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Scotland’s 2026–31 Programme for Government commits to feasibility studies on the viability and cost of making Wardie Bay and sections of the Water of Leith suitable for public use. The first step is a scoping study, but no start date, completion date or specific river sections have been announced. Meanwhile, the two sites have different evidence: Wardie Bay has SEPA bathing-water monitoring, while the reviewed official sources do not establish an equivalent bathing-water assessment for the Water of Leith sections under consideration.
What has the Scottish Government committed to?
The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2026–31 says it will commission feasibility studies on the “viability and cost” of bringing Wardie Bay and sections of the Water of Leith into safe public use. This is a commitment to investigate what may be possible; it is not a decision that swimming will be approved or that a particular river stretch will be made safe.
In Parliament on 1 October 2026, Sanne Dijkstra-Downie asked when the studies would be commissioned. Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian Martin said the Government was developing proposals and would commission a scoping study first. She said: “As an initial step, I will commission a scoping study to identify the best approach for increasing public amenity use of waters in urban environments.”
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Martin said the study “will consider both historical and current sources of contamination, any water quality improvements that are required, public safety considerations, technical feasibility and likely costs.” Its findings are intended to inform the later feasibility studies. The official parliamentary transcript gives no timetable or detailed terms of reference.
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What is known about water quality at Wardie Bay?
Wardie Bay, beside Granton Harbour, is a designated bathing water. SEPA’s profile describes it as a small urban beach popular with wild swimmers. The designation followed a campaign by swimmers and residents in 2023.
SEPA’s annual classification was Good for 2025, after Excellent in 2024 and Good in 2023. These classifications are calculated using statistics from four years of measurements of E. coli and intestinal enterococci. They summarize longer-term conditions; they do not guarantee water quality on a particular day. SEPA’s Wardie Bay results page also lists individual samples, which can vary by sampling date.
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SEPA’s Wardie Bay bathing-water profile warns of short-term pollution risk after heavy rainfall, including from sewer overflows. Its advice is not to bathe during heavy rainfall or for 1–2 days afterwards. An annual Good classification does not override that short-term warning, and a sample taken on one date cannot establish conditions on another.
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The reviewed official sources establish the Government’s commitment to investigate public use, but they do not establish a bathing-water classification or an equivalent routine bathing-water sampling series for the river sections mentioned. Wardie Bay’s results cannot be used to infer the Water of Leith’s condition.
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A 2024 Scottish Government information release reported that plans were in place to address 24 high-priority unsatisfactory combined sewer overflows discharging into the Water of Leith by 2027. That is a reported plan, not confirmation that all work has been completed; addressing overflows alone would not establish that a stretch is suitable for recreation. The Scottish Government EIR release is the source for that figure.
How are the two sites different?
| Question | Wardie Bay | Water of Leith sections in the commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Official bathing-water status | Designated in 2023; SEPA reports annual classifications and sample results. | The reviewed official sources do not establish a bathing-water classification or equivalent routine bathing-water monitoring. |
| What the evidence can say | The four-year statistical classification describes longer-term conditions; samples and rainfall advice are relevant to shorter-term conditions. | Site-specific water-quality and public-safety findings are not provided in the reviewed sources. |
| Current policy stage | Included in the Government’s planned feasibility studies. | Included in the same commitment, but specific river sections have not been identified. |
SEPA’s 2026 Scotland-wide summary says 97% of designated bathing waters met required standards and 82% achieved Good or Excellent. These figures describe designated bathing waters across Scotland, not Wardie Bay alone and not the Water of Leith.
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What remains unanswered?
The next useful information is practical and site-specific. The parliamentary exchange does not state when scoping will start or finish, which river sections will be considered, or what monitoring baseline the studies will use. Nor does it set out how residents and water users can contribute, which agency will publish results, or how short-term risks would be communicated if public use is considered.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe exchange also raised dredging and raking carried out at Wardie Bay over several days in August 2026, and asked whether there should be a presumption against dredging during the bathing season. Martin said she did not know the details and deferred to SEPA on licence conditions. That parliamentary concern is not a finding about whether the work complied with regulatory requirements.
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SEPA’s bathing-water results and profile are the relevant official sources for Wardie Bay’s monitoring and advice. For the Water of Leith, residents will need the scoping and feasibility work to identify the proposed locations, evidence and measures before drawing conclusions about recreational use.
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