According to the water supplier in Warwickshire, a new disinfecting technology being tested could make bathing in the Avon and Leam rivers safer. This innovation is considered pioneering.

In a county-wide trial, Severn Trent is testing the use of ozone disinfectant, which it claims could potentially revolutionize the future of wastewater treatment.

A trial in Warwickshire and Shropshire will utilize ozone treatment to enhance the health of rivers, which is thought to be a first in the UK. This method may eventually be implemented nationwide to improve bathing rivers across the country.

While the rivers in the region are currently in their healthiest state, according to Severn Trent, the use of this groundbreaking technology in the trial will reinforce the company’s pledge to cause no harm to rivers by 2030.

The technology of ozone wastewater disinfection functions by purifying the wastewater to its most natural form before releasing it back into the river.

The trial is anticipated to shape the future of wastewater treatment not just in the industry, but also across the UK, as this technology has the potential to eliminate pharmaceuticals and personal care products present in wastewater.

As part of the £78 million Bathing Rivers initiative, Severn Trent is set to implement ozone treatment at three waste treatment facilities in Warwickshire and Ludlow. This project aims to enhance more than 50km of river and establish the most extensive monitoring program in the industry, which will benefit the Rivers Leam, Avon, and Teme.

By 2030, Severn Trent has committed to achieving its Get River Positive objective, which involves ensuring that 90% of people in the Midlands are within an hour’s drive of a bathing water site. The trial will serve as a reinforcement of this pledge.

Severn Trent’s Bathing Rivers lead, Wilfred Denga, expressed the company’s commitment to rejuvenating and revitalizing rivers, and announced that they are testing the use of revolutionary ozone technology. This significant advancement in the industry emphasizes the need for collaboration to safeguard communities, wildlife, and future generations.

The Green Recovery program considers innovation to be an essential aspect, and the outcomes of this trial are anticipated with enthusiasm as its potential impact is extensive.

In 2021, the company faced a £1.5 million fine due to its discharge of sewage into waterways.

In that same year, data from the ‘Top of the Poops’ website revealed that Severn Trent permitted 431 sewage discharges into the River Avon and 133 into the River Leam, spanning across the constituencies of Rugby and Bulkington, Warwick and Leamington, and Stratford.

Last year, all private water companies responsible for the UK’s network failed to meet their targets for addressing pollution or sewage spills.

According to Water UK, the organization that represents the country’s water suppliers, merely 14% of England’s rivers are classified as being in good condition.