Work is set to begin on the first phase of a major multi-million pound project to help improve sea water quality in Burnham-On-Sea.
Wessex Water has said this week that its work on the project will start in the next few weeks at its pumping station in Highbridge.
The work will take approximately a year to complete and will involve treating storm water to a very high standard by installing innovative ultraviolet (UV) disinfection facilities.
Kelvin Brick, the firm’s project manager for the first phase, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “It is vital that work is done to improve the bathing water in the area.”
“Storm flows will be treated to a higher standard which in turn will benefit the bathing waters of Burnham Jetty and Bridgwater Bay.”
Burnham’s Mayor Martin Cox welcomed the news this week and told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This is brilliant news – improving our sea water quality is top of the Town Council’s list of local problems to address.”
“Installing new UV facilities is a brilliant idea and this is a step forward towards improving the quality of our beaches and helping the tourism economy, which is the lifeblood of our town.”
A change to EU policy back in 2006 has meant that the current classification of bathing water will change in 2015/2016 to a more stringent set of criteria.
The changes means that bathing water in Burnham-On-Sea may fall below the new standards unless improvements are made to water treatment facilities.
Wessex Water is spending £39m on improving water quality in the Burnham area, as Burnham-On-Sea.com first reported last October.
