Anglian Water, Essex, United Kingdom: Colchester Water Reuse project
The East of England is one of the driest regions in the UK, with only two thirds of the average rainfall and a delicate environmental balance. The region is also one of the fastest growing, with potential population growth of nearly a million people by 2050. Together, these challenges make Anglian Water’s water stressed region particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including drought and flood. This means we must carefully use this most precious resource to balance supply and demand.
Anglian Water’s 25-year Water Resources Management Plan for the East of England sets out the planned investments that will balance this supply and demand, including the Colchester water reuse scheme. These investments will help make the East of England resilient to climate change and drought and allow Anglian Water to reduce its existing abstractions – leaving more water in the environment whilst ensuring customers continue to have a safe, resilient water supply when they need it.
The Colchester water reuse scheme is a major component of this 25-year strategy, with it expected to supply 24% of the new water needs forecast in Essex. It will use treated wastewater effluent from Colchester Water Recycling Centre, which will be passed through a new water reuse plant which uses advanced treatment processes to remove any additional impurities. The resulting water will be monitored for water quality throughout the treatment processes with the plant shutting down if any of these parameters are exceeded.
The water from the water reuse plant will be pumped to Ardleigh Reservoir through a new transfer pipeline, where it will mix with waters from the River Colne. It will then be stored before being further treated at the existing water treatment works and put into supply.
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