Anglian Water‘s @one Alliance is repurposing five disused sludge holding tanks at Leighton Linslade Water Recycling Centre in Bedfordshire to create additional storm water storage. According to the alliance, the £2.5 million Leighton Linslade storm storage scheme will add 2,374m³ of capacity at the site.
Leighton Linslade storm storage capacity more than doubles
The project will increase storm storage at the water recycling centre from 1,782m³ to 4,156m³. That more than doubles the capacity currently available at the site.
Rather than building new storage tanks, the alliance is bringing five redundant sludge holding tanks back into use for a different purpose. The @one Alliance said it has produced a project feature on the scheme that explores the engineering involved in converting the structures.
The role of storm storage at treatment sites
Storm storage at water recycling centres is generally used to hold excess flows that arrive during periods of heavy rainfall, when incoming volumes can exceed what a works can treat at once. The stored flows can then be returned for treatment once incoming volumes fall.
Increasing the volume that can be held on site therefore gives operators more capacity to manage high flows. At Leighton Linslade, the additional 2,374m³ will be provided within structures that already exist on the site.
Provisional 88% cut in embodied carbon
The alliance said the approach is expected to reduce embodied carbon by 88% compared with a traditional new-build solution. It stressed that this figure is subject to confirmation.
Embodied carbon refers to the emissions associated with producing construction materials and carrying out building work, as distinct from the emissions generated by operating an asset. Reusing existing tanks can avoid much of the material and construction activity that a new-build structure would require.
Carbon in design has been a recurring theme for the utility. H2O Global News has previously reported on how Anglian Water developed a whole life carbon and cost in design concept with funding from the Ofwat Innovation Fund.
Making better use of existing infrastructure
The @one Alliance said the Leighton Linslade project highlights the benefits of making better use of existing infrastructure. Assets that have fallen out of use at operational sites can, in some cases, be adapted to meet new requirements rather than being left redundant.
The @one Alliance is based at Thorpe Wood House in Peterborough. Anglian Water provides water and water recycling services in the east of England, where Leighton Linslade Water Recycling Centre is located.
The information released by the alliance does not include a timetable for completion of the work at the site.
Frequently asked questions
What is being built at Leighton Linslade Water Recycling Centre?
Anglian Water’s @one Alliance is repurposing five disused sludge holding tanks at the Bedfordshire site to provide additional storm water storage.
How much storm storage will the project add?
The project will add 2,374m³ of storm storage, increasing capacity at the site from 1,782m³ to 4,156m³.
What are the carbon benefits of reusing the tanks?
The alliance said the approach is expected to reduce embodied carbon by 88% compared with a traditional new-build solution, although this figure is subject to confirmation.
Who is delivering the project?
The work is being carried out by Anglian Water’s @one Alliance, which is based in Peterborough.
