£5.4m investment in County Durham environment

A major programme of work to protect water quality in County Durham watercourses has been completed.

Northumbrian Water invested £5.4m in the upgrades at Dipton Sewage Treatment Works (STW), resulting in enhancements to the final treated water that is released back into Dipton Burn. This is helping to improve water quality there and also in the watercourses it feeds, including Red Burn, Pont Burn and ultimately the River Derwent.

New dosing equipment was installed, along with a new treatment plant and storage tanks, with the site being extended approximately 20 metres to the west, into land Northumbrian Water already owns.

The work was carried out by the water company's partner, Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) and involved around 14 months of activity on site.

Charles Harman, Northumbrian Water's Project Manager, said: "We're pleased to have completed this project and delivered improvements to the site that will ultimately benefit the environment, through enhancements to the water we return to Dipton Burn.

"While the work has been carried out within our own land, we appreciate that people living nearby will have noticed the activity going on and a slight increase in traffic to and from the site, and we are grateful for their patience and understanding."