The supply of water to communities in north Wiltshire has received a £7 million boost following the completion of a major project now just south of Malmesbury.
Wessex Water teams moved on to a rural water treatment centre near the market town to set about upgrading equipment at the site, helping to safeguard the quality and resilience of the provision to local villages.
The first phase of the project was completed by September 2024, ensuring that local supplies will continue uninterrupted while the upgrade is proceeding. Further improvements to equipment and infrastructure in the area will get under way this summer and continue for the next two years.
Programme manager Kirstie Hearn said: “Wessex Water gets more than 80 per cent of its drinking water from groundwater sources, so centres such as these are important sites within our distribution network in the north of our region.
“The tower there, which along with a service reservoir nearby, receives water from its onsite balancing tank, provides supplies to north Wiltshire communities, including many local towns and villages.
“We planned this scheme carefully to ensure that supply will be maintained to our local customers throughout the two-and-a-half year span of the work.
“This project will allow us to ensure resilient water supply even in the event that one of the water sources needs to be shut down for maintenance or quality issues”
Wessex Water plans to almost double its overall investment to £4.2 billion in the next five years, to address a wide range of issues very important to customers and communities.
These include replacing ageing pipes, building new assets and ensuring security of supply to cope with growing demands of population growth and challenges of climate change.
The company is currently working through the detail of its overall Business Plan between 2025-30 after receiving a final determination of the proposals from industry regulator Ofwat.
Previously unveiled in the plans were moves to safeguard rivers and groundwater sources through demand and leakage reduction work so 16 per cent less water is abstracted from the environment.
Measures in eight priority areas for customers, among providing safe reliable water and sustainable abstraction to ensure we have enough water to meet the needs of people and nature were also part of the plan.
