Ardersier WWTW
Project Overview
Scottish Water has completed investment to upgrade Ardersier Waste Water Treatment Works. The work enables the WWTW to meet the needs of new homes and businesses in the local area - including at Tornagrain, Inverness Airport and Castle Stuart - while protecting and enhancing the marine environment of the Moray Firth.At A Glance
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Upgraded WWTW to support growing communities
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UV treatment to protect local environment
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300 metre extension of outfall into deeper water
Ardersier investment
A selection of images showing some of the work carried out in recent years
What has been delivered?
Since the 1970s, Scottish Water has operated a waste water treatment works at a site outside Ardersier. This essential facility has been used to treat waste water collected from the village, as well as from homes and the businesses in the wider area - including Inverness Airport, the small established settlement at Tornagrain and Fort George.
Between 2017 and 2022, Scottish Water delivered improvements to this essential waste water infrastructure to meet the needs of new housing and economic growth in the area, while protecting and enhancing the environment of the Moray Firth.
The work included:
- The installation of ultra-violet (UV) treatment equipment within the existing Waste Water Treatment Works site. This element of the project was completed in 2017 and improves the disinfection of the final effluent which is returned to the Moray Firth. The main reason for this improvement is to protect the bottlenose dolphins and help improve the quality of the water in the Moray Firth.
- The installation of a new underground pipeline to transfer waste water from the areas of new development to Ardersier Waste Water Treatment Works. This element of the project was completed in 2018.
- The extension of the existing outfall pipe, east of Fort George, by 300 metres to take the final effluent further out to sea and into deeper water. This element of the project was completed in 2019.
- An expansion of the existing waste water treatment works within Scottish Water’s land to enable the site to treat an increased volume of waste water as a result of the development taking place in the area. This element of the project was completed in 2022.
The map shows the route of existing and new pipes in the area:
Latest Update
Work on site is now complete and the upgraded Waste Water Treatment Works is operational.
The tanks within the old Waste Water Treatment Works were cleaned after it was taken out of service. Work to demolish the old structures is being planned - and will be managed within the established perimeter of the site.
The Traffic Management Plan which covered the construction of the upgraded WWTW is not currently operating and the C1005, which was used with a convoy system for HGV construction traffic, is open as usual.
Ardersier Community Liaison Group
A Community Liaison Group met regularly over the period of the project's delivery and and the initial period of the upgraded WWTW's operation.
Over the period, the Group included representatives of Ardersier and Petty Community Council, The Highland Council, the Ardersier Foundation and Ardersier Community Support Group, as well as Scottish Water and its capital project delivery partners.
Although the group has now completed its work, the minutes from its meetings and other documentation can be found by following this link: All meeting minutes and other related documentation
