Southern Water’s near £5m investment at Petersfield

A drone picture of Petersfield Wastewater Treatment Works

Petersfield Wastewater Treatment Works is receiving a near £5m upgrade as part of Southern Water’s drive to reduce the use of storm overflows.

This work will help the site treat more flows during the winter and improve the quality of fully treated water leaving the site – boosting protections for the local environment.

Increasing capacity will also make it less necessary to use storm overflows following periods of rainfall, when sewers are overloaded by extra surface water and flows are released into the environment to avoid flooding of homes and communities.

This is the latest of several projects in which Southern Water is investing in Hampshire. Other schemes include investing £13m at Woolston Wastewater Treatment Works to improve water quality, and an investment of £8m at Ashlett Creek Wastewater Treatment works in Fawley.

Project Manager at Southern Water, Daniela Pinto, said: “By treating more flows, we can play our part in improving water quality in this area and reducing the use of storm overflows, as part of ongoing efforts to improve our environmental performance.”

The work is being carried out by GTb, a joint venture between Galliford Try Environment and Binnies UK Ltd.

Andrew Dredge, Project Manager for GTb, added: “We are pleased to be working collaboratively with Southern Water on this project.

"By making these improvements and upgrading some of the existing equipment, Southern Water will be able to meet new targets.

“This work will involve increased vehicle movements to the site. We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience our work may cause to those living in the area."

The Works is also home to the University of Portsmouth’s Environmental Technology Field Station.

This station houses expansive laboratory, conference and office facilities and provides students and researchers a rare opportunity to teach and learn at a fully operational sewage works.

The building and amenities also serve as Southern Water’s Innovation Hub, supporting a strategic industrial–academic partnership with the University of Portsmouth.

This collaboration aims to identify and assess groundbreaking technologies and solutions addressing emerging issues facing the wastewater sector. Current projects include investigations into wastewater phosphorus reduction and mitigation of N2O emissions.