​From 2019 to 2023 there were 2392 sewage spills from the Tighnabruaich / Kames sewage treatment plant constituting 35% of operational time. This totalled 84 cubic metres of untreated sewage flowing directly into the Kyles of Bute. Many properties in the two villages discharge directly into the sea, with homeowners either unable to afford the cost of a septic tank, or lack the space or depth of soil to be able to install one.​

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We are campaigning for The Scottish Government, Scottish Water, SEPA, NatureScot and Argyll & Bute Council to acknowledge the shared responsibility of sewage management in the Kyles and Loch Riddon.

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We are working in partnership with  Dr Elizabeth Lawson and her team at Newcastle University and Dr Jill Robbie of Glasgow University, who are researching issues with and solutions to private water supplies and sewage management systems in rural Scottish communities under their project “Decentralised Water Technologies”. They have advised that mains water systems are not only unviable financially in rural areas such as ours but they also have a negative environmental impact. As a result, their focus is on providing more appropriate private systems and better support for the communities that require them.  

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We are hoping that a pilot project will soon be happening in the village, whereby a small number of households combine to install a shared sewage treatment system. 

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