Storm water spills have been slashed for an East Devon village after South West Water (SWW) recently upgraded almost a mile of sewers.
The water giant said last year it cut storm overflow spills in the Uplyme area of East Devon by 20 per cent compared to 2024 after its engineers stopped a domino effect of groundwater infiltration overwhelming pipes and manholes, that sent wastewater spilling into the river.
The 700-metres of sewer upgrade included relining pipes and sealing manholes.
Underground groundwater flowing into the Uplyme Sewage Treatment Works through pipe joints and manholes had caused excess water to enter the system – more than it was designed to take.
Pictured here is the Uplyme Sewage Treatment Works.
Photo: South West Water.
Jenny Eamer, SWW operations manager for Uplyme, said: “The work we’ve done in Uplyme is another great example of how targeted investment and the hard work of our teams is delivering real results in communities.
“Groundwater infiltration is something you can’t see on the surface but it has a real impact on our systems, especially during wet weather.
“By relining pipes and sealing manholes, we’re keeping groundwater out of the network, and as a result we’ve reduced spills and protected the environment.”
The upgrade work was necessary because when wet weather hit Uplyme, the sewage system was at risk of being overwhelmed, resulting in spills from storm overflows.
Storm overflow spills can happen when sewer systems are hit by heavy rain and groundwater seeping through into cracks in pipes and manhole covers, which can cause excess wastewater to be released into rivers and streams to stop it backing up into homes.
The sewage treatment works at Uplyme, In East Devon.
Photo: South West Water.
A SWW spokeswoman said: “This water was flowing into the treatment works via the sewers, causing more water to enter the system than it was designed to take.
“When wet weather hits villages like Uplyme, this water can overwhelm the sewer network, leading to spills from storm overflows.”
She added: “South West Water’s engineers carried out CCTV surveys of the pipes to identify which sections were affected by this infiltration and installed a protective lining to 737 metres of sewer in the area.
“This special lining is cured inside the sewer to create a watertight seal so no groundwater can enter the network.
“Repairs were also carried out across the local network, including upgrades to 28 manholes.”
The water giant said the upgrade at Uplyme formed part of a £16 million infiltration reduction programme, targeting 175 high-risk sites as a result of reviewing performance across more than 1,600 storm overflows.
