What does this mean for St Bees?

For St Bees it’s all about reducing storm water spills to improve water quality. Over the past twelve months we’ve already started to make improvements across our sewer network in St Bees.

Sometimes, water can enter our wastewater pipes which they were not designed to receive. One source of these additional flows can be groundwater which can enter sewers through pipe defects, leaky joints or through manholes. Extra water infiltrating into the network can cause sewers to become overwhelmed, leading to sewer flooding or contributing to storm overflow activity.

You’ll have noticed over the summer period we have carried out network improvements in the village and lined our pipes to help reduce infiltration in the village. So far 900m of lining has been completed, which will last for the next 50 years. All of this work will help to reduce storm water spills and improve the quality of water being returned to the environment.

Upgrading St Bees wastewater treatment works

We’re upgrading the existing pumping station to feature a new above ground storm tank which can hold 3,000m3 – that’s the storage size to hold the amount of 500,000 toilets being flushed or 30,000 baths. This storage tank will store storm water when we have heavy rainfall, preventing our system from being overloaded with excess water.

It will improve the quality of our treated water going back to the environment and reduce spills by 91%.

What will the area look like?

Here are some visualisations of the new wastewater treatment works. Upon completion, the site will be landscaped back to grass with a fenced compound, and trees planted.





Carry out the project considerately and safely

When will we be working?

Our normal working hours are 08:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday. We don’t currently anticipate a need for working weekends or public holidays. Should we need to undertake works outside of our usual working hours we will notify you in advance.

What can we expect?

We’re planning to start on site in early 2027 with the construction period expected to last 18 months. During working hours there will be an increase in construction noise. We will implement processes to monitor this and mitigate
excessive noise where possible. Construction sites can be messy and dry weather can cause dust. We will implement mitigation measures to suppress dust and minimise dirt leaving site. We will keep you informed of any changes to our scheduled work which may affect you.