City water upgrade completion delayed

THE completion of a £5 million city-wide water network upgrade has been delayed for a second time.

Scottish Water and Caledonia Water Alliance started work on the project in 2016 and it was originally scheduled for completion late last year.

Now, however, it’s been announced that there has been a further delay.

It is expected that the work will not now be completed until “late summer”.

Dundee City Council’s convener of city development Lynne Short said that although it was frustrating, the work had to be carried out and it would be worth it in the end.

Councillor Short said: “Myself and council officers are aware of the delay and we have asked Scottish Water to explain the situation.

“We continue to thank people for their patience and assure them that the work should be completed as soon as possible.

“We are having many miles of very old pipes replaced and in the end we will have a pipe network worthy of our city.”

Some of the city’s pipes had lain untouched for more than a century prior to the work starting.

While the works have been ongoing, many streets have seen closures and disruptions.

Work has so far been completed on more than 50 miles of water mains.

This has led to improvements for more than 15,000 households.

A spokesman for Scottish Water said: “Scottish Water’s £5m mains upgrade across Dundee is expected to be completed by late summer.

“Caledonia Water Alliance, which is our alliance partner carrying out the project on Scottish Water’s behalf, has to date replaced or refurbished more than 80km of mains across the city.

“As the project has progressed, some of the pipework initially earmarked for refurbishment has had to be replaced due to its condition, meaning a knock-on effect on the initial timescales for the job.

“This essential project is being carried out to ensure the people of Dundee can continue to enjoy clear, fresh drinking water long into the future and we thank customers across the city for their patience and understanding as this work continues.”

Roadworks started at Eliza Street in September prior to full closure for Scottish Water network upgrades.