Work is starting on upgrades to a sewage treatment works in Hartlepool, which will help to protect water quality.
Northumbrian Water is investing £1.1m in the installation of a new storm tank at its site in Greatham.
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.
This new tank with add more than 54m³ of storage capacity at the site, which sits to the south west of the village.
The work, which is being carried out by Northumbrian Water’s partner, Esh-Stantec, is due to start at the end of July, running until the end of March 2025. Construction traffic is being managed to reduce the impact on the village, including working to avoid, where possible, school drop-off and pick-up times.
Plans are also being developed to further enhance the site through the creation of a wetlands facility that would provide a greener, more sustainable solution to wastewater treatment and management.
Jonathan Shaw, Project Manager for the storm tank installation, said: “This work will help to protect the environment, including Greatham Beck and watercourses downstream, by reducing the potential for spills from the site. The increased capacity will mean we can hold much more waste and storm water on site during heavy rainfall.
We will be working carefully to reduce any disruption from the work, and have also set up a project page on our Community Portal, so that people can follow progress and have a direct way of contacting the project team. This can be found at www.nwlcommunityportal.co.uk.”