Local residents and beach users on Teesside are being invited to find out more about plans for a new pipeline aimed at protecting the Tees Estuary and Cleveland Coast Special Protection Area.
The pipeline – a long sea outfall – will replace an existing pipe, which sees the fully-treated water from Northumbrian Water’s Bran Sands treatment works returned to the environment in the estuary at Dabholme Gut.
Defra identified a long sea outfall as its preferred option following assessment of a range of potential solutions to support long-term environmental improvement objectives for the estuary.
While the water released from Bran Sands is carefully treated to meet strict standards, before it is returned to the environment, moving its release 4.5km out to sea will prevent naturally-occurring nutrients from contributing to algal growth in sensitive parts of the estuary. The move would see those nutrients more widely diluted and dispersed within the open sea, helping to protect the estuary and its wildlife.
A consultation has already taken place with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), in relation to ground investigation works that will help inform how best to deliver the work while protecting the environment.
Northumbrian Water currently expects that a planning application is unlikely to be submitted before early 2027.
While the project remains at an early stage, two customer information events are being held to give local residents and beach users an opportunity to find out more about the proposals, ask questions and speak directly with the project team ahead of the formal consultation process.
These will be held at Cleveland Links Golf Club, Majuba Road, Redcar, Cleveland, TS10 5BJ on:
- Friday 22 May, from 3pm to 7pm
- Wednesday 27 May, from 3pm to 7pm
An online Hub has also been set up to help people to keep up to date with the project and to engage with the team delivering it. This can be found at Project: Bran Sands Long Sea Outfall | Northumbrian Water.
The new pipeline’s proposed route runs North from Bran Sands, largely through industrial land, before being tunnelled under the sand dunes to protect the area and its use by the public, then constructed out into the North Sea.
The route was chosen to avoid residential areas and existing utilities, including other marine pipelines and cables. The route and design are still being developed and remain subject to environmental assessment, engagement and regulatory approvals
Northumbrian Water recognises that there is strong public interest in environmental issues affecting the Tees and wider marine environment, and says environmental assessment, stakeholder engagement and regulatory oversight will be central to the project as it develops
Mark Doherty, Northumbrian Water’s Project Manager, said: “By releasing already highly treated water into an area where natural dilution and dispersion are greater, the project is intended to reduce the concentration and environmental effect of nutrients within the estuary and provide a more resilient long-term solution for protecting the estuary’s unique habitats and wildlife.
“We know that our customers share our passion for our coastline, so there will be a lot of interest in this project. These information events are a chance for people to find out more about the long sea outfall plans, the care that will be taken in its construction, and the benefits it will deliver, well in advance of the formal consultation events that will inform our planning application.
“Bran Sands treatment works provides a vital service to Teesside and the environment, cleaning a wide range of domestic, commercial and industrial waste and making it safe to go back to the environment as part of the water cycle. The long sea outfall represents a significant investment intended to help reduce nutrient impacts on one of the area’s most sensitive habitats.”