SEVERN Trent is investing over £250 million on its storm overflows, improving river health in Worcestershire.
The water company will make the investment over a 25-year period up to 2050, as part of its plans to reduce spills from storm overflows across the county.
A total of 134 storm overflows across the county will undergo investment, including Astwood Bank.
A concentrated £30million investment has been used to improve effluent quality at sewage treatment works at Spernal, Priest Bridge, and Astwood Bank which will improve the ecological status of watercourses nearby.
And £2.7million will be spent at sewage treatment works at Alvechurch to remove phosphorus from wastewater which will improve river health.
The investment for Worcestershire forms part of a wider £4.4bn injection into 2,472 storm overflows across the Severn Trent region, as part of the water company’s Storm Overflow Action Plan (SOAP).
The aim is to reduce the number of spills into water courses across the county, ensuring that by 2040 no overflow will spill more than 10 times in an average year in high priority areas, and in all areas by 2045, five years ahead of Government targets.
Bob Stear Chief Engineer said: “This is a huge long-term investment plan for Worcestershire, improving storm overflows and bringing benefits to rivers now and during the coming years.
“The announcement marks another significant milestone in our drive to deliver real improvements in river health.
“This is why we launched Get River Positive that has already delivered great results, despite the region having experienced seven named storms between September and December, contributing to some of the wettest months on record.
“And we know there is still more to do, which is why this investment is so important – not just to us, but to our region’s rivers and the communities they serve.”
Visit https://getriverpositive.co.uk/ for more information.
