Welsh Water is investing £3.6m to upgrade the wastewater treatment works in Kingstone, Herefordshire, next to the River Wye.
The not-for-profit utility company started work on the scheme earlier this year.
The company explained that while the treatment works already treats the wastewater it receives from the surrounding area to a high standard, the planned upgrades will see the treatment process enhanced even further.
The main improvement will be the introduction of a process to remove phosphates from the treated wastewater. Phosphates can cause algal bloom so by removing them from the treated wastewater, this will help reduce levels in the nearby river Wye – which in turn will benefit the river quality and its aquatic life.
The upgrade work is taking place within the boundary of the treatment works which is located in Kingstone, near. The company aims to have the work completed by July 2024.
This forms part of Welsh Water’s investment of £836 million in their wastewater infrastructure by 2025.
Welsh Water’s Senior Project Manager, Daniel Purchase said: “As a company, we are committed to ensuring we protect the environment within our care, and that includes the watercourses we interact with. There are a number of factors which contribute to phosphate levels in watercourses, and we are committed to ensuring we do all that we can to keep our contribution to the absolute minimum. Our significant investment here in Herefordshire reflects this.”
“We appreciate that this kind of work can cause some inconvenience, but we will do all we can to keep this to a minimum and would like to thank people for bearing with us whilst we undertake this essential work.”
