Work is nearing completion on a new water plant which will improve supplies for thousands of consumers in North Yorkshire.
A £2m treatment plant beside the A1 at Catterick should be finished by Christmas and when fully operational will supply homes in the Catterick and Richmond areas.
The plant will take water from two existing ground source boreholes and disinfect it with ultra-violet (UV) light rather than chlorine. It is the first time that UV treatment has been used in Yorkshire.
Yorkshire Water has made the investment to cope with the anticipated increase in population caused by the expansion of Catterick Garrison.
Richmond MP Rishi Sunak toured the construction site with staff from Yorkshire Water and the firm carrying out the work, contractors MS2JV.
He said: “It was very encouraging to see this investment in the Richmond and Catterick area. This new plant secures a better supply for around 30,000 residents and has the capacity to cope with the ongoing expansion of the garrison.”
Phil Woodward, manager for the contractors MS2JV, said: “The UV light kills the bacteria and means we do not need to add chlorine to the supply. This is a first for Yorkshire Water.”
The area supplied by the new plant extends to Marske and Downholme in the west, Colburn, Hipswell and Tunstall and Scotton to the south, Danby Wiske in the east and Middleton Tyas, Eppleby and Melsonby to the north.