The effective collection and treatment of sewage is essential for the protection of both public health and the environment. The 1991 Water Industry Act places duties on Anglian Water in this regard.
A sewage treatment facility differs from the majority of other industrial processes in a number of important ways:
- Sewage is treated using biological processes which are exposed to the atmosphere and are liable to generate odour.
- Facilities must remain operational 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year with no option of shut down.
- The risk of causing nuisance is dependent on the composition of the sewage passing to the sewer and onto the sewage treatment works. Whilst we are helping our domestic customers to understand the potential impacts, it is not possible to control what is flushed down the toilet. Sewage will also vary considerably depending on the types of industries located within a sewage treatment works catchment.
- Being located at the end of a large network of sewers, sewage treatment works are difficult and expensive to move.
- New development and ever increasing demands for environmental improvements mean that suitable buffer zones around sewage treatment works need to be safeguarded to allow for extension.
The unpredictable nature of sewage, the treatment processes which can be used and the need to protect the environment mean that sewage treatment works and sewage pumping stations have an inherent risk of causing nuisance. Although odour is likely to be the most high profile issue, nuisance may also be associated with noise, visual impact, disruption from tankers and flies.
Where incompatible development is permitted close to sewage treatment works, there is an increased risk of nuisance and a potential constraint to future extension of the asset.