Southern Water has completed improvements at two wastewater treatment works along the course of Hampshire’s River Itchen – helping to protect and enhance ther chalk stream’s habitats.

Eastleigh’s Chickenhall works, and Winchester’s Harestock works received upgrades costing almost £8 million to boost the quality of the fully treated flows leaving the sites and entering the nearby chalk stream.

The £2.4 million scheme at Harestock involved installing an additional treatment process called ferric dosing to remove more phosphorus from flows, while at Chickenhall £5.4 million has been spent on a new storm tank that holds back storm water during intense rainfall and makes the use of storm overflows when the site is overloaded with surface water less likely.

Senior Project manager Alex Lamm, said:

“We’re pleased that these works are now complete. This work will help improve the health of the precious River Itchen in Hampshire, through reducing the amount of phosphorous entering the river and also allowing us to store more storm water.

These are the first two of three South Hampshire upgrade projects being carried out by contractor GTb to be completed – with the final one a £8.1 million storm tank scheme at Portswood Wastewater Treatment Works.

Stuart Whisby, Project Manager for GTb, added:

“We’re delighted to have finished these two projects. The teams have worked hard to make sure we meet the regulation dates.”