Anglian Water starts 20-million-litre Welby storage tank works
Anglian Water has begun laying the foundations for a 20-million-litre water storage facility at Welby, between Sleaford and Grantham. The work sits inside the company’s Strategic Pipeline, which is meant to move water more flexibly across the region.
The reservoir is designed to sit above ground and is expected to be finished by Autumn 2027. Anglian Water says the build should not affect water supplies while it is under way.
Welby and the Strategic Pipeline
The Welby reservoir is part of a Strategic Pipeline project that stretches hundreds of kilometres from North Lincolnshire to Essex. Anglian Water says the pipeline will transfer up to 55 million litres of water a day between Lincoln and Grantham, with a new pumping station and generator also included in the scheme.
Aron Petney, construction manager of the Strategic Pipeline Alliance, said: "This new 20‑million‑litre water storage tank at Welby is about making sure we’re ready for the future." He added: "It will help us store water and move it around the region more easily, so we can keep supplies running during dry periods and support growing communities across Lincolnshire and beyond."
Lincolnshire supply plans
Anglian Water says the reservoir is being designed to safely store water and support a reliable supply for customers. The company also says the structure has been designed to use recycled materials to reduce carbon emissions during construction, while Petney said: "We’re also focused on building it in a smart and sustainable way, using lower-carbon materials and a proven design."
He added: "That means we can create something that lasts while limiting its impact on the environment." The build is being delivered by Costain, Farrans, Jacobs and Mott MacDonald Bentley, and Anglian Water says its resilience and infrastructure plans are worth over £11 billion.
East of England demand
The project comes as the East of England receives only two-thirds of England’s average rainfall and could see population growth of one million people by 2045. That leaves the Welby site tied to a wider effort to move more water across the region without interrupting supplies during construction.
For customers, the immediate change is the start of work on a new storage layer within the Strategic Pipeline, with the finished reservoir set to add capacity at Welby once it opens in Autumn 2027.
