Scottish Water completes installation of new, £24m strategic water main

Aug. 24, 2018
Improves security of supply for 85,000 people in North Ayrshire.

IRELAND, AUG 24, 2018 -- More than 85,000 people in parts of North Ayrshire are benefiting from improved security of their water supply, and a reduction in the risk of burst mains, after Scottish Water completed the installation of a new £24m strategic water main.

The construction of a 7.3 mile-long water main south of Drybridge, near Dreghorn, to the west of Eglinton Country Park will benefit customers in Irvine, Kilwinning, Stevenston, Dreghorn, Drybridge and parts of Saltcoats for decades to come.

The new main was installed on mainly rural land from just south of Drybridge, and follows a route that goes under the River Irvine and the A71, runs between Springside and Dreghorn, to the east of Bourtreehill, under the Annick Water, skirts past the north and east of Perceton and Girdle Toll, and goes through the south of Eglinton Country Park.

The new main will replace an old concrete main whose route goes through more built-up areas and will eventually be decommissioned.

The new plastic main will be less susceptible to bursts. The route of the new main will also improve accessibility for Scottish Water to undertake maintenance work and, should the need arise, any repair work.

The project, carried out for Scottish Water by alliance partners Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA), was part of the utility's ongoing £120m investment in its water mains infrastructure which will benefit almost 220,000 people in much of Ayrshire and part of East Renfrewshire.

Commenting on the Irvine investment, Jane McKenzie, Scottish Water's communications manager, said: "Scottish Water is delighted to have completed the installation of the new water main in the Irvine area.

"We are always striving to improve the security of supply of clearer, fresher drinking water that we provide to customers 24-7 across the length and breadth of Scotland.

"This investment in the Irvine area will significantly improve the resilience of our network and reduce the potential for burst water mains and the disruption to customers they can cause. Our work inevitably meant some inconvenience for customers and businesses in the area but we are sure that any short-term inconvenience caused by this work will be far out-weighed by the long-term benefits our improvements will deliver."

Installing the new water main was a significant piece of construction and Scottish Water did everything possible to minimize disruption to customers, landowners, the environment and road users.

The utility carried out environmental, ecological and archaeological studies to ensure that our work did not adversely affect the areas around the main route.

Where any sensitive habitats or protected species were encountered Scottish Water managed these responsibly and under license from Scottish Natural Heritage or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, where required.

Scottish Water also worked closely with Eglinton Country Park during the Irvine project and ensured that plant recovery time was minimized and paths and access routes were fully reinstated quickly.

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