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Providing great water for the North West

As the region’s population grows and we experience the impacts of climate change, it is vitally important we ensure there is enough water to meet the needs of the North West, whilst protecting the environment. To ensure that everyone has the water they need, now and into the future, we need to work together to reduce the amount of water we use as well as developing new water sources that do not harm the environment.

We have an update on the proposed River Bollin scheme, which we had anticipated would be operational in the mid 2030's. Following careful consideration, we have decided to pause progression of the scheme at this time.

The proposals were to develop a new source of drinking water from the River Bollin. This scheme would provide an additional water supply into the local area, and would involve constructing an abstraction point to take water out of the River Bollin, new pipelines to transfer the water, a new water treatment works and a new storage reservoir, to be operational in 2033.

Since we began to scope out the Bollin project, and engage with local people, there have been developments in water demand needs across the North West. For example, to support the region’s economic growth, we can see plans are firming up for investment in data centres and housing growth which will require resilient water supplies. While we have shorter-term plans to secure funding to develop new water sources to address some of these more immediate needs, we also need to review our longer-term plans to ensure they underpin developments in the region and meet the needs of future generations.

Every five years, we produce a Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) which sets out how we will manage our water supply and demand over the long term, typically over a 25-year period. As we begin our next WRMP cycle, we are reviewing all options to ensure they reflect the latest information, priorities, and represent best value for our customers and the environment. It makes sense to include the Bollin project in this process so it can be assessed alongside new options, updated evidence, future needs, and wider national priorities. This process will involve engagement on our proposals, starting in 2027.

Once engagement on the plan has taken place and feedback has been considered, we expect to be able to provide a further update in early 2028 when we publish our draft WRMP, including any proposed timescales for the progression of the River Bollin scheme.

What next?

You may continue to see us in the area, as we will continue a small number surveys to help us monitor the river, and the area around it. Otherwise, we will be in touch in early 2028. If you have any questions in the meantime, please email us at SRT@uuplc.co.uk.