Preparatory works have begun on the first phase of the £120m, 13-mile long drinking water network which is expected to benefit over 200,000 people in Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire.
The improvement works follow on from an announcement by Scottish Water in December 2015 of their intentions to improve the water supply network by installing 30 miles of new water mains to connect the system in Ayrshire with the Greater Glasgow area’s water network.
The new, expanded network will enable Scottish Water to respond more efficiently and effectively to operational problems such as burst water mains, minimising disruption to its customers, and overall providing a better service through a greater security of supply.
Pipes are currently being laid along the route, following 18 months of preparatory work which included the creation of a strip for the water mains to be installed. Contractors are now setting up welding areas and excavating 5 metre trenches prior to using a crane to lower 12m sections of steel pipe in place.
Stewart Davis, Scottish Water's programme manager, said: "We are delighted to have completed all the preparatory work for this section of main and to have started the construction phase.
"This is a major piece of work on the first phase of Scottish Water's overall investment in improvements to connect the system in Ayrshire with the Greater Glasgow area's network.
"We have worked closely with many different stakeholders, including landowners and statutory bodies, and we would like to thank them for their help and co-operation which has enabled us to complete the preparatory work and now move on to the construction phase.
"This involves installing a new water main from Waulkmill Glen reservoir to the Fenwick Waterside area, which we estimate will be completed this autumn."
Construction of the new strategic water main is expected to take four years to complete. Once complete, the investment will enable Scottish Water to transfer water from Ayrshire to Glasgow and vice versa, if required, creating a larger, more robust and connected supply zone.
