On Wednesday I visited Ivybridge Wastewater Treatment Works with South West Water. Water quality is a highly controversial and complicated issue! With so many people caring about the quality of our local waterways (including me), holding our water company to account is essential.
I have heard from many residents and local groups like WATER "Wild About The Erme River" about their concerns about the waste water being processed in Ivybridge and released into the River Erme. As a result, I requested a site visit to find out more and raise the concerns shared with me. I am aware of how important this site it to ensuring the beaches at the mouth of the Erme retain their national bathing water status.
The main thing I wanted to learn during my visit was how the storm overflow system works. With the long run-off from Dartmoor and the Victorian combined sewers in the town (where sewage and water run-off merge into one sewer), sometimes the volume of water entering the treatment works needs to be managed.
The water that gets discharged from the storm overflow is diluted both by the removal of solids, screening processes that eliminate large materials and by further dissolving by rainwater.
The team at the Treatment works are passionate about their work and highly talented local people who care about the end product their work produces. They are also really keen to share this with others. If you are interested in finding out more, please let me know and I will link you up.
