Moray 2010

£7.5m boost for Moray from Scottish Water Vision

We are continuing £23million campaign of improvements across the region.

Figures show that in the past year Scottish Water has invested £7.5million in Moray as it upgrades drinking water supplies, makes environmental improvements, supports development and works with the local authority on the important issue of flooding.

Steve Scott, Scottish Water’s Communities Manager for Moray, said:

During 2008 we’ve worked with local communities throughout Moray to explain the benefits of what we’re doing. For example, we carried out a major water mains replacement project in the popular seaside village of Findhorn to address a history of bursts and supply interruptions.

We were working in narrow streets but by planning the work carefully and taking on board local views we kept disruption to a minimum and the community now has a much more reliable supply.

Investment to date

Badentinan

A £7million expansion and upgrade of the drinking water production plant near Rothes is well underway and is due for completion in the spring of 2009. It will improve the quality of the supply which feeds major communities including Elgin and Lossiemouth. The plant uses deep boreholes to tap into a vast geological reservoir beneath the Spey Valley.

Dufftown

A £700,000 upgrade of the town’s waste water treatment works will protect the local environment. Work began at the end of 2007 and is nearing completion.

Findhorn

4.5 kilometres of water mains were replaced in the village at a cost of £600,000. Work was completed in time for the summer visitor season.

Glenlatterach

A £1.5million upgrade of the drinking water production plant in the hills south of Elgin is due to get underway in the coming weeks with a view to being complete in 2010. The plant supplies communities including Elgin, Forres and Findhorn. Over £700,000 of improvements has already been carried out, to improve the capacity of the system, ensuring plentiful supplies for new developments in the Elgin area.

Herricks

A £1.5million upgrade of the drinking water production plant that supplies Keith and the surrounding area is nearing completion. A further £495,000 is being invested in improvements to the raw water pumping station at Davidston Dam.

Keith

A £975,000 upgrade of the town’s waste water treatment works, which handles materials including whisky distillery effluent, is nearing completion. This will protect the important environment of the River Isla.

Kinloss

Design work is continuing on a project to protect the sensitive environment of Findhorn Bay while accommodating developments in the area. It is likely to involve transferring waste water from Kinloss to Forres for improved treatment. Improvements will need to be made in the Forres area to reduce the amount of surface water entering the sewer system.

Rafford

A £220,000 project to replace 100 year old cast iron water mains in this village near Forres is almost complete. Residents will soon be benefiting from clearer, fresher drinking water.

Rochomie

A £1.5million package of improvements at this drinking water production plant near Buckie is underway. Work is due to be complete in the summer of 2009. It will ensure clear, fresh supplies for local customers. The plant uses water from boreholes south of Fochabers.

Whisky buff raises a glass to the benefits of our vision for Moray

Whisky buff Tom Morton has seen for himself the clear benefits of Scottish Water’s 2010 Tom Morton raises a glass of clear water Vision for Moray – a massive programme of improvements providing clearer, fresher drinking water, a cleaner environment and more capacity to enable development.

Amount invested

£23million is expected to be invested in Moray by 2010. Since April 2007 almost £7million has been invested with a further £13million expected to be delivered by April 2009.

Across the region drinking water and waste water treatment works are being upgraded, water mains and sewers are being replaced and extra capacity is being added to accommodate development. Scottish Water has also been working closely with Moray Council on the important issue of flooding.

Clearer, fresher drinking water for Whisky county

Moray is home to more than half of Scotland’s distilleries. Dram expert Tom Morton, broadcaster and author of the bestselling ‘Spirit of Adventure - A Journey Beyond the Whisky Trails’, is raising a toast to clearer, fresher drinking water for Scotland’s malt whisky country.

Following a recent visit to the £7.1million upgrade of Badentinan water treatment works near Rothes, Tom said:

"It was delightful to taste the water that goes to make some of my favourite Speyside malt whiskies and to find out that the gravel it comes from, deep below the River Spey, provides some of the most naturally pure water in the world.”

Tom added: “It was great to see too that Scottish Water continues to invest in a new filtration plant to ensure that the tap water on Speyside is the best you could hope to taste."