Tank of a journey

17/03/2004

Water workers are flushed with success after their newest million pound installation, which is set to revolutionise similar future work for the company.

Residents of Kirklevington Village, Stockton, will be among the first on Teesside to have their wastewater treated by two rotative biological contactors.

A rotative biological contactor is a huge pre-cast tank (the size of a single decker bus) which can treat more than 690,000 litres of wastewater every day – that is equivalent to 8625 baths! 

It was no easy task to transport and install the tanks.  A police escort was required to ensure the 200-mile journey from Lichfield, Staffordshire, was a safe one.  The size of the tanks meant they could only travel at a snails pace – a journey that should take three hours took more than double that time. 

Big cranes were then used to lift the tanks over hedges, trees and fences to reach their final resting place.

Waste water passes through three levels of treatment, ensuring it is of very high quality to be returned to the environment.  The waste water will have to meet even stricter consents set by the Environment Agency which come into force at the end of this month.

Two rotative biological contactors, each weighing 18 tonnes, will replace part of the existing sewage treatment works at Kirklevington serving 1,200 people.  Two open air concrete tanks, which are currently used for the initial treatment of waste water, will be retained as storage for storm water – increasing the capacity of the works and significantly further reducing risk to the environment.

Geraud Ramond, who has managed the £1 million scheme, said: “Using rotative biological contactors is a cost-effective and efficient way of treating waste water from villages with a population of one thousand or less customers.

“Following the success of this method Northumbrian Water is now looking to install similar equipment, where appropriate, throughout our supply area from Berwick to North Yorkshire and across to the Pennines.”

The new tanks, mostly underground, will be commissioned within the next two weeks.

For further information contact Cara Hall, Communications Adviser, on 0191 301 6720.