Work is expected to start later this year on the new water mains.
Anglian Water has submitted plans for the most northernly section of its new multi-million-pound strategic water mains network.
The £400 million scheme, which will deliver hundreds of kilometres of large diameter interconnecting pipelines, is the largest drinking water infrastructure project the UK has seen for a generation.
This Elsham to Lincoln section will run for 57 kilometres. It includes new pumping stations and a water storage tank and will link up with new pipelines to the south, stretching all the way to Suffolk and Essex.
Subject to planning consent, work is expected to start later this year. There are four councils along the planned route: North Lincolnshire Council, West Lindsay District Council, City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council.
The mammoth project is part of Anglian’s Water Resources Management Plan, which looks 25 years ahead.
The pipelines will take water from wetter parts of the north to drier areas in the south and east of the region. They will also strengthen local resilience by reducing the number of homes and businesses which rely on a single water source. The entire network is expected to go into service in 2025.
Without taking this action, the East of England would face a water deficit of 30 million litres a day by 2025. That’s a shortfall of 4,380 Olympic swimming pools of water, every year.
James Crompton, director of the team delivering the pipelines, said: “The strategic pipeline is essential to address the predicted future imbalance, where demand for water greatly outstrips the available resources.
“With 175,000 new homes to be built in the next five years in the east of England, it is vital we ensure we have resilient infrastructure in place to support local authorities in delivering their Local Plans and we look forward to working with them as we develop and deliver our plans.”
As a business with environmental and social prosperity at its core, Anglian Water applies green thinking to every aspect of its capital programme.
The strategic pipeline will make use of the latest technology, some never used before in the UK, each one designed to reduce the carbon footprint and any environmental impact associated with the scheme delivery.
The Elsham to Lincoln pipeline has been specifically designed to avoid where possible sensitive ecological sites and areas where environmental surveys have found protected species like badgers, water voles, bats and Great Crested Newts.
The entire network has also been designed to have the lowest carbon footprint possible in line with Anglian Water’s pledge to reach net zero carbon by 2030.
James added: “Our commitment to protecting the environment is as vital as securing customer supplies. This project will help meet our targets to reduce the amount of water we take from the environment by 84 million litres a day, but our infrastructure needs to be sustainable too.
“Climate change isn’t just a risk in terms of the challenges it poses us, it is also an opportunity to challenge established practice and to do things differently and more efficiently, for wider gain.
“This scheme is an excellent example of how we’re doing both for the long-term benefit of our region.”
