Scottish Water has started an important upgrade to its wastewater infrastructure in the Cathcart area of Glasgow to improve the natural environment of the White Cart Water.
The £1.2 million project, part of Scottish Water’s ongoing £250m, five-year investment in the Greater Glasgow area’s waste water infrastructure, will involve the construction of a new Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) with a screen and pipework.
The investment will improve the natural environment of the White Cart Water where an existing CSO has no screen. The new infrastructure will ensure that, in storm conditions when the new CSO discharges into the river, solids will remain in the sewer network.
As part of the project, the water company relocated a number of otters from the south to the north bank of the river before construction work began.
Otters are given protection under the Conservation (Natural habitats) Regulations 1994 as a European protected species and Scottish Water and its contractors George Leslie were granted a licence from Scottish Natural Heritage to enable us to carry out this work.
A man-made otter holt on the south bank of the river was replaced by a newly constructed holt on the north bank and we installed special gates which were used in the relocation process to encourage the otters to make the new holt their home.
Allan Dougall, Scottish Water’s project manager, said:
“Otters are fully protected under the conservation regulations and, in liaison with Scottish Natural Heritage, we moved the local population on this stretch of the White Cart Water from its holt on the south bank to a new holt on the opposite side. The operation was delicate and took some time, but we are delighted that it has been successful.
“Scottish Water takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and, in accordance with the regulations, did everything possible to protect the otters and avoid them being adversely affected by our work and the new infrastructure.”
After the otters were moved to their new holt, and the old one was decommissioned, work has now started on the construction of the new CSO.
The project includes the installation of a small kiosk which controls the CSO – a new pipe and headwall will also be built next to the river to relieve the sewer system during storm events. The work, which is due to be completed by the end of August, is being carried out for Scottish Water by contractors George Leslie.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.