Anglian Water is due to upgrade infrastructure at Sleaford Water Recycling Centre (WRC) with a new storm tank and refurbished reed beds, in an investment scheme worth more than £4.5 million.
The upgrades will allow Sleaford WRC to process an additional 55 litres of water per second, building resilience to extreme weather caused by climate change and protecting the environment by helping to reduce the use of storm overflows.
The refurbished reed beds will use plants to naturally clean wastewater. Micro-organisms in the reed beds will break down, digest and clean the water so it can be safely returned to the natural environment. The reeds and aeration in the beds improve this process by maintaining the optimum conditions for micro-organisms to thrive. Using reed beds to clean water is not only low cost and low carbon, but it also enhances Sleaford WRC’s biodiversity by introducing new plant and wildlife species to the site.
The upgrades are being delivered in line with Anglian Water’s low carbon hierarchy, using the lowest embodied carbon option, helping the company reach its 2030 goal of net zero carbon emissions. The refurbishment of the reed beds also helps the scheme comply with the company’s commitment to a ten per cent biodiversity net gain across capital schemes.
Stuart Robson, Regional Treatment Manager, said:
“We know how important rivers and the wider environment are to our customers and local communities. We’re really pleased that these upgrades to Sleaford’s Water Recycling Centre will help to protect nearby rivers and increase our resilience to climate change, by helping us make sure the wastewater is treated to an even higher standard than usual before it’s returned to the natural environment.
“We know that extreme weather, including flooding, is becoming more commonplace because of climate change, so it’s really important that our sites are prepared to process higher volumes of stormwater. That’s why we’ve committed through our Get River Positive programme that our water recycling processes will not harm rivers.”
Get River Positive was launched by Anglian Water and Severn Trent earlier this year.
The plan includes five pledges to transform river water quality across their regions and demonstrates a clear and actionable response to calls for a revival of rivers in England. Central to the pledges is a commitment that work carried out by the two water companies will ensure storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers.
