Popular Hampshire tourist spot to benefit from new storm overflow reduction scheme
The river Hamble near Southampton will be the latest area in Hampshire which will become a hive of activity for Southern Water’s teams as they work to reduce storm overflows
Reducing storm overflows in Hamble
Engineers are currently surveying Southern Water’s network in and around the River Hamble to look at solutions to drive down storm overflows.
The work will focus on the School Lane storm overflow near Hamble Copse, with up to £2.42m being spent on solutions to reduce storm overflows from this outfall.
One key aspect of the work is investment in technology to improve the way our pumping stations work, this work will involve harnessing artificial intelligence so there is real-time control of flows between the pumping stations and will also involve utilising storage within the network.
Engineering Lead from Southern Water’s Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force, Keith Herbert, said:
“We’re excited to start this work which will utilise technology and other solutions to help reduce storm overflows in this area.
“Hamble is a picturesque village, that attracts many visitors and we want to play our part in ensuring the Rivers and Seas around it are clean especially as they’re a crucial habitat for shellfish.”
The scheme is part of Southern Water’s wider £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan that aims to cut storm overflows across its region, which includes Hampshire, East and West Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight.
This follows areas of Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham also having major storm overflow reduction activity with £170m being spent.