site. We also wanted to let you know what we have in the pipeline, and what upgrades ... Report this to our customer ser
ANGLIAN WATER
AUGUST 2016
INTRODUCTION There’s lots going on in Letchworth at present and, in light of the recent increase in odour complaints from residents living near our water recycling centre, we wanted to update you on the work we’re doing to manage odours from the site. We also wanted to let you know what we have in the pipeline, and what upgrades we have planned to ensure the new homes in the area have no negative impact on our existing customers.
WHAT IS WATER RECYCLING?
THE WATER RECYCLING PROCESS
We don’t call it ‘waste water’ anymore – after all, no water can be Waste. The water is cleaned and treated before it’s returned to the environment. We use what’s left over to generate renewable energy, before farmers use it to improve the quality of their soil – it’s the ultimate in recycling!
DOMESTIC WASTE
AERATION TANKS
TREATED WATER DISCHARGED
FILTER SCREENS INITIAL SETTLING TANKS
FINAL SETTLING TANKS
SLUDGE THICKENING (USED TO GENERATE ENERGY)
MANAGING ODOURS FROM THE WATER RECYCLING CENTRE The Letchworth Water Recycling Centre receives nearly 30million litres of sewage every day and performs a vital role in serving the community, so we take all odour complaints from our neighbours seriously. Currently, there are two odour control units installed on the site to minimise the smells that, naturally, come from the water recycling process. These units run almost around the clock and significantly reduce unpleasant odours escaping into the air. We’ve also: • Brought in an additional odour control unit to help mitigate odours further – taking the total to three. • Been using covered skips to store sludge from the treatment process. These are removed by tankers on a daily basis to keep odours down to a minimum. • Arranged for a specialist odour survey to be carried out to identify when and where the spikes in smells occur. This survey will help us plan future works to try and reduce bad smells from the site. Odours can be affected by weather conditions, and the nature of site and the job it’s there to do means there will inevitably be some smells from time to time, but we want to do all we can to make things better for the community. The survey will give us a clearer picture of when and where the spikes in smells are occurring. We’ll then begin to scope the work needed, and arrange funding for this to go ahead. We’ll be sure to update you once we have more information. In the meantime, we have proactively contacted the Environmental Health Officer and parish councillors, all of whom have visited the site to see first-hand what we are doing to mitigate the odours.
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Anglian Water | August 2016 | Letchworth Water Recycling Centre
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Anglian Water | August 2016 | Letchworth Water Recycling Centre
NEW HOUSES In light of the new homes being built in the area, we are also upgrading certain equipment at the treatment works. Anglian Water doesn’t have a say on whether or not housing developments go ahead. Instead we have a duty to upgrade our network to make sure new homes can be connected. We’re investing around £3million on improvements to the site’s processes, which will ensure the new homes have no negative impact on our existing customers or the immediate water environment. The changes include improvements to the aeration systems and upgrades to the filter screens on site, as well as range of other adjustments. Phosphate is one of the key chemicals we have to remove from used water. It comes from common household products, such as washing powder and detergents. If it’s not removed it can cause algae to grow rapidly in the rivers, which uses up oxygen in the water, choking fish and other wildlife. So, with more homes coming to the area, it’s vital that we can remove more of this phosphate in future. Doing this work means we will be able to recycle and treat the water we put back into the environment to an even higher standard and the quality of the surrounding waterways will be protected.
REPORTING AN ODOUR • Report this to our customer service team by messaging on Facebook, Twitter with the information and your address. • Or you can call our freephone number 0800 145 145 or email details to
[email protected]. • Please make a note of the time and place where you notice an odour, and report this to us. Having this information helps us to pinpoint the source and cause. • If you would like us to report back to you what we found, we will do so.
WE TRY TO BE THE BEST NEIGHBOURS WE CAN AND WE’LL BE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MANAGE THE ODOURS FROM OUR WATER RECYCLING CENTRE AND MAKE THE NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS TO ENSURE THE NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT HAS NO NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR EXISTING CUSTOMERS. WE ALSO PROMISE TO KEEP YOU INFORMED ALONG THE WAY.
If you have any questions or concerns or would like further information please contact our customer service team on 03457 145145.
