Oxfordshire residents are already seeing the difference in the River Ock at Uffington after a recent sewage works upgrade.
The work at the Uffington sewage works was completed last year and has seen the installation of a new reed bed system which filters waste water before it is allowed to enter the River Ock.
The £115,600 installation provides a green solution to filtering waste water whilst also maintaining the high quality of discharged water which leaves the treatment plant. Before the new installation went live the discharged water already met regulations but the new system provides further cleaning, with less suspended solid particles and less ammonia released as a consequence.
The project manager for Thames Water Des Monger said:
“Since we installed the reed beds we’ve seen great improvements in the quality of water that we discharge into the River Ock.
“The new reed beds also offer a fantastic potential habitat for nesting birds and amphibians which we hope to welcome on to the site in future.”
The upgrade of the Ufffington sewage works is part of Thames Water’s commitment to spend £4.9bn over the next few years upgrading and maintaining sewers, pipes and other facilities across the London drainage region.