The  visits were organised by SEPA and West Lothian Council and the party were escorted by Graeme Hedger, manager of West Lothian Council flood alleviation team, and Shona McConnell, chairwoman of SEPA ‘s Forth area advisory group.

SAC Environment and Design have provided consultancy services to West Lothian Council for seven years.  SAC carries out environmental monitoring and safety checks at five treatment wetlands and designs local flood alleviation works throughout the County. They also contribute to the Council’s Japanese Knotweed (right) eradication programme.

At Whitrigg, Whitburn, Rachel Moir and Eric Hayward explained how the Reducing and Alkalinity Producing System (RAPS) oxidation ponds and wetland treats run-off from the local coal bing. It contains high levels of ferruginous waste, manganese and other heavy metals which might otherwise enter a local burn. SAC handled construction, maintenance and environmental monitoring of the RAPS facilities designed by Entec UK.

The visitors then moved to the new community recycling centre at Oakbank, Livingston where a Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDS) scheme treats surface run-off from the facility and attenuates flow rate. It was also designed by SAC and is maintained and monitored by SAC staff, playing a vital role in protecting the water quality of the nearby Linhouse Water and Calder Wood SSSI.

The Swedish party consisted of  Johan Antti, Deputy Governor of the County Administrative Board, Norrbotten; Katarina Eckerberg, Deputy Director, Stockholm Environment Institute;  Gunilla Forsgen Johansson, Head of Environmental Analysis, Vasterbotten; Katrina Köhler, Chairman of the Environmental Committee, Skellefteå; Maria Wik-Persson, Head of Environmental Affairs, Boliden Minerals AB; Johan Ingri, professor of geochemistry at Luleå Technical University; Birgitta Persson, Education Committee Chairman Överkalix; Bo Sundström, Waste Management Director, Norrbotten.