United Utilities set to create 30m deep storm tank to ease flooding and reduce spills

A £24.5 million investment project to create a vast new underground stormwater storage tank is set to get underway in Blackburn.

Situated in land off Philips Road and Percliff Way, the tank will be 30 metres deep and 30 metres wide and capable of holding 12.5 million litres of stormwater.

The new tank will be connected by an underground shaft to an existing tank in the same area which was constructed in 2012.  Recent population growth in Blackburn and the ongoing impacts of climate change with more periods of intense rainfall have put additional demand on the wastewater network. Together, both tanks will store 15 million litres of stormwater – the equivalent of six Olympic sized swimming pools.

The additional storage will reduce storm overflows into the River Blakewater.

Simon Holding, Head of Wastewater Treatment Services for United Utilities in Lancashire explained: “These tanks act as huge holding areas for the extra rainwater that enters the sewer network during times of heavy rainfall.

“Holding it back means it isn’t all hitting the wastewater treatment works at the same time and the system is less likely to be overwhelmed.”

Across Lancashire, United Utilities has delivered a range of projects from infrastructure improvements to riverside tree planting schemes, which are enhancing water quality in the River Ribble and its tributaries.

Site investigation work is currently underway and expected to be complete in July. Work on the main construction will begin straight away and will take two years to complete.