Scottish Water has completed an environmental improvement scheme in Ayrshire.

The £51m project was carried out in the Irvine and Kilmarnock areas.

The storm water management scheme, which was completed on time and on budget, will substantially improve the water quality in the River Irvine and Kilmarnock Water, as well as the bathing waters of Irvine Bay in the Firth of Clyde.

The project, which commenced almost three years ago, involved the construction of 12 miles of waste water pipeline, three large pumping stations, a 10,000 cubic metre storage tank and several Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).

This new system will allow better control of waste water discharges and substantially reduce unsatisfactory intermittent discharges (UIDs) to the rivers and the Firth of Clyde. It will also help Scottish Water meet stringent European Union Directives, bathing water standards and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulations and will improve the environment and water quality for about 80,000 people who live in the area.

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Officially opening the project, Margaret Burgess, Minister for Housing and Welfare, said: "This investment is great news for Ayrshire and is yet another critical step on the way to ensure that Scottish Water provides one of the best value-for-money water and sewerage packages in the UK."

Geoff Aitkenhead, Scottish Water's Asset Management Director, added: "Completion of this massive scheme, one of the biggest of its kind Scottish Water has ever undertaken, is a milestone for us.

"We are delighted to have delivered this major investment, which will make significant improvements to the natural environment in the area.

"Scottish Water takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and we are continuing to invest substantially across Scotland to safeguard and improve the quality of rivers, burns and coastal waters."

MBV, a joint venture between Morrison Construction and Black & Veatch, carried out the work for Scottish Water.

(JP/IT)