Northumbrian Water has announced that County Durham is set to benefit from a £10.6 million investment at three of its treatment works sites, which will improve water quality in the area.
The company is currently finalising plans for projects that will improve the performance and flexibility of its wastewater network and the treatment at its sites in Pittington, Sherburn and Kelloe.
This work will have the added benefit of helping to improve the water quality in Coalford, Sherburn and Coxhoe Becks, as well as in the watercourses downstream. The water company said this will be achieved by enhancing the already high standards to which the water is treated before being returned to the environment.
The company is investing £8 million in a project that will see the treatment works at Pittington replaced with a pumping station that will transfer the wastewater, via a new pipe, to its Sherburn site, which will be upgraded to accommodate the additional volume.
At Kelloe, a second £2.6 million project will result in the existing site being extended to increase capacity, while Northumbrian Water will also carry out work to enhance the treatment of the area's wastewater.
Ground investigations and consultations with local customers have begun, although start dates for the two projects have yet to be determined. Each project is expected to take only 18 months to complete.
Northumbrian Water is delivering the investment, supported by its AMP7 partners Wood and Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB).
Northumbrian Water Project Manager, Dean Thompson, commented:
"These projects not only futureproof the wastewater treatment in these areas, they also bring environmental benefits through the improvement of water quality at Coalford, Sherburn and Coxhoe Becks.
"We're really passionate about the environment, and these projects represent an important investment not only in terms of our core services for customers, but in terms of our desire to improve the quality of water across our region.”
Updates on the projects will be available at www.nwlcommunityportal.co.uk