Anglian Water will spend two years and £12 million installing a new water pipe in north Norfolk in order to protect the environment and secure future water supplies.
The scheme will see 16km of new water pipes installed between East Ruston water treatment works and Horstead water tower.
The project is aimed at cutting the amount of water taken from the environment by more than two million litres per day in the hope of protecting Broad Fen, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Sarah Underhill, head of water resources and drought for Anglian Water, said: “Projects like the one in East Ruston means that we can reduce the amount of water we take from the most sensitive places, protecting our local fens and marshes, while also ensuring everyone in our region has a resilient supply of clean drinking water now and in the future."
In March 2021, the company completed a similar scheme at Ludham, installing a new 4.2km water pipe between Stalham and Catfield connecting Ludham to a new water supply.
The region could face a water deficit of 30 million litres a day by 2025 due to the combined impact of a rapidly growing population, more extreme weather – like this year’s drought – as a result of climate change, and being located in the driest part of the UK.
Despite the recent rainfall, the region’s reservoir and river levels remain below average for this time of year.
To preserve water supplies for the environment and households, Anglian Water is encouraging customers to 'do their bit' by using water as sustainably as possible.
Most of the new pipeline will be installed within fields, using a directional drilling technique which minimises the need for digging, the company said.
Ms Underhill added: “It is the continued investment in resilience schemes like this over the past 30 years, as well as driving down leakage to world leading low levels, and managing customer demand that means we still put the same amount of water into supply today as we did three decades ago, despite serving around a third more people."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here