Anglian Water installs storage tank in Horncastle to help protect communities from flooding

The water company says the completion of the project will see additional resilience to extreme weather caused by climate change and protect local communities and the environment from flooding and pollution.

Drains and sewers in the area take away sewage and rainwater to the local Water Recycling Centre (WRC) where it is cleaned and treated before being returned to the environment. However, in extreme weather with lots of rainfall – like what the region saw last winter – the sewer network can quickly get overwhelmed with excess water.

As part of the government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, water companies are required to deliver £60 billion of capital investment in infrastructure over 25 years to improve all storm overflows.

The new storage tank, located off The Wong, will be able to hold 108,000 litres of water during heavy rainfall until the network frees up. This will prevent wastewater from being released too quickly, giving The Old River Bain and biodiversity nearby a chance to recover.

Once the network frees up, the excess water can be transported through pipes to Horncastle WRC to be fully treated before being returned to the environment.

The tank has been sealed and is located underground, so members of the public will not be able to hear, smell or see it – apart from a manhole visible at ground level.

Chloe Bailey, Customer Experience Specialist for the scheme said: “As a result of climate change, we’re continuing to see more bouts of extreme weather such as sudden downpours and rising sea levels, so it’s now more important than ever that we’re prepared to store extra storm water before it’s treated and returned to the environment.

"We’re delighted to have completed our project in Horncastle to protect local watercourses and the environment from the impacts of flooding.”

The £1.5 million project is just one of the storage tanks installed by the water company as part of their previous £100 million investment portfolio over the next three years.

Earlier this month, Anglian Water launched its five-year business plan worth £11bn – which will include the construction of nearly seven times as much storm water storage – totalling to 470,000 cubic metres.