NI Water is getting ready to start an essential programme of work in November to safeguard Derry City’s water supply for the next 25 years.
The first phase of improvements will see an innovative wrapping system applied to the Strand Road Trunk Main – the large watermain that crosses the Craigavon Bridge on the city side – to strengthen/reinforce the network.
Speaking about the work, Gary McFadden, NI Water Senior Project Manager said:
“The Strand Road Trunk Main is showing early signs of deterioration and to ensure it can continue to serve customers in Derry/Londonderry, a protective wrap will be applied to the pipeline. This new system will protect against corrosion in a marine/saltwater environment and help ensure the future security of the water supply.
“The process of wrapping the pipe is much less disruptive than replacing the pipe, with only short-term lane closures required to erect and dismantle scaffolding.”
NI Water’s contractor Farrans-Glanua JV will begin erecting scaffolding on the lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge on Monday 10th November 2025. One lane of the Craigavon Bridge, travelling out of the city towards Bridge Street will be closed during off-peak hours (9.30am – 4.30pm) daily for 2-3 weeks to facilitate this. The upper deck of the bridge will remain open at all times. Once the scaffolding and hoarding is safely in place, the lower deck will be reopened and will remain open until the scaffolding needs to be dismantled.
The water company expects the wrapping and other associated works to take around 10 weeks to complete.
Once the Strand Road Trunk Main has been successfully wrapped and protected, a second phase of works will get underway to replace the Corrody to Creggan Trunk Main, located on the opposite side of the bridge. This larger watermain, which supplies drinking water to the Creggan area, has experienced a significant number of bursts in recent times and is currently out of service.
The replacement of this watermain will safeguard the security of supply to almost 35,000 properties in the city. At this stage, Farrans-Glanua JV hope to be able to carry out the pipeline replacement works from a barge anchored on the river. The new pipeline will also be wrapped to protect against the effects of the marine environment and provide further longevity in the system.
A lane closure on the lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge will also be required to erect and dismantle the scaffolding required for these works, which are currently scheduled to get underway in spring 2026.
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
bNovate has launched BactoCloud, a secure cloud-based platform that connects and manages its BactoSense instruments, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of microbial water quality.
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.