Reed beds planted with more than 7,500 reeds are at the heart of a £4.2 million project to clean up the environment in Lenham, in Kent.

The environmental improvement scheme at Southern Water’s Lenham Wastewater Treatment Works will ensure wastewater is treated to higher standards.

This will mean the water being recycled to the River Great Stour will be cleaner.

The Reed Beds

Three reed beds are being created at Lenham with thousands of common reeds - phragmites australi – to provide an extra level of treatment.

The ‘green’ beds are made with layers of sand and gravel and will help clean up to 4.3 million litres of wastewater from more than 3,600 people each day.

When planted, the reeds will take about three years to grow to their full height of two metres.

They work by sending oxygen into the gravel beds through their roots, helping break down any impurities in the wastewater.

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Other improvements include refurbishing the tanks which treat the wastewater when it enters the works and new monitors to measure the water quality.

An additional level of treatment is also being provided to remove nitrates, which can cause excess algal growth in rivers.

The scheme, which is due to finish in November 2009, is being carried out by contractors Morrison Utility Services on behalf of Southern Water.