Taps are turned on at new £5m water treatment plant
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A new £5 million state-of-the-art water treatment works is now serving residents in Tomatin and Moy.
While the civil engineering works were progressing on site, the new plant was being assembled and commissioned at RSE – Ross-shire Engineering’s Water Technologies Centre in Muir of Ord.
It was then divided into modules for the short journey down the A9 and reassembled at its long-term home near the Findhorn Bridge at the southern entrance to Tomatin.
The plant is supplied from a borehole nearby, and produces drinking water for around 600 homes and businesses.
Mark Noble, from Scottish Water’s local water operations team, said: “The new works is a lot more modern than its predecessor which was built in the mid-1980s.
“The technology we have now uses a much more robust filtration process to make sure customers get a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water, with reduced need for unplanned attendance by our team.
“An investment of this scale has been a few years in the making, but all the preparation meant that the whole process went very smoothly, even with the significant challenges presented by the pandemic.
“The project’s completion ensures we can continue to provide our customers in Strathdearn with clear, fresh and great-tasting drinking water for many years to come, while also being better able to support growth in the local area.”
The plant was delivered by Scottish Water’s alliance partner Efficient Service Delivery (ESD) who worked closely with the Highland-based engineering specialists RSE.
ESD’s project manager, Callum Wardrop, said: “I would like to thank the local community for all their input, patience, and support from the early stages of our work and throughout the construction phase.
“Our whole team has worked hard to deliver what is an essential investment for the local area’s future while keeping disruption to a minimum.
“The approach that we used has been developed and refined by Scottish Water and RSE over the years in response to the needs of rural communities.
“Now that the new water treatment works is supplying customers successfully, we are completing final reinstatement and landscaping work before the site is formally handed over to Scottish Water.”
