SCOTTISH Water has reached a major milestone on its £60 million project to revamp Invercannie Water Treatment Works in Aberdeenshire with the facility now having reopened.
The water treatment works by Banchory was originally constructed more than 150 years ago and was hailed a jewel in the crown of engineering success.
Opened by Queen Victoria in October 1866 and supplying the then 75,000 population of the Granite City with 27 million litres of water every day, it has been serving the growing north east population ever since.
The current project, which started in 2020, saw an extensive refurbishment of the existing plant to increase storage, resilience, and safeguard the supply to customers. Upgrades included a new water storage tank, capable of holding 19 million litres of drinking water on-site; the installation of a dissolved air flotation plant to improve water quality; and a new pumping station and pipework.
The improvements made enables the water treatment works to produce 63 million litres of world-class drinking water a day. The work has been carried out on Scottish Water’s behalf by alliance partner ESD, a joint venture between MWHT, GT and Binnies.
The successful modern makeover was celebrated with a re-opening and tree planting ceremony led by Judy Whyte, Provost of Aberdeenshire, alongside Scottish Water’s chief executive, Alex Plant and board chair, Deirdre Michie OBE. The rowan tree was planted in front of a salvaged piece of the works’ original 1866 brick and clay aqueduct.
Building on the success of renowned civil engineer James Simpson’s jewel of the north-east, Invercannie remains a key source of drinking water for the region today – delivering fresh, high-quality water for around 300,000 customers.
The facility directly serves the neighbouring areas of Banchory, Aboyne and Stonehaven, and as far as Rhynie, Alford, and Ellon through its combined supply with Mannofield Water Treatment Works in Aberdeen. Together they supply around 100 million litres of drinking water daily to the North East, and up to 120 million during peaks in seasonal demand.
Acting net zero and energy secretary Gillian Martin said, “This is a very welcome investment from Scottish Water. The Scottish Government is working closely with partners to make Scotland’s water supply more resilient to climate change and our waterways cleaner. Scottish Water’s investment in ageing assets like Invercannie will help us adapt to climate change, improve the quality and resilience of the water supply to the North and secure our precious water resources for the future.”
Scottish Water’s chief executive Alex Plant added, “Scottish Water continues to invest at record levels – with more than £1 billion spent in 2023-24 on improving our network, supporting growth, and protecting Scotland’s environment. This major investment at Invercannie, delivered by our partners ESD, will ensure we can provide the service our customers and communities in the city and shire expect, far into the future.
“The engineering excellence of our Victorian predecessors is evident at Invercannie as it continues its service 150 years on. This latest multi-million pound upgrade is testament to our commitment to safeguard this precious resource for years to come despite the challenges that our more unpredictable climate is bringing. This will improve resilience of supply by upgrading and renewing ageing assets while delivering value for money to customers.”
