South West Water has invested £180,000 to reduce storm overflow spills at one of its highest spilling sites in North Devon.
Bratton Fleming, near Barnstaple, had 210 spills in 2023 but recent works have delivered significant improvements, with no spills from the site in the following four months.
Earlier this year, South West Water’s skilled teams carried out investigations which showed that surface water and groundwater was finding its way into pipes in the catchment and increasing flows within sewers, putting additional pressure on the treatment works.
The team began a programme of work to tackle spills at the site head on. This involved relining 300 metres of sewer across the network to prevent groundwater from getting into the system. The team also completed a number of smaller repairs to parts of the network where additional flows were entering pipes.
The team then identified areas of improvement within the sewage treatment works and have carried out modifications to the pipework to help flows move through the site more easily.
Jay Harris, Director of Wastewater Operations, said:
“Bratton Fleming was one of our highest spilling sites last year and it was clear that we needed to take action to reduce spills. We’ve done some fantastic work at the site and in the wider catchment which has already delivered positive results, and we hope that these improvements will benefit the environment for years to come.”
The project is part of a programme of work being carried out by South West Water across the region to tackle storm overflows at its top spilling sites. Through this investment, South West Water will become the first water company to meet the government’s target of achieving less than 10 spills per overflow per year – a decade ahead of target.
