Maintaining our water network

Between 2006 and 2014 we will spend £356 million cleaning and maintaining our biggest aqueducts and water pipes.  It is the first time work on this scale has been undertaken in the water industry. The West East Link pipeline will enable us to close down the aqueducts supplying Merseyside and Greater Manchester for cleaning, without any disruption to supply. 

Climate change

Independent sources predict that in the future we will have wetter winters and drier summers.  This will have an impact on the amount of water available from Lake District sources to supply our customers. In dry spells the pipeline will mean that we can more easily move water across the region to where it is needed most.

EU legislation

European legislation, including the Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive means that in the future there will be less water available from natural sources to supply customers in the North West’s large conurbations.

The Habitats Directive means that the amount of water we can abstract from our upland reservoirs in the Lake District will be reduced.  The Water Framework Directive will limit the amount of water we can take from our Lancashire and Penine sources.