Improving water quality for Lancashire
In spring 2011 we completed a project to clean and repair two of the main water pipes that supply customers in parts of Lancashire. Between them the Hodder large diameter trunk main and the Lancashire conjunctive use scheme (LCUS) supply up to 219 million litres of water a day to 850,000 people in Lancashire.
Since the pipes were first installed up to 90 years ago, deposits of iron and manganese which occur naturally in raw water from our upland reservoirs had built up on the inside of the pipes. Although not harmful to health these deposits can result in discolouration of our drinking water.
This project formed part of a major cleaning and maintenance programme that we are undertaking across the North West over the next four years.
The Lancashire Conjunctive Use Scheme trunk main
The Lancashire Conjunctive Use Scheme (LCUS) trunk main runs from Franklaw water treatment works at Catterall to our reservoir at Hoghton. The pipeline opened in 1980 to take water abstracted from the River Lune and River Wyre to over 560,000 customers in the Preston area.
What we are doing
We have already completed cleaning the large diameter pipes and are currently cleaning our network of pipes on a local level to remove the harmless sediment. We expect this work to be completed in autumn 2011. We will use a variety of methods to clean the pipes including 'swabbing' and 'air scouring'. Swabbing involves passing a sponge swab through the pipes which forces out the sediment, whilst air scouring involves using a mixture of water and high pressure air to flush out the sediment from the pipes.
How will it affect you?
To minimise disruption we will usually carry out this work overnight. It may be necessary to interrupt water supplies to complete this work, if this is required in your area we will provide written notice in advance of starting the work.
Download our LCUS leaflet