Farm runoff threatens Scottish lochs

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 10 Agricultural runoff from the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond threatens to choke one of the world's best-known lakes with algae blooms.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency says measures taken to protect waterways in 2000 have not been effective, The Scotsman reported. Fertilizers and pesticides encourage plant growth, which removes oxygen from the water and threatens fish and other aquatic animals.

Ten percent of freshwater lochs and about 1,000 miles of river are threatened, a SEPA report said. The agency says farmers in areas where rivers and lochs are threatened could be prosecuted under EU pollution laws if they do not stop using chemicals on their land.

Agriculture around Loch Lomond has become more intense in the past 50 years.

"The loch is large and beautiful, but we cannot continue to use it as a sink and expect it to stay that way," a SEPA spokeswoman said. "The ecosystem is surprisingly fragile and susceptible to nutrient enrichment, which disturbs the balance of wildlife in the water and effects water quality."

Copyright 2007 by UPI

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