Southern Water plans to develop a new water recycling plant on the Isle of Wight
Currently, around one-third of the Isle of Wight’s water supply comes from the River Test in Hampshire and is pumped across to the Island via the Cross-Solent Main. However, we need to find new sustainable sources of water to help keep taps and rivers flowing, following reductions in the amount of water we can take from the River Test and its associated aquifer. This need is amplified by the pressures of a growing population and changing climate.
The project involves using advanced wastewater treatment processes at a new facility at the existing Sandown Wastewater Treatment Works to clean the water before it is transferred to our proposed new water recycling plant.
After purification the purified recycled water would be used to supplement flows in the Eastern River Yar for further abstraction downstream. The water would then be pumped to the existing Sandown Water Supply Works where it would be treated to drinking water standards and supplied to customers on the Isle of Wight.