United Utilities investing more than £50m to help improve the River Eden

The River Eden and shellfish in the Solway Firth are set to benefit from upgrades to United Utilities’ wastewater treatment works in Carlisle.

The North West’s water company is spending more than £50m that will help boost water quality in the River Eden and protect shellfish in the Solway Firth by reducing the number of times storm overflows operate during periods of heavy rainfall. 

The project will increase capacity and enhance the performance at the works to treat greater volumes of storm sewage. New tertiary and storm water treatment processes, and a 3,500 cubic metre storm water storage tank have been built.  The storm tank will hold three and a half million litres, more than an Olympic swimming pool. 

Alongside improving the health of the river for the local community, new technology has also been installed that will improve the quality of the final effluent and storm water that is returned to the environment from the treatment works.

Pippa Smith, from United Utilities, said: “It’s fantastic to see that work on this really important project is nearly complete.  These improvements will make a real difference to the water quality on this stretch of the River Eden as well as helping to protect the shellfish in the Solway Firth – providing a better environment for everyone to enjoy. 

The project is part of United Utilities’ wider commitment to improving 184km of waterways and coastal waters across the region over the next two years.

Pippa Smith adds: “Here at United Utilities we are committed to working alongside communities to create improved river health for all. In fact, our Better Rivers; Better North West campaign has seen us commit to reducing the number of spills from storm overflows by at least a third, between 2020 and 2025.”

United Utilities’ Better Rivers; Better North West initiative is supported through a £230m investment programme at sites across the region.