Burn at National Trust’s Newhailes Estate in Musselburgh turns green after Scottish Water calls for diesel spill reports
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The water, which flows through the National Trust for Scotland’s (NTS) Newhailes estate, turned an alarming shade of fluorescent green yesterday as investigations into a possible oil spill in the area were carried out.
Scottish Water engineers have been called in to report cases of diesel in the river and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has asked them to trace the source of the spill, which is believed to have come from a private culvert.
But when they added a non-toxic green dye to the water, no pollutants were found.
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Green tracing dye was used to make sure there was no problem with the drainage system.
“The tracing dye is non-toxic, does not harm the environment, and is commonly used to investigate drainage issues.
“No diesel pollutants were evident in the burn when we visited and it turned out to be clear. We have fed this back into SEPA. “
An NTS spokesperson added that the green dye is expected to “wear off shortly.”
He added: “We are grateful to Scottish Water for their quick action.”
In September 2018, a river in Edinburgh suddenly turned a bright green color after an investigation by environmental officials.
The Braid Burn has been said to look “like something out of a science fiction movie”.
The color comes from a dye used to outline drainage outlets.
At the time, SEPA insisted that only non-toxic chemicals be allowed.