(Image: Northumbrian Water)
Work has begun on a £20 million upgrade at a County Durham sewage treatment works, part of a wider investment of more than £100 million to protect and improve the River Wear.
Northumbrian Water is upgrading treatment processes at Bishop Auckland Sewage Treatment Works to improve the quality of water released into the environment.
The upgrade will increase the site’s capacity to remove phosphorus and ammonia, building on similar work at Low Wadsworth and Willington.
Dean Thompson, project manager at Northumbrian Water, said: "Investment to protect and improve the River Wear is part of a £2bn programme of work to benefit the environment, and reflects our ambition for the North East to have the best coasts and rivers in the country.
"The treatment works will take place within our site, but as our plans to reduce spills from the storm overflows take shape, we will work to help the community know what to expect from those works when they take place."
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Further projects are planned in all three areas to reduce storm overflow spills and protect the river.
Northumbrian Water partner Costain is carrying out the work at Bishop Auckland STW, which is expected to continue until early 2028.
The improvements form part of Northumbrian Water’s wider £2 billion environmental programme.