A £2 million investment into the infrastructure of Britain’s smallest city is hoped to keep the water flowing for residents and tourists alike this summer.

Last summer season St Davids residents reported very low water pressure, or even no water supply, as the city was put under pressure by the increased tourist population.

Welsh Water has said that it is investing £2 million in water pumping station upgrades and creation of brand-new station in order to alleviate the problem this summer, The company says it plans to invest in the network to improve its resilience and to provide it with an additional boost to keep up with demand during the busy tourist season.

The investment in St. David’s will include a new state-of-the-art water pumping station as well as vital capacity upgrades to existing pumping stations that serve the area.

Last year the St. Davids peninsula was among the most popular tourism spots in Wales, seeing a significant growth in population.

In a normal year, Welsh Water’s Bolton Hill Water Treatment Works which serves the area would normally produce 38 megalitres of water per day.

In July 2021, this peaked to 45 megalitres per day –- representing an 18% increase, an addition, enough to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools – all of which needed to be distributed around the network to keep up with demand.

Richard Colwill Welsh Water’s distribution operation manager said: “Last summer saw unprecedented levels of tourism in the St. David's area and near record levels of water demand.

“Our teams worked around the clock operating the network to meet the demand for water and deliver service to our customers, including tankering to our service reservoirs in the area.”

With a continuation of staycation tourism predicted once again this summer, Welsh Water says it’s expecting again to see an exceptional increase in tourists in the area.

Catering for summer demand isn’t the only rationale for the investment in St Davids. The company says that it will also safeguard against future population growth and bring resilience to the effects of climate change.

“These upgrades are not only necessary for meeting summer water requirements but will also ensure the network is able to meet future demands,” said Mr Colwill.