NI Water has completed a major £19.5 million infrastructure project at the Ballinrees Water Treatment Works, outside Coleraine.
Work began in March 2023 on a new high-tech treatment building that uses advanced carbon filters designed to clean and store drinking water.
Additionally, a new pumping station was installed which is designed to boost the overall operational efficiency.
Reliable drinking water infrastructure is becoming increasingly important as population growth and climate change place greater pressure on water networks.
The Ballinrees upgrade has been designed to improve water quality while increasing the system's ability to maintain supplies during periods of high demand or operational disruption.
The scheme ensures a more secure and high-quality water supply for thousands of customers across the North Coast and North West, specifically benefiting the Coleraine, Portrush, Ballymoney, Limavady and Derry/Londonderry areas.
Crucially, the project also supports compliance with drinking water standards established by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
Bernadette Corr, Chief Drinking Water Inspector at NIEA, said the investment will strengthen regulatory compliance while improving drinking water quality and helping safeguard public health.
According to NI Water Director of Infrastructure Delivery, Tzvetelina Bogoina, stated that the investment will "protect the local infrastructure for businesses and tourism" by boosting network resilience during periods of high demand.
She noted that the completion of the project serves as an example of NI Water delivering multi-million-pound schemes on time and within budget.
The project was delivered by contractor DLJ Water Limited in a carefully planned sequence, which allowed the treatment works to remain fully operational throughout the construction phase and tested before being integrated into the existing system.
This approach ensured that no customers were out of supply while the infrastructure was modernised and tested before being brought into active service.
