A £34.4m upgrade programme has begun at the wastewater treatment works serving Crewe, aimed at improving water quality in the nearby River Weaver while preparing the site for future population growth.

United Utilities is carrying out the improvements at its treatment works in Aston juxta Mondrum, near Nantwich.

The facility, which opened in 1991, sits west of the A530 Middlewich Road and Brian Palin Way, bordering the River Weaver and the Crewe to Chester railway line.

The Warrington-based company is introducing innovative technology, typically used in the energy sector, to improve the treatment process and reduce ammonia and phosphorous levels in wastewater before it is returned to the river.

As part of the project, a cooling tower will be installed at the works to help the site run more efficiently.

Crewe Sewege Treatment Works sits west of the A530 Middlewich Road and Brian Palin Way, bordering the River Weaver and the Crewe to Chester railway line (Photo: Google Maps).

New specialist media within the tower will act as filters, allowing nitrifying bacteria to remove ammonia from the water and convert it into nitrate.

Where possible, the team also plans to recycle the used media with local supply chain partners to further reduce the project's carbon footprint.

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Engineering firm Costain, which is delivering the work, said it has applied industrial cooling techniques normally used in other sectors to upgrade the Crewe site.

The company said its understanding of the conditions at the works, combined with the cooling technology approach, has allowed the first phase of the project to be brought forward by 12 months.

Phased refurbishment work is expected to continue throughout the year.

Head of industrial cooling at Costain, Mark Blackham, said: "This is the first time that we have applied our industrial cooling techniques to a water company, which has been made possible thanks to our decades-long experience and sophisticated process by which to assemble the pack media."

The work is being delivered through United Utilities' Enterprise model, which brings together the water company and seven design and construction partners to deliver a £2.5bn programme of major infrastructure projects across the region.

County business lead for wastewater in Cheshire, Maria Fletcher, said: "This is an exciting project that has made use of innovative technology from a different sector and will help make our treatment processes at the works more efficient, whilst also providing the environmental benefits to the River Weaver."

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