Our Services

Our cleaning and maintainance programme

Cleaning and maintaining our big water pipes

As part of our on-going investment in the North West's water network, we are about to undertake an eight-year cleaning and maintenance programme that will improve even further the region's drinking water quality. From 2006-2014 we are targeting our largest and most important water mains and aqueducts which between them supply drinking water to five million customers every day.

• We are cleaning and refurbishing our largest water mains measuring a total of 619km
• We are inspecting and repairing our major aqueducts measuring a total of 235km
• We are investing £356 million in the clean-up and maintenance of both the mains and aqueducts
• The programme will benefit over 5 million customers throughout the North West, leading to a reduction in discoloured water and improved water quality

It is a massive undertaking and one which has never been attempted within the water industry on this scale before.  As the work involves cleaning the inside of our largest pipes, there is a risk that our customers may experience some disruption to their water supply during the programme.  However, we will do whatever we can to minimise any disruption and will always try to give customers prior warning if their water supply is to be affected.

Our cleaning and maintenance programme is split into two elements:

• inspecting and repairing our most important aqueducts; and
• cleaning and refurbishing our largest water mains

Inspecting and repairing our aqueducts

Both the Thirlmere and Haweswater Aqueducts are each over 100km long and transport water from the Lake District to our customers in Manchester and the surrounding area.

The Thirlmere Aqueduct was built over 100 years ago and is a monument to Victorian engineering.  There are no pumps used on this aqueduct - gravity transports 220 million litres of water down its entire length at a speed of four miles an hour, taking just over a day to reach its destination.

The Haweswater Aqueduct is a more modern construction in comparison, having been built in the 1950s and transports 500 million litres of water every day to our customers.

Between 2006-2008, the structural condition of both aqueducts will be inspected and any repairs will be identified.

Cleaning and refurbishing our water mains

The second element of the programme is to clean and refurbish our most important water mains (which we call 'trunk mains').  These pipes transport large amounts of water from our treatment works to our customers. 

Some sections of these mains date back many decades and over time, deposits of iron and manganese have coated the inside lining of the pipes.  Although not harmful to health, these deposits can look unsightly if they are dislodged and appear in our drinking water.

The scope of the work, therefore, is to remove these deposits from the inside of our largest water mains.

For more information download our brochure 'Cleaning and maintaining our big water pipes'.

If you have any specific questions, please email cleanandmaintain@uuplc.co.uk

 

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