Northumbrian Water is investing £5.8m in upgrades to a County Durham site that will improve river water quality and support population growth.
The company is enhancing its Aldin Grange Sewage Treatment Works at Bearpark, near Durham City.
As well as increasing the capacity of the site with new treatment plant and settlement tanks, the upgrades will include the installation of equipment to support improvements to the final treated water that is returned to the environment via the River Browney.
This will help protect water quality by reducing the amount of phosphorous in the Browney and watercourses downstream.
Work, which will be carried out by Northumbrian Water’s construction partner, Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB), is due to start on 17th April 2023 and run until the summer of 2024.
The project will be confined to the treatment works site, ensuring that there is no disruption for neighbours.
Northumbrian Water’s Project Manager Colin Burdon said: “We are carrying out this work as part of our Water Industry National Environment Programme investment to take our wastewater treatment processes even further for the benefit of river water quality. The project also created the opportunity to do more with this site and carry out an expansion that reflects the current and anticipated population growth in the Bearpark area, making sure the works are fit for the future.”
People can keep track of the project’s progress at www.nwlcommunityportal.co.uk, navigating to the Aldin Grange Wastewater Treatment Works Upgrade page.