Wessex Water has invested a six-figure investment to boost sewer enhancement in west Somerset.
More than £450,000 has been invested to boost protection of one of the south west’s most precious landscapes this winter.
Sewers are being revitalised and sealed within Exmoor National Park, which straddles Somerset and Devon, as the mission to prevent pollution affecting this outstanding beauty spot steps up another gear.
Wessex Water is completing renovations of pipes over a period of five weeks in and around the village of Roadwater, southeast of Minehead, to protect the environment.
Project manager Ed Coate said, “The sewers will be relined to prevent both untreated water escaping from them and rainwater infiltrating the system, which can cause flooding to properties and businesses, and also cause storm overflows to automatically discharge into rivers or the sea if the system becomes overwhelmed by excess water.
“Upgrading these pipes will help ensure their condition for years to come and also help to protect the local area, particularly an important natural area like Exmoor.
“We’re carrying out this work using ‘no-dig’ techniques, which are both quicker and less disruptive than doing it in a conventional way, inserting a new liner inside the pipe and curing it into place using innovative technology.’’
Wessex Water also has proposals to invest nearly £450 million – more than double the £3 million a month current spend – towards the goal of reducing overflow operation in its next five-year investment period between 2025 and 2030.
The plans, which include innovative use of sewer monitors to predict problems in the network, are currently being considered for approval by industry regulators.
