News
Latest news from the business
Alloa WwTW team wins major Binnies Award!
October 2025
Construction Manager, Euan Bowie, writes: “The civils team on site are experienced Binnies ground workers, with between 22 to 43 years of experience in the construction industry. They know our procedures and our standards when it comes to excavations especially around buried services. As the site team progressed through the work, more and more uncharted services were discovered and each one was uncovered, marked and avoided as the team continued with a slow, methodical and safe approach.”
Through their efforts and the site engineers reviewing an additional 564 as-built drawings from Scottish Water, the team achieved the following stats:
- Volume excavated – 557 m3
- Ducts installed – 2,128m
- Backfill - 439 m3
- Services crossings – 3941
- Uncharted services – 6 manholes, 1 main inlet chamber (avoided by re-designing), 3 MDPE potable water pipes, 3 MDPE wash water pipes and 40 cables
Congratulations to the site Team at Alloa!
Construction Manager – Euan Bowie
General Foreman – Andrew Grimshaw
Gangers – Alexander Brodie, James Gilbride
Operatives – Gary McDougall, Blair Lightbody and Thomas Gilbride.
East Blair Community at Glenfarg WTW - Defibrillator Access
September 2025
Extracted from our ESD Quarterly Staff Newsletter, "Brewtime"
ESD are currently working on an upgrade and additional treatment processes at Glenfarg Water Treatment Works which is situated at East Blair, in rural Perthshire.
The treatment works is in a remote area, accessed by a single-track road, then by a private access road with passing places. There is a small community at East Blair, partially made up of the former operator’s cottages for the WTW and several other homes, who make up our nearest neighbours to our construction works. Since the very inception of the project, pre-Covid, we have been in consultation with these neighbours, in order to make the impact of our project as minimal as possible. As well as reducing our impact, we have looked for ways to leave behind a community benefit and to this end we had the idea of sharing the use of a defibrillator. As we were planning the setting up of our site compound, the inclusion of a de-fib machine was discussed owing to the remote location of the project. Ordinarily, a unit like this would be housed in the site manager's office or canteen; however, it was suggested that if we sited the machine at our gate house, the residents of East Blair could also be given access. Once the unit was on site, we arranged for access to be granted to the East Blair residents, via one of the neighbours who is also the Community Council Secretary. The unit was also registered on the national database making it available to anyone in need. The area is popular with walkers and horse riders, so this unit is an added benefit to a wider community of visitors to East Blair.The intention is, that while we will all have access to the de-fib during the construction period, the unit will be left in place once we leave and responsibility for it will be taken over by the Community Council.
This initiative has been very warmly welcomed by the East Blair residents and the community in general with one resident saying: “Having access to the defibrillator unit at the Treatment Works is of immeasurable value to the residents of East Blair and surrounding rural dwellings. It provides a 24-hour reassurance and confidence to us all.”
Stanley WWTW - Community information event
August 2025
A community event was held in the village hall in Stanley to communicate information on the proposed extension and upgrade to the existing WWT works. We had a steady flow of people over the afternoon and evening giving opportunities for questions and discussions with the community. We had lots of positive feedback, some challenging queries but mainly the residents were welcoming and seemed interested in the project.
We used our usual set up of information boards to tell the story of the project, a video fly through on the TV screen as well as paper copies of the planning drawings and opportunity to leave feedback.
Praise to ESD Convoy Team from the Glenfarg Community
July 2025
With our Glenfarg WTW project only accessible via a single track, rural road much used by local dog walkers and horse riders, it was imperative we put a robust traffic management plan in place. Part of that plan was to have all HGV vehicles escorted to the site by Tom Marchant and David Hunter.
We were delighted to receive feedback via a local councillor (who is also a neighbour to the project) from a member of the public. Cllr Pilmer said “
At our Community Council business meeting on Monday 7th a member of the public raised a “thank you” request to the ESD Convoy Team. The comments were very positive in as much that the two chaps are considerate, speak to oncoming drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and dog walkers. The chaps are taking extremely great care of the route throughout the village and out to the WTW and the subsequent return during the escorting of large loads. Very much appreciated. Of course, living where I do, I know this first hand so a “thank you” from me too.”
Winchburgh Wins Prestigious National Award!
Great news! Announced Friday 13th June, the Winchburgh wastewater treatment works project has come top in one of the country’s most prestigious industry awards – the 2025 Royal Academy of Engineering Major Project Sustainability Award.
This is a very significant accolade for this innovative project and it is national recognition for the work carried out by Scottish Water, ESD, Royal Haskoning and EPS
You can read Scottish Water's press release here.
Medal winners, delivery partners and the operations team pictured on site at Winchburgh WWTW
ESD COO, Peter Walsh, says:
“This RAE award is worthy recognition for the whole team. Sincere thanks to our ESD colleagues and our supply chain partners for their commitment and expertise which has resulted in the successful completion of this important flagship project.” The award will be presented at an Awards Ceremony in London on 8th July. Full details of the award and the project are contained in the press releases issued today by the Royal Academy and Scottish Water."
Perth WwTW completes FST4
December 2024
Final Settlement Tank 4 construction and hydrostatic test complete. This has involved multistage well-pointing system, in-situ base slab and precast wall, cope and chamber assemblies. Well done to the team and supply chain on delivering a challenging scope of works, with remaining civils and MEICA packages due to start next year.
Howden WTW and Greenock SCADA hits major milestone!
18th December 2024
The Howden WTW project achieved acceptance on 18th December. This upgrade to the works is a key part in Scottish Water’s 25 year strategy for the Borders network and is a major milestone for ESD. The whole team have shown a huge amount of dedication, commitment and tenacity to get us to this point and should feel very proud of what they have delivered for our client.
We are delighted to announce the successful acceptance of the Greenock SCADA Replacement Project. This extremely complex project, which has been over 7 years in the design and prepare stage, will replace the existing redundant distributed control system with a new specification compliant Siemens PLC and SCADA system. This new state-of-the-art system will allow the works to be maintained for years to come. This milestone has only been achieved by close collaboration between ESD, Scottish Water and the systems integrator BGEN.
Glenfarg WTW Visitors!
November 2024
A few weeks ago, a family of beavers was discovered near Glenfarg WTW, which is due to undergo a major £114m upgrade. They have now been successfully relocated to the Cairngorms National Park.
The construction works would have seriously disturbed the beavers’ habitat and, as they are stubborn creatures, they probably would not have moved on of their own accord.
With expert advice and support from The Beaver Trust, the animals have been relocated to their new home as shown in the video below, posted by Scottish Water on YouTube.
Winchburgh WwTW Official Opening Ceremony
October 2024
Wednesday 30th October saw the official opening of the innovative £35 million Winchburgh wastewater treatment works in West Lothian. The plant is Scotland’s lowest carbon wastewater treatment plant.
The opening ceremony was performed by Gillian Martin MSP, Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, alongside Scottish Water’s Chief Executive, Alex Plant, and pupils from Winchburgh Primary School.
ESD COO, Peter Walsh, said: “Reflecting our close relationship with Scottish Water, the Winchburgh project has set a new benchmark in collaboration between our two companies. ESD is proud to be a Scottish Water Alliance partner and we share their ambition to achieve net zero by 2040. The technologies behind the Winchburgh plant will help us achieve that goal.
“I thank the ESD team and all our supply chain partners for their commitment and expertise which has resulted in the successful completion this flagship project. Winchburgh has provided us all with invaluable experience that will benefit future similar projects.”
Click here for the text of Scottish Water’s press release
Health & Safety Supply Chain Conference
October 2024
On Tuesday 8th October, in Glasgow, ESD hosted one of our regular health and safety conferences with our supply chain partners from across the country. We were delighted with the turnout, with one company representative coming all the way from Wales.
During the day, various presentations focussed in on the latest developments in the health and safety arena. These included Matt Cain from Galliford Try talking about CBAB (Changing Believes, Affecting Behaviour), Aled Duckfield from Intuety discussing Intelligent RAMs, Martin Telfer and Vaughn McSeveney from MT ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS LTD talking about water safety management and Hannah Yule from Scottish Water covering a wide range of Wellbeing issues.
It was a lively session with everyone keen to share knowledge and learn from each other’s experiences. It is clear that health and safety remains firmly at the top of everyone’s priority list – just as it should be. Thanks again to everyone for taking part in what was a very productive event.
Remember; Nothing we do is so important that we cannot take the time to do it safely.
Official Opening Ceremony for Invercannie WTW
September 2024
Friday 20th September saw the official opening ceremony of the revamped £60m Invercannie WTW near Banchory. The event was attended by Cllr Judy Whyte, Provost of Aberdeenshire, and Scottish Water’s Board Chair, Deirdre Michie, and Chief Executive, Alex Plant (See photos) – as well as representatives of ESD.
The WTW was originally constructed more than 150 years ago and was hailed a jewel in the crown of engineering success. Opened by Queen Victoria in October 1866 and supplying the then 75,000 population of the Granite City with 27 million litres of water every day, it has been diligently serving the growing North East population ever since.
ESD’s Chief Operating Officer, Peter Walsh, said: “ESD is proud of the work we have carried out at Invercannie. In many ways, this has been a flagship project for us, particularly in relation to our success in delivering this significant and complex project safely while continuing to supply world-class drinking water to customers. We’re very grateful to local residents for their patience and understanding while this work has been ongoing. Our work at Invercannie provides greater resilience of supply for our customers within the region.”
Click here to read Scottish Water's Press Release
Invercannie WTW WiS
July 2024
On the 18th July, the ESD Team at Invercannie WTW hit a major milestone for the project and the greater Aberdeen area with Water in Supply for the new Chlorine Contact Tanks, 19ML Clear Water Tanks, Lime Make-Up and Dosing System, Sodium Hypochlorite Dosing System, and Integration of the existing Ammonia Dosing System. This £56million pound investment project is the largest infrastructure work at Invercannie WTW since the building of the 1924 Aqueduct. With the new DAF treatment on the raw water and now the new CCT, CWTs and Chemical dosing packages, Invercannie WTW is more resilient to change in Raw Water quality and now has storage capacity of 19ML further protecting the valuable water supply to Aberdeen and the surrounding towns and villages.
A fantastic effort from the site team and supply chain to finally hit this major milestone! Well Done all!!
Milestone at Carron Valley
July 2024
The site team at Carron Valley WTW reached a project milestone by successfully getting the new powdered activated carbon (PAC) system up and running, achieving water into supply (WIS).
Having the new PAC plant operating was critical to meeting a DWQR requirement, and the team worked tirelessly alongside Ross-shire Engineering to ensure the deadline was met. PAC is used to neutralise an earthy taste in drinking water caused by an algae, Geosmin, found in Carron Valley Reservoir in the summer months.
The team’s hard work since March last year means that the temporary PAC system that has been in use can be removed from service, and the new system can be handed over to Scottish Water following a reliability period and operator training. ESD remain on site at Carron Valley to manage a complete filter refurbishment, construction of a new service water pipeline and pump kiosk, and upgrades of all remaining chemical dosing systems.
South Commons Completion
June 2024
Another big achievement for ESD! The Scottish Borders CWT (Clear Water Tank) is complete, ensuring a resilient water supply for over 20,000 households and businesses around Galashiels, Selkirk and surrounding areas. The tank can hold the equivalent of nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Click here to see Scottish Water's press release.
Kerse TWS Completion
June 2024
A significant delivery milestone has been reached at ESD’s Kerse treated water storage (TWS) project near Patna in Ayrshire. The £6.5m project, being carried out on behalf of Scottish Water, has involved the design and construction of a new 3 million litre clean water storage tank to replace the existing asset and improve the water quality for approximately 6,500 local customers. On schedule on 21st May, Water in Supply (WiS) was achieved. The new facility successfully underwent two weeks of final testing and is now ‘live’.
Congratulations to the team.
Click here for Scottish Water's press release issued on 13th June.
South Commons hits important Milestone
May 2024
A major milestone in the Scottish Borders on 1st May 2024. Water into Supply (WIS) was achieved for the first cell of a new South Common 12 million litre Clear Water Tank (CWT), This is part of the £30m+ scheme ESD is delivering to improve WQ and resilience of supplies throughout the Central Borders.
New Milestone at Dhu Loch WTW
March 2024
The new MIEX (Magnetic Ion Exchange) plant at Dhu Loch WTW (Water Treatment Works) on the Isle of Bute reached a key project milestone this week with Scottish Water approval being granted to go ahead to Water into Supply (WiS).
The MIEX process has been proven to reduce the natural organic matter content in the raw water that combine with disinfectant by-products resulting in higher levels of THM’s. Lessons Learned from the MIEX plants previously delivered by ESD at Tarbert and Ardrshaig have been implemented at Dhu Loch to minimise the risk of disruption to final commissioning and hand over. Fine raw water filters have been installed to minimise the risk of organic plant material entering the process which caused blockages to contactor vessel inlet distribution pipework at Ardrishaig.
Black Esk and Winterhope WOA Progress
February 2024
At Black Esk, ESD is constructing a new 2 megalitre clean water tank for Scottish Water, based at Southwoodhead Farm near Kirkpatrick Fleming. We are using R H Irving as our main civils sub-contractor to carry out all elements of construction other than M&E. The job is challenging from both a weather and an environmental point of view: being situated at the top of a small hill with open countryside to the Solway Firth means it is very susceptible to wind and we are near Eskdalemuir, so we do suffer from the rain also. The ground consists of heavy red clay which does not settle quickly when mixed with water, so we have installed a large amount of silt ponds and silt fencing and barriers to stop dirty water from leaving site. We are currently chemically treating dirty water under licence from SEPA to allow it to be removed from site in a clean state.
Strategic Board visits Mannofield WTW
February 2024
On 1st February, the team at Mannofield welcomed the ESD Strategic Board to site to see the progress being made to date. Due to the significance of the Mannofield project within the Scottish Water portfolio of projects, everyone was keen to see the project in real time and enjoyed their tour and briefing by the team.
At the Mannofield WTW (Water Treatment Works) site, the concrete works for the static mixer chamber were completed at the end of 2023 by sub-contractor, CPR. This consisted of a 13m x 9m x 4m buried chamber RC chamber which will house the new pipe work, valves, flow meters, static mixer and sampling equipment. Challenges faced during its construction included the diversion of existing services and the installation of a cofferdam in very hard ground conditions.
New Wastewater Treatment Works Reaches Milestone
December 2023
A £35 million state-of-the-art wastewater treatment works in Winchburgh has reached a significant milestone. The innovative new works, which is only the second of its kind in Scotland and uses Nereda technology, has now started to receive and treat flows from Winchburgh. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Click here to read Scottish Water's press release.
Water Supply Boost for Loch Ness Communities
ESD has successfully completed work on Scottish Water’s new water treatment works at Invermoriston on the banks of beautiful Loch Ness, transforming the fresh water supply to the Glenmoriston and Fort Augustus communities. Local MSP, Kate Forbes, was on hand on 15th September to unveil a plaque and declare the new plant open.
ESD’s Chief Operating Officer, Wendy Cooper, said: “The scale and complexity of the project to give Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston a single, improved water supply for the future has always been striking. Along the way, our team has had to deal with everything from the challenging ground conditions beneath a 200-year-old wonder of water engineering to a global pandemic.
“The common factor in every stage and every challenge has been the strength of our working relationship with our partners – the local community, landowners and our supply chain. Where we have encountered difficulties, we have been able to work together to find solutions. The outcome is one that everyone who has played a part should feel proud of."
Congratulations to ESD’s Project Manager, Kelton Bennett, Senior Site Manager, Mark MacLennan, and the whole team on a magnificent achievement.
