Anglian Water Completes £9m Scheme To Protect Catfield Fen

Engineers from Anglian Water have now finished work on a £9 million scheme in Norfolk that will simultaneously protect the environment of Catfield Fen, while maintaining water supplies to thousands of homes in the local area.

Catfield Fen is a renowned Site of Special Scientific Interest, a wetland nature reserve near Ludham in Norfolk and a site that is well known among ecologists as one of the most important fens to be found in the UK.

The low-lying wetland relies on carefully balanced levels of groundwater, which is why it’s so important that the water supplier will no longer take water from the groundwater sources, as a result of this particular investment project.

Water will now be moved via a new 3km pipeline connecting Ludham to Horstead Water Tower. The water comes from one of the main treatment centres in Heigham in Norwich, with a new booster station and extra water storage facility pumping water directly to customers’ taps.

This project forms part of Anglian’s long-term water resources planning, ensuring that infrastructure is resilient now and well into the future.

The scheme is also being supported by a £34 million investment in the Heigham water treatment works, as well as a longer-term project that will see up to 500km of large-scale pipeline installed from north Lincolnshire to the south and east of the region.

Regional water resources manager for Anglian Water Sarah Underhill said: “We face some unique challenges in the Anglian Water region. We operate in the driest part of the country, receiving only two thirds of UK average rainfall.

“This is also one of the fastest growing in terms of population and home to over 100 environmentally important areas that are internationally recognised. All of which puts significant pressure on the water resources we have available now and for the future.”

She went on to say that Anglian Water understands that its role is to manage demand for water and the needs of the local environment at the same time. As such, the supplier has agreed to reduce the amount of water taken from the environment by 84 million litres a day between now and 2025.

Work is also being carried out by the water company to upgrade nearly half a kilometre of sewer pipe in Stamford, with the aim being to enhance the resilience of the network. It’s expected that the project will be completed by the end of May, with over 450m of sewer pipe relined and strengthened using no-dig technology.

As project manager Abigail Stevens explained, this no-dig technique means that sections of pipe can be refurbished without having to dig up and replace it in its entirety, reducing the amount of disruption caused by the construction work.

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