United Utilities has completed infrastructure upgrades at Over Kellet and Nether Kellet Wastewater Treatment Works designed to improve treated wastewater quality and support the long-term ecological health of nearby Nether Beck.
The investment introduces new chemical dosing equipment at both sites, located north of Lancaster, with the aim of reducing phosphorus levels in final effluent before it is returned to the environment.
The project was delivered by bWGM, a joint venture partnership between Binnies and WGM Engineering, both part of RSK Group.
Euan Lucas, Project Manager at bWGM, explained that the upgrade focuses on improving water quality through phosphorus removal technologies.
“This investment in new infrastructure from United Utilities will have a significant impact on improving the quality of treated wastewater from the works when it is returned to the environment at the end of the treatment process,” he said.
“The chosen solution uses ferric to remove phosphorus molecules from the treated wastewater. During this process, ferric naturally causes the pH level of the wastewater to lower, so to counteract this, caustic is also used to bring the pH back to the optimal range.”
Wastewater treatment upgrades improve phosphorus removal
The wastewater treatment upgrades improve phosphorus removal through the installation of specialist dosing infrastructure designed for operation within highly constrained rural treatment sites.
According to the project team, the new chemical dosing kiosks were manufactured and tested off-site before installation, helping to reduce construction time and minimise disruption during delivery.
Lucas said restricted access to the sites required specialist planning and lifting operations.
“Access to the sites was constrained, and as a result, the new chemical dosing kiosks have been manufactured and tested off-site, which has enabled a much quicker installation process,” he explained.
“To counter the narrow site access, a specialist lifting contractor was brought in to install the kiosks using specialist lifting equipment.”
The scheme also includes bespoke safety infrastructure designed to contain potential chemical spills during filling operations.
“The designs for the upgrades include a bespoke manhole that acts like a typical manhole during normal operations but can be isolated during chemical filling,” Lucas said.
“This means that should there be a chemical spill, the manhole would collect the spillage, ensuring it does not travel to the ground or nearby watercourses.”
The project team also used Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology to support planning and coordination across the constrained sites.
“By developing a fully integrated 3D model, the team has been able to visualise the new treatment infrastructure within the tight site boundaries, identify conflicts early and eliminate clashes before works begin, leading to a well-coordinated and predictable build programme,” Lucas added.
The work was completed while maintaining live wastewater treatment operations for customers served by United Utilities.
Access challenges, narrow rural roads and limited working space required the removal of redundant infrastructure to create sufficient room for the new assets.
Read more wastewater infrastructure news from our Wastewater section.
