Nearly £13m of work to help improve water quality and protect the environment in Southampton is set to begin next year.
Southern Water is looking to build a new underground storm shaft and has recently installed new filters at Woolston Wastewater Treatment Works as part of its plans to protect shellfish and improve water quality.
The plans for the shaft were showcased at a community drop-in event held at Southampton Sailing Club attended by a number of local residents and stakeholders.
It will increase how much storm water can be stored near to the Woolston site. Through this and additional membrane filters we will be able to treat more water before it goes back into Southampton Water.
It comes after we showcased our investment in the Southampton area after completing a £100m transformation of the Woolston works in 2020 as well as investing £5.5m upgrading Portswood Wastewater Treatment Works.
The storm shaft will hold five million litres of water, which is the equivalent to two Olympic-size swimming pools.
Project Manager for Southern Water Jorge Rodriguez, said: “We know how important it is to improve water quality and protect the precious environment across the areas we serve. This exciting project will make a real difference doing that, and it will also help us with the challenge of heavier rainfall and storms due to climate change. These works are a great example of our ongoing £2bn investment to improve our performance and our assets.”
Jamie Mendoza, Senior Project Manager GTb said: “We were really pleased to meet local residents and we look forward to working closely with Southern Water and Southampton City Council ahead of work starting next year.”