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Our region’s water sources are under pressure from a changing climate, growing population and the need to leave more water in the environment.

Our latest Water Resources Management Plan identified that, without intervention, by 2050 we will be facing a shortfall of 593 megalitres every day. That’s the equivalent of around 1.7 million households, or around half the amount of water we put into our network currently.

Advanced technology can help us address these demands, by unlocking new, high-quality water sources to secure supplies for future generations. One of these options includes advanced water recycling, which can support our other water sources and make us more resilient to drought.

Plans are already underway in Colchester, one of our region’s driest areas, for a new advanced water recycling plant.

The proposed new facility will use advanced technology to treat recycled water from our existing facility in Colchester to an even higher standard.

The cleaned water will be transferred via a new pipeline and pumping station to Ardleigh Reservoir.

There, it will mix with waters from the River Colne, before being treated again to meet strict water quality standards and sent into supply, providing high-quality drinking water for customers.

This scheme is forecast to provide 24% of Colchester’s forecast new water needs – demonstrating how vital these new supply options will be in coming years.

What we're proposing

The development of Colchester’s advanced water recycling plant is gaining speed. A project team is now in place to progress design of a demonstration centre and the scheme itself.

As the scheme progresses, we’ll be engaging with local landowners and possibly submitting planning applications.

FAQs

How will the scheme work?

Water from Colchester Water Recycling Centre will pass through a new advanced water recycling plant. This advanced water recycling plant will include advanced treatment processes to remove any additional impurities.

The resulting water will be monitored for water quality throughout the treatment processes, as it would normally, with the plant shutting down if any of these parameters are exceeded. The water will then be pumped to Ardleigh Reservoir through a new transfer pipeline.

In the reservoir, the water will mix with waters from the River Colne. It will then be stored before being further treated to our high drinking water standards at the water treatment works (WTW). This WTW has continuous water quality monitoring and is sampled daily, to ensure we keep supplying some of the best quality drinking water in the world.

Will the water be safe to drink?

Yes. We'll have many safeguards in place and have strict regulation through the Environment Agency (EA) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). The EA establish standards for the discharging of water into water bodies and the DWI regulate us on drinking water standards. We've been engaging with both bodies for some time on this scheme.

As part of this engagement, we're completing an extensive sampling regime so we know what needs to be treated and we'll need to prove it's been treated before getting permission to transfer the water to the reservoir. The reverse osmosis treatment we plan to use will remove the contaminants.

The water, once mixed in the reservoir, will then be treated at our water treatment works which has online monitoring 24/7 and daily sampling. The water quality in the UK is amongst the best in the world and we pride ourselves on upholding this.

Has advanced water recycling been done before?

Advanced water recycling (AWR) is common in other countries, such as Australia and America. There's a long standing scheme already in Essex, put in place by Essex & Suffolk Water and many companies are currently in the process of initiating similar schemes.

Water Recycling Centres (WRC) currently discharge into rivers which we abstract from (including the River Colne). This is no different apart from the water is mixing in the reservoir rather than a river.

A demonstration centre will be installed at Colchester WRC prior to the AWR plant being built. This will help us to determine the most effective treatment solution for the water and to demonstrate the process to our stakeholders (e.g. councils, regulators, landowners) and customers.

Will it impact ecology at Ardleigh Reservoir?

We're conducting baseline ecology and water quality monitoring at the moment, agreed with the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England. This monitoring will occur over at least a two year period, helping us to determine what is already in/around the reservoir and how we can mitigate any impacts. We've also undertaken water quality modelling to determine any impacts to the reservoir. Initial results indicate that the water quality will improve.

When will the new centre be built?

We’re expecting this advanced water recycling plant to be in supply by 2032. It'll be one of the first in the UK, although they are common worldwide.

How can I contact you?

If you have any questions about the project, just email the team on: ColchesterAWRC@anglianwater.co.uk.

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