13 May 2013

Carlisle's tap water just got better - thanks to a £1.5 million upgrade to the local water treatment works.

New filtering technology has been installed at United Utilities' plant in Cumwhinton to make sure the 110,000 people who rely on it for their drinking water continue to get a great tasting cuppa.

The technology uses 'activated' carbon to remove even more of the impurities which make water more difficult to treat.

The scheme is part of United Utilities' record-breaking £3.5 billion investment programme for the north west, which is part-funded by customers' bills.

As well as investing in new technology, to keep future bills low the company is also working with local farmers and businesses to try to improve the quality of water before it even reaches the treatment works.

Cumwhinton's catchment area, which includes the River Eden and Geltsdale, is one of 38 new water safeguard zones established across the north west where the quality of local water sources has gradually deteriorated over time because of the impact of man.

United Utilities and the Environment Agency are working with local people to identify possible causes and work together voluntarily to make things better.

Meanwhile, the six new filters installed at Cumwhinton are already doing their job, after more than 12-months under construction. Traditional filters use sand to help strain the incoming water, but carbon granules are even better, explained project manager Sean McGahan.

"Carbon has a long history of being used to treat impurities. The Egyptians used carbonized wood around 1500BC as a purifying agent, while the ancient Hindus in India used carbon in the form of charcoal for filtration of drinking water. Our scheme uses these age old purifying properties and brings it right up to date. Activated carbon is a highly porous form of graphite which allows the adsorption of impurities onto the internal and external surfaces of the carbon," he said.

The sand from the original Cumwhinton filters has been recycled locally as reclaimed building materials.

Water Production Manager for North Cumbria Ian Watson added: "Our tap water in Carlisle has always been very high quality and purity, but the upgrade to the treatment works should mean that local families can tap into even better water." Email this page
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