Severn Trent’s kicked off an accelerated £450m region-wide programme of investment, where once complete, spills from active storm overflows will reduce by 20% a year - with work in Nottinghamshire’s well underway.

The company has committed to going further and faster, to reduce the use of overflows and has embarked on a programme of work to 900 locations to be completed across the Midlands this year alone.

A series of unique projects in Nottinghamshire have already been completed, including improvements at Huthwaite Waste Treatment Works where we’ve increased the capacity at site by 180,000 litres of water by repurposing unused tanks on site.

The additional storage means more storm water can be captured at the works, helping to reduce spills and increase the capacity of the works.

The work will see a series of projects to reduce spills from overflows, benefitting Nottinghamshire’s waterways.

Overflows are designed to protect homes and businesses from flooding during heavy rainfall, however Severn Trent know they need to do more to reduce the effect on local rivers.

This accelerated work will carry on long term and supports the company’s plans on £622m being spent on improving 257 overflows in Nottinghamshire– allowing Severn Trent to move quicker and faster than Government targets.

Paul Moxey, Waste Team Leader at Severn Trent said: “Our customers want us to go as quickly as possible to reduce spills from overflows, and we’re doing just that. We’re working round the clock, finding new and agile ways of delivering complex schemes quicker, and this project in Nottinghamshire is a great example of that.

“By installing the new storage solutions, the site can hold even more storm water – which means less need for overflows, benefiting the river. The solutions mean the additional water can be safely stored, and when the rain passes can go through the treatment process as usual.

“We’re also looking to install more storage solutions, make more improvements to our network, and deliver more schemes across Nottinghamshire at pace.”

900 locations will benefit this year alone across the Midlands, with plenty set to come for Nottinghamshire.

Paul said: “We know just how important rivers are to everyone and they’re just as important to us. This series of work for Nottinghamshire is a really exciting step and compliments the existing things we’re doing in the area already as part of our bathing rivers projects,  and storm overflow action plan. Our customers can trust that we’re delivering what they’re after, and we’re doing it faster than anyone else. We’re looking forward to sharing more details of the work in Shropshire soon.”

These accelerated projects build on Severn Trent’s delivery of significant investment in Nottinghamshire that includes:

·         £20m being invested through Severn Trent’s Green Recovery WINEP programme in the Nottingham area to improve watercourses by reducing phosphorous levels.

·         A £76m investment in Mansfield through Severn Trent’s Green Recovery programme, using nature-based solutions (Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)) to reduce the risk of surface water flooding during storms, taking pressure off the network. This could mean a reduced need for storm overflow spills, which would support the company’s Get River Positive commitment that its operations will not be the reason for unhealthy rivers by 2030.

·         A £14 million project at the wastewater treatment works that serves Worksop and the surrounding area, which will improve the quality of effluent discharged to the river to benefit river health. A new storage tank will also be constructed to increase storm storage capacity.

·         A £13 million investment to upgrade Toton Sewage Treatment Works to achieve a higher level of treatment and improve the health of the River Erewash.

Severn Trent has been recognised as an industry leader when it comes to environmental performance, achieving the Environment Agency’s highest four-star rating for four years running. It is confident of securing this for an unprecedented fifth year later in July 2024.