Anglian Water engineers have completed work on a £9million scheme in Ludham, Norfolk, UK that will maintain water supplies to 3,000 homes while protecting the precious environment of Catfield Fen.
Previously, the public water supply for the area came from a borehole near to Ludham itself. However, to help protect the surrounding environment, which is a renowned Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and part of the Norfolk Broads, Anglian Water will stop taking water from this groundwater source now the work is complete.
Instead, the company will move water via a new 3km pipeline which connects Ludham to Horstead Water Tower. Ultimately, the water in the tower comes from one of the company’s main treatment centres at Heigham in Norwich. A new booster station and additional water storage facility at Horstead will pump water directly to customers’ taps.
Anglian Water’s Regional Water Resources Manager, Sarah Underhill said: “We face some unique challenges in the Anglian Water region. We operate in the driest part of the country, receiving only two thirds of UK average rainfall. This is also one of the fasting growing in terms of population and home to over 100 environmentally important areas that are internationally recognised. All of which puts significant pressure on the water resources we have available now and for the future.
“Our role as a water company is to carefully manage our customers’ demand for water and the needs of the wider environment simultaneously. We work closely with the Environment Agency to review our abstraction licences to ensure we continue to strike that fine balance.
“Between now and 2025 we have agreed to reduce the amount of water we take from the environment by 84 million litres a day. This pipeline project at Ludham is one of the first schemes to be implemented to fulfil this commitment.
“The new pipeline means we can turn off our groundwater abstraction at Ludham. This will protect the environment in a much loved, unique part of our region whilst keeping taps running for thousands of nearby homes for years to come.”
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