Major upgrade at Burnley wastewater treatment works is almost complete

A £77 million project to upgrade Burnley Wastewater Treatment Works is nearing completion.

As part of its commitment to improving river quality, United Utilities has carried out a major upgrade at the treatment works. The project which began in 2021 will play an important role in improving water quality in the River Calder which is a tributary of the River Ribble.

Innovative new processes which reduce phosphorous and other nutrients from the water that is released from the facility at the end of the treatment process have been introduced as well as new equipment that speeds up the treatment process.

The upgrade will enable the facility to meet growing demand from Burnley and surrounding towns by increasing capacity by 27%. The increase in capacity and the introduction of more storm water storage will reduce the number of times that storm overflows operate in periods of heavy rain.

Construction work has now been completed and the focus is now on testing and commissioning the new equipment.

Rob Moore, Head of Wastewater for United Utilities in Lancashire explained: “This project has transformed Burnley Wastewater Treatment Works.

“We know our customers want to see cleaner rivers and fewer occasions when untreated sewage is released into the environment. This upgrade will play an important role in delivering that. It means we can now treat sewage more quickly, we can store more sewage in times of heavy rainfall, and we’ve upgraded the treatment process so that the treated water that is released back into the River Calder is even cleaner.”

Improvements to the treatment process include the introduction of a new technology which enhances the biological treatment processes, removing more nutrients and improving the quality of the final effluent.

The Burnley upgrade is part of a wider project to improve water quality in Pendle Water and the River Calder which is a tributary of the River Ribble.

Rob Moore added: “We’ve also increased capacity in the local sewer network through the introduction of a giant underground storage tank in Nelson and carried out improvements at Hyndburn Wastewater Treatment Works.

Across Lancashire, United Utilities has invested more than £330 million during the last five years in projects ranging from infrastructure improvements to riverside tree planting schemes, which are enhancing water quality in the River Ribble and its tributaries.