Scottish Water is unveiling preliminary plans for a new multi-million pound drinking water treatment works that will use water from Loch Maree at an Information Day next week. The plan is to site the new water treatment works on an existing industrial site at Poolewe  which will be screened from view. A pumping station required at Loch Maree which requires a small building near the River Ewe will also be screened from view.

Kevin McCreath, Scottish Water’s planning manager for the Highlands, said:

“At the moment we can’t promise any new connections to the Inverasdale-Poolewe supply. Scottish Water will continue to work with SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) to seek a pragmatic resolution to this issue. Interim mitigations may be able to be agreed with SEPA to unlock development as timescale for delivery of the Loch Maree project becomes clearer. Investigations show Loch Maree to be the most sustainable source and Scottish Water is committed to developing this project in agreement with our regulators for the benefit of the Wester Ross communities.”

Joanna Peebles, Scottish Water’s communities manager for Wester Ross, said:

“There has been a lot of interest among the communities in our plans so it’s great to have reached the stage where we can present some details. A new water supply is needed in the area to help development but it has taken time to reach this stage due to the very sensitive environment of Wester Ross and the amount of investment required. The project team has already been liaising with relevant bodies and interested parties and hopes to submit a planning application in the coming weeks.”