New Cardross £1.6m project to tackle sewer flooding underway

Scottish Water is stepping in to prevent internal and external flooding in nearly a dozen properties in the village.

The public utility firm say that increasing amounts of rainwater during extreme weather has been overwhelming the local sewer network, as well as causing flooding in Geilston Park and nearby tennis courts.

A new £1.6m screened combined sewer overflow (CSO) is being built as a safe and practicable route to divert excess rainwater away from the sewer network.

Increasing rainwater has been overwhelming the local sewer network (Image: Scottish Water)

Steven Greenhill, alliance team manager at Scottish Water said: “This is a hugely important project for Cardross and the local community.

“We have explored a range of options, and this is the best available to safely reduce the risk of properties being flooded during storm conditions.

“CSOs are designed to prevent the sewer from backing up into homes during periods of extreme weather and are critical components when it comes to managing flows during peak rainfall.”

It will be built under a small section of Geilston Park which will divert storm rainwater run-off into the nearby Geilston Burn during extreme weather.

It will be built under a small section of Geilston Park (Image: Scottish Water)

Discharges will only happen when the now-increased sewer reaches capacity and will be screened. Less than one per cent of waste water is from toilets so it will not harm the environment.

Steven added: "This is a significant investment that will dramatically reduce the risk of sewer flooding for the community in Cardross.

“Scottish Water is investing record levels – nearly a billion pounds a year – on improving its infrastructure to help meet increased demand and address the impact of climate change.

“We would like to thank all concerned for their patience and understanding.”

For more information and updates visit Scottish Water's website at scottishwater.co.uk.