Member Article

Interserve Construction to begin Northumbrian Water’s multi-million pound Hartlepool treatment

A £7.7m upgrade to Northumbrian Water’s Seaton Carew Headworks and Seaton Carew Sewage Treatment Works is to begin this month.

The work, which will help protect Hartlepool’s bathing water quality and reduce the risk of flooding to nearby homes, will begin on Monday August 10. The two sites, located near Tees Road, serve up to 155,000 people from Hartlepool, Seaton Carew, Billingham and surrounding areas.

Seaton Carew Headworks provides a preliminary treatment of sewage which screens and removes grit from wastewater, before it is transferred to Seaton Carew Sewage Treatment Works for an additional three stages of treatment. The treated flows are then pumped back to the headworks and returned safely to the environment.

During the project, machinery used to treat the wastewater will be replaced and upgraded and new, innovative treatment systems will be installed. The work, which is expected to last until Thursday June 30, 2016, will be carried out by contractors, Interserve Construction Limited.

Dean Thompson, Northumbrian Water’s project manager, said: “Protecting and enhancing the environment is at the heart of our business and the project in Seaton Carew will help us to sustain this.

“By refurbishing various processes and assets, we can also improve the reliability of the works, ensuring they are fit for future generations and reducing the likelihood of flooding to nearby homes.

“Customers can help us to look after the treatment works by only flushing toilet paper, pee and poo down the loo and by putting grease and fat in the bin, rather than down sinks. We spend around £400,000 every year sending items that have been wrongly flushed to landfill.”

The majority of the work will be confined to the sites, although there may be an increase in construction traffic.

Northumbrian Water treats up to 475 million litres of waste water every day. More than £150 million is to be invested by the utility company, between 2015 and 2020, to upgrade and maintain its 412 sewage treatment works.

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →