A £5.5 million project to build a new underground stormwater storage tunnel in Kirkham has been completed ahead of schedule and is already delivering benefits.
The 300-meter-long tunnel was constructed four meters underground and has the capacity to store more than two million liters of stormwater, equivalent to around 26,000 bathtubs.
The additional capacity provided to Kirkham’s wastewater network will help improve water quality in nearby Wrangway Brook, a tributary of the River Ribble, by reducing the number of times storm overflows operate.
As a thank you to the local community, United Utilities has also planted fruit trees along Remembrance Way, a green open space used by walkers and cyclists, as well as within the ‘Grow to Give’ allotment, which supplies produce to a local food bank.
Simon Holding, County Business Lead for Wastewater Services in Lancashire, said the tunnel is already providing environmental benefits by holding back excess stormwater during periods of heavy rainfall.
Wastewater from Kirkham travels through the sewer network to the pumping station at Freckleton before continuing to the Wastewater Treatment Works at Clifton Marsh, Preston. The additional capacity means that wastewater does not all reach the pumping station or wastewater treatment works at the same time. This makes the system less likely to become overwhelmed and reduces the number of times storm overflows operate, addressing an issue that customers have said they want to see improved.
Across Lancashire, United Utilities continues to deliver a wide range of projects, from infrastructure improvements to rainwater management, aimed at enhancing water quality in the River Ribble and its tributaries.
The Kirkham project forms 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 more than 500 kilometers of rivers, lakes, and bathing waters, while safeguarding drinking water supplies for millions of customers.
Source: United Utilities
