Community residents have long reported seeing pollution in our local Lyne Burn river from sewage overflow, litter from food packaging and drinks containers and other discarded items. Also due to its location, the river is at risk of contaminated run-off of soil, nutrients and pesticides from farming, contaminated run-off from the City of
Dunfermline and additionally larger stretches of the riverbanks are lined with invasives such as Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed. The Lyne Burn river runs from Dunfermline Halbeath to the Firth of Forth meeting at Iron Mill Bay in Charlestown.
What are we doing about it and what more do we want to do?
- We are river sampling and gathering invertebrate indicator species data and monitoring nutrient levels which can show the levels of pollution in this river. This data is being collected for Buglife and Earthwatch’s Citizen Science projects. The aim is to collect enough data that we can establish trigger points for pollution so that if there is an incident we will pick up any changes through our sampling and SEPA can be informed. This however will require more than monthly sampling that we are doing, which means we require more volunteers to help us do this.
- We are sampling just up from Iron Mill Bay along the gorge and near to the Waulkmill Cottages on the other side of the A985.
- We would like to sample in Pittencrieff Park and hold an event to engage new volunteers in a more accessible place so if you would like to get involved in this please let us know.
- We would like to also sample some of the other tributaries in the future.
- We would like to engage the school in this project focusing on the freshwater habitat, invertebrates and impact of pollution. This project has been such great fun to get involved in, we have all learnt so much, some of us complete beginners in freshwater biology, how to take a freshwater sample but you receive full training from Buglife and we always go out in groups for safety as well as it being more fun! To find out when the next training and sampling dates are please do visit our events page here.
