A £19.5 million investment at Ballinrees Water Treatment Works, outside Coleraine, has been completed, delivering a new treatment building, extra emergency storage and a pumping station to bolster drinking water quality and supply resilience across the north coast and parts of Limavady and L'Derry.

NI Water said the scheme, which extends the existing site, began in March 2023. It included the construction of a new treatment building to raise water treatment standards and provide additional storage for emergency situations, alongside a new pumping station to improve overall operational efficiency.

The upgrade is designed to enhance water quality and strengthen supply security for customers in the Coleraine area, supplying towards Portrush/Ballymoney and parts of Limavady and L'Derry, helping the network continue to meet essential Drinking Water Regulations.

Tzvetelina Bogoina, NI Water Director of Infrastructure Delivery, said: "We are delighted that this major investment at Ballinrees is now complete, which will bring many benefits to customers in the wider Coleraine area, including improved drinking water quality and security of supply. "This key improvement scheme will protect and future-proof the local water infrastructure for customers, businesses and tourism in the area by boosting the resilience and providing additional security of the water supply network. This will provide essential support, particularly in the event of a high demand or other emergency situation.

"This is an excellent example of how NI Water can deliver multi-million-pound projects on time and within budget for the people of Northern Ireland."

Bernadette Corr, Chief Drinking Water Inspector at Northern Ireland Environment Agency added: "I welcome the investment by NI Water in upgrading Ballinrees Water Treatment Works, which will ensure compliance with the enforcement notices issued by the Department's Drinking Water Inspectorate.

"These improvements will help to protect and enhance the quality of drinking water supplied to consumers, strengthen regulatory compliance, improve the wholesomeness and consumer acceptability of the drinking water, and help to safeguard public health."

NI Water said the programme was carefully sequenced to keep the plant running throughout the works. New assets — a GAC treatment building and a new pumping station — were constructed, commissioned and tested before being brought into service, ensuring no customers were taken out of supply during the upgrade.

The contractor for the scheme was DLJ Water Limited, with project management support from RPS Tetratech.