IMPROVED water quality is being promised for thousands of Inverclyde people in a multi-million pound investment by Scottish Water.

The £11.3 million programme is promising better water for about 11,000 customers in Port Glasgow and parts of Greenock, as well as 7,000 in the Kilmacolm and Lochwinnoch areas.

Seven miles of new water mains will be installed in work starting this month and expected to be finished by late next year or early 2018.

It will involve road traffic management and some disruption to supply, but Scottish Water say work will be done mainly in fields and verges to avoid digging up roads wherever possible.

Scottish Water is to change customers’ source of supply to Greenock Water Treatment Works (GWTW) from Kaim, which serves Kilmacolm and Lochwinnoch, and Dougliehill, which supplies Port Glasgow and parts of Greenock.

Joanna Peebles, Scottish Water’s regional communities manager, said Kaim and Dougliehill customers have had water problems.

A pumping station will be constructed at Whinhill Service Reservoir to send water from there to Dougliehill Service Reservoir through 3.5 miles of new pipes.

Scottish Water will also install another 3.5 miles of mains from Dougliehill to Kilmacolm, which will tie in to the existing water mains in the village.

In addition, the contractors will carry out work to ‘reverse’ water flows from Dougliehill back through Kilmacolm into Lochwinnoch, to be supplied with water from GWTW, which is currently operating below capacity.

The work will also include the construction of a booster pumping station at Burnbrae near Quarrier’s Village.

GWTW currently supplies about 70,000 customers in much of Inverclyde, including most of the population of Greenock and customers in Gourock, Wemyss Bay, Largs, Millport and Skelmorlie. 

Mrs Peebles said: “We are committed to improving our services to customers across Scotland, and this project is a good example of that.

“Some customers served by Kaim and Dougliehill water treatment works have occasionally experienced issues with quality. Taking these treatment works out of our supply network will help ensure a supply of clear, fresh drinking water to these 18,000 customers for years to come.”

Three-way temporary traffic lights will operate in Glenbrae Road and Kilmacolm Road from November 29 for a total of 12 weeks, with a two-week break from December 23 until January 9.

Separate road traffic management in Kilmacolm Road will also start from November 29 for a total of 20 weeks, again with the same two-week break.

This will involve temporary traffic lights in operation from near Knocknairshill Cemetery, moving in 300-metre stretches towards Dougliehill treatment works.

Mrs Peebles said: “There might also be a requirement for localised road closures to allow construction work to proceed safely. All road traffic management will be implemented in liaison with the roads authority. Any diversion routes will be sign-posted.

“Details of other road traffic management and planned interruptions to normal water supply will be provided to affected customers in advance. We made every effort to reduce any adverse impact on customers and road users when planning the project.

“We thank affected customers and road users in advance for their patience and understanding, and can assure them that any short-term inconvenience will be far outweighed by the long-term benefits our investment will deliver to thousands of people.”