Bristol Water has completed a £3.5 million scheme to replace a 70 year old leaking water main in Somerset that supplies the village of Priddy in the Mendip Hills.

Work began in September 2023 work to replace the existing pipeline was over 70 years old and was losing a substantial amount of water to leaks.

The scheme, which involved digging up 18 km of pipework through the Somerset countryside, some of which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, required a significant amount of planning to minimise disruption and damage to the environment.

This included:

Careful planning

By surveying the old pipes and eliminating redundant sections, the water company was able to reduce the amount of pipework that needed to be replaced from 18 to 12 km – that meant a third less digging, disruption and costs.

Minimising disruption.

The top priority was to minimise the impact on local people during the work - if the water had to be turned off, the utility used a temporary overground pipeline and tankers pumping directly into the system, to provide a continuous supply.

Reducing damage to the countryside

To reduce digging Bristol Water utilised the latest trenchless installation technologies, including pipe bursting, directional drilling and slip lining. Pipe bursting is a way of laying new pipes, without having to dig up the old ones. The existing pipe is exposed every 200 metres and a machine pushes through the old pipe, smashing it apart and creating a larger tunnel for the new pipe to be pulled through. Over 2 km of new pipework were installed using this method.The combined methods massively reduced the amount of open trenches that required excavating – phase 2 of the project was completed using 92% trenchless technology.

The work was completed in October 2024 - the new pipe should last for another hundred years.