Scottish Water is about to start a project which will provide almost 30,000 people in parts of the East End and south of Glasgow with improved security of supply of drinking water.
The £1.2m capital investment project will upgrade more than two miles of pipes and reduce the risk of bursts and disruption to supply.
About 12,000 people in the Shettleston, Tollcross and Mount Vernon areas will benefit from the investment, along with 11,600 in the Cathcart, Muirend and Newlands areas, 3000 in Bridgeton and Dalmarnock and 1000 in the Denniston area, including London Road and the Gallowgate.
Some customers in these areas - most of whom receive their water supply from the Milngavie Water Treatment Works and some from the Balmore Water Treatment Works - have experienced disruption to their normal supply in the past after bursts on some sections of the mains.
The mains, which on some parts of the network are about 120 years old, will be upgraded on stretches which have been affected by bursts in the past.
Jim Hassan, Scottish Water’s water operations manager, said:
“We are delighted to be starting this key investment which will benefit so many of our customers in these parts of the east and south of Glasgow for many years to come.
“We are well aware of the inconvenience that burst water mains causes and a reduction in the frequency of bursts on our trunk mains will reduce disruption to our customers and road users in the city.
“The investment is also another example of Scottish Water’s commitment to supporting the regeneration of the Glasgow area and to improving our infrastructure in the city as it prepares for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and other major events.”
The work, which will be carried out for Scottish Water by contractors Farrans, is expected to be completed in about a year. The contractors will reline the stretches of mains using the slip-lining method, in which new pieces of pipe are inserted into the existing cast-iron main.
In July Scottish Water started a major £3.5m upgrade of parts of the network of water pipes in Glasgow city centre.
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