Scottish Water is raising a glass to Scotland’s Capital.
Across Edinburgh and into the Lothians the utility is investing heavily to deliver clearer, fresher drinking water to its customers.
Council Leader, Jenny Dawe is among those raising an early toast to Scottish Water’s investment. Councillor Dawe welcomed the measures to improve the quality of the city’s drinking water. She said:
“Rebuilding and replacing the city’s infrastructure is a huge challenge. There are obvious public health benefits in improving the quality of water supply to Edinburgh residents. These measures also help to create a greener, cleaner city which makes more efficient use of valuable resources. This will support Edinburgh’s continued development in an environmentally sustainable manner.”
The construction of Scottish Water’s flagship Glencorse Water Treatment Works (WTW) is now under way, having been officially launched by Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change.
Glencorse is one of a number of projects which will deliver clearer, fresher drinking water to Edinburgh and the Lothians for many, many years to come:
- Work at the Glencorse WTW is at an early stage, having kicked off a few short months ago. Contractor Black and Veatch is supervising ground excavation work at the site, which is discretely located just off the A702 near Penicuik in Midlothian. The project is advancing to schedule. The ground is currently being prepared for the construction of the 90 million litres clear water storage tank.
- Excavations on the site of the treatment building are also underway. The facility will be lowered 4 metres into the hillside in order to help it blend into the local countryside. The rich, bio diverse wetland ponds are also being carved out. These will provide bountiful habitats for birds, animals and plants.
- On completion in early 2011 the £130 million Glencorse WTW will provide clear, fresh drinking water for around 450,000 customers across Edinburgh and parts of Midlothian.
Senior Project Manager, Richard Anderson is delighted with the progress being made:
“The progress being made is staggering. This has been a long journey for the majority of the team involved in this mammoth project. In order to select the site we undertook the largest consultation ever held by Scottish Water. It has taken more than two years from setting out on the consultation, through the detailed planning process, just to get to where we are today.
“The first Glencorse treated water will be fed to customers’ taps in 2011, delivering clear, fresh drinking water for many, many years to come.
“It is also important to Scottish Water that the project will aid the environment, with hydro turbines providing more than 30 per cent of the plants energy needs, while gravity delivering water into the capital rather than using energy sapping pumps and the construction of these bio diverse wetlands. All at a water treatment works which blends sensitively and discretely into the Midlothian countryside.
- The North and South -West of Edinburgh will benefit from the £10 million upgrade programme at Marchbank WTW. Work at the site near Balerno is at an advanced stage, having been kicked off earlier this year by contractor Morrison Enpure. The concrete infrastructure housing the Dissolved Air Flotation treatment units has been completed. The steel structure of the new treatment building is currently under construction.
- On completion in 2009 the Marchbank WTW will deliver around
62 million litres of improved-quality drinking water to communities from Leith, Granton and Colinton into West Lothian.
Project Manager Gregor Dick is confident customers will appreciate the improvements to their drinking water:
“When this investment at the Marchbank Water Treatment Works is completed in 2009 our customers will notice the difference in the improved look and taste of their drinking water. Around 130,000 people will benefit from this £10 million investment at Marchbank.
The £4 million upgrade of the Castle Moffat WTW has recently been completed, delivering clearer, fresher drinking water to customers across the majority of East Lothian.
- As part of the project filter media has been replaced, while improvements have been made to the facility’s valve and water processing operations. This will make the works more robust, delivering improved quality drinking water to customers for many years to come.
- Hopes WTW will now deliver improved quality drinking water to around 2,000 customers in the Gifford area of East Lothian. As part of the
- £2 million project the filters treating raw water at the Haddington site have been improved, while a new process tank has also been constructed.
Regional Manager, Craig Lawson is delighted Scottish Water’s 2010 vision for drinking water in Edinburgh and the Lothians is making such significant progress:
“Work to transform Edinburgh’s drinking water is now well and truly underway. Over the next 2 years more than two-thirds of our budget for Edinburgh and the Lothians will be targeted towards providing clearer, fresher drinking water to our customers.
“As well as receiving world class drinking water our customers are experiencing a faster, more efficient response to their problems. The needs of our customers across Edinburgh and the Lothians are uppermost in our minds as we deliver our investment programme.”
