treating it as a major incident and have set up a 100-metre exclusion zone around the scene. There is not thought to be any risk to public health though the smell has been compared with that created by a "stink bomb".

The alarm was raised on Monday by a member of the public who noticed discoloured water running into the Forth.

A BP spokesman said: "BP can confirm that it is managing a discharge of water from an effluent pipeline linking Hound Point to the Dalmeny facility. This is resulting in water entering the Firth of Forth via the watercourse; this is effluent water, not an oil or chemical spill. The source of the leak has been identified and every effort is being made to contain and stop it.

"Purely as a precautionary measure a 100m exclusion zone has been put in place due to the presence of a sulphurous smell adjacent to the leak." The company apologised to the public for any inconvenience.

BP said that the pipe now carries waste water such as that used for cleaning purposes at the terminal and comprises rainwater, seawater and some impurities. In the past it carried ballast water used to keep tankers afloat as they are being loaded with oil in the Firth of Forth.

Inspector Dougie Stephens, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "The leak has been confined to a field but it has entered a burn which has discoloured the water. Liquid is still exiting the pipeline. We are taking a multi-agency approach which is being co-ordinated by the police. We have quite a big police presence here and we have cordoned off the area. No one has been evacuated."

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency said it is monitoring the situation and has officers on the site. It is not known what impact the leak will have on the environment. Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service was called to the scene at around 1.30pm. It had six fire engines at the scene at the height of the incident, but reduced this to two by 6.30pm.

Police later said that all roads in the area had been re-opened. However restrictions are still in place close to the breach in the pipe and where the effluent is trickling into the Firth of Forth to prevent people from wandering into the vicinity.

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