A major project to secure water supplies for the future has taken a giant leap towards completion after a £100m contract was signed recently to build a state-of-the-art water treatment facility.     

Severn Trent, as part of its £566 million Green Recovery Programme, signed the contract with MWH Treatment to build the new facility called Witches Oak Water Treatment Works, near to its existing Church Wilne site – it is the highest value contract for an individual project Severn Trent has signed in AMP7.     

The new water treatment works will help provide up to an additional 89 million litres of drinking water per day to the region and will use innovative ceramic membrane technology provided by Nijhuis Saur Industries, that is currently in use in only one other large-scale treatment works in the country.

When completed in 2025, the works will help ensure customers have a more secure and resilient supply for the future, helping mitigate issues with water scarcity as the UK faces hotter summers through climate change, along with population growth.        

The project will also see Severn Trent pre-treat water by using floating wetlands – this will help provide a more sustainable and nature-based treatment process whilst also bringing significant improvements in biodiversity.      

Chris Wand, Green Recovery Programme Director at Severn Trent said: “We’re delighted to work with MWH Treatment on this project, working collaboratively and delivering solutions to ensure our customers have a reliable water supply during the longer, hotter and drier summers we’ve been experiencing. 

“While it is still important to save water and look after our natural resources, this project will also be less carbon intensive than other traditional solutions. We’re looking forward to completing the build of this wonderful facility at Church Wilne and seeing the positive impact it will have for customers across our region.”     

Richard Thomson, the Project Director at MWH Treatment for Witches Oak Water Treatment Works, said: “MWH Treatment is excited to work with long-term client Severn Trent on a project which will deliver crucial water security for approximately 224,000 households.  

“A project such as this requires an investment in innovation and a commitment to real collaboration to ensure the project thoroughly integrates design and construction to the highest health and safety standards across the projects supply chain. We will facilitate this collaborative innovation by applying our Digital Delivery Tools including digital surveying, interactive visualisations, intelligent 3D models, rehearsals, and digital field management.”