WESSEX Water is carrying out a £9.5million project to enhance river quality by boosting the storage and treatment of wastewater near Bridgwater.

The firm is updating equipment used to treat sewage at the water recycling centre just outside North Petherton and adding capacity for excess water flowing through the system after heavy rain.

The work, starting this month, will mean more than 800,000 litres of sewer water can be housed in an underground tank, helping reduce the instances of storm overflows operating automatically to relieve the threat of overwhelmed combined sewers flooding homes and businesses following heavy rain.

The tank, on land next to the centre, will hold more mixed rain runoff and wastewater before it is treated and safely returned to the environment.

The scheme, which is expected to take around 10 months to complete, is the latest in a string of Wessex Water initiatives that have seen more than £25million poured into environmental improvements throughout the Somerset this year.

A £7million project to add new storage and strengthen the removal of chemicals from wastewater is expected to conclude in Ilminster in October.

Meanwhile, more than £12million is being spent to do likewise at rural sites at Milverton and Bishops Lydeard.

More than £50million worth of similar projects have been completed, are currently being carried out or are in the planning stage for the five-year period between 2020 and 2025.

Wessex Water project manager Victoria Plummer said: “Upgrading the North Petherton centre means we can further enhance the way we store and treat wastewater before it is returned to the environment in Somerset. 

“The increased storage capacity will help to reduce the amount of times storm overflows operate and these projects also help to further protect the environment by improving the health of our watercourses, such as rivers and streams. 

“While the centre is the other side of the M5 motorway from the town itself, because this is a significant upgrade we’ve worked hard with the local community to ensure any disruption to local routes is kept to a minimum.

“We have a dedicated temporary access route, which will be reinstated afterwards, to take most heavy construction vehicles and avoid North Petherton itself and while some rights of way will be affected to ensure the work can be completed safely, we’re also manning some areas to ensure walking routes can remain accessible."

Wessex Water invests £3 million a month to reduce storm overflows, with the figure rising to £9million if approved by water industry regulators.