Wetlands treat storm water in North West first
Overview
Southwaite is a small rural village in Cumbria about 5 kilometres south of Carlisle. The wastewater treatment works cleans used water from a population of about 1,000 from the village and the nearby M6 Motorway Services.
Challenge
Some of the equipment at the treatment works had reached the end of its life and needed to be upgraded.
Solution
Keen to minimise carbon emissions – from both construction and operation of the site - we discounted the use of traditional storm overflows early on and opted for a nature-based wetland treatment solution. This is the first time in the North West that a wetland has been used to manage storm water. The reeds were planted over more than 1,500 square metres – that’s the size of six tennis courts.
Outcome
The 4,000 reed beds come into action during heavy rainfall when excess storm water bypasses the treatment plant when it is running at full capacity. The reeds manage flood risk and use natural processes to clean the small particles in the storm water before it enters the river.
Projects like this will form part of our commitment to create better rivers. We are planning on investing £914 million to reduce spills from 158 storm overflows in Cumbria, as part of a proposed £13.7 billon investment to make a stronger, greener, healthier North West.