Post by les on May 25, 2010 8:01:59 GMT
After receiving a quote from United Utilities to provide a water supply to Top Locks, it was disappointing to say the least to receive a phone call four days later saying that they couldn't do it after all.
They cited 'technical and engineering difficulties' as the reason. Primarily it is because they cannot\will not\are not allowed to bring a supply pipe through the concrete wall of Doctors Bridge.
Other methods of obtaining water are just not economically viable. These include using a "mole" to burrow underneath the canal\surrounding roads to bring in a supply pipe at a cost of around £10,000+.
This comprises around £8,000 for the actual digging, £1000 to make the connection, and £1000 for legal fees, because various permissions have to be sought using this method.
A borehole is another possibility, but it is not guaranteed that water would be found using this method, and at around a thousand pounds per hole it can become expensive.
If water was found at the first attempt, then the hole would need to be lined to prevent it collapsing in on itself, and a submersible pump would be needed, ideally in conjunction with a particle filter, to bring the water to the surface.
This could cost anywhere from £1500 to £?000, depending on the depth of the borehole and the size of the pump, along with all the associated piping.
Filtering the canal water, and sterilising it using a UV sterilising lamp unit is feasible, and at around £1000 for a pump\filter\UV unit it is not overly expensive, but I suspect that Peel Holdings might take a dim view of us using their water.
I also think that the act of drinking canal water, however safe it might be after processing, would not appeal to everybody.
Various people over the past 20 years or so have tried unsuccessfully to obtain a water supply at Top Locks, and it seems fairly certain that, barring a miracle or a very lucky break, it could go on for a further 20 years unless some benefactor leaves us the money to pay for it.
They cited 'technical and engineering difficulties' as the reason. Primarily it is because they cannot\will not\are not allowed to bring a supply pipe through the concrete wall of Doctors Bridge.
Other methods of obtaining water are just not economically viable. These include using a "mole" to burrow underneath the canal\surrounding roads to bring in a supply pipe at a cost of around £10,000+.
This comprises around £8,000 for the actual digging, £1000 to make the connection, and £1000 for legal fees, because various permissions have to be sought using this method.
A borehole is another possibility, but it is not guaranteed that water would be found using this method, and at around a thousand pounds per hole it can become expensive.
If water was found at the first attempt, then the hole would need to be lined to prevent it collapsing in on itself, and a submersible pump would be needed, ideally in conjunction with a particle filter, to bring the water to the surface.
This could cost anywhere from £1500 to £?000, depending on the depth of the borehole and the size of the pump, along with all the associated piping.
Filtering the canal water, and sterilising it using a UV sterilising lamp unit is feasible, and at around £1000 for a pump\filter\UV unit it is not overly expensive, but I suspect that Peel Holdings might take a dim view of us using their water.
I also think that the act of drinking canal water, however safe it might be after processing, would not appeal to everybody.
Various people over the past 20 years or so have tried unsuccessfully to obtain a water supply at Top Locks, and it seems fairly certain that, barring a miracle or a very lucky break, it could go on for a further 20 years unless some benefactor leaves us the money to pay for it.
