Scottish Water pipeline


REGuLAR CouNTRy PARk vISIToRS CANNoT HAvE missed the fact that huge blue pipes have been stockpiled off Corselet Road and Balgraystone Road at Balgray Reservoir. The pipes are soon to be laid as part of a Scottish Water pipeline that will create a new ten mile strategic water main from Waulkmill Glen Reservoir to the Fenwick/Waterside area in East Ayrshire. The pipeline work will cause a degree of disruption to country


Pipes at Balgray Reservoir.


park visitors over the coming months. The route will cross a number of existing paths, meaning that signed detours will require to be created. Areas of country park woodland and grassland are also being significantly affected. Country park staff are working with Scottish Water and their contractors, together with colleagues within Glasgow City Council, to try and minimise and manage the impact of the works. Ecological surveys have also been carried out on behalf of Scottish Water to address the environmental impact of the pipeline. once the pipeline has been laid, damaged paths will be repaired, native trees will be planted to make up for those lost and damaged grasslands reinstated. The country park car park at Balgraystone Road is also affected by the works. The existing entrance is to be used by construction traffic; as a result a new separate temporary entrance for country park visitors has been created. The majority of the car park is being resurfaced as part of the path works at Balgray Reservoir; the remainder will be completed in line with the reinstatement of areas affected by the pipeline installation.


on the woodlouse Woodlice facts


• Woodlice have 14 legs, with a body length of 16-19mm.


• In order to reach this size they have to repeatedly shed their hard exoskeleton and replace it with a soft, whitish ‘shell’. This hardens each time into the familiar slate grey.


• Woodlice are commonly known as slaters here in Scotland, and also further afield: Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.


No MINIBEAST SAFARI IN THE CouNTRy PARk IS EvER complete without the common shiny woodlouse or (Oniscus asellus) putting in an appearance. Woodlice are crustaceans; they are related to lobsters and crabs but have adapted to live on land. Female woodlice, like many of their aquatic cousins, carry


their fertilised eggs around until they hatch. These are stored in a fluid-filled brood pouch on their belly. Adult woodlice are dependent on a moist habitat, so the


best place to find them during the day is under logs and stones. Where you find one you will no doubt find many, as they appear to be gregarious creatures. But there is no formal collective noun for such a gathering. Research


Slater.


suggests the use of any term used for lice: colony, infestation or flock! A flock of woodlice in your garden is no bad thing as, unlike slugs and snails, they munch their way through dead, not living plants. A woodlouse in the house is a different matter. Fear not, they are not there to eat your antique furniture, but their presence may indicate dampness.


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