UK water companies repurpose redundant assets for storm storage

Water utility companies in the United Kingdom are repurposing disused infrastructure to increase storm water storage capacity and improve water quality.

In Bedfordshire, Anglian Water’s @one Alliance is investing £2.5 million to convert five redundant sludge holding tanks at the Leighton Linslade Water Recycling Centre. This project is expected to increase storm storage capacity from 1,782m³ to 4,156m³. The alliance noted that this approach could potentially reduce embodied carbon by 88% compared to constructing new tanks.

In Lancashire, United Utilities has completed a £1.5 million project at the Caton Wastewater Treatment Works. By recycling redundant assets, the company created 92,000 litres of additional stormwater storage to help reduce overflows into the River Lune during heavy rainfall. The project also utilized geopolymer concrete for manhole rings, which reportedly reduces carbon impact by at least 50 percent.