Investment in Reed Bed Refurbishment

Three of South West Water’s (UK) treatment facilities in Cornwall and North Devon are operating at optimum efficiency following its investment in the refurbishment of its tertiary reed bed systems.

The upgrades at St Cleer, Week St Mary and North Molton were undertaken by Staffordshire-based, reed bed specialist, ARM Reed Beds (ARM) and forms part of South West Water’s commitment to provide reliable, efficient services to its 1.6 million customers.

ARM was awarded the contract in August 2011 and has been delivering the project through H50, South West Water’s delivery alliance.

Tori Sellers, director at ARM, says: “Reed beds by their very nature act as a filter to trap suspended solids and must be maintained to prevent them from clogging, which would result in a reduction in treatment efficiency.

“We washed and re-used the gravel rather than replacing it which is a more cost-effective and sustainable alternative to sending to landfill and replacing with new. This process will also extend the asset life of the reed beds going forward,” says Tori.

Jason Buzza, a waste water treatment supervisor at South West Water, added: “To sum it up, ARM transformed old reed beds into brand new ones which will help us maintain compliance for the foreseeable future and by working with nature, we’ve minimised running costs.”