Clearer, Fresher Water For Achnasheen

29-Jul-08

Residents of and visitors to the scenic Ross-shire village of Achnasheen are enjoying clearer, fresher drinking water thanks to a £307,000 investment by Scottish Water.

Work to upgrade the local water treatment works has now been completed. The plant supplies around 30 properties.

The investment is part of Scottish Water’s 2010 Vision for the Highlands – a £200million programme of improvements throughout the region providing more reliable supplies of clearer, fresher drinking water, enabling development and protecting the environment. Customers can find out more and comment on the improvements by visiting a special website: www.scottishwater.co.uk/highlands2010.

“NO ACCESS TRACK SO WE HAD TO USE QUAD BIKES”

The project at Achnasheen involved upgrading the water treatment works, which lies just to the north of the village next to the footpath to the Munro, Fionn Bheinn. New equipment has been installed that will more effectively control chlorine levels in the water. It will mean that customers’ tap water will now have a more consistent taste and odour. Modifications have also been made to the water storage tank to bring it up to standard.

Project Manager Stephen Bunn of Scottish Water Solutions said: “The modifications we made to the clear water tank on the hill above the water treatment works were complicated because there is no access track and we had to use quad bikes to transport men and equipment to the site. Also, we had to shut down the treatment works for a week while we commissioned the new process. During this time, tankers were brought in daily in order to ensure that water supplies were not interrupted.”

Joanna Peebles, Scottish Water’s Communities Manager for the Highlands, said: “Achnasheen is a popular stopping off point for motorists heading for the west coast and has a station on the scenic railway line to Kyle. The investment we have made in this rural community benefits local people and the important visitor economy.”