Loony Dook No Washout as Sewer Upgrade Completed Early

Scottish Water has completed a challenging repair and upgrade of a stretch of pressurised sewer in plenty of time for the annual New Year’s Day freezing Firth of Forth ‘Loony Dook’.

The publicly owned utility had been mobilised to deal with a burst in a private car park off Gote Lane in South Queensferry at the end of August.

Scottish Water Project Manager Ross McEwan said he knew the repair would not be simple: “The sewer is over three metres deep and with being near the sea wall and nearby properties the area we had to work in was extremely restricted.

“After extensive investigations it became clear given the poor condition of the pipe and a secondary burst further upstream, we would need a bigger solution to the problem.

“What began as an isolated repair became a significant investment project, where we needed to replace over 100 metres of sewer pipework along Gote Lane and the beach.”

Work on replacing the sewer pipe began in November and while it was expected to be completed in just six weeks on Gote Lane, the installation on the beach was more complicated.

An emergency marine licence had to be secured and site investigations suggested it could take up to three months.

Ross McEwan added: “We were determined to get the work finished as quickly as possible, not least for the sake of local residents and builders, but also for the ‘Loony Dookers’ who flock to the Firth of Forth every New Year’s Day.

“It would have been a real shame to rain on their parade, and I am delighted the team has been able to push through and deliver in plenty of time.

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding over the past few months.”

A Loony Dook event has been held every year (apart from 2021 and 2022 due to Covid) since 1986 where people dive into the freezing waters of the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry on New Year's Day.

The project was carried out by Scottish Water’s delivery partner Mackenzie Construction.