Westerton Service Reservoir Abandonment and Pumping Station

Good Morning 

As it's been a little while since an update was posted, please see below an update on where we are prior to works starting.

As a brief reminder, 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.  This will also be the location for the contractor’s compound and welfare areas.  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.

From monday 3rd February, property survey reports have been carried out on properties throughout Westerton. This is to ensure there is no risk to residents homes and buildings due to the nature of our work and to give residents peace of mind whilst we work on improving the water supply network.

We thank all residents for their cooperation whilst surveys have been carried out, it has been grately appreciated.

We told you that the planned start date for work on site is February 2025, for approximately 12 months and we are writing to let you know this is still on track, so we will be setting up our contractor’s working area very soon.

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.  We will contact you again in advance of any works taking place within the village itself to ensure any impacts are fully understood.

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. 

As we mentioned last time, there has been 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 the property survey work have now been contacted and the majority of those surveys have either taken place or have been planned in with the surveying teams.

Our partners Esh Stantec will have a visible team in the area week commencing 24th February 2025 and their sub-contracting teams will also start to access site in the weeks leading up to physical work beginning in early March.

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.