£5m project to help A96 growth and protect the Moray Firth

Scottish Water is encouraging people in the Ardersier area to view plans for a £5million waste water treatment works, which will enable developments at Whiteness and Inverness Airport while protecting the sensitive environment of the Moray Firth.

Joanna Peebles, Scottish Water’s Communities Manager for the Highlands, said: “Now that the developments at Whiteness and Inverness Airport are proceeding and the developers have chosen to send their waste water to our treatment works at Ardersier we are duty bound to upgrade the works. We want to assure the community that the new works we plan to install will be on the current site to the north of the village and it will be screened from view.”

Growing, thriving communities

We are working closely with Highland Council on its A96 Masterplan, which looks decades into the future. Ultimately it is up to developers to decide where they want to send their waste water and when.

We will find a way to accommodate their waste and at the same time protect the environment and take into account community sensitivities. There are various options available to developers looking at the A96 Corridor. At this stage only Whiteness and Inverness Airport are definitely happening so that is what we are focussed on.

The Ardersier project is due to start on site in summer 2009, subject to planning permission, which is due to be submitted Spring 2009. Construction is estimated to take a year and a half with the new works expected to be complete by the end of 2011.

Ardersier Q&A

Why are you building a new treatment works at Ardersier?

Developments are taking place at Inverness Airport and Whiteness. The developers have chosen to send their waste water to our treatment works to the north of Ardersier and we are obliged to provide the capacity.

To make sure there is enough capacity and a high level of treatment to protect the environment we want to build a replacement works on the existing site. This will be good for the Highland economy and water quality in the Moray Firth.

Why can’t it be somewhere else?

Various options were looked at and the view of lots of different bodies, including our environmental regulator SEPA, is that it makes sense to use the existing site rather than create a new one. For example, Inverness Airport already drains to the Ardersier works so it makes sense to use the existing infrastructure.

The works is in a good location, away from the village and hidden from view by trees and gorse. We own a large expanse of land between the works and the outskirts of the village so the new works will still be hidden and will not encroach on the village – in fact it will be slightly further away.

Will the extra sewage it treats have an impact on the environment?

No. In fact the new works will provide a higher level of treatment to enhance the environment of the Moray Firth and sensitive wildlife it supports.

Will a larger works mean more traffic going through Ardersier?

At the moment a lorry visits the Ardersier works up to three times a week to take away solid waste material for specialist treatment. We expect that by the time the new works is running at full capacity – likely to be beyond 2011 – the lorry will need to visit up to five times a week, so only a very small increase and using a main road already used by buses and military vehicles heading to and from Fort George.

What about future developments proposed for the A96 Corridor such as Tornagrain?

The £5m project we’re proposing is driven by the imminent developments at Inverness Airport and Whiteness. Other A96 Corridor developments are longer-term. It will be up to the developers how they want to deal with their waste water. If such developments gain planning permission we are happy to discuss timescales and options with the developers but for now Scottish Water’s focus must be to provide capacity for Inverness Airport and Whiteness.

There is a large expanse of land between the site and the outskirts of the village of Ardersier so even if there were future expansion it would still not encroach on the community.