Innovation, an army of engineers, storage and treatment solutions and a helping hand from nature – is helping Severn Trent dramatically cut spills, and boost river health in Warwickshire.

As part of a progressive £450m plan, the company set out a plan to deliver over 900 enhancements to improve overflows in the Midlands - and is well on track.  In just three short months the company has delivered over 55* bespoke projects benefitting local rivers in Warwickshire.

From installing storage solutions to introducing cutting-edge innovations like nature-based solutions in reedbeds and SAF units (Submerged Aerated Filters), Severn Trent customers can be assured it’s moving quicker, and faster to reduce its impact on the region’s rivers – and the company isn’t slowing down.

Neerja Upadhyay, Severn Trent’s Head of River Health, says of the progress being made: “Our ambition is to have the lowest level of spills in the industry.  This is a challenging programme given the scale and ambitious timeline, but we’re making progress and we quite literally have an army of engineers working to make sure that we cut spills and improve the local health of the rivers our customers know and love.”

At Severn Trent’s Frankton wastewater treatment works in Warwickshire a standout project includes the installation of Submerged Aerated Filter (SAF) units. Holly Thomson, Assistant Project Manager, at Severn Trent says: “SAFs are game changers. While a lot of background work including site surveys and inspections goes into seeing if a SAF unit will work, if it does they can be really beneficial. They use natural biological processes to clean wastewater and can be set up in no time. If there’s the space, we don’t need big construction sites—just plug them in, and they’re good to go. It allows us to treat more wastewater, faster. It’s a huge win for Warwickshire and supports the wider work the region is benefitting from – all the projects and improvements we’re making, will help us to dramatically reduce our impact on local rivers.”

For Warwickshire, the local rivers have also benefited from a helping hand from nature – including the installation of reedbeds. Reedbeds help to naturally filter and clean wastewater, improving local river health. Additionally, storage solutions have also been installed, where additional stormwater can be held – reducing the need of overflows and cutting spills.

Investments include £78 million to bring parts of the River Leam up to bathing quality standards which uses pioneering ozone technology, as well as and a £35 million investment to remove harmful phosphates at the Finham treatment works.

Severn Trent is committed to aiming for zero river impact, and the company has a storm overflow action plan ready to bring £300 million of investment into Warwickshire by 2050.

Neerja adds: “We’ve set an ambitious target to make 900 enhancements by the end of the year, and we’re on track to deliver. We know how much our customers care about cleaner rivers—and we’re making sure they see real results quickly.”

To inform communities about the rapid progress being made with projects across the Midlands a dedicated YouTube playlist has been created, with over 50 videos now on display.