New water tank installed at Severn Trent facility near Shrewsbury in move to reduce use of storm overflows

Severn Trent Water has announced the completion of upgrades at the Pontesbury Treatment Works facility near Shrewsbury.

The brand new storm tank was installed during summer last year and is capable of providing an additional 70,000 litres of storage - equivalent to more than 800 bathtubs of storm water.

The move is part of plans to invest £2billion in the next five years towards improving river health and the region’s water infrastructure.

Capital Delivery and Commercial Director at Severn Trent, James Jesic, said: "The new storm tank at Pontesbury Treatment Works, and other similar projects will serve as a blueprint for the improvements we’re making across our region to move at pace to reduce the use of storm overflows. 

"As all the improvements get up and running, the benefits of this work will be seen across Shropshire in the year ahead."

Severn Trent revealed that it has completed 1,500 engineering projects across its regions, ahead of schedule. 

The water company has now unveiled plans to 'fast-track' the delivery of 600 improvement projects to reduce the use of storm overflows across the region by Autumn this year. 

It said this will bring upgrades to storm water tanks which can hold rainwater as well as new solutions to treat wastewater.

Severn Trent claimed the average amount of spills from storm overflows is expected to fall by more than 25 per cent to reach an average of 18 per year by December.

By 2030, the company expects to be 'on track' to reduce storm overflows by an average of 14 spills per year.

Moreover, it said its engineers have delivered an average of 34 projects per week since June last year.

244 new storage tanks have been built and installed at treatment works to capture and store more water during heavy rain, while 189 flap valves have been installed across its network assets to prevent flooding when river levels rise, and 23 Submerged Aerated Filter units have been installed at treatment works to help treat more wastewater.

An Advisory Panel has been formed to oversee Severn Trent’s progress surrounding its 'Get River Positive' scheme - a series of five commitments that were launched in March 2022, aimed to transform river health across its network.  

CEO, Severn Rivers Trust, Joe Pimblett said: "As an integral partner within an Advisory Panel, I have had the opportunity to see how far and fast Severn Trent is moving forward with plans to improve our waterways. Severn Trent’s continuing strong investment in reducing spills is playing a pivotal role in reducing harm in the rivers in my and other regions"

Mr Jesic added: "From new storm tanks to new treatment solutions, we’ve mobilised a huge team of engineers who are working non-stop to deliver for our customers. 

"The team has delivered a major milestone of installing 1,500 overflow improvements, which was made more challenging given the extreme weather events and flooding in many locations. We’re now going even further and even faster by delivering an extra 600 projects by autumn 2025."