Wessex Water nears completion of £2m project to protect River Avon

Bath-based Wessex Water has installed a huge overflow tank beneath the town’s Victory Field to relieve pressure on the town’s sewer system and to protect homes from flooding.

The project to install the 160,000-litre storage tank began last September and is on track to be completed this spring.

The company has recently restored and enhanced the area covering the storage tank by reseeding it with grass.

Wessex Water has now levelled the land at Victory Field after installing a huge foul water storage tank. Image: Trevor Porter 69591-4 (Image: Trevor Porter)

The stone wall at the top of Pound Lane, which was removed to allow vehicles to access the site, is also being rebuilt at its previous location.

The stone wall in Pound Lane is being rebuilt following the completion of the Wessex Water project at Victory Field. Image: Trevor Porter 69591-5 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Wessex Water project manager Alex Aulds said: “This project in Bradford on Avon adds further storage capacity to our system to cope with sudden increases in sewer flows caused by heavy rainfall and will step up the protection of the beautiful stretch of the River Avon running through west Wiltshire.

“Since 2000, we have invested £181 million upgrading more than 582 storm overflows and we’re spending £150m before the end of our current investment period in two years’ time to reduce their impact on the environment.

“This work will help to cut their hours of operation by up to a quarter by 2025 as part of our commitment to completely eliminate the discharge of untreated sewage approved by water industry regulators, that investment will triple to £9 million to minimise any environmental impact. 

“This is an important step in our ongoing work to protect rivers such as the Avon and we recognise it is taking place within an important public space in Bradford on Avon."

The new tank, built below ground in the north-east corner of Victory Field, can hold more than 160,000 litres of additional storage, helping the system cope with rapid increases in the flow of wastewater after heavy rainfall.

The huge water storage tank under construction a Victory Field. (Image: Wessex Water)

The stored water is initially retained, then safely returned to the sewer system and onwards for treatment at a nearby water recycling centre after the storm has receded.

Adding this storage capacity is expected to reduce the number of instances of the storm overflow discharging by nearly 75 per cent.

Wessex Water added: “During heavy rainfall, the sewer system in the town can become overwhelmed by the volume of water travelling through the combined sewers that carry both foul water from people's homes and rainwater run-off from buildings and surfaces to a nearby water recycling centre for treatment.

“As a result, a nearby storm overflow can operate automatically, releasing water that hasn’t yet gone through the treatment process back into the River Avon.

“Starting in autumn 2023, our team have been building a new below-ground storage tank in Victory Field, in the centre of Bradford on Avon to ensure a greater amount of storm water can be retained instead of discharged.

“Further improvements will see a mechanical screen installed to prevent any larger solid material from being discharged to the environment without having first gone through treatment.”

Similar overflow tanks are being built in Lambridge in Bath and in Hanham in Bristol to protect the River Avon. The scheme will ensure the system can cope with rapid increases in wastewater flow after heavy rains.

The scheme is part of Wessex Water’s £3m-a-month investment to reduce how often storm overflows operate.