This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Record investment in Highland water supplies
07/03/2005
Water infrastructure projects in the Highlands and Islands today benefitted from £100 million of investment.
More than 90 projects from Lerwick to Aviemore will see water treatment works refurbished or built afresh to provide improved quality drinking water delivering health and environmental improvements.
Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development Lewis Macdonald visited Glen Convinth, site of the new £9.5 million water treatment works serving 6,800 customers in Drumnadrochit, Beauly, West Inverness, Cannich, Tomich and Glenurquhart.
The project, due to be completed by December 2005, will draw water from Loch Bruicheach and produce 3.5 million litres of top quality drinking water daily.
The Minister said:
"More than £100 million has already been invested in 150 major projects across the Highlands and Islands. This additional money will raise the total number of projects delivered to 240 with investment of more than £200 million.
"The Executive's commitment to investing in a modern, efficient and publicly owned water industry continues well beyond this investment programme which ends in 2006.
"Our objectives for Scottish Water's investment programme from 2006 to 2014 will build on the significant progress already made in addressing decades of under-investment in our water industry.
"This investment underlines our commitment to sustainable development ;protecting the environment, safeguarding public health and supporting housing and economic growth with investment in new infrastructure capacity and improvements to service levels."
The new treatment works at Glenconvinth forms part of the current Quality and Standards 2 investment programme for 2002-2006 which will provide £1.8 million of capital investment to tackle long standing public health and environmental priorities. The programme is bringing about tangible improvements in the quality of life for the people of Scotland by delivering better quality drinking water, improving the quality of water in our rivers and around our coastlines, and by providing some additional capacity, allowing our communities to grow and prosper.
Lewis Macdonald made a statement to the Scottish Parliament on February 9, setting out the objectives for Scottish Water's Quality and Standards III investment programme for the period 2006 to 2014 and the principles of charging that are to apply in the period 2006 to 2010.
The Minister's statement enables the Water Industry Commissioner and Scottish Water to take forward work on the next stage of the review by setting out the objectives that Scottish Water is to be funded to deliver from charges in 2006-10.