Twin projects mean better water on tap

Apr 10 2008 By George Topp

SCOTTISH Water have announced a £22 million investment in two Clydesdale reservoirs.

The company say their plans for the Daer and Coulter Water Treatment Works will deliver the tangible benefit of clearer, fresher drinking water to around 300,000 people across North and South Lanarkshire.

The areas supplied by the reservoirs range from Douglas and Elvanfoot in the far south, to the large population centres of East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell, Airdrie and Coatbridge.

At the Daer Water Treatment Works, £16 million pounds of improvements will bring better quality drinking water to communities across the county.

Parts of the investment will also assist growth in the area by providing additional capacity within the network.

A new clear water storage tank, capable of holding the equivalent of nine Olympic-sized swimming pools, will be constructed.

Work will also be carried out to speed up and improve the filtration process, providing clearer, fresher water to communities in Lanarkshire.

Rob Mustard, regional manager for Scottish Water, said: ”This project is part of the biggest investment programme in the UK delivering real benefits to our customers and increasingly providing improved service and value for money.”

Project manager Peter Finnigan is confident people across the county will appreciate the long term benefits delivered by this programme.

He said: “Currently the capacity of the works is 114 million litres per day, but with the completion of this project next spring we'll be able to produce around 129 million litres per day, an increase of 15 million litres every day. That's hugely significant for the rapidly expanding communities of North and South Lanarkshire.”

He added: “The works are now 50 years old and, despite continual investment over the decades, it now needs this investment to bring it up to the latest standards.

“By building this new storage tank and making improvements to the filtration process, we're ensuring that this water treatment works will serve the people of Lanarkshire with clearer, fresher drinking water for decades to come.”

They are also to spend £6.2 million on improvements to Coulter Water Treatment Works, near Biggar.

Rob Mustard explained:” This is an important investment for the 26,000 people served by the works. The £6 million pounds plus investment will provide clearer, fresher water to communities.

”These investments will allow for the significant expansion of this part of the county. It's expected the community served by the works, could soon grow, with hundreds of families moving to this part of the county. This work will help to cater for these new homes and for any future growth.”

Upgrading the treatment facility at the Coulter plant will increase capacity, with the works producing up to 14 million litres of water per day.

The Coulter project is already underway and is also due for completion in the Spring of next year.