Anglian Water has started work on a major engineering scheme at Rutland Water which the company says carefully balances the demands of water resource management and the environment. 

The £115million project will double the size of Wing water treatment works and includes a new pumping station at Empingham. More than 40 kilometres of new pipes are being laid. to provide water for home users in the region. The scheme will enable Anglian Water to meet increased demand for water in future years by taking up to 90 million extra litres per day from Rutland, which is the company’s largest reservoir.  According to a company spokesman over 100,000 new homes will need to be supplied by Rutland Water as part of the Government's requirement for new housing in the region.

The Rutland Project also includes the creation of new wetland areas and lagoons near Egleton which will have independent water levels, to ensure that the wildlife is not disturbed if the water level in the main body of the reservoir dips. 

Sir David Attenborough dug a turf on the construction site last week to mark the start of the work, and went on to unveil a sculpture and a plaque at the Anglian Water Bird Watching Centre in Egleton. Sir David said:

"Just occasionally there is great news and this is one of those times. This is a marvellous example of how a whole community works together to produce something that benefits the community and the natural world. I have a huge feeling of optimism and joy that there is something happening in a county that I am very fond of. It’s a real joy to be here, with something positive happening: something good and something advancing. It seems to me that everyone here is a winner."