Anglian Water to create two new wetlands in Suffolk to protect local rivers
The utility firm wants to eventually create 26 new wetlands to safeguard habitats
Anglian Water has announced plans to create 26 new wetlands across the East of England, including two in Suffolk.
It's part the company's 'Get River Positive' plan to protect and restore habitats across the region, improving the quality of local river water.
Recently it emerged none of Suffolk's rivers are meeting government targets on pollution.
Anglian Water's wetlands programme will see it invest £50m, with the first three projects being created at Charsfield and Cotton, as well as Stagsden in Bedfordshire.
Work will get underway in 2023. The sites for the remaining 23 wetland projects are yet to be determined.
Dr Robin Price from Anglian Water said:
"This is a hugely ambitious programme, the scale of which has never before been delivered by a water company in the UK.
“Our wetland programme at Ingoldisthorpe has provided a blueprint which we can now roll out across the region.
"Nature-based solutions are a key part of our vision for the future: not only providing vital services to our customers and meeting the demands of our ever growing population, but doing so in a way that benefits, wildlife, the environment and local communities too."
“We know this work will have a significant and positive impact on our river’s biodiversity, and the local communities who enjoy these special watercourses.
“Chemicals such as phosphates and ammonia come from urbanisation, and domestic products like detergents, as well as from human and animal waste.
"As our region grows, we need to find more natural ways to remove them from our waste water, rather than adding more chemicals in our treatment processes or building carbon hungry infrastructure"
Anglian Water has recently faced criticism for the way it manages local rivers, including accusations of 'greenwashing'.
Last year the utility firm dumped raw sewage into rivers more than 21,000 times.
In March, the regulator raised serious concerns about sewage treatment works run by Anglian Water and other companies across the UK.