South West Water has reduced storm overflow spills by 93% at Rilla Mill in Cornwall – this is one in a series of investments being made to improve the region’s use of storm overflows.
Spills at Rilla Mill have dropped from 293 in 2023 to 19 in 2024 with more work planned.
This is one in a series of changes South West Water is making around Turning the Tide – where the company is investing around £760m to reduce storm overflows across the region as part of its record investment over the next five years. The company said it is delivering on what matters most for customers and communities with a £3.2bn investment.
South West Water hopes the Turning the Tide storm overflow investment programme will help it become the first water company to meet the Government’s target of less than 10 spills per year – 10 years ahead of deadline.
The improvements at Rilla Mill follow a targeted investment of nearly £300,000 which has seen a new rapid balance tank installed to store excess flows during heavy rainfall, while a new inlet screen has been put in place to enhance treatment capability.
Susan Davy, CEO, said:
“Reducing the use of storm overflows is just as important to us as it is to our customers. Delivering change on this scale takes time, ambition, and record levels of investment. We have a 15 year programme to deliver the change we all want to see.
“My brilliant teams are out every single day, working harder than ever and Rilla Mill is another example of how teams are reconfiguring our system. It’s great to see their dedication and how much they care about making a real, lasting difference in the region we all live and work in.”
Karl Stone, Site Manager said:
“My team and I have helped tackle the root causes of excessive flows which was infiltration due to more heavy rainfall than ever entering the system. We have worked almost 700 hours to line 584m of sewer and sealed 11 manholes – preventing the system from becoming overwhelmed and future proofing against climate change.”
