Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North has paid a visit to Severn Trent’s sewage treatment works in Gornal, Dudley.

Mr Longhi (pictured on the right with Severn Trent's John Rowe) went to see first-hand the wastewater treatment process and talk through the £14.2 million investment that Severn Trent is making in the site to help improve river health.    

Alongside a guided tour of the works, Mr Longhi learned about the company’s Get River Positive commitments and the steps that Severn Trent is taking to reduce the impact of its operations on regional waterways.  

John Rowe, Operational Technician at Severn Trent who hosted the tour, said: “It was fantastic to meet with Mr Longhi and to talk to take him on a tour of the site so that he can see the hard work that goes into treating waste water and returning it to the environment. We’ve already put measures in place to make sure that we’re improving the quality of the rivers in our region, but we know that there’s more to do, which is why we’re investing into our operations to make sure they’re as good as they can be. 

“While we don’t own our region’s rivers, we have an important role to play in improving river health. Last year we committed to a series of pledges as part of our Get River Positive and have already made some great progress towards meeting our reduction targets and it’s fantastic to be able to talk this through with Mr Longhi.” 

Marco Longhi MP said: “Discussions on the impacts that we have on our rivers are at the forefront of peoples’ minds at the moment, so it was exceedingly helpful to be able to go behind the scenes with the team and see the wastewater treatment process for myself.  

“Hearing about the additional work and investment that they’re putting into sites like Gornal gives me a confidence that while there’s still a lot of work to be done to protect and enhance the waterways in our region, Severn Trent is putting the work in and is backing up their pledges to improve our rivers.”

The investment in the Gornal sewage treatment works will further reduce the presence of phosphates in treated water with the upgrades are expected to be completed and operational by 2024.