£6.5m sewage boost for Don
THE water quality of the River Don is set to receive another boost as Yorkshire Water begins work on a £6.5m to upgrade its ageing Mexborough waste water treatment works.
The work started on Monday at the site, off Meadow Way in Swinton and is expected to take around 12 months to complete.
Originally built in 1931, the works has received several upgrades over the years, and this latest investment will ensure that the treated water it discharges into the Don contains even lower levels of ammonia, says Yorkshire Water.
The work will ensure the site meets and exceeds the new EU standards which are set to come into effect next year, as part of the EU Freshwater Fish Directive.
New additions to the site will include a giant tank where naturally grown ‘good’ bacteria will break down the ‘bad’ bacteria in the waste water.
New screens will also be fitted at the site to remove the hundreds of tonnes of rags, nappies and sanitary products which are wrongly flushed into the works every year.
Matt Jenkins, Yorkshire Water’s project manager said: “As a water company, we don’t just provide clean drinking water.
“We also treat up to 11.5 million litres of waste water per day before returning it back to the environment and we recognise we have a huge role to play in maintaining and enhancing the quality of the region’s water courses.
“Following these improvements, not only will this treatment works be better able to cope with future pressures such as population growth and climate change, but the quality of water we’re discharging back into the River Don will be of an even higher quality, boosting biodiversity and the environment as a whole.”
The treatment works serves a population of around 16,000 local people and businesses.
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Weather for Thorne
Sunday 26 May 2013
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Temperature: 6 C to 18 C
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