Welsh Water - Leanne Jones and Richard Heaps - 17 January 2013
Public Relations Officer Leanne, explained that Welsh Water is a company owned by Glas Cymru, a not-for-profit company, financed by publicly issued bonds. It is responsible for water and sewerage services throughout most of Wales although in some eastern parts of Wales (including Wirral) it only fulfils the latter functions. In Wirral, drinking water is supplied by United Utilities. Glas Cymru is the sixth largest water company in the UK and has investment programmes of £250m. each year.
Richard is a civil engineering project manager for Costain which has been commissioned by Glas Cymru to undertake substantial works to extend the sewage treatment farm facility at Broad Lane in Lower Heswall and to enlarge the storm surge overflow tank at the river end of Riverbank Drive.
The works are being undertaken under the EU Heswall Shellfish Directive and are designed to improve the water quality in the Heswall Gutter which runs from the beach outfall at the end of Broad Lane towards Thurstaston.
The works at Broad Lane involve the creation of a 5750 cubic meter underground storage tank, in size terms equivalent to two Olympic swimming pools. This has involved extensive piling works over recent months but the piling is now almost complete. Richard explained, with illustrations, the methods of creating the storage tank. Some 25,000 cubic metres of ground has been excavated and will be used elsewhere rather than being dumped as landfill. In the case of Riverbank Road, the works involve the enlargement of the existing storm surge holding tank to some 1600 cubic metres (equivalent to some 250,000 average toilet flushes!) and improvement of the pumping systems to the Broad Lane facility.