At the heart of this major scheme will be the construction of a new state-of-the-art pumping station at Castor Bay Water Treatment Works, near Lurgan, to replace the existing facility built in 1970.

A new dedicated high-voltage electrical supply will also be incorporated within the NI Water-owned site, replacing the current aging system to protect against power outages and safeguard water supply. The new assets will be future-proofed with enhanced connectivity to accommodate potential integration of Solar PV, supporting NI Water’s Net Zero Strategy.

Farrans-Glanua JV is the contractor for this major programme of work and WSP will provide technical and project management support. 

The existing pumping station at Castor Bay is capable of transferring up to 95 million litres of high-quality drinking water a day from Castor Bay Water Treatment Works to Ballydougan Service Reservoir, near Craigavon, to serve customers across the Down and Armagh areas.

With demand increasing, this significant NI Water investment will increase the output capacity of the pumping station to 115 million litres of water a day – enough water to fill nearly 1.5 million baths – with scope for further expansion. A new multi-branch cross-connection between Ballydougan, Forked Bridge, and Magheraliskmisk pumping mains will give NI Water the ability to re-route flows during shutdowns or emergencies, adding much-needed resilience.