Severn Trent has revealed the rapid progress it is making to improve river health across Nottinghamshire after announcing a further £174m investment plan.

The company is introducing innovative ways to improve capacity at its sewage treatment sites across the region, including more than 60 in the county.

Now the company has given a sneak peak of the work already carried out at six Nottinghamshire sites, to help ease pressure on the sewer network – reducing spills significantly at one works. They include:

• Huthwaite sewage treatment works has increased its capacity by 180m³ by opening a new storm tank, resulting in less sewage being spilt into the watercourse.
• Stoke Bardolph sewage treatment works is doing more to control the flow of water, thanks to raising weir walls which allows more sewage to travel through, stopping any additional wastewater entering the watercourse from the site.
• At the Gotham sewage treatment works, two new storm tanks, used to hold water during bad weather, have been installed, giving the site more capacity. Since they went live in March 2024, the site has significantly reduced spills to the watercourse.
• East Leake pumping station has been given an innovative fix, as Severn Trent has increased the wall height at the site by 500ml, meaning tanks at the site have a bigger capacity to hold sewage water, coping with increased pressure during bad weather. This 20% capacity increase also means more sewage can pass through and be sent to the sewage treatment works, rather than spilling into the watercourse.
• Newly installed submerged aerated filters (SAFs) at Farndon Sewage Treatment works, means we’re treating more sewage on site and coping with extra demand during storms. SAFs are portable sewage treatment units, used to remove harmful bacteria, and can be moved to sites quickly to boost sewage capacity when needed.
• Severn Trent are also installing 8,000 free water butts across Nottinghamshire, these water butts take rainwater from properties and stores it in gardens, providing customers with extra water capacity to use in their gardens while also taking pressure off our sewers.

Severn Trent recently announced in September that it would be investing another £174 million to improve river health in Nottinghamshire. The investment will see 113 spills projects delivered up to 2030, resulting in a further 111 million litres of storage capacity across the network.

James Jesic, Capital Delivery and Commercial Director and Director for Nottinghamshire said: “We know that river health and the environment is a top priority for our customers, which is why we’re pushing ahead with our spills reduction programme at a rapid pace.

“We’re on the road to improve all of the rivers throughout the region and are hopeful that the investment into Nottinghamshire will help towards our goal of eliminating any harm to rivers by our storm overflows by 2030.”

Severn Trent’s £174 million investment into Nottinghamshire forms part of a wider £1.5 billion investment into the East Midlands to enhance river health over the next five years.

In addition to infrastructure improvements, Severn Trent will provide financial support to 700,000 customers struggling with water bills and expand its efforts to support 100,000 people at risk of water poverty in a decade-long programme in the East Midlands, building on the recently launched Big Boost for Derby.

The investment will also create thousands of jobs across the region, both directly and through the supply chain. Severn Trent will support 1 in 6 families with their water bills through a £500 million financial aid package.

The company has also pledged to install money-saving smart water meters in a million households, making sure that customers are only paying for the water they use and helping to more quickly detect leaks.