Cloudy water in Buchlyvie Burn was not caused by sewage pollution, Scottish Water has confirmed.
But the situation still required a clean-up operation once the source of the murky water was found.
The burn’s unusually opaque appearance was reported to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) by a concerned member of the public on the evening of October 9.
Posting on social media, Alastair Tait also described seeing “horrible grey gunge” coming from a drain nearby.
Fellow locals shared their worries that the discolouration could be a result of a sewage leak and that it might affect fish in the burn.
SEPA acknowledged it had received Mr Tait’s report the following day and passed the case on to Scottish Water for further investigation, which was carried out on October 11.
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “We attended Buchlyvie Burn in Stirlingshire following reports from a customer of discoloured water entering the burn.
“Investigations confirmed that the issue originated from a private property’s utility room, and Scottish Water has liaised with the responsible parties to ensure they are informed of the necessary steps to resolve the matter.
“The issue has now been rectified.
No sewage present
“Scottish Water conducted dye testing of the network to confirm that no sewage was present in the burn.
“Despite the issue not originating from our network, a clean-up has still been arranged to mitigate any impacts on the area.
“We have continued to engage with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) throughout this process.”
Mr Tait said the water in the burn appeared to be clear again on October 10, aside from some “surface film”.
A spokesperson for SEPA said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the member of the public who reported this to us and to encourage anyone who spots signs of a pollution incident to contact SEPA via the Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or online at www.sepa.org.uk/report.”
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