Kirkham’s £5.5m storm overflow project completed early
A £5.5 million project to create a new underground stormwater storage tunnel in Kirkham is delivering benefits after being completed ahead of schedule.
The 300m long tunnel has been constructed four metres below ground and can store more than two million litres of stormwater – the equivalent of around 26,000 bathtubs.
By giving Kirkham’s wastewater network additional capacity, it will play an important role in improving water quality in nearby Wrangway Brook, a tributary of the River Ribble, by reducing the number of times that storm overflows operate.
As a thank you to the local community, United Utilities has also planted fruit trees along Remembrance Way which is a green open space for walkers and cyclists, and within the ‘Grow to Give’ allotment which provides produce for a local food bank.
Simon Holding, County Business lead for Wastewater Services in Lancashire explained: “We’re pleased to see the tunnel is already delivering environmental benefits by holding back excess stormwater in times of heavy rainfall.
“Wastewater from Kirkham travels through the sewer network to the pumping station at Freckleton before going on to the Wastewater Treatment Works at Clifton Marsh, Preston. Creating this extra capacity means that it isn’t all hitting either the pumping station, or the wastewater treatment works all at the same time. This means the system is less likely to be overwhelmed and will reduce the number of times that storm overflows operate – which is something our customers have told us they want to see.”
Across Lancashire, the company continues to deliver a wide range of projects from infrastructure improvements to rainwater management, which are enhancing water quality in the River Ribble and its tributaries.
The project is part of the largest investment in water and wastewater infrastructure in the North West for a century. United Utilities is investing more than £13 billion to protect and enhance over 500 kilometres of rivers, lakes, and bathing waters, while safeguarding drinking water supplies for millions of customers.
