Abstraction at Axford

Since the early 1990s Thames Water have abstracted water from the borehole at Axford, Wiltshire, to supply homes and businesses in Swindon and the Kennet valley.  ARK have consistently objected to the export of water over the catchment boundary.  Water exported to Swindon does not return to the Kennet as treated effluent, it is water lost to the river for ever.  After 20 years of campaigning Thames Water and The Environment Agency have agreed to build a pipeline linking north and south Swindon which will allow south Swindon to be supplied from the reservoir at Farmoor.  This will dramatically reduce the export of water from the Kennet.

Work on the pipeline began in 2013 and Thames Water estimate that it will be completed by the end of 2015.

Ogbourne abstraction

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