The water environment in and around Weobley, Herefordshire is set to receive a boost thanks to a £3.5million investment scheme by Welsh Water. The not-for-profit utility company is set to start work on a project which will see it upgrading the wastewater treatment works which it owns and operates in the area.
The treatment works already treats the wastewater it receives from the surrounding area, but the planned upgrades will see the treatment process enhanced.
The main improvement will be the introduction of a process which removes phosphates from the treated wastewater. Phosphates can cause algal bloom so by removing them from the treated wastewater, this will help reduce levels in the nearby Newbridge Brook – which in turn will benefit its aquatic life.
The upgrade work will get underway in early May 2022 and the company aims to have it completed by the end of February 2023.
Welsh Water’s Senior Project Manager, Andrew Davies, said: “As a company, we are committed to ensuring we protect the environment that is in our care, and that includes the watercourses we interact with. There are a number of factors which contribute to phosphate levels in watercourses, and we are committed to ensuring we do all that we can to keep our contribution to the absolute minimum. Our significant investment here at Weobley reflects this.”
Mr Davies added: “We always want to make sure our customers know what we are doing when we are working in their community, so we have written to residents to tell them about the work and have updated our website with the latest information.
“We appreciate that this kind of work can cause some inconvenience, but we will do all we can to keep this to a minimum and would like to thank people for bearing with us whilst we undertake these essential works.”
