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River Doon
Introduction
| The head waters of the River Doon are
the burns and streams feeding Loch Doon from the north
edge of the Galloway Forest Park. The river is just over
63 kilometres long (including the Loch) and flows north
west close to the town of Dalmellington, through the
villages of Patna and Dalrymple before entering the
Firth of Clyde just south of Ayr. The loch has been
dammed to supply and store water for the Galloway
Hydro-electric power. There is a net loss of water to
the system although there is a compensation flow
agreement which maintains water quality and flow levels
throughout the year.
The river has a catchment area of 324 square
kilometres. The main land uses are rough grassland,
improved grassland and woodland, the majority of which
consists of conifer plantations. The only significant
industry is open cast coal mining in the vicinity of
Dalmellington.
The geology of the Doon catchment varies from the
granite headwater hills to the limestone coal measures
in the middle reaches. Water chemistry mirrors the
geology ranging from low productivity and intermittent
acidic conditions in the upper tributaries to the highly
productive, alkaline tributaries downstream of
Dalmellington. |
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Loch Doon Dam |
Carrick Lane, upper Doon |
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Upper Dunaskin Burn |
Doon salmon smolt |
Key features
- The source of the Doon is Loch Enoch, high up in the
Galloway Hills at an altitude of 500m.
- Loch Doon supports the only native population of Arctic
Charr in the south west of Scotland. This population is
considered to be under threat due to issues such as
acidification, climate change and the introduction of alien
species. Sentinel populations of Doon charr have been
established in two other lochs in the south of Scotland to
provide a pool of genetic material as insurance for the loss of
the Doon population.
- The River Doon itself starts at the outlet of Loch Doon. The
compensation flow of 45 million gallons/day was agreed as part
of the Galloway Water Power Act in 1935.
- Below Loch Doon the river cascades down through Ness Glen, a
spectacular gorge, dropping 130 feet in less than one mile.
- Although there are several small to medium sized sewage
treatment works discharging into the river the relatively high
flows in the Doon provide sufficient dilution to maintain water
quality
- The Doon catchment is relatively narrow and there are few
large tributaries below Loch Doon. The most significant of these
are the Muck Water, Cummock Burn, Dunaskin Burn and Culroy Burn.
- Common fish species include salmon, brown and sea trout,
arctic charr, stone loach, minnows, sticklebacks, eels,
lampreys, pike and perch.
- Apart from Loch Doon there are several large stillwaters in
the catchment, including Bogton Loch and Martnaham Loch. These
lochs provide excellent habitat for pike and perch.
- The Doon was historically renowned for its pearl mussel
fishery. There is still a remnant population present in the
river although there is little evidence of recent successful
spawning.
- The main stem of the Doon has an abundant population of
Saucer bugs Aphelocheirus aestivalis. Saucer bugs, which require
high quality water, are only found in 5 or 6 rivers in Scotland.
- There are a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest
with in the catchment e.g. Loch Doon, Ness Glen, Bogton Moss and
Dalmellington Moss.
Ayrshire Rivers Trust research and monitoring on the River Doon
includes:
- Annual electrofishing surveys on behalf of the River Doon
District Salmon Fishery Board (DSFB) to monitor salmon fry
production in the main stem and larger tributaries as well as a
comprehensive survey of smaller tributary sites.
- Upper Doon Habitat survey published in 2004. This survey
provided a detailed inventory of habitat type and quality,
obstructions to migration as well as identifying priority areas
for habitat restoration.
- Lamprey survey as part of a national survey funded by SNH.
Lampreys (which could be either river or brook lampreys) are
widespread throughout the catchment.
- Invertebrate surveying introduced in 2005 to complement
other data collected at electrofishing sites.
- Smolt trap operated at Dalrymple in 2006. The trap provided
a lot of useful information on the size, timing and age
composition of the salmon and sea trout smolt run. Key findings
were the relatively high proportion of one year old salmon
smolts and the small but significant number of sea trout smolts
produced.
Fishery returns
The graphs below show different interpretations of the catch
returns for the River Doon (FRS Salmon and Sea Trout data).
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