One of the most innovative water treatment works ever constructed was officially turned on yesterday when water started flowing at Lincolnshire’s newest water treatment works.

The £44 million facility, called Hall Water Treatment Works, has been built close to Newton-on-Trent and will take water from the River Trent. The cutting-edge technology used in its construction means previously untreatable water from the Trent can, for the first time, be purified to the very highest drinking water standards.

River water will be pumped two kilometres to a newly constructed 20 acre reservoir – roughly the size of 11 football pitches – which holds 300 million litres of water. From here, up to 20 million litres every day will be treated using processes unique in the UK, before it is supplied to homes and businesses in south Lincolnshire.

This new water source will help to combat future droughts across the county and ensure there will be enough water for Lincolnshire’s future. The drought-related impacts of climate change and population growth mean more people will need to rely on what is already a scarce resource.

Peter Simpson, Chief Executive of Anglian Water Group, said:

“Between now and the end of the decade, Lincolnshire is expected to continue to grow at a faster rate than the national average. For this county to continue to grow, and for its businesses to continue to prosper, it’s vital that services like water are readily available to the communities and businesses which rely on them.

“We’re committed to playing our part in securing the region’s future by making investments like this. Hall Water Treatment Works is a major part of our £327 million investment in the county’s water and water recycling infrastructure between 2010 and 2015.”

Elsewhere in the county, Anglian Water is investing £40m on a 60km pipeline that will transfer water from Covenham to Boston. This will support growth in South Lincolnshire, enabling the Boston area to expand as planned. A further £14m has been invested at Elsham to increase the amount of water that’s able to be supplied to the growing industry on the Humber Bank.

Peter Simpson continued:

“Innovation is at the heart of this facility, from the processes it uses to the technologies included in its design. And throughout its construction, we’ve focused on using techniques that minimise our environmental impact. We believe it’s unique in the UK and is one of the most advanced water treatment works ever constructed.”

Planning for Hall water treatment works was approved in April 2012, with the entire site being constructed in just 18 months.

The construction included:

• A huge pumping station, which is capable of taking up to 64 million litres of water a day from the River Trent
• Four kilometres of pipes
• A 20 acre storage reservoir which holds 300 million litres of water ready for treatment – enough to supply the whole of Lincoln for three weeks
• This reservoir was carved out of the ground using satellite controlled excavation machinery
• The new treatment works, which includes filters 1/20th the thickness of a hair and ultra-violet light to disinfect the water.
• Work is also underway for a new water treatment works to be built outside Norwich at a cost of £13 million.
• The Anglian Water scheme is designed to secure water supplies for homes and industry in and around the growing city. The scheme is part of a large investment in resilience following the 2012 drought and increased demands on the existing water supply.

The new works will be located outside the village of Postwick and will be completed over a period of 12 months. The new water treatment works will process 7.5 million litres of water a day.