Scottish Water connects Kilmodan in Cowal – but has it actually apologised to Campbeltown yet?
published this on 9:11 am, Thursday, 28th May, 2009Community News| Water | Comments (rss) | Respond | Ping |
Over 20 homes in the Kilmodan area now have mains water. They have been connected to Scottish Water’s network following the completion of a project which has improved security of supply and water pressure.
The 20 properties were previously served by a private water supply but are now connected to an 11km stretch of main that was installed from the Colintraive area to Glendaruel school about two years ago.
The project - carried out by contractors GMJV and sub-contractors PMK with additional support provided by local company, Stewart Shaw Ltd for Scottish Water Solutions – began in late March and is now onstream, so to speak.
Scottish Water’s acting Regional Manager,Stephen Griffen, says: ‘We are delighted to have completed this project and to have these new customers enjoying the benefits of being on our network. Connecting to our network has future-proofed their water supply and allowed them to enjoy our first-class service which is guaranteed and regulated, provides better water pressure and requires less maintenance’.
The water being supplied to Scottish Water’s new customers in Kilmodan is supplied from Dhu Loch on the Isle of Bute via an under-sea pipe to a service reservoir near Colintraive before it reaches the Colintraive, Kilmodan and Glendaruel areas.
The work in Kilmodan was completed with minimal disruption to the local water supply and no disruption to traffic. It required some excavation of roads and land for the installation of pipes and the installation of pressure regulating valves and non-return valves in each of the properties connected.
Mr Hal Dickson (pictured below), one of the Kilmodan residents who has been connected to the Scottish Water network, says: ‘We are very pleased that our property is now connected to Scottish Water’s system’.
And in a major score for Scottish Water, Michael Russell, Culture Minister and MSP for Dumfries and Galloway but a long standing Kilmodan resident and who is now also connected to the news system, adds: ‘I was very impressed with the performance of the contractors and Scottish Water in completing this project on time and with minimal disruption to those affected’.
Scottish Water Solutions is a joint venture of utility companies and contractors set up by Scottish Water in 2003 to manage and deliver the majority of its Capital Investment Programmes.
It brings together 8 companies and is one of the biggest partnerships of its kind. It claims to bring a commercial approach to delivering publicly funded projects in the water sector – a statement which could be interpreted in several ways were it not for the qualifying additional remark: ‘ensuring value for money for Scottish Water’s five million customers’.
Scottish Water owns 51% of the shares and retains overall responsibility for delivery of its Capital Investment Programmes.
Scottish Water was, as For Argyll reported, recently ordered by Waterwatch Scotland to issue a ‘full and unequivocal apology’ for its failure to deal with problems at the Campbeltown water treatment works and for what Waterwatch called the ‘unacceptable’ number and duration of sewage flooding incidents and spills that the town has had to endure.
Scottish Water issued an immediate statement which could not be read as the ‘full and uequivocal apology’ required. We hae asked Scottish Water if this has in fact been done and will report.
The photograph above shows, from left: James Green, the site agent; Mr and Mrs Dickson (customers); Fran Millar, Scottish Water’s project communications; and James Martin, Scottish Water bylaws manager.
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