Anglian Water upgrades storm water storage tanks in bid to protect the East's rivers and coast
The firm's spent £100 million on the project
Last updated 23rd Nov 2022
Anglian Water says it's almost finished a major upgrade of its network of storm water storage tanks - which help protect the environment in the East during heavy rain.
The firm's spent £100 million on the project to increase storm water storage across the East of England and help capture and redirect more than 72.5 million litres of rainwater – equivalent to 29 Olympic sized swimming pools.
The upgrade was launched as part of the water company’s Get River Positive initiative, which pledges to transform river water quality across the East.
The company's recently been criticised for allowing sewage to flow into local rivers during heavy rain, so Anglian Water say these upgrades are part of their commitment to ensuring storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers.
It says by installing new storm tanks, and increasing the capacity of existing tanks, larger volumes of rainfall can be captured and stored, helping prevent storm spills. The water is then released from the storage tank at a controlled rate through the water recycling process to make sure it’s clean enough to be returned to nearby watercourses.
Anglian Water says being able to store excess rainwater in this way provides additional protection to rivers, many of which in the East of England are chalk stream habitats, as well as the region’s coastline.
Head of Environmental Strategy for Anglian Water, Carly Leonard said: “We know that the frequency and severity of extreme weather – including drought, intense rainfall and flooding – is becoming more commonplace as a result of climate change.
“This year we’re in a strange juxtaposition where this summer’s extremely dry weather is actually a contributing factor for flooding. As it’s been dry for so long, the ground is still drier than usual and intense rainfall on to harder ground does not soak in as easily, meaning standing water builds up as there’s nowhere for it to go, causing surface water flooding. It’s a bit like a bath plughole, and it takes time for the water to drain away.
“On top of this, the East of England is the lowest and flattest part of the UK so there’s less gravity to help water flow through catchments meaning rainwater more commonly stays where it falls.
“All of these factors mean that we need resilient infrastructure that can rise to the challenge and help us protect the environment at the same time. Being able to store excess water on our sites means that less ends up in our rivers, seas and some of the unique habitats in our region.”