Dee Valley Water is starting a £14 million programme to secure and improve the quality and resilience of the water supply for more than 43,000 customers in Wrexham and the surrounding areas.
The water company has implemented the scheme to reduce the occasional discolouration problems experienced by some customers supplied by the company’s Legacy water treatment works located on the outskirts of Wrexham.
Risks to supply and quality were identified at the works which led to a notice being agreed with the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Company’s regulator with responsibility for drinking water quality, to rebuild the treatment works and subsequently remove the issue of manganese associated with the treatment process at these works. The work was included in the Company’s AMP6 Business plan at a cost of £17 million.
However, a review of the initial plan in light of the outcomes based approach has allowed a better option to be developed. Rather than rebuilding Legacy treatment works, a decision was taken to utilise the high quality water from the recently rebuilt Llwyn Onn treatment works and to strengthen network connectivity.
The new plan will achieve the original outcome but also deliver a system that is more resilient than the current network configuration, allowing for greater operational flexibility, improved availability of treatment works and at a lower cost to customers - estimated to be £14 million.
The new project requires an 8.5km trunk main to connect the Legacy and Llwyn Onn networks. The installation of new connections to neighbouring water companies and the requirements to put new pumping stations in place will allow greater transfers of water within the system and from bulk imports.
CEO, Ian Plenderleith said:
“We have worked closely with our stakeholders and Customer Challenge Group to ensure that the alternative plan offered a better solution to our customers and we thank them for their support in this process. Overall the plan forms part of our longer term vision of a simpler, high quality, reliable supply for our local customers.”
The works have now commenced and will run through to late December 2017 where the new 600mm trunk main will be laid using traditional open trench work. The new main will mostly be laid across fields, including areas of scientific interest and land owned by the National Trust.
Following completion of the scheme, one of Dee Valley Water’s largest to date, the company will be better able to utilise its raw water reservoir sources. It will also reduce the need to pump water from the River Dee.
“Customers will benefit from a more reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly scheme which will provide a higher quality water supply at a reduced cost. Long term, this should result in lower bills for our customers,” Ian Plenderleith added.
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