Norwich to Wymondham pipeline

We’re building a new network of interconnecting water pipelines, and the pipeline from Norwich to Wymondham is now complete. 

We’ve built a new 12.5km pipeline, which starts near Little Melton - to the east of the Norwich Southern Bypass - and ends at the existing High Oak reservoir, near Wymondham. Click here to see a map of the pipeline.

The pipeline, which is part of our region-wide £400 million investment, connects into our existing water network to ensure we can continue to meet demand from population growth in the area, and provide an additional source of water to the supply from local groundwater sources – making your water supply even more resilient and ensuring we continue to protect the local environment.  

Where does my water come from? 

Now the new pipeline is complete, some of your water will come from Little Melton, via High Oak, while the rest will continue to come directly from High Oak. You shouldn’t notice any difference in the look, smell or taste of your water, and it’s still really high quality – some of the best quality drinking water in the UK, in fact. 

Read more about how we monitor our water supplies to ensure we can provide you with the best quality drinking water possible. 

Innovation 

Our teams have been using smart engineering and cutting-edge technology to design these pipes to be energy efficient to minimise the carbon impact of this project. The entire pipeline has also been designed to have the lowest carbon footprint possible, in line with our pledge to reach net zero carbon by 2030. 

We used a "pipe plough" – a machine which cuts through the ground and lays our pipes at the same time. Using the pipe plough, rather than traditional pipe laying techniques, reduced the local environmental impact and the carbon footprint. This is because it uses a narrower working strip and requires fewer resources for excavation and reinstatement.   

It meant in some areas we didn’t need to leave any open excavations and reduced the space we needed to work (to a maximum of 15 metres).  This allowed us to complete the work faster. 

We also used much less water to test the new pipes and pumps during our ‘commissioning’ phase. 

These techniques were a huge step forward for the water industry and helped us to reduce our carbon and environmental impacts, while enabling us to provide clean palatable water to your area.  

We also used much less water to commission the new pipes and pumps.  This reduces the carbon and water footprint of the project.