BATHERS will soon be able to take a dip in the River Leam.
Severn Trent announced its £78million project to improve river health has now reached Leamington.
The project aims to improve the water quality in more than 50km of river in Warwickshire and Shropshire, and help move two stretches – on the rivers Leam and the Teme – towards bathing quality by 2025.
Work set to begin in Leamington includes rainwater coming off roofs and roads being separated from household waste from homes and businesses.
This surface water separation work will take place across the north-east of Leamington and will reduce the impact on the wastewater network, benefiting the river Leam across the town.
Work is also about to get under way on the construction of storm water storage tanks below ground in Station Approach, south Leamington, increasing the capacity of the waste network – meaning more rainwater will be captured and stored, reducing the use of overflows.
The company will start this construction stage during the first quarter of 2024.
Severn Trent spokesperson Wilfred Denga said: “We’re making some great progress with our bathing rivers project, and we’re looking forward to the next stage of work beginning in Leamington.
“Our ambition is to reduce our impact on the rivers and help protect the local environment, so this work in Leamington is vital in how we do that, and we’re excited about exploring different ways of working the town. This work will see us increase storage, while separating our surface water and waste from homes and businesses – helping to reduce the need for overflows.
“We’ll also continue with our monitoring in the area, helping us to have the very best picture of the health of the river, so we know exactly what’s needed to help us do our bit on moving the rivers to bathing quality.”
