Kippford Waste Water Upgrades

Why We Are Doing It

The existing Waste Water Treatment Works on Roughfirth, Kippford negatively impacts on the downstream bathing water at Rockcliffe.

The site only has primary treatment, meaning that it does not disinfect the waste water before it is discharged into the environment.

During the bathing water season we install temporary treatment equipment to disinfect the waste water. This has improved the bathing water classification at Rockcliffe from ‘Poor’ to ‘Good’ for the past few years but a permanent solution is required.

What We Are Doing

We have been considering options, consulting with stakeholders and customers, and assessing operational requirements against geological and geographic constraints for some time.

A proposal – which we outlined at a community event earlier this year – was due to be considered by Dumfries & Galloway Council’s planning committee at the end of August 2024.

However, given the strength of feeling locally about the project and also the need to deliver it at a cost that represents best value for our customers we have withdrawn the planning application while we revisit and reconsider further options.

We are committed to improving the water quality in the estuary and to meeting the future needs of the community.

While the temporary treatment equipment currently installed has been highly effective in improving water quality during the bathing season, it also demonstrates the importance of planning appropriately for the future.

Update February 2026

Our team has been considering a range of options in detail after deciding to withdraw a planning application for a dedicated new waste water treatment works.

These included conventional treatment, modular reed-bed systems and additional small-scale improvement such as addressing issues around the caravan park and septic tank capacity.

Having considered all of the available information we have now decided to focus on assessing the feasibility of transferring the flows from Kippford to the existing waste water treatment works in Dalbeattie. As well as being the most viable and affordable option, it also addresses some of the key concerns raised by the community around construction and long-term visual impact.

Details of our revised proposal will be shared in due course and there will be extensive community engagement in the final planning and development process.

We remain fully committed to improving water quality and meeting future needs of the community and would like to thank everyone who has engaged with us in the past and we look forward to working with them again.