SCOTTISH Water has announced completion of its largest ever water infrastructure investment benefiting almost one million people in the west of Scotland.
The £235 million investment provides two-way connection between the drinking water networks in the Greater Glasgow area, Ayrshire, and East Renfrewshire.
Scottish Water said the new connected system will substantially improve operational resilience and, in the event of an issue such as a burst trunk water main, enable tens of millions of litres of water to be transferred in either direction and minimise the impact of the burst on customers.
Rob Mustard, Scottish Water’s director of capital investment, said, “This is a massive boost for the west of Scotland. It means the water network is more robust, enabling more. secure delivery of tens of millions of litres of drinking water to homes. It allows us to respond more quickly to operational issues such as mains bursts, ensuring people continue to have access to Scotland’s world-class drinking water when they need it.”
The investment included the installation of 30 miles of new water mains in Ayrshire and 7.5 miles of new mains in south west Glasgow as well as the construction of a new pumping station in the Ibrox area of the city.
The connecting of the two systems – creating one big water network stretching from Loch Bradan in South Ayrshire to Loch Katrine almost 100 miles away in west Stirlingshire – boosts Scottish Water’s ability to move water between different parts of the country.
Mr Mustard added, “We have significantly improved and future-proofed services for customers and this aligns with Scottish Water’s long-term strategy which sets out a comprehensive approach that aims to ensure the country’s water and waste water services remain sustainable, resilient and affordable into the future.”
Scottish Government climate action secretary Gillian Martin commented, “This investment by Scottish Water in the water networks in the west of Scotland is essential to increase resilience, ensuring Scottish Water can respond quickly to any unforeseen events and continue to supply its customers with high quality drinking water.
“It is good example of why this government is committed to the public ownership of our water industry – as all profits go back into improving the service for customers, never to shareholders.”
