River life gets boost as £500,000 improvement programme begins at Boroughbridge sewage works.
The quality of the River Ure, near York, is set to receive a huge boost thanks to a half million pound investment by Yorkshire Water into its Boroughbridge Sewage Works.
Contractors Morgan Sindall Grontmij will begin work at the site from mid-July to install new hi-tech screens and screening units which will filter incoming sewage for anything other than waste water.
They’ll replace the site’s current screens which are coming to the end of their life and significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the treatment process, ensuring the treated water that’s discharged back into the Ure exceeds stringent legislation and remains of a very high standard.
The new sieves are being fitted to more effectively remove the increasing amount of rubbish which is entering the works, such as sanitary products, cotton wool buds and nappies. In addition, they will also remove grit from the waste water.
The works receives up to 60 litres a second and serves approximately 10,000 customers from the surrounding areas.
Ian Waterhouse, solution engineer at Yorkshire Water comments: “We recognise we have a big part to play in ensuring the quality of water courses and this is just another example of how we’re improving our treatment processes to ensure that our treated discharges exceed regulatory standards and remain of an extremely high quality. Evidence of this can be found in the fact that water courses are thriving, with salmonoid species in abundance in the area.”
The work will take place from mid-July and is expected to be completed by the end of September. As the work is taking place within the site, the company does not expect local residents to be disrupted in anyway.
It has also stressed that contractors will not need access to residents homes at any point and has asked them to remain on their guard against bogus callers. If they have any doubts about a callers authenticity, they can call 0845 1 24 24 24.
