Water investment has clear benefits for Harris

The Harris community of Tarbert is set to benefit from a fresh investment from Scottish Water.

Over the coming months old cement water mains are to be replaced with tough but flexible plastic pipes. This will reduce the number of supply interruptions caused by bursts and ensure supplies remain clear and fresh.

This adds to Scottish Water’s earlier investment in the Tarbert area. During 2007/8 21 kilometres of pipes were replaced and earlier this year a new water treatment works, worth £1.6million, was put into operation, ensuring supplies are treated to the latest standards.

Work on the water mains, worth £530,000, is due to start in the coming days and is expected to be complete by February.

“Reliable network”

Malcolm McPhail, Scottish Water Asset Planner for the Western Isles, said: “Our customers in the Tarbert area have been very patient and I’d like to thank them for bearing with us. Last year we put in place some temporary measures while we drew up plans for a permanent solution and it’s great to be starting that work now. The result will be a reliable water network for the community for many years to come.”

Project Manager Jimmy Ferguson of Scottish Water’s Capital Investment Delivery team said: “We’ll replace a total of nine kilometres of old cement water mains between Carragraich and Tarbert with tough but flexible plastic pipes. This will improve the service the customers receive by reducing bursts and interruptions and will help maintain the high quality of the supply. We’ll do our best to minimise disruption during the work.”

“Pipes dating from 1950S”

Last year there were repeated interruptions for customers in the Tarbert area due to the fragile condition of the old water mains dating from the 1950s and 60s. As a temporary measure Scottish Water installed a pressure reducing valve on the system to improve the flow in the Ardhasaig area, to the west of Tarbert, along with an overland link pipe.

Scottish Water’s leakage team has also reduced the amount of water lost from the Tarbert system by finding and fixing a number of leaks on service pipes to customers’ properties, and at Scalpay Pier.

During 2007/8 Scottish Water invested £1.6million in the Tarbert area upgrading the local water treatment works to safeguard the quality of the drinking water, and replacing sections of water mains that had been causing supply interruptions.

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