258 FORESTS, WOODS, AND TREES 
Finlas area, belonging to Ayr; and for afforestation purposes 
both might be united in one scheme. 
Stranraer obtains its water supply from the Dindinnie 
reservoir, with a gathering ground of 550 acres, between 
150 and 160 feet elevation, none of which is owned by the 
town. The area, which has one farmstead on it, comprises 
70 acres of arable land and 480 acres of hill pasture. 
The water is filtered, and contamination of the gathering 
ground is guarded against by piping and fencing. 
Kirkcudbright obtains its water supply from High, Low, 
and Mid Boreland farms, which aggregate 334 acres, at 
140 to 300 feet elevation, all owned by the Town Council. 
There are farm-steadings and habitations on the area; but 
as the supply comes from springs and not from surface 
water, the risk of pollution is not very great. 
Dumfries and Maxwelltown obtain their supply from 
Loch Rutton, in Kirkcudbrightshire, which has a catch- 
ment area of 3500 acres, between 320 and 600 feet 
elevation, consisting partly of arable land and partly of 
pasture. There are approximately 16 farm-steadings and 
50 houses on the area, which has a population of 500 
persons, but the greater number dwell in the village of 
Lochfoot, the sewage of which is drained clear of the lake. 
Certain agreements were entered into, about 4 years ago, 
with the proprietors and tenants of three farms near the 
loch, by which measures were taken to prevent the sewage 
finding its way into the loch. The other farms do not 
seem to have been dealt with. No part of the catchment 
area is owned by the Dumfries and Maxwelltown Water 
Commissioners. The average annual rainfall for 1907-1916 
was 47°78 inches. 
Annan obtains its water supply from an impounding 
reservoir at Purdomstown in Middlebie parish, with a 
gathering ground of 1350 acres, situated between 440 
feet and 1000 feet elevation. It is mainly hill pasture, 
without any plantations or arable land. There are no 
