The final part of installation for an innovative and environmentally sustainable water-filtration system has been completed at one of our treatment works. 

A new ceramic-membrane water filtration system has been installed at one of our sites, the first retrofit of its kind at an existing water treatment works in the UK.

The filtration system is designed to further enhance water quality, increase the efficiency of the water treatment process and improve reliability. 

The new treatment process will also significantly reduce our energy consumption, reduce our carbon emissions and aid us in our ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The final separation plates have been installed, allowing us to separate our old treatment process from the new one.

Elena Karpathakis, our new managing director, recently visited our treatment works with members of our board, including incoming chair, Sara Vaughan. They were shown around the new filtration system by our capital delivery director, Robert Boswell and members of his team.

Elena commented: "This system will allow us to continue to meet our commitment to customers to deliver clean, high-quality water that also enables us to reduce our carbon emissions. The ceramic filter, which differs from traditional sand-filtration systems, is more environmentally friendly and it will allow us to save 1,000 tonnes of carbon a year."

Robert added: "Like any major construction project, especially in the water treatment world, it’s important that the plant that is existing today, which was pumping during the construction, is not impacted.

"We’re really proud of the people in our business who have successfully kept our water treatment works operating, ensuring that the water leaving the site is of the highest quality."

This project was part of a £63 million investment in the last asset management period (AMP) from 2020-25 to upgrade our treatment works and clean 100km of mains in our region.

This has been aided by funding contributions from Severn Trent and funding from the Green Recovery Fund from Ofwat, a fund that has supported water companies in delivering lasting environmental improvements for current and future generations whilst meeting the economic and social challenges our country faces.

Over the next five years, from 2025 to 2030, we will be investing more to secure the water future of our customers, spending £926 million across South Staffs and Cambridge (part of South Staffordshire Plc) to protect our water supplies, safeguard the resilience and health of our infrastructure, improve our customer service and enhance the environment.