New water treatment plant for Unst completed

Work has been completed on a £2.8 million replacement water treatment plant in Unst.

Around 1,000 Scottish Water customers are now receiving drinking water from the plant which, due to its remote location, has around double the normal drinking water storage capacity of a typical treatment works.

The additional water can be stored thanks to the installation of a new large glass-coated steel clear water tank. It also features a permanent standby power generator to make the works increasingly resilient.

The plant, which takes water from two local lochs, also features a laboratory and modern filtration and disinfection equipment, to ensure water is treated to the highest standard before being piped to customers’ homes and businesses.

Regional community manager Steve Scott said the work was a “clear demonstration” of Scottish Water’s commitment to provide customers with the very best drinking water quality and service. The replacement works had extra storage capacity compared to the old works and modern treatment equipment.

To minimise time on site and ease the construction process the process plant was assembled and tested at the workshop of contractor Ross-shire Engineering in Muir of Ord, before being stripped and shipped to Unst for re-assembly.

The building design had to account for extremely high winds as Unst has some of the highest recorded wind speeds recorded in the UK.

Shetland firm Tulloch Developments was involved in the project as civil engineering sub contractor. Work began in April last year and was completed in December.

Project manager Malcolm Miller said: “When embarking on this project we were conscious that we needed a building that could withstand the strong winds frequently recorded on Unst and provide increased storage capacity for the benefit of Scottish Water customers.

“We are absolutely delighted with the finished project which will be a major benefit for people living and working on Unst for many years to come.”