Scottish Water's largest-ever water infrastructure investment, valued at £235 million, has been completed, significantly enhancing the supply security and operational resilience for nearly one million customers across the west of Scotland.

The project establishes a crucial two-way connection between the drinking water networks serving the Greater Glasgow area, Ayrshire, and East Renfrewshire.

The major construction work involved several phases, including the installation of approximately 37.5 miles of new strategic water mains and the building of a major new pumping station in Glasgow. The new connected system is now capable of transferring tens of millions of litres of water in either direction, substantially minimising the impact on customers in the event of major incidents, such as a burst trunk water main.

Key elements of the extensive construction programme, which was delivered for Scottish Water by its alliance partners, Caledonia Water Alliance, included:

–New Pumping Station: Construction of a new pumping station on Broomloan Road in Ibrox, near the football stadium. This station is designed to push water south towards Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire.

–Glasgow Mains Installation: The final phase in Glasgow, which commenced in 2021, involved the installation of almost eight miles (7.5 miles) of new water mains, running from Ibrox to a reservoir storage tank in the Parkhouse/Darnley area. This phase included the complex construction of four tunnels, one of which passed under the M8 motorway and the Glasgow-Ayr railway line.

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–Ayrshire Mains Installation: Earlier phases saw the construction of about 30 miles of new strategic water mains across Ayrshire, including sections over Fenwick Moor. Notably, construction involved diverting a short stretch of the Craufurdland Water near Kilmarnock in 2017 to enable the water main to be installed beneath the river bed.

The completed project connects the Milngavie Water Treatment Works (WTW) system, which serves over 700,000 people in Greater Glasgow, with the Bradan WTW system, which supplies more than 200,000 customers across Ayrshire. The overall network now stretches almost 100 miles, from Loch Bradan in South Ayrshire to Loch Katrine in west Stirlingshire.

Rob Mustard, Scottish Water's Director of Capital Investment, commented on the significance of the project: "This is a massive boost for the west of Scotland. It means the water network is more robust, enabling more secure delivery of tens of millions of litres of drinking water to homes.

"It allows us to respond more quickly to operational issues such as mains bursts, ensuring people continue to have access to Scotland's world-class drinking water when they need it."

The construction also incorporated innovation and net zero principles. The investment used innovative construction materials to reduce carbon emissions and power requirements. A solar project included the installation of 793 roof and ground mounted solar panels at the Parkhouse/Darnley pumping station and a neighbouring tank, which will help save 78 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year. Additionally, the new mains utilise gravity to achieve a 60% reduction in power use.

Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin welcomed the delivery: "This investment by Scottish Water in the water networks in the west of Scotland is essential to increase resilience, ensuring Scottish Water can respond quickly to any unforeseen events and continue to supply its customers with high quality drinking water.

"It is good example of why this government is committed to the public ownership of our water industry – as all profits go back into improving the service for customers, never to shareholders."

Mr Mustard concluded: "We have significantly improved and future-proofed services for customers and this aligns with Scottish Water's Long-Term Strategy which sets out a comprehensive approach that aims to ensure the country's water and waste water services remain sustainable, resilient and affordable into the future."