Major upgrade to Surrey wastewater works

Upgrades costing £13.8 million have overhauled how wastewater is treated at a Surrey site. 

The multi-million pound investment at Lingfield Wastewater Treatment Works will improve the quality of the treated water leaving the site – and reduce its reliance on storm overflows at times of heavy and sustained rainfall. 

A key part of this 18-month upgrade has seen a new high-tech treatment process introduced to cut phosphorous levels in the final effluent which is released into neighbouring Eden Brook by more than 85%. 

High levels of phosphorous – a chemical present in wastewater – can be damaging to watercourses as it encourages growth of algae and can deprive fish and other creatures of oxygen in the water. 

And thanks to the construction of new tanks, pipework, pumps and other infrastructure, the project has boosted the capacity of the site, so it can treat over 50 per cent more wastewater than before – up from 83 litres per second to 127 litres per second.  

By achieving this, it is much less likely that the works will become overloaded by sudden influxes of rainwater during very wet weather, requiring storm overflows to release excess volumes into the environment to avoid flooding to the local community. 

John Penicud, Southern Water’s Director of Wastewater Operations, said: “The upgrade of our Lingfield plant is good news for local waterways. By removing more phosphorous and increasing the amount of wastewater we can treat we’re able to both improve water quality and reduce the use of storm overflows. It’s part on our ongoing investment in our wastewater network.” 

The works were carried out by contractor CMDP, a joint venture between Costain and MWH Treatment, as one of a range of schemes it is delivering to maintain and improve Southern Water’s water supply and wastewater treatment works. 

The completion of the Lingfield project is the latest in a series of multi-million pound upgrades Southern Water has made at its sites in recent months including investment of more than £14m at Lavant and Tangmere in West Sussex, £7m of upgrades at East Boldre in the New Forest and Handcross in West Sussex, and more than £11m invested in our wastewater treatment works in Roud, Shalfleet, and Calbourne  on the Isle of Wight.  

Lingfield Wastewater Treatment Works is located 2km north of Lingfield Park Racecourse. The catchment for the works serves the population of Lingfield and surrounding villages. 

Anthony Voltz, CMDP’s programme manager for Lingfield, added: “CMDP and our supply chain partners are delighted to be involved with the upgrade works at Lingfield on behalf of Southern Water.  It has been a complex scheme to deliver due to the relatively limited space for new assets and the density of the below ground services.  The team have risen to the challenge and successfully implemented the new scheme safely without interruption to the existing assets.  The commissioning of these new assets enhances the quality of treated water returning to the environment, which improves the adjacent watercourse and has a direct benefit to the local community”.   

Read more about the investments we’re making across our region: Improvements In Your Area - Southern Water