Completed £1.5m project will boost water quality in Lancaster’s River Lune
United Utilities has invested £1.5m to create additional stormwater storage at Caton Wastewater Treatment Works near Lancaster.
The project has recycled redundant assets to create 92,000 litres of stormwater storage, equivalent to more than 750 bathtubs.
By giving the sewer network in the area additional capacity, it will play a key role in helping to improve water quality in the River Lune by reducing storm overflows during periods of heavy rainfall.
The project has also been one of the first United Utilities’ sites to benefit from the introduction of manhole rings manufactured using LowCast cement free concrete.
The innovative product is produced using geopolymer concrete which reduces the carbon impact of products by at least 50%.
Simon Holding, county business lead for Wastewater Services in Lancashire said: “This is one of the many projects that we’re delighted to see completed in Lancashire. As well as helping to improve water quality in the River Lune, we’ve been able to save carbon by recycling existing assets and introducing the cement-free manhole covers.”
Work is also progressing well on the £48m upgrade at Lancaster Wastewater Treatment Works which will also play a key role in enhancing water quality in the River Lune and Morecambe Bay.
Across Lancashire, United Utilities continues to deliver a wide range of projects from infrastructure improvements to rainwater management, which are enhancing water quality in the county’s waterways.
The project is part of the largest investment in water and wastewater infrastructure in the North West for a century.
United Utilities is investing more than £13 billion to protect and enhance over 500 kilometres of rivers, lakes and bathing waters, while safeguarding drinking water supplies for millions of customers.