Lunan Water

The Lunan Water is a low energy river with its whole length being in the coastal plain. The Lunan Water has a catchment area of 124km² and a mean annual discharge of 1.67m³s^-1. Its major tributary is the Vinny Burn. The main settlements are small towns and villages. The catchment is mainly agricultural with extensive areas of polytunnel culture in the middle reaches.

Quality

The water quality is classed as bad (lower reaches) to poor with the main tributary the Vinny classed as moderate. The status reflects the extent of agricultural and septic tank pollution. In addition the lower reaches were subject to severe dredging prior to the WFD.

Environment

The Lunan flows out of Rescobie and Balgavies Lochs both of which are SSSI status. The former suffers from aglal blooms due to agricultural diffuse pollution.

Habitat

The Lunan Water supports no known BAP habitats but is likely to support neutral grassland, purple moor grass and rush pastures, and wet woodland. The sensitive habitats riverside aspen stands, riverside birch woods and lush bank vegetation are also likely to be present. Protected species known to be present in the catchment are otter, bats, kingfisher, grey wagtail, house martin, dipper, common sandpiper, lapwing, redshank, snipe, curlew, oystercatcher, cormorant, great crested grebe, heron, coot, moorhen, goosander, black-headed gull, common toad and common frog. BAP/LBAP species likely to be present are a stonefly, northern blue damselfly and aspen. A known sensitive species is needle spike-rush. SNH holds macrophyte data for the Lunan Water.

Biosecurity Issues

Invasive non-native species include Japanese knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed. A survey of the distribution on INN weeds is scheduled for the summer of 2009.

Lunan Bay

Rescobie Loch

Boysack Dyke

Vinny Water at Froickheim