Welsh Water is set to invest over £21 million in west Wales – schemes include the replacement or cleaning of over 174km of pipe, the replacement of 5km of trunk main in Llechryd and Cilgerran and a £2 million spend in the Hermon, Eglwyswrw and Pont-siân areas.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water said it is undertaking the biggest ever investment to the drinking water supply in west Wales to ensure customers continue to receive a first class supply for decades to come.

With some parts of the network nearing the end of its operational life, this significant investment will see over 174km of water mains in west Wales cleaned or replaced over the next two years.

Some of the first areas to receive investments include Hermon where over £500,000 will be spent on upgrading the water network, while over £600,000 will be invested in the drinking water network in Eglwyswrw. £650,000 will also be spent in the Pont-siân area in Ceredigion.

The widespread investment in the area by the not-for-profit company will also involve replacing over 5km of the drinking water trunk main in Llechryd and Cilgerran.

In November last year Welsh Water experienced a burst on the network in Llechryd which left customers temporarily without water. To minimise the risk of such disruptions to supplies in the future, Welsh Water pledged £5 million to replace this strategic trunk main. This was in addition to the £16 million already planned on improving the resilience and quality of the water supply across the area.

Ian Christie, Welsh Water’s Managing Director of Water Services commented:

“With some parts of the water network laid over a century ago, the time has come for us to undertake some essential work to cleanse the pipes or where needed replace whole sections. We are committed to providing customers with a first class supply and our work here, including the replacement of the Llechryd main after the recent burst, reflects this.”

“We understand that a large refurbishment programme like this can cause disruption in the short-term, but the long term benefits include reduced leaks, less interruptions to supply and high quality drinking water for the whole community for decades to come.”

Councillor John Davies who represents the Cilgerran ward where the work is set to take place on the trunk main said:

 “I very much welcome Dŵr Cymru‘s commitment to invest in the water supply network of the area. Whilst much of the work will focus within the community of Cilgerran the benefits will be wide ranging and place our area in a far better position in relation to resilience of the water supply network. It is reassuring that Dŵr Cymru have taken on residents’ concerns in regards to having a reliable supply of water.”