Engineers are inviting Cumbrian residents to have a look at plans for the next phase of the county’s £300m water pipeline scheme.
As the third year of construction starts, water company United Utilities laying on a series of community drop-in exhibitions.
The exhibitions will be held between 3pm-7pm at the following venues:
- Monday 4 March – Brigham Memorial Hall, High Brigham, Cockermouth, CA13 0TJ
- Wednesday 6 March – The Skiddaw Hotel, 31 Main Street, Keswick, CA12 5BN
- Monday 11 March – Kirkgate Arts Centre, Cockermouth, CA13 9PJ
- Tuesday 12 March – Thirlmere Recreation Hall, Stanah Lane, Thirlmere, Keswick CA12 4TW
- Thursday 14 March – Ennerdale Brewery, Chapel Row, Rowrah, CA26 3XS
Residents will be able to meet the project team, view the plans and discuss any questions or concerns they may have.
Project Director John Hilton said: “It’s been another year of good progress. We’ve started work on our new service reservoirs at High Leys and Moota Hill and the civils work are progressing well at the new treatment works in Williamsgate. Two of the five tunnels we need are complete and we’re looking forward to starting to re-instate the countryside to its original beauty.
“We’re conscious that a project of this size and scale has an impact on local communities and we’d like to thank people for bearing with us. That’s why we’re keen to give people as much information as possible, listen to their feedback and do all we can to work with local people and ease disruption as much as we can.”
The coming year will see more sections of pipeline being laid and work will start on the last of the project’s five tunnels. The final tunnel will be under the River Derwent near Cockermouth.
The West Cumbria Supplies Project will bring more reliable and sustainable water supplies into Allerdale and Copeland, by linking the area to Thirlmere Reservoir.
It involves 100km of new and refurbished pipeline, a new treatment plant at Williamsgate, two new pumping stations and two new service reservoirs. The project started in Spring 2017 and will be completed by 2022.
United Utilities also holds a regular drop-in session for the public every Thursday between 10am and 3pm, at the Visitor Centre at 32 Lake Road, Keswick, CA12 5DQ.