Engineers have installed a new underground tank to help to protect water quality in Northumberland’s River Aln.
The team from Northumbrian Water and its partner, Esh-Stantec, have carried out the work at Whittingham Sewage Treatment Works (STW), near Alnwick, as part of an £840,000 investment.
As well as protecting the river from increased rainfall resulting from climate change, the tank will help to deal with extra waste from expected population growth.
Following the excavation of material from the ground, the new tank, capable of holding an additional 11m³ of water, taking the total site storage up to 19m3, was installed in the ground.
The tank will hold storm water and wastewater from homes at times of heavy rainfall, so that it can be treated when flows reduce, protecting against the risk of spills to the environment.
The size of the tank allows for projected local population growth over the next 15 years.
Jonathan Shaw, Northumbrian Water’s Project Manager, said: “This is an investment for the long-term, and this new storm tank will deliver long-lasting benefits for the environment, with the enhancements to the sewage treatment works ensuring the site can effectively deal with the anticipated higher volumes of storm and wastewater.”
Andrew McKenna, Construction Manager at Esh-Stantec, said: “This marks another successful project delivered collaboratively between Esh-Stantec and Northumbrian Water that will support our combined responsibility toward making environmental improvements through water and wastewater network upgrades.
The new tank is a significant step towards safeguarding the River Aln and its surrounding environment, with a customer focussed approach minimising disruption within the local community.”