A key milestone has been reached on the Havant Thicket Reservoir project, with work about to begin on two new pipelines in Havant, Hampshire.
The pipelines will be used to fill the new reservoir with water from local springs and take it out to supply customers when needed.
The pipelines will mostly be installed using microtunnelling, minimising disruption to the community and environment.
The work will take three years and is due to be complete by 2029. The route is 7km in total, with each pipe 1.7m in diameter.
Once complete, they will transport 40 million litres of water per day to the reservoir.
Bob Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of Portsmouth Water, said: “This is a major milestone for the Havant Thicket Reservoir and an incredibly positive step forward.
“The past year has seen excellent progress on site, and we’re really excited to be starting this vitally important stage of work.
“Installing any large infrastructure is challenging, and we’re acutely aware that these pipelines run through a busy residential area.
“We’ve done all we can to keep disruption to an absolute minimum. This includes adapting our original design, which involved digging up public roads and pavements, and using micro-tunnelling instead.
“We have also worked incredibly closely with members of the local community to find ways to reduce our impact. This includes planning work around school holidays and changing the design of parts of the route.
“We’re absolutely committed to keeping this conversation going as work progresses.”
More information about the programme, including an interactive map showing the route, is available at: havant-thicket-reservoir.uk.engagementhq.com.
The pipelines are being constructed by Irish contractor Ward & Burke, which has built more than 165,000 metres of tunnels, including for water pipelines, in the UK, Ireland and North America.
While in future, the pipelines could be used to transport highly purified recycled water, they can only transport spring water to and from the reservoir under current approved plans.
Havant Thicket Reservoir is the first new reservoir to be built in the UK in more than 30 years. Once complete, it will play a key role in protecting two world-renowned chalk streams in Hampshire by providing a new, sustainable source of water.
The project was recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) earlier this year for its pioneering collaborative approach.
ICE’s flagship State of the Nation 2026 report highlighted collaboration as one of the most urgent areas for improvement in UK infrastructure, with £725bn in projects planned over the next decade.
The report praised Portsmouth Water’s delivery model for Havant Thicket, and the strong alliance between client, contractor and the supply chain.
It added that such an approach should be widely adopted to ensure the industry can achieve its plans to deliver nine new UK reservoirs in 20 years, as outlined in the UK government’s hugely ambitious 10-year infrastructure strategy.
