Westerton Service Reservoir Abandonment and Pumping Station

Important update on planned work in your area

You may recall we contacted you in 2023 to provide some information on an investment we plan to make in your area to retire the service reservoir situated in Westerton village. This work will also add resilience to water supplies in the area and its worthing noting that we have no plans to interrupt your water supply.

This reservoir has served us well for over 100 years but is now reaching the end of its asset lifespan. To take the reservoir out of service, we have produced a solution which allows us to bypass the reservoir, but also build some additional resilience into the system which supplies the village, ensuring our network is fit for purpose for now and the future generations it will serve.

We have completed our investigations and plan to start work on site in February 2025 for approximately 12 months. However as with all construction projects unexpected delays can occur. 

This important work will improve the resilience of the water network in Westerton, Coundon and the surrounding areas of Kirk Merrington and Ferryhill.  Your source of drinking water will not change, but it will be pumped directly from the bottom of Westerton hill via a set of new booster pumps situated in the field just next to the exit from the A688.  There will be a new section of main running from the bottom of the hill up to the village, where we will make some connections into the existing system of pipe work.  These pumps will have the capacity to supply your area and support the surrounding areas in times of high water demand.

When the work begins there will be times when we need to have traffic management on the road through the village and our partners Esh-Stantec, will always let you know in advance when this is necessary.  The connection points on the existing mains have been chosen to avoid works within the carriageway as much as possible, as well as to minimise necessary works within the village.  Once the new pumps and new main are in service, we will then move to take the reservoir out of service. 

There is no current plan to demolish the structure, only to drain, disconnect and make it safe.  It will remain as Northumbrian Water’s responsibility to keep the site safe and tidy. 

There may be a requirement for us to complete some pre-construction property surveys to assure the work does not cause any vibration risk during the times we are working in the village making key connections. Any customers directly affected by planned survey work will be contacted in advance to discuss access etc.

Our partners Esh Stantec will have a visible team in the area week commencing 16 September 2024 and they will be able to provide additional information regarding the work and take the opportunity to understand any specific customer needs. 

Please be assured that we’re working closely with our partners to do all we can to minimise any disruption for you and your community throughout the work.  Typical working hours will be between 8.00am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.

If you need a little extra help during the work, please let us know as soon as possible by calling the team on 0345 717 1100.

If you would like to speak to a member of our Project Team, you can telephone our customer contact centre on 0345 717 1100; tweet us @nwater_care or contact us via our community portal. Whichever way is best, we’d really like to hear from you.