Water of Leith

Investment Overview

We are improving Edinburgh's waste water systems with a multi-million pound investment. This investment will improve the environment around the Water of Leith. 

Once complete, this new infrastructure will help prevent items which are wrongly flushed down the toilet, such as wet wipes and sanitary products - from overflowing into the Water of Leith

We will be carrying out upgrade works to various Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) along or near the Water of Leith

There are 67 CSOs on the Water of Leith. Over the last few years we have been upgrading 14 of as part of a multi-million pound project in the upper stretches of the river between Balerno and Corstorphine.

We are now in the process of developing solutions to upgrade another 24 Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) along the Water of Leith in addition to those which have already been upgraded. The majority of these assets are in hard to access, urban areas and the solutions we design will need to take account of their location as well as looking to minimise carbon costs as part of our Net Zero drive. 

What we are doing

The work includes the installation of new pipework, chambers and screens to reduce the risk of sewage related debris entering the Water of Leith and removing the Unsatisfactory Intermittent Discharges (UIDs) thus improving the aesthetics and reducing the environmental impact of storm overflows on the Water of Leith. This will result in an improved watercourse for all its users. 

Below is a list of the current projects that are currently on site or planned in near future. Please note that all dates are subject to change.