Wessex Water has unveiled proposals to triple future investment to tackle storm overflows from £3 million to £9 million a month.
As the water sector today (Thursday, 18th May) announces the biggest shake-up of the sewerage network since the Victorian era, Wessex Water has outlined plans for the investment boost to reduce storm overflows.
During the last year Wessex Water says it invested £69 million to protect the region’s rivers and beaches. This involved multi-million pound schemes to deal with heavy deluges of rainwater to reduce storm overflows.
The water company currently invests around £3 million per month on improving storm overflows, which are licensed to operate automatically during or after heavy rainfall to protect properties from flooding.
There has also been major investment to remove phosphorus and other nutrients through advanced treatment at water recycling centres, work which is further safeguarding and improving river ecology.
But from 2025, Wessex Water is proposing to do even more by tripling how much it invests – spending £9 million a month on further improvements to storm overflows, subject to regulatory approval.
Matt Wheeldon, Wessex Water’s Director of Infrastructure Development, said: “We know our customers care passionately about protecting watercourses, whether or not they use them for swimming or recreation, and we share their passion.”
“That’s why we’re investing unprecedented amounts to help improve river and coastal water quality, including reducing how often storm overflows operate and minimising the environmental impact of our treatment processes.”
Storm overflow discharges halved near designated bathing waters in 2022 due to a combination of prolonged dry weather and the company’s investment, says Wessex Water.
Mr Wheeldon adds: “We would love to stop all storm overflow discharges immediately but unfortunately there is no quick fix – eliminating them completely would mean re-plumbing a sewerage system which has been built in this way for over 150 years.”
“The solutions we’re rolling out include separating out rainwater to stop it entering sewers and constructing large storage tanks to contain the combined rain and sewage for later treatment.”
“Beyond this, we have further plans for nature-based solutions such as natural wetlands and reed beds. It is vital that regulators support these schemes to help reduce carbon impacts, minimise bill rises for customers and greatly improve river water quality.”
Wessex Water said numerous other factors can affect water quality, including wildlife and agricultural run-off, and the company had spearheaded collaboration with farmers on catchment partnerships to deliver cost-effective solutions.
As water quality is affected by various sources and river users want to know more, Wessex Water has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-led app which predicts bacteria levels using other parameters that can be continuously obtained from sensors within bathing or recreational waters.
Mr Wheeldon added: “We’ve already used AI to provide real-time water quality information at Warleigh Weir, near Bath, Baltic Wharf in Bristol and in Poole Harbour where we are providing water quality forecasts for the shellfishery and recreational businesses.”
“We have identified over 50 other river locations across our region popular for recreation and we’re working with local authorities and community groups to provide better information on water quality, temperature and river flow.”
Wessex Water was the first UK company to publish data on overflow operations 365 days a year and provides information on bathing waters and other recreational areas to local councils and Surfers Against Sewage.
Since 2000, the company has upgraded nearly 600 storm overflows and current investment will reduce the number of hours storm overflows operate for by approximately 25% by 2025.
Between 2020 and 2025, Wessex Water says it is tackling storm overflows in Bath, Bristol, Dorset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Schemes include:
- Enhancing capacity at 14 water recycling centres, including Wessex Water’s largest site at Avonmouth near Bristol. This will allow treatment of more sewage and wastewater from a rapidly expanding city, while also protecting the environment.
- Spending more than £15 million on a new pumping station and transfer pipeline to replace the existing water recycling centre at Ubley in Somerset, reducing the impact of treated wastewater and the number of storm overflow discharges into Blagdon Lake and the Congresbury Yeo.
- Building a stormwater storage tank in the centre of Bradford on Avon, reducing discharges into the River Avon by more than three quarters.
- Wetlands and reedbeds are being explored at several rural sites where the infiltration of groundwater is the primary cause of overflow operation, such as Shrewton Water Recycling Centre in Wiltshire. After primary treatment at water recycling centres, a nature-based solution provides sufficient biological treatment to ensure there is no environmental impact.
- Separating rainwater from a combined sewer near the iconic Portland Bill lighthouse in Dorset, reducing the likelihood of discharges during heavy or prolonged rainfall.
- Continuing a programme of rehabilitating sewers throughout the Wessex Water region, re-lining and sealing pipes to ensure they are structurally sound from the threat of infiltration from high groundwater levels.
