Anglian Water is laying the foundations for a 20-million litre water storage tank at Welby, Lincolnshire.
The plan is to secure the future of water supply resilience between Lincoln and Grantham, forming part of one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure projects.
The critical piece of infrastructure marks a major milestone in the building of Anglian Water’s Strategic Pipeline, stretching hundreds of kilometres from North Lincolnshire to Essex.
It will transfer up to 55 million litres of water a day between Lincoln and Grantham, moving water to areas of high demand with a new pumping station and generator.
And while most water storage reservoirs reside underground, the Welby storage reservoir will sit above ground.
It will be constructed using pre-cast (ready-made) sections of concrete panels, creating a vast, rectangular structure measuring 80 metres long, 65 metres wide and six metres high.
The concrete consists of 50% Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) content – a recycled material from the iron and steel industry, cutting emissions by reducing the amount of high carbon cement needed for construction.
Its design is a replica of the storage reservoir in Rede, near Bury St Edmunds, further down the Strategic Pipeline.
The project is being delivered by Anglian Water’s Strategic Pipeline Alliance, comprising partners Costain, Farrans, Jacobs, and Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB), who will build the pipeline and supporting infrastructure.
Customer water supplies will not be affected, and work is expected to finish by autumn 2027.
Construction manager Aron Petney said: “This new 20 million litre water storage tank at Welby is a major investment in the resilience of our water network.
“It will help us continue supplying water reliably to homes and businesses across Lincolnshire and beyond, all the way down to the end of the pipeline in Essex.
“This build is made using carbon-efficient concrete, and we have replicated the design following the successful construction of our storage reservoir in Rede, near Bury St Edmunds, reducing the amount of time and money that would have otherwise been spent in the design phase.”
