£9.5 million project to boost waste water storage and treatment near North Petherton
Wessex Water say construction teams will move onto the water recycling centre later this month.
A £9.5 million project is to launch this autumn in Bridgwater to help boost the storage and treatment of waste water.
Wessex Water say construction teams will move onto the water recycling centre just outside of North Petherton later this month.
It's hoped the work will reduce the number of times storm overflows are needed to be automatically used after heavy rainfall, as the new underground tank will provide more than 800,000 litres of space for sewer water.
The added storage will keep more mixed rain runoff and wastewater in the tank at the centre before it is treated and safely returned to the environment later.
The site, just off the M5, is expected to be complete in around 10 months, when work begins.
It it the latest in a number of projects ran by Wessex Water, and is part of a major boost of infrastructure cash being invested in Somerset, with more than £25 million spent into environmental improvements in 2023 alone across the county.
Other projects include a £7 million scheme in Ilminster. This project adds new storage and strengthens the removal of chemicals from wastewater, and is due to be complete by October.
More than £12 million has been spent by Wessex Water on a similar scheme at Milverton and Bishop's Lydeard.
The water company say, between 2020 and 2025, more than £50 million will have been spend on such projects, whilst £3 million a month is spent on work to reduce how often storm overflows operate - which could go up to as much as £9 million a month, they say, if water industry regulators approve the move.
Wessex Water project manager Victoria Plummer said: "Upgrading the North Petherton centre means we can further enhance the way we store and treat wastewater before it is returned to the environment in Somerset.
"The increased storage capacity will help to reduce the amount of times storm overflows operate and these projects also help to further protect the environment by improving the health of our watercourses, such as rivers and streams.
"While the centre is the other side of the M5 motorway from the town itself, because this is a significant upgrade we’ve worked hard with the local community to ensure any disruption to local routes is kept to a minimum.
"We have a dedicated temporary access route, which will be reinstated afterwards, to take most heavy construction vehicles and avoid North Petherton itself and while some rights of way will be affected to ensure the work can be completed safely, we’re also manning some areas to ensure walking routes can remain accessible.