Water Boost For Wester Ross Gardens

13-Aug-08

A popular tourist attraction in Wester Ross is thanking Scottish Water for replacing local water mains which had been bursting repeatedly, causing supply interruptions for visitors.

700 metres of old cement water mains in the Poolewe area feeding the famous Inverewe Gardens have been replaced with modern, tough plastic pipes. The £110,000 investment was completed in time for the main tourist season. The new pipes were laid alongside the old ones so that supplies could be maintained while the work was taking place.

The Inverewe investment is part of Scottish Water’s 2010 Vision for the Highlands – a £200million programme of improvements throughout the region. £40million is due to be invested in Wester Ross alone. Customers can find out more and comment on the improvements here: www.scottishwater.co.uk/highlands2010.

The National Trust for Scotland’s property manager at Inverewe Gardens, Roy Dowsett, said: "We are very grateful to Scottish Water for the way that they managed this project. There was minimum disruption for staff and visitors, who are now enjoying the benefits of a reliable water supply."

Scottish Water’s project manager Andy Barnett said: “We’re delighted to have finished this project in good time. It’s an important investment which brings the benefit of more reliable, clear, fresh water supplies to local residents and the many visitors to the area. The old mains were in poor condition and it really didn’t take much to cause a burst. Sometimes those bursts were cutting supplies altogether while on other occasions they were stirring up sediment causing discoloured water. This new infrastructure will also mean that we won’t have to send in staff to do emergency repairs on a regular basis, which is good news for everyone.”

INVESTING IN WESTER ROSS

Other improvements by Scottish Water in Wester Ross include:

• A £15.5million scheme at Aultbea and Mellon Charles to end numerous private discharges of raw or partially-treated sewage into the sensitive shellfish waters of Loch Ewe is ongoing.

• The network of water mains in Aultbea and Mellon Charles is being replaced at the same time to minimise disruption to the communities. This piece of work is worth an additional £700,000.

• Drinking water upgrades have recently been completed at Achnasheen and Kinlochewe.

• And good progress is being made with the new £7million drinking water supply for Ullapool.