A special “mechanical mole” will kick start the first phase of a new £2.3 million water pipeline in Maidenhead now planners have given the go-ahead for a key part of the vital infrastructure scheme.
South East Water will use a specialist no-dig technique called directional drilling to install a 75-metre long section of the 400mm (16 inch) diameter water main under the watercourse at Town Moor.
Instead of digging an open trench to install the pipeline, a machine will be used to drill into a small excavation and under the watercourse through to the other side. This drill is then fitted with a bigger “set of teeth” and pulled back through to enlarge the tunnel. Once this process has created a large enough hole under the watercourse, the new water main will be pulled inside.
Work on The Moor will start from Monday 12 April 2010 and is due for completion by mid-June. Graham Webb, Infrastructure Development Manager at South East Water said:
“This strategic new water main is vital to secure supplies into the south Maidenhead area, as currently around 14,500 customers in the town are reliant on our College Avenue Water Treatment Works (WTW) for their drinking water supplies.
“However, prolonged periods of drought - or even shutdowns at College Avenue WTW for emergency works – can mean that supplies are stretched in terms of meeting peak customer demand for water and can result in low water pressure for some of our customers.
“Our new pipeline to deliver a second, secure supply of water into the town will help reinforce the water supply network and ensure there is an additional, reliable source of drinking water for both existing and future customers, and crucially for when it most needed."
Once built, the new 3.6km long pipeline will deliver a second, secure supply of an additional 2.5 million litres of water, from nearby Bray Water Treatment Works (WTW), into the town’s water supply network.
The new water main will support the company’s water sources in the town, and help meet demand for water both from existing customers, as well as from new homes planned in the future.