Southern Water is using groundbreaking new wastewater treatment equipment as part of its work to alleviate the impact of groundwater flooding on customers.

Following the wettest winter on record, groundwater levels in the South East have been at record highs, leading to the company’s sewer network being inundated by millions of litres of water it was never designed to deal with.

As part of a multi-million pound effort to maintain services for its customers, Southern Water is using mobile biological treatment tanks – a first in the UK.

The company has developed the experimental technology to treat the excess wastewater being pumped out of sewers to a much higher standard than could previously be achieved, before returning it to the environment.

Phil Barker, Southern Water Director of Operations, explained:

“We have spent more than £10 million in recent months to maintain services for customers, including using tanker lorries and temporary pumps to remove huge amounts of water from our sewers. These are emergency measures to allow households and businesses to continue to dispose of their wastewater.”

 “These new transportable tanks use bacteria to treat the flows from our pumps on site - something which has not been possible before.”

“We estimate that each tank can improve the quality of the water treated by as much as 40 per cent. Importantly, the tanks also allow more oxygen to be applied during the treatment process, helping to maintain the natural balance of rivers and streams for local wildlife.”

  Southern Water is trialling the innovative new approach, with a view to possibly using it on a wider scale in the future.