Bournemouth Water, part of Pennon Group, is progressing work on an £85 million project to upgrade its Knapp Mill Water Treatment Works.
The works form part of Bournemouth Water’s £200 million investment in infrastructure programme and is designed to modernise and future-proof its water system.
In June, Bournemouth Water completed the first phase of work and prepared the site ready for construction to begin. Once complete, the upgraded site will use advanced technology to deliver more sustainable and more reliable drinking water for customers across the region. The improvements will also enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and increase resilience against the challenges of climate change.
The works at Knapp Mill treat water for customers in Christchurch and parts of the New Forest - one of two main treatment works that supply the area. Currently, water is treated using slow sand filter (SSF) treatment technology as the main treatment process followed by disinfection using ultraviolet radiation and chlorination. Knapp Mill has been treating water since the early 1900s. The earliest slow sand filters were installed at the site in the 1930s.
The investment in the site will add ozone treatment, ceramic membrane filtration and granular activated carbon (GAC) processes to the water treatments at Knapp Mill.
The water company said works to upgrade Knapp Mill have been progressing well with further vital improvements made over the last few months. The site’s new ceramic membrane treatment units, which were pre-built off-site to minimise disruption, have been delivered and the first units are now being installed on site.
In addition, Bournemouth Water has constructed a dedicated loop road to safely manage the arrival and movement of large delivery trucks which will keep all delivery activity within the site and off nearby public roads.
The next stage of works will focus on installing large pipework to connect new treatment buildings, alongside further landscaping to integrate the upgraded site into its surroundings. This work is ongoing and is due to be completed in Spring 2026. The upgraded facility is on track to start delivering water to households across Bournemouth by Spring 2026, boosting Bournemouth Water’s treatment capacity and improving the resilience of water supplies across the region.
Jamie Elliot, Senior Programme Manager at Bournemouth Water, said:
“This is a significant investment in the region’s water supply, and we want people to understand both the benefits of this work and the steps we’re taking to minimise disruption.”
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
bNovate has launched BactoCloud, a secure cloud-based platform that connects and manages its BactoSense instruments, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of microbial water quality.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.