15 April 2011
Background
Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment Works was completed in summer 1996 as part of a £150 million investment programme along the Fylde coast. This helped improve local bathing waters by ending the daily discharge of millions of litres of untreated wastewater from the Fylde coast.
As part of this work we built a large sewer, 14 kilometres long and wide enough to drive a car through. It runs under the promenade in Blackpool through Anchorsholme to Fleetwood. The pipe collects all the sewage from Blackpool, Fleetwood and the surrounding areas and brings it to Fleetwood to be treated. Previously all the waste was discharged into the sea before the Fleetwood treatment plant was constructed.
Since the plant was completed 13 years ago a number of problems have developed which have affected the operation of the works and the sewer system along this part of the Fylde coastline.
These problems have developed due to operational difficulties at the treatment works and because the sewer network has become overloaded.
Our improvement plans
We are working with the Environment Agency to deliver a refurbishment programme for Fleetwood wastewater treatment plant, our pumping station at Manchester Square and our storm storage tanks at Bloomfield Road in excess of £70 million.
£58 million of this will be invested at the treatment works to refurbish and expand the works and to improve wastewater treatment and odour management. This will ensure that the works is able to meet future demand.
Update
Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment Works
The project started at the treatment plant in December 2007 with work to replace four of the existing six screens. The screens act as a sieve to filter the larger particles of waste from the flow. When the screens are in operation they allow flow to full treatment of 2,300 litres per second. This work is now completed with all four new screens in operation.
We are constructing four large primary settlement tanks with a total capacity of approximately 20,000m3. The flow will enter the tanks and the sludge will settle to the bottom of the tank. The settled sludge will then be taken to the new sludge plant for treatment. The tanks are 38 metres in diameter and will not be visible to the general public as they will be burried.
The delivery of our improvement plans are formally enforced by the Environment Agency to ensure timely delivery. The work is due to be completed in mid 2011.
Bloomfield Road Storage Tanks Project number: PA-80018067
Blackpool has two large storm water storage tanks located underneath the Central Beach Car Park adjacent to Bloomfield Road, Blackpool. Construction of the tanks was completed in 1999. They are 40 metres deep and 36 metres in diameter with a capacity of 30 million litres each. That's the equivalent of 60 million toilet flushes. During times of heavy rainfall, when our storage tunnel and the treatment works at Fleetwood are running at full capacity, the tanks fill up and store the excess storm water until the contents can be pumped to the works for treatment. Storing the excess storm water is essential to protect the beaches and bathing waters of Blackpool.
The tanks require general Inspections every 2 years and principal inspections every 6 years. The storm tanks are currently undergoing some maintenance work. We have a temporary compound on the car park while this work takes place.
Manchester Square Pumping station
The pumping station was constructed in the 1930's as a means of discharging all foul and storm water sewage into the Irish Sea. In the 1960's when population growth made it necessary for improvements to be made, the pumping station was enlarged and the outfall pipe lengthened to 1km to protect the tourist beaches of Blackpool. The 1990's brought the greatest change to the area in line with European Union legislation. At this time, eight sites along the Fylde Coast were identified as Bathing Water Sites. To meet the legislation requirements, a new tunnel 2.89m in diameter and 11km long was constructed to transfer the flows to the new Wastewater Treatment Works at Fleetwood. This was the first time that sewage had been treated prior to discharge in the Blackpool and Fleetwood area.
This tunnel provides storm water storage of 175,000 cubic meters and fundementally changed the operation of the station by removing the historic need for daily discharges into the sea. Despite this, the station remains an essential part of our defence against flooding in Blackpool. It now only operates during periods of heavy rainfall when our network is full to capacity and the maximum amount of storm water possible is being pumped into treatment at our works in Fleetwood.
Manchester Square is an emergency overflow that discharges out to sea during storm conditions. We are permitted to do this by the Environment Agency and are very closely monitored on the frequency we discharge to sea. We only discharge in storm conditions and when the treatment works at Fleetwood is unable to cope with the capacity, and the storm tanks at Bloomfield Road are full. The sea outfall is 2.2 metres in diameter, 1km outfall to sea and can discharge at a rate of up to 12,000 litres per second. The storm water is now finely screened within the pumping station before discharge to the sea. Without this station, over 1,000 properties in the town would be at serious risk of flooding.
We have completed the 1st stage of our improvements to this site and we are now working closely with Blackpool Council to co-ordinate the next stage of our work with the coastal defence work you can see along the promenade. Once the coastal defence work is complete, we will return in August 2011 to improve the roof and visual appearance of the station. The site will be integrated into the new landscape chosen for Blackpool's promenade.
Getting in touch
If you have any concerns about the work at the Fleetwood wastewater treatment works or any other work on the Fylde coast, please phone us on 0845 746 2200. Alternatively if you have an issue with odour in the Fleetwood are phone our dedicated hotline on 0800 781 7134 quoting 300327. All information you report to us on odours at the treatment works is shared with the Environment Agency and with Wyre Borough Council.