Scottish Water hopes to shortly re-start on £2.5m Dalwhinnie water supply project
Scottish Water has said it hopes to soon be able to press on with work for a new £2.5 million wastewater treatment works for Dalwhinnie that has come to a halt due to the Covid-19 lockdown
It comes as the utility giant has just lodged an application with Highland Council’s planning service to revise part of the firm’s project for a new and improved water supply for the village.
The proposed facility will have the capacity to produce up to 200,000 litres of drinking water per day and will be supplied by raw water from the River Trium via four new boreholes.
These will replace the existing ones supplying the village which are reaching the end of their lifespan, and will guarantee a ‘secure and consistent water supply’ for Dalwhinnie.
The current works have been deemed 'deficit' by the water company.
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Following earlier engagement with the community, work began last year to deliver a £2.5 million project to renew Dalwhinnie’s key water infrastructure.
“As part of this work, two new boreholes were originally installed to supply the replacement water treatment works that is planned for the village.
“In order to achieve sufficient yield to meet the community’s needs, the design has been amended to include two additional boreholes and this is reflected in the revised planning application.
“Responding to the public health guidance from the Scottish Government, construction activity across Scottish Water’s investment programme was temporarily paused last month including at the new water treatment works site in Dalwhinnie.
“Our programme is currently being reviewed to enable projects which are crucial to maintaining essential services for customers to be resumed, with appropriate safeguards in place to minimise health risk for our team and local communities.”
Scottish Water said that a trial revealed that the proposed two boreholes did not give the required yield for the village especially at peak times for tourism.
The new planning application is for the installation of an access track to service water supply boreholes with borehole chamber covers, localised ground re-profiling and the erection of stock proof fencing on land to the east of Dalwhinnie.
If approved, it will overtake the smaller scale plans using two boreholes that had been approved by Highland Council in February, last year.
