Plymouth MP visits cutting-edge water treatment facility

South West Water has installed a cutting-edge water treatment facility at its Crownhill site in Plymouth, which is poised to revolutionise tap water production in the UK.

Alison Seabeck, MP for Plymouth Moor View, recently visited the small scale research facility, manufactured by PWN Technologies in the Netherlands. The facility, which is capable of processing 150,000 litres of water a day, uses suspended iron exchange and ceramic microfiltration, which presents a move away from the current chemical and energy-intensive treatment process. It is the first time that this technology has been used in the UK.

Over the next 18 months, a dedicated team will be testing the process with a variety of raw water sources including from local rivers and reservoirs. This will enable the team, in partnership with PWN Technologies, to fine tune the process and help inform the design of a new £50 million treatment works at Roborough, on an existing South West Water site.

The movement from the current site will release a 40-acre site in the heart of Plymouth with potential for development. This could be a catalyst for the regeneration of this area of the city.

Alison Seabeck said: "With water cost and quality under the spotlight, it was good to see the research work being carried out to potentially improve our water quality, reduce chemical use and make the process more efficient and therefore potentially cheaper."