Boost to help clean water
Scottish Water say they plan to invest in upgrading treatment processes to prevent recurrences of manganese entering its network and leading to discolouration of water supplies.
Householders across Lanarkshire complained of having “filthy” water coming out of their taps during September and October last year, caused by the naturally-occurring substance and plunging reservoir levels.
The utility company says further investment is also needed to meet growing challenges stemming from increasingly extreme weather such as the impact of record-breaking hot temperatures, dry spells, storms and resultant flooding; which is likely to “impact on customer charges”.
Scottish Water called the six months from April to September 2021, covered in its newlypublished interim performance and prospects report, “one of the most challenging and extraordinary periods” it has encountered.
It notes that “major investment is needed to transform the way [the provider] operates to ensure customers continue to receive the standard of service they expect”, and “estimates it needs to double investment in the next 20 years to replace ageing assets and tackle climate change impacts”.
The report noted that last summer’s extended hot and dry weather led to a 40 per cent increase in demand, requiring an extra million litres per day compared to normal; while intense storms caused “localised customer flooding and pollution events”.
Chief executive Douglas Millican said: “With my 25 years of experience in the water sector, I can honestly say the last few months have been truly extraordinary.
“The dominant issue of the past six months for us has been the weather – it was a period of recordbreaking extremes that severely tested our assets, networks and teams across the country and has had an inevitable impact on our customers and the environment.
“We need to invest more – and more quickly – to replace our ageing infrastructure and make our assets more resilient to our changing climate.”
As Scottish Water warns that similar climate-related events are likely to increase in frequency, the company is working on projects such as redesigned environmental features to hold more rainwater during heavy downpours plus new ways to meet high demand for water during long spells of hot weather.
Mr Millican said: “We have a bold ambition to transform what we do to provide water and wastewater services, and we are seeing shifts in the expectations of customers, and communities that will require their continued support and time to fulfil. “In some instances this will mean the help of communities – including reducing their water consumption.”