Northumbrian Water has appointed a contractor to help it build a new £53 million pound underground reservoir and pipework, in Springwell Village, Sunderland.
The chosen supply partners are civil-engineering firm, Mott Macdonald Bentley (MMB), who will help construct the reservoir, which will help secure water supplies for 50,000 customers in South Tyneside.
Construction on the project is expected to start in spring 2023 and complete in 2025.
Northumbrian Water’s Richard Johnston and Paul Featherstone are the project managers for the scheme. Richard Johnston, said: “This is a huge investment project for us which will play a vital role in ensuring a reliable supply of drinking water for our customers long into the future, and we’re pleased to have MMB on board.
“We’ll be working closely with them and we’re confident that they will help us to deliver this project to a high standard whilst minimising any disruption to the local area.
Paul added: “As populations continue to grow, the reservoir will further support the wider South Tyneside area with a more reliable and resilient water supply for many years to come and we’re looking forward to working with MMB to deliver it.”
The reservoir, which will be the size of four football pitches, will be able to hold 43 million litres of water.
The project will also involve the construction of a five and half kilometre pipeline, stretching from the new reservoir to the east of Usworth in Washington.
Plans for the project were first unveiled back in 2019 and customers living nearby will be invited to a customer session in the coming weeks to find out more about the final proposals.
For more information, see the Springwell Enhancement Project on https://nwlcommunityportal.co.uk/Projects/springwell-village