Protection of the ecology of waterways in south-west England is being stepped with an £8 million investment by Wessex Water.

Sewage treatment sites at Shaftesbury in Dorset and Mere in the county of Wiltshire, are being upgraded to ensure that wastewater continues to be properly dealt with, before being safely released back to the environment. New equipment will be installed to help to reduce the impact of potentially harmful chemicals found in sewage from homes and businesses, and help safeguard the health of rivers and watercourses.

A £5 million investment at the water recycling centre south of Shaftesbury will focus on tackling the issues caused by chemicals like phosphorus, ammonia and nitrogen, which are found in many household products and can be found in sewage arriving at water recycling centres.

Farm slurries, agricultural fertilisers and septic tanks are another regular source of these nutrients, which can cause significant algae growth in lakes, rivers and streams. Algae causes harm to native plants and aquatic animals by depleting the amount of oxygen in the water – a process known as eutrophication.

Enhancement of the Shaftesbury site will be undertaken throughout 2024, and project manager Jim Wheeler said, “By completing this work we will be able to ensure we help to protect the environment around Shaftesbury by stripping chemicals out of the wastewater that arrives.

“We’ll be carrying out this work within our existing water recycling centre and upgrading many of the treatment processes at the site to ensure we’re continuing to meet the highest environmental standards.’’

More than £3 million is also being invested in reducing chemicals entering a tributary of the River Stour – Shreen Water – near the Mere water recycling centre near the village of Bourton. A £4 million investment will boost capacity to treat sewer flows, reducing instances of untreated wastewater being discharged automatically to the environment.

Mere project manager Jason Gammon said, “As our population increases, the challenge to prevent nutrients from causing damage to our waterways increases and we can help meet that challenge by upgrading the treatment processes at our water recycling centres. Removing chemicals from wastewater can help to protect nearby rivers and streams and Wessex Water is investing hundreds of millions of pounds to do just that throughout rural environments across the region.’’