£1.9m sewer boost for Penrith

20 May 2010

A £1.9 million scheme to improve Penrith's sewer network and boost the quality of water in local streams will get underway this summer.

Engineers from United Utilities have unveiled plans to increase capacity in the town's sewer system so it holds more storm water and is much less likely to spill into water courses like Thacka Beck and Myers Beck.
 
The major scheme is one of the first in United Utilities' new five year £3.6bn programme of investment across the North West, which was announced in January.
 
Project manager Geraud Ramond said engineers planned to install new sections of sewer pipe, new waste water storage chambers, a new screen, control kiosks and other equipment at three sites - Castle Drive, Sandgate and Gilwilly - between July 2010 and September 2011.
 
"This will be very important work for Penrith and we will be working hard with other agencies like Eden District Council and the Environment Agency to keep disruption to a minimum. We'll be talking direct to householders and traders affected by the works to make sure we do as much as possible to keep them informed."
 
Thacka Beck and Myers Beck flow through Penrith largely in underground channels known as culverts.
 
"Like waste water networks all over the world, Penrith's sewer system is equipped with overflows which release storm water into these local water courses when pipes are overwhelmed by heavy rains. They're an important safety mechanism to help prevent sewer flooding but obviously it's in everyone's interests to reduce the spills as much as possible, and to screen those spills when they do happen," said Geraud.
 
"United Utilities' work will vastly reduce the number of consented spills. Plus, when spills do occur, powered screens will prevent anything other than dilute storm water from getting into local becks."
 
The work will start in Castle Drive on July 15 this year. Here engineers plan to install two new 600mm diameter sewers whose job will be to store storm water during heavy rains. This phase of work should be complete by the end of September 2010.
 
The work at Sandgate and at the company's Gilwilly pumping station will start in early 2011.
 
Both these phases of work will take place concurrently and are due to finish in September 2011.
 
At Sandgate, the scheme will involve building a new section of sewer, storage chamber, self-cleaning screen, and larger diameter overflow pipe together with a control kiosk.
 
At Gilwilly, a new 44 cubic metre storage chamber will be built within the existing pumping station site boundary.
 
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