South West Water’s dedicated teams are continuing to help reduce the use of storm overflows across the region, with a programme of works delivering environmental improvements in East Cornwall.
The company’s operational and engineering teams are working hard each day to identify, design and install solutions at sites across the region to meet South West Water’s ambitious storm overflow targets.
One location where this work is already having an impact is Beals Mill near Launceston, located in the River Inny valley. Here, teams used computer models and CCTV cameras to survey local sewers and discovered groundwater was getting into the pipes – putting unnecessary strain on the treatment works.
The amount of rainfall this year, including the wettest February on record, added to this pressure and with climate change leading to more intense and frequent heavy rainfall, South West Water’s teams worked on a long-term solution to benefit local communities and the environment.
As well as a new screening plant, a storm tank has been installed to store up to 40,000 litres of wastewater – equivalent to around 133 full bathtubs – during periods of heavy rainfall.
These upgrades, combined with improvements to the local pumping station and work to repair and reline nearby sewers to stop groundwater getting into the network, will provide extra support to the Beals Mill site now and for the future.
Karl Stone, South West Water’s Area Operations Manager, part of the team overseeing upgrades across East Cornwall, said: “I’m proud to be part of the team making significant changes to how our sites operate. The improvements we’ve installed at Beals Mill have already made a huge difference to the site’s treatment process and its environmental performance.
“We know there is more to do and that’s why we’re working hard to deliver improvements every day – not just me but hundreds of colleagues. We’re local residents and customers too and we care deeply about our work and the impact this has on our communities, which is why I am proud of the hard work we are all putting in to change how storm overflows are used in our region.”
Teams are working to roll out similar solutions across the region which will make South West Water the first water company to meet the government’s target of achieving less than 10 spills per overflow, per year by 2040.