Team:Dundee/HumanPractice/CaseStudy

Many open waters located in and around Dundee are affected by Blue-Green Algae. This was one motivation that made selecting our project appropriate because of this local issue that also has worldwide implications.

This is one of many locations in Dundee where Blue-Green Algae has had a dramatic affect. In the past the park has had up to 95,000 visitors per year, with recreational activities such as watersports, children’s play areas and picnic sites being the main attractions. All these attractions are focussed around the parks freshwater reservoir and surrounding woods.

Moving forward in time, with the Blue-Green Algae problems faced by Clatto each year, recreational swimming is no longer permitted in the reservoir. This has shutdown the watersports programme and the signage to warn people of the danger, faced by the water, has had such a dramatic effect that it has reduced the number of visitors per year to less than 30,000. This reduction in visitors has led to the closure of staffing facilities, which in turn has had social and economic implications for the immediate community. Clatto Country Park is now a shadow of its former glory.

We have been working with George Potts, Senior Countryside Ranger, who has been involved at Clatto for over 40 years. We believed that the testing procedures at Clatto were insufficient to demand the closure of recreational activities on the reservoir and so started a Political Campaign based on this grounding.

Currently sampling is carried out once a month. When a high number of cyanobacteria cells is detected this is regarded as a failed test. Three clean tests are then required to give the all clear to the reservoir. Therefore during the summer, once high levels of cyanobacteria cells are detected, the reservoir is closed for 3 months minimum. Using synthetic biology our ToxiMop project has the potential to return locations like Clatto back to popular venues for future generations.