Scottish Water is starting work on a £12.5 million refurbishment of part of the Katrine Aqueduct which takes water to treatment works that supply 1.3 million people in Glasgow and west central Scotland.
Built in the Victorian era and officially opened by Queen Victoria almost 160 years ago in October 1859, the aqueduct continues in full use to this day.
The aqueduct scheme, comprising two aqueducts, takes water by gravity from Loch Katrine to the Milngavie and Balmore water treatment works before it is distributed to customers across a large swathe of Glasgow and west central Scotland.
The first aqueduct includes tunnels through mountainous terrain in the shadow of Ben Lomond and bridges over the valleys. The second aqueduct was constructed to accommodate the rapid expansion of Glasgow in the late 19th century. The two are as much as six miles apart on some stretches.
Recently-discovered Victorian photographs showing the construction of parts of one of Scotland’s most important pieces of infrastructure are providing a fascinating insight into the mega-structure for the engineers starting work on the multi-million pound refurbishment project.
The fragile glass photograph slides were found by Steven Walker, a leakage field technician with Scottish Water who discovered the photographs with a colleague when the utility was closing one of its offices.
The slides, which cover the construction of mainly the second aqueduct, include remarkable images of pioneers boring through rocky mountainsides with drills during the construction of the 23.5mile-long second aqueduct which began in 1885 and was completed in 1901.
In the construction of the second aqueduct, the engineers were able to take a more direct line because they had available improved boring and blasting equipment.
The possession of more efficient plant enabled the engineers, by tunnelling, to take a straighter line through the hills in the construction of the second aqueduct. This meant only eight bridges were required on the second aqueduct compared with 22 on the first.
The entire Katrine Aqueduct scheme cost £3.2 million to build - about £320 million in today’s prices.
The current refurbishment project on the Katrine Aqueduct is expected to be completed in 2020 and is being carried out for Scottish Water by contractors George Leslie. It includes structural repairs of three stretches of tunnel and a bridge, improvements to the lining of tunnels and repairs and refurbishments of control valves.
The entire length of the second aqueduct and the entire length of the first will be closed at different times during the project to enable the work to progress.
However, through the use of cross-connections in the system and by pumping from elsewhere on the network, Scottish Water will be able to maintain normal water supplies to customers during the project.
Ray Moulds, Sales Director at Flood Control International, takes a look at how automated sliding floodgates are supporting secondary containment at water and sewerage company sites.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.