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Westerton Reservoir Abandonment & Pumping Station

Properties across County Durham will benefit from a £4.6m investment in water network upgrades. We are carrying out this work to enhance our network at Westerton, to support supplies in the village and for customers in Ferryhill, Kirk Merrington and Coundon. A total of 850 metres of new water main will be constructed, leading from the A688 junction up to Westerton, in fields next to the road that leads into the village. Additionally, a new pumping station will be constructed next to the A road, to feed the water up to Westerton. Work will also be carried out to connect the new pipe to the existing network in the village and a storage reservoir that has been serving the village will be taken out of use.

The project is being carried out by Northumbrian Water’s partners, Esh-Stantec, with work starting in March 2025. While the new pumping station and water main are expected to be in operation by the start of 2026, the project team will remain on site in the early New Year to carry out the abandonment of the reservoir.

Start Date: March 2025

Estimated End Date: March 2026

Partner: Esh-Stantec

Investment Value: £4.6 million

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Project Updates

Project Updates

16 April 2025 - No end date

Keep up to date with the latest news, progress and upcoming work on our project.

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Community Hub Admin Team 2 hours ago Hi everyone,As we enter the final phase of the Westerton Reservoir Abandonment Project, we feel this is the ideal time to share the ideas put forward by residents during our customer engagement event on 30 January 2026 at the Park Head Hotel. These ideas relate to the final reinstatement of the Village Green.Firstly, thank you for attendance and for the valuable feedback you provided. Your comments have helped shape not only this project, but also how we plan and deliver future work. During the event, we invited suggestions on how we might give something back to the community in recognition of your patience throughout the works.We are now keen to understand which ideas the majority of residents would be most happy with. This will allow us to begin discussions with Durham County Council, as custodians of the land, and ensure all agreed improvements can be implemented before we withdraw from site.The two main suggestions were: Plant pots and planting, supplied by NWL and positioned in locations agreed by residents. The NWL project team colleagues will be happy to support the planting on a voluntary basis. A bench or seating area for community use. Additionally, we would be happy to provide both seating, Plants and Potts as a legacy gift to the Village. You can take part in the poll by clicking HERE.Alternatively, we will be sending a text message to all customers with a link to the survey so you can vote for your preferred option. Once a final decision has been reached, we will work with Durham County Council to finalise and complete the chosen option.Separately, we will be resurfacing the two private roads on either side of the Village Green to ensure a smooth and durable finish for residents.Thank you again for your continued patience and involvement. We look forward to receiving your feedback and completing this final phase together.The Project Team

Community Hub Admin Team 2 weeks ago Hi everyone,A little update for you on the progress of our works at Westerton Village as we near the end.All connections and cut and caps are now complete in the village. The topsoil is now in place around the Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) on the village green ready for landscapers to do their final polish and grass seed. Mowing strips on the village hill are getting poured today and Tuesday 7th April. All main works in the village should then be finished by Friday 10th April until we return to carry out landscaping and tarmacking works. The team have stripped out all pipework from the Reservoir, meaning it is now officially ‘retired’. Our site cabins are due to be off hired on Wednesday 8th April when we will then be reinstating the farmers field and finishing off access to the Pumping Station. We hope you all have a lovely bank holiday weekend and should you have any queries on the update above please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.

Community Hub Admin Team 1 month ago Dear CustomerAn update on works in your areaWe are now entering the final phase of the Westerton Reservoir Abandonment Project and would like to provide you with an update on what will be happening in and around the village over the coming weeks.The new pumping station is now successfully and reliably supplying the areas of Westerton and Coundon, with only two final connections remaining on the lane leading out of the village. These final connections are expected to be completed within the next few weeks.Once this work is finished, all properties previously supplied by the old reservoir will be fully served by the new pumping system. We will then proceed with the final permanent disconnections from the old reservoir pipework, completing the transition to the new infrastructure.There will be a number of small black covers within the village green, known as toby covers. These are essential for the operation and maintenance of your water supply pipework and must remain accessible at all times to ensure a reliable supply now and in the future.We are working closely with Durham County Council to ensure that all aspects of this work meet their requirements and specifications, including the concrete surrounds that will enable the Council to continue their routine grass‑cutting activities without risk of damage to their machinery. In addition, there will be a single valve chamber located within the central section of the village green, positioned close to the roadside.Following the customer event, we held on 30 January 2026 at the Park Head Hotel, and the feedback received regarding the impact of the toby covers and the valve chamber, we have ensured that the concrete surrounds will be constructed to the minimum acceptable width and will be fully flush with ground level once all work is complete.We will also be removing four old marker posts from the section of the green where the Observatory is located, and we will ensure that the reinstatement is completed to a high standard.Please note that the initial backfilling will be a temporary measure until all decommissioning activities are concluded. Once this stage is finished, our landscaping contractor will carry out the full and final reinstatement.The design of the new pumped system has been determined by the existing infrastructure within the village, which we needed to connect into. To minimise the impact of the work, the new pipeline and pumping station were constructed offline, allowing us to maintain supplies from the old network throughout the build, with only limited interruptions.We recognise that the work on the village green has taken longer than initially anticipated. This is due to the significant amount of pipework and complexity of the network beneath the surface in this area. Some of this infrastructure predates our internal mapping systems, which meant additional excavation was required to locate and accurately trace it.Alongside enabling us to carry out the necessary connection work, this has also delivered a longer‑term benefit by allowing us to update and improve the accuracy of our network mapping. This will help us reduce the likelihood of future issues and ensure any problems that do arise can be resolved more quickly.It has been a priority for us to ensure that every existing connection was identified and successfully transferred to the new system before the reservoir is taken out of service. Your patience and understanding throughout this project particularly during the extensive excavation work on the village green have been greatly appreciated, and we would like to thank you for this.We expect the reservoir abandonment works, reinstatement, and final landscaping to be fully completed by the end of May 2026. You should begin to notice a reduced contractor presence in the village from April onwards. We will provide a further update as we approach the completion of the project.For more information and regular updates, please visit our community hub at Project: Westerton Reservoir Abandonment & Pumping Station | Northumbrian Water and follow the link to the relevant project page, where you will also find answers to frequently asked questions.Kind regardsThe Project Team

Community Hub Admin Team 2 months ago Dear Customer,We’re working in your area As you may be aware, we have recently made significant investment to improve the resilience of the water network in Westerton, Coundon, and Ferryhill by retiring the service reservoir situated in Westerton Village.What we’re doingWe are now ready to begin the connection work in an area of Ferryhill to enable the next phase of the project. To carry out this work safely and efficiently, we need to operate during periods of low demand on the water network. This typically occurs at night and helps us keep disruption to our customers to a minimum. For this reason, our teams will be working through the night to ensure the impact on local residents and the wider network is kept as low as possible.We’ll be working on the Merrington Road outside your property from 22:00 on Monday 23 February through to the early hours of Tuesday 24 February. During this time, your water supply will be temporarily turned off between 00:01 and 03:00.We understand this may be frustrating, and we promise to keep noise and disruption to a minimum. The noisiest work will be completed before 11:00pm, and although we’ll be working through the night, we’ll ensure that any remaining noisy activity will not restart until after 08:00am on the morning of 24 January.What we’re asking you to doTo help us access the right areas and avoid any delays, we’d be grateful if you could avoid parking your vehicles on the road between 22:00 and 08:00 on Monday 23 February and Tuesday 24 February.We’re here to helpIf you do require any further information or advice, please contact our Customer Centre on 0345 717 1100 to request a call back from the project team. You can also follow us on X nwater_care.For more information and regular updates, please visit our community hub at Project: Westerton Reservoir Abandonment & Pumping Station | Northumbrian Water and follow the link to the relevant project page, where you will also find answers to frequently asked questions.Kind regardsVictoria Jobling Victoria Jobling Project Manager

Community Hub Admin Team 2 months ago Hi everyone,Our progress on the Westerton Reservoir Abandonment and Installation of the pumping station is as follows;The connections to Westerton and Coundon are now complete and have had the two week connection period.Ferryhill and Kirk Merrington connections are now in place but are not yet being served by the new pumping station until the cross connections and Pressure Reduction Valves are installed.We have installed the Ferryhill cross connection on Church Lane, Ferryhill.We will be installing the pressure reduction valves for Kirk Merrington and Ferryhill over the next 4 weeks. 2 way traffic lights will be in place on Merrington Road from Saturday 21st February until Friday 27th February.Reinstatements of Westerton Village Green are likely to take place in the next 6 weeks.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Thank you, The Project Team

Community Hub Admin Team 3 months ago Hi everyone, Our contract team have made great progress over the last few months, especially in light of the adverse ground and weather conditions, we are pleased to announce that the new main has been installed, the new pumping station has been built, and the pumps have been tested! Thank you to all residents for your patience with the project and the team so far. We have also managed to complete most of the essential connections of the existing main to the new main within the village green and surrounding areas. The next important phase of our work will commence 19th January, and this will include the switch over from the existing service reservoir in Westerton village to the new dedicated pumping station located at the bottom of Westerton bank. During this two-week phase, we will be supplying Westerton and Coundon via the new pumps, as well as completing a final connection in the village. At the end of this period, once the pumps are fully proven and tested, the reservoir will be permanently taken out of supply. Prior to this proving period, residents may receive cards posted through their doors from our Operative team, informing them of possible subtle changes in taste, colour or odour as we switch from the existing supply to the new. Please note, this is completely normal and will pass after a day or so. Your water will be safe to drink as normal. The new pumped system will ensure consistent reliable water quality and pressure for now and in the future for all residents. Residents may also notice an increase in activity around the area as our contractor and Northumbrian Water operative teams carry out the activities required to commission the new pumps and make the switch over from the existing to the new system as seamless as possible. After the two-week period is complete, we will endeavour to reinstate the village green and other areas within the village and look to start the decommissioning works on the reservoir. These works will not be on the same scale as the work so far, but there will still be a contractor presence on site to ensure the old assets are taken out of service and left in a safe state. We estimate that these activities will be fully completed by the end of March 2026. Other works continuing in the wider network as part of this project, include some small-scale excavations in Ferryhill, along Merrington Road and Merrington Heights, both of which will take place mid-February and last around one week. This is part of our plan to improve overall resilience in the area as a whole, for now and in the future, so that the new pumping station has the capability to supply wider zones and help secure a consistent, reliable supply of drinking water across the extended network. The work at Ferryhill will most likely involve temporary traffic management so we apologise for any inconvenience and will endeavour to get this completed asap.Again, on behalf of our Contractor team at Esh-Stantec and Northumbrian Water I would like to say thank you for your understanding and patience with the project to date. If you would like to come along to our Customer Event, which will be held at The Park Head Hotel, Park View Terrace, Bishop Auckland, DL14 8QB on Friday 30th January at 16:30 to 18.30, to find out more, ask any questions or just listen in on what has been going on during the course of the project, over a cup of tea and a biscuit, please do attend. We appreciate all and any feedback you may have. Thank you, The Project Team

Go Vocal Admin5 months ago Hi everyone,A small update for you all on the works at Westerton Village.We are currently testing and flushing the new system to ensure the water quality is good enough to connect to the network.All pipes are completed, flushed and tested.We are waiting for test results back prior to final connections to the mains.The pumps are being tested this week for flows, pressure and alarms.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Alice BlackettCustomer AdvisorEsh Stantec

Go Vocal Admin5 months ago Hi everyone,Happy Friday! Please see an update of our progress below.The new pump and kiosk have now been installed at the bottom of Westerton bank.We are currently carrying out electrical connections and connecting to the Northumbrian Water system.The pipework is nearly complete and we are still on target to turn on flows in December.We thank you all for your cooperation during this time.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Alice BlackettCustomer AdvisorEsh Stantec

Go Vocal Admin7 months ago Hi all,You may have seen me around Westerton Village yesterday as I spoke to residents regarding the upcoming road closure.We previously wrote to customers advising we would be starting work within Westerton Village on Wednesday 23 July 2025, using 2-way traffic lights. Due to circumstances beyond our control, it has been necessary to amend our method of traffic management to a rolling road closure. As of Tuesday 9 September 2025 a rolling road closure will be in place on the road through Westerton for approximately 3 months. Diversion signs will be in place for residents and road users. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused and ask for your patience and understanding while we complete these works.We thank you all for your cooperation during this time. Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Alice BlackettCustomer AdvisorEsh Stantec

Go Vocal Admin7 months ago Hello EveryoneHere are a couple of updates for you all.Pumping station works are as follows:The Inlet pipework from the hot tap connection has been installed pressure tested and back filled.The flow meter chamber and bypass arrangement has been installed pressure tested and backfilled.The Joiners and the Steel Fixers are currently installing the shutters and the reinforcing for the concrete slabs to be poured next week.36m of pipe has now been installed, backfilled and tarmacked in the village. Traffic Management has been moved approximately 30m down into the village.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Much appreciated, Alice Blackett

Go Vocal Admin8 months ago Hi everyone,Following on from the previous update, traffic management is currently in place on the West side of Westerton Village.Due to recent guidance, the traffic management will be repositioned on Monday 4th August to the East Side of the village, close to the observatory.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Much appreciated, Alice Blackett

Go Vocal Admin9 months ago Hello all,Following the last update, the team have successfully installed all pipe work which runs up the bank and through the field. This week, we will be pressure testing the pipes before we commence the connection into the road and through Westerton Village.Traffic management will be in place on Wednesday 23rd July using 2 way traffic lights. Traffic management will be repositioned throughout the course of the works and is estimated to be in place for 6 months.Trial holes in the village green will be ongoing so the teams can determine where domestic connections run during the switchover.We thank the residents of Westerton in advance for their patience and understanding whilst we complete these works.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Thank youAlice

Go Vocal Admin10 months ago Hi everyone,Works are progressing well at Westerton. We have located the pipes on the village green and carriageway and have built the flowmeter chamber for the booster station.This week we have been carrying out temporary reinstatements in the village green following survey works. We will be going back into the village green in the future to connect the new pipework to the existing pipework.In the next few weeks, we will be installing the pipework in the field up towards the village, ready to come into the carriage way which is estimated to start end of July 2025.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Thank youAlice

Go Vocal Admin10 months ago Good MorningThe team have been very busy at Westerton and have completed the following works: Tapped into the Derwent water main to get the main feed. Excavated for the booster station and Flow meter. Welding the pipes together ready to install in the field. Trial holes have started in the village week commencing 02 June 2025, to locate where we are going to tie into the existing main. Traffic management will be in place for approximately 3 weeks. Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Thanks,Alice

Go Vocal Admin11 months ago Good Morning AllWe are making great progress at Westerton, with a strong site presence and compound area all set up.We are in the process of stripping the soil and installing stock proof fencing, which will continue into week commencing 19th May.The team will be carrying out some survey works within Westerton Village from Thursday 5th June. Traffic management will be in place for approximately 3 weeks, using 2 and 3 way traffic lights on a rolling basis.We will continue to keep you updated as works progress.Should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.

Go Vocal Admin1 year ago Hello All,Following on from Victoria, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and the team working for Esh Stantec, partners of Northumbrian Water. I am Esh Stantec's Customer Liaison Officer Alice Blackett and I will be your first point of contact, working alongside Rachel Rutter Customer Liaison Officer and Christine Taylor Customer and Service Delivery Manager.Esh Stantec will be carrying out the essential work within your area and over the coming months you will see more of Christine, Rachel and I. If you see us, why not stop for a chat. The customer team and site team are eager to keep you informed.We endeavour to update you on a regular basis as work progresses, should you have any questions please comment on this page or contacts us at NWL.Customer@esh.uk.com.Thank you for your time.AliceRachel Christine

Go Vocal Admin1 year ago I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself. I am the Northumbrian Water Project Manager, Victoria Jobling. I have been managing this scheme from the beginning and will be looking after it up to completion. We have a brilliant project team which includes our Partners at Esh Stantec and are very excited to be delivering a scheme that will benefit the local community now and in the future. As the project develops, I will keep you informed about our plans and progress by sharing our proposals with you on this portal. I am very interested to understand your views. The team will post regular updates throughout the construction phase of the project and if you have any queries or want to make us aware of any additional assistance you require from us then please post a comment within the Community Hub.“We’ve designed the project to minimise disruption to people living in the area, but we recognise that elements, such as the connection work, will see us working within the village. We will work to reduce the impact of that wherever possible, and keep customers informed of what to expect while we are there.”Your source of drinking water will not change, but it will be pumped directly from the bottom of Westerton hill via a set of new booster pumps situated in the field just next to the exit from the A688. This will also be the location for the contractor’s compound and welfare areas. There will be a new section of main running from the bottom of the hill, up to the village, where we will make some connections into the existing system of pipe work. These pumps will have the capacity to supply your area and support the surrounding areas in times of high-water demand.I’d like to thank all residents for their cooperation whilst property surveys were carried out in February; it has been greatly appreciated.When the work begins there will be times when we need to have traffic management on the road through the village and our partners Esh-Stantec, will always let you know in advance when this is necessary. The connection points on the existing mains have been chosen to avoid works within the carriageway as much as possible, as well as to minimise necessary works within the village. Once the new pumps and new main are in service, we will then move to take the reservoir out of service. We will contact you again in advance of any works taking place within the village itself to ensure any impacts are fully understood. There is no current plan to demolish the structure, only to drain, disconnect and make it safe. It will remain as Northumbrian Water’s responsibility to keep the site safe and tidy.

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Westerton Community Event
Event date: January 30th, 2026 from 16:30 to 18:30.
Park Head Hotel & Oak Room Restaurant
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