Ramsbottom allotment holders are receiving help from United Utilities after having water supply problems during the dryer summer months.
Allotment holders at Peel Brow have struggled with water supply issues from the local spring for several years and have now had storage tanks and water butts installed to help them better manage rainfall across the site.
United Utilities has worked with 50 plot holders to see two 3,000 litres tanks installed at the site alongside another 20,000l of storage through 36 water butts and IBC tanks.
Peel Brow allotment secretary, Gabrielle Marshall, said: “We’re really grateful for the support from United Utilities.
"When we were going through the water shortages we were having at the allotment, we could see a lot of surface water that we weren't able to make use of.
“Now we're able to harvest it from all the rooftops on the allotment and use of all these water butts to help us to water our plots and also hopefully retain some for those dry months during the summer.”
The new installations should give the allotment a reliable supply of water all year round and come as United Utilities is about to begin work on a project to improve the water quality of the River Irwell.
Water efficiency manager at United Utilities, Alice Denholm, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with the allotment holders at Peel Brow.
“We looked at a number of solutions when they approached us but we feel using the storage tanks and water butts is a great solution for them.
“It will help manage the water they currently take from the spring and recycle the majority of the rainwater that currently falls on the allotment to provide them with reliable water sources.”
As part of the upcoming project on the River Irwell, a new underground storage tank is due to be built on a parcel of land between the Irwell and Nuttall Road.
The tank will hold three-and-a half-million litres, more than an Olympic swimming pool, and will reduce the number of times the storm overflow operates during periods of heavy rainfall.
The initial works will include removing vegetation and reinforcing the access road to the site before the main construction begins in spring 2024.
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