A key £2 million project to help protect the town of Warminster from potential pollution is nearing completion.
Traffic restrictions were put in place while crucial upgrades to the sewer network were carried out in a town centre car park, but the route through the historic Wiltshire market town has now fully reopened.
The year-long project saw an underground storage tank built to hold more than 400,000 litres of excess water from sewers during heavy storms and improve water quality in the Were River, which runs through the town.
Work on the scheme was extended by three months, following discussions between local councils and Wessex Water, after problems caused by groundwater filling up the shaft for the tank caused delays while it was pumped away and a solution found.
The tank now plays a crucial role in reducing occasions when heavy rain overwhelms the town’s sewer system and causes nearby storm overflows to operate automatically to protect properties from flooding.
It will retain the increased water volume from the combined sewer system – a diluted mix of used water from homes and businesses as well as rainwater draining into the pipes – until storms subside before returning it to the system and onwards to a nearby water recycling centre for treatment.
Greg Andrews, Networks Project Manager for YTL Construction, which carried out the work on behalf of Wessex Water, said: “This was a complex scheme in a sensitive location and our team have worked hard to get it completed as quickly as possible, despite the challenges they have encountered along the way.
“This work was vital towards helping to protect the environment in Warminster and Wessex Water’s progressive push towards preventing the automatic discharge of untreated water.’’
The Warminster project continues Wessex Water’s environmental protection investment throughout Wiltshire, with similar schemes totalling more than £4 million completed in Bradford on Avon and Chippenham in the last two years.
The company’s work to progressively and substantially reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater is also growing significantly over the coming years, with plans for 2025-30 outlining a £580 million investment – more than double the 2020-25 figure – to reduce the operation of storm overflows, introduce more nature-based solutions and promote better rainwater management.
Wessex Water is part of the YTL UK Group, which includes YTL Developments, YTL Construction, GENeco, EnTrade, Water2Business, Wessex Searches, and Turnbull.
