Over 25km of some of the oldest water pipes in the region are set to be replaced or strengthened as Yorkshire Water launches into £3.5 million project to further improve drinking water pipes and reduce leakage in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon.
From Monday 15 August, contractors Morrisons Utilities will begin work on the project which is being done not only to boost the quality and security of water supplies, but also to boost the resilience of the company’s water pipes and further reduce any leakage.
More than 10km of pipe will be replaced and 6km relined in Harrogate and Knaresborough, whilst in Ripon approximately 9km will be replaced, with the eight month long project expected to be complete by March 2012.
John Bond of Yorkshire Water’s community engagement team comments:
This project highlights our commitment to reducing bursts and leakage in North Yorkshire where we know we have some of the oldest pipes in the region, and improving the reliability of water supplies to our customers in the area.
Of course, we recognise that any work on such a major level is always likely to cause some disruption to road users and local residents, and we want to reassure them that we’ll be doing everything possible to minimise any inconvenience to them and carry out the work as swiftly as possible.
This latest project is part of the company’s ongoing £39 million investment to improve the resilience of its 32,000km network of water pipes in order to reduce bursts and ensure it’s pipes are more robust to deal with temperature extremes.
Last month, the company began a £13 million project to replace more than 100kms of underground cast iron water pipes in Leeds, some of which are more than 100 years old, replaced with brand new plastic versions.
Not only is the company lowering the average age of the water pipe network in key areas such as Leeds but it is also installing technology along its underground network which sends frequent information to the control centre detailing what is happening inside the pipes, rapidly alerting the company to any changes in pressure that might result from a burst. It has also increased the number of employees out searching for and repairing bursts on its pipes and is speeding up the process through the introduction of GPS technology.
The company has also pledged to continue to work closely with local residents to ensure there is an effective and open dialogue around the scheme and its progress. Yorkshire Water will be giving away water saving devices such as flush savers for toilet cisterns to help encourage customers to play their part in conserving precious water resources.
The company has confirmed that at no stage will it need access to customers’ properties with the message reiterated for local residents to be on their guard for bogus callers.
For more information on the project, customers can visit www.yorkshirewater.com/leakage or follow progress on Twitter @yorkshirewater.
