PLANS for a multi-million pound revamp of the Black Esk Water Treatment Works will soon be submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council for consideration.
Scottish Water will shortly be submitting a proposal of application notice to rebuild the facility near Boreland which they state has ‘come to the end of its serviceable life and is not suitable for upgrading’.
The existing ‘Black Esk’ Water Treatment Works was built in 1987 and is part of the Black Esk, Kettleton, Moffat, and Winterhope Water Resource Zone, and supplies 21.6 million litres of water a day to 40,000 residents in Lockerbie, Annan, Dumfries and the surrounding area.
According to the plans, the new works will be located on land adjacent to the existing site, within an area of commercial woodland. This location was chosen in order to utilise the existing pipe work and reuse some of the existing buildings and infrastructure.
Residents will be able to find out more about the plans and give their feedback at a drop-in event next Wednesday at Boreland Village Hall from 3.30 pm to 7.30 pm.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “We are committed to engaging with those living closest to the works throughout the development and delivery of the project. The engagement carried out so far has started to help us gather local knowledge and feedback before submitting planning applications. Feedback has helped inform our decisions and we have agreed to reduce the size and the overall footprint of the building. We are also reviewing the site entrance.
“The tree felling which took place in commercial woodland in February is complete and the tree stumps have been removed from site. Prior to carrying out this work, the area was inspected for badgers, raptors and any squirrel dreys. No evidence was found of any activity within the working area. This was already part of a long term commercial felling plan and it will enable us to carry out ground condition surveys to help inform our designs.
“As compensatory planting, nearly 3200 broadleaved trees will be planted at Ettrick, around 20 miles away. A further two hectares of native broadleaved woodland will be planted at Black Esk by the end of 2026 to replace the commercial woodland felled to facilitate the new works. We will also be looking at what else can be done on the site to improve biodiversity.”
