Arinagour CWT

In October of 2023, Mackenzie Construction began enabling works and tank structural refurbishment works at Arinagour Clear Water Tank on the Isle of Coll. The project ran for a total of 16 working weeks, successfully being completed in February of 2024.

In general, the primary work scope was the repair and refurbishment of a clear water tank. However, in order to achieve that and to maintain a reliable supply of potable drinking water to the local community, Mackenzie Construction had to undertake enabling works, installing temporary tanks to facilitate taking the existing clear water tank offline. Temporary pipework was also required to reroute the water to these temporary tanks, allowing Mackenzie Construction to refurbish the existing water tanks with no risk of interruption to the water supply.

While the temporary works and tank structural refurbishment works carried out at Arinagour were fairly routine, they weren’t without some challenges. The project required the installation of some fairly complex pipework and valve assemblies. These are normally done on-site with squads travelling to and from the site regularly. However, with the project being based on the Isle of Coll, Mackenzie Construction recognised the impact of the emissions from vans and ferries and looked for an alternative to reduce the carbon footprint.

To reduce the travel for the operatives, Mackenzie Construction chose to pre-fabricate the pipework and fitting arrangements in sections on the mainland, at a base to the supplier and fabrication team. By reducing the site team numbers and associated travel, and by maximising the prefabricating of pipework, the overall contract duration was reduced, further minimising the impact on the local community on the island.

“Although the project works were fairly routine for Mackenzie Construction, carrying out works on an island and during winter months provided a variety of logistical challenges. The project team came together to create some off-site partial pre-fabrication solutions that not only reduced the project duration and disruption on the island but also reduced carbon emissions. Mackenzie Construction as a business is continually looking to reduce carbon emissions and embrace the circular economy to ensure we play our part in protecting, replenishing and enhancing a sustainable natural environment.”

-Mark Bramley, Commercial Director, Mackenzie Construction