£4m to improve water quality in Bognor Regis
The West Sussex coastal town is to become the latest hive of activity in our ongoing work to cut storm overflows and improve the quality of bathing waters across our region
Cutting spills in West Sussex
Our engineers have begun scoping out Bognor Regis’ wastewater network to identify what nature-based and engineering solutions we can roll out in the area to slow the flow of surface water into our sewers.
Reducing this pressure on our pipes will make the use of storm overflows into the environment, when the amount of water in the system threatens to flood homes and businesses during heavy rainfall, much less likely.
This £4 million fund for Bognor Regis will first focus on investigations and solutions aimed at cutting spills from Bognor Main storm overflow pipe, located close to Aldingbourne Rife – a wildlife corridor linking the South Downs National Park with the Chichester Coastal Plain.
The investigations will include using state-of-the-art technology and robots to inspect the state of the sewers system in the area, and carrying a number of surveys to see where improvements can be made.
These will help inform what kind of interventions we will use to reduce storm overflows, for instance we may install sustainable drainage systems like water butts, swales, raingardens or we could look to expand sewers or build further storm storage capacity.
The Bognor Regis scheme is part of our wider £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan that aims to cut storm overflows across our region.
We’re also spending £20m at the nearby Pagham Wastewater Treatment Works to improve how wastewater is treated, with work due to be completed this summer.
Engineering Lead for our Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force, Keith Herbert, said:
“We know how important it is that we play our part in protecting rivers and seas across our region and we’re excited to start working in Bognor.
“Our engineers are busy surveying and inspecting our network ahead of putting in place measures this year which will make a real difference to creating healthier rivers and seas in this area.”