South West Water is progressing work on its Turning the Tide programme to reduce storm overflows - the water company will begin work this autumn on a major project in Falmouth to improve the town’s sewage network, reduce the use of storm overflows and protect the quality of its bathing waters.
The company is set to build a new underground storm water storage tank beneath the car park at Gyllyngvase Beach with works due to start in October. Once complete, the tank will capture excess flows during heavy rainfall, holding them safely until there is capacity in the sewer network for full treatment.
This will help to reduce storm overflow spills from South West Water’s Queen Mary Gardens pumping station and safeguard water quality at Gyllyngvase Beach, which has consistently enjoyed “Good” bathing water status.
The project is part of South West Water’s record programme of investment in wastewater infrastructure, with similar schemes already delivering results.
In 2024, South West Water made improvements to boost storage and operational capabilities at Yeoford Wastewater Treatment works near Crediton - as a result of this work, so far in 2025 there has been an 84% decrease in spills compared to the same time in 2024.
At Teign Village Wastewater Treatment Works near Newton Abbot, similar works to boost storage with an above-ground stainless steel storage tank reduced spills by 75% in just 12 months.
The new storm tank is just the first stage of improvements planned for Falmouth - the works are expected to be completed around the end of March 2026.
South West Water is also exploring nature-based solutions and surface water separation schemes in the area to reduce pressure on the network and tackle spills from other storm overflows in the town.
Further investment in the area is planned over the coming months, as part of the company’s Turning the Tide programme to reduce storm overflows and protect the South West’s rivers and seas.
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