New £14 million water main to be laid from Buckland to Outwood (From Redhill And Reigate Life)

New £14 million water main to be laid from Buckland to Outwood

8:12pm Monday 14th January 2013 in News

A new and “essential” £14 million water main is to be laid from Outwood to Buckland this year.

Sutton and East Surrey Water this week unveiled its plans, saying the scheme to build the strategic water main from this spring aims to help ensure water supplies for existing and future customers throughout its supply area.

Most of the 10.5-mile or 17km pipeline will be laid in open country and farmland between the company’s Outwood reservoir and Buckland pumping station.

It will run under two railway lines at Buckland and Salfords, and will cross beneath three A roads.

Residents living near the scheme are being warned the work could cause some inconvenience.

The company has announced it will be holding three community drop-in information events this month, to ensure residents near the route can find out more about the project.

Those attending will be able to look at localised plans with members of the project team, and ask questions. The drop-ins will be held at Salfords Village Hall in Honeycrock Lane, Salfords, next Tuesday (January 22) from 10am to 8pm, in The Reading Room, Old Road, Buckland, next Wednesday (January 23) from 10am to 9pm, and in Lloyd Hall, Brickfield Road, Outwood, on Monday, January 28, from 1pm to 9pm.

A statement from Sutton and East Surrey Water said: “This important project will provide greater flexibility and resilience within the company’s distribution network, particularly during periods of low rainfall and drought. “It will also provide extra capacity to meet expected growth in customer numbers as the local population increases.”

The pipeline will measure 800mm or 32in in diameter.

Civil engineering contractor Clancy Docwra has been appointed as construction partner for the project. The company has many years of experience working with Sutton and East Surrey Water.

The water company said detailed assessments of the proposed pipeline route have been undertaken and environmental management measures agreed with relevant stakeholders. The main-laying is expected to start this spring, following preparatory work.

Kevin Shilling, Sutton and East Surrey Water project manager, said: “We are conscious that this essential main laying may cause some inconvenience to those living nearby, especially where traffic management is required.”

He said: “We will try to limit this as much as we can by continuing to work closely with Surrey County Council’s highways team and our project contractors, Clancy Docwra.”

The water company has said it will provide regular project updates on a dedicated news page on its website at: www.waterplc.com Sutton and East Surrey Water supplies water to more than 655,000 people in East Surrey and parts of West Sussex, West Kent and South London. Its supply area is 322 square miles or 835 sq km and stretches from Morden and South Croydon in the north to Gatwick Airport in the south, and from Cobham, Leatherhead and Dorking in the west to Edenbridge and Bough Beech in the east. Groundwater supplies provide 85% of its water, with 15% being extracted from one reservoir at Bough Beech, near Edenbridge in Kent. Website: www.waterplc.com