Upgrade at Ferniegair Waste Water Treatment Works
22 March 2021The investment in new infrastructure at the WWTW, which treats waste water for 2,000 customers in the villages of Ferniegair and Allanton, will improve the operability and resilience of the facility, help protect the natural environment of the River Clyde and enable growth in the community.
The project, which is being delivered by Scottish Water’s internal Managed Delivery team, started in August 2020 and is expected to be completed this summer.
Treatment Tank
Flows which go through the treatment works at the moment will be passed through the new SAF (submerged aerated filter) tank to improve process assurance and compliance.
Improving Waste Water Treatment
A key part of the project will be the installation of a new tertiary treatment tank to improve the waste water treatment process and the compliance with waste water quality discharge regulations.
Treated waste water is discharged into the river under licence from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, as happens at WWTWs across the country.
Current flows which go through the treatment works at the moment will be passed through the new SAF (submerged aerated filter) tank to improve process assurance and compliance.
The improvements to the operability and resilience of the WWTW will improve the quality of waste water discharged under licence and in turn improve water quality in the River Clyde, so benefiting aquatic life, flora and fauna there. They will also enable growth in the area, such as housing development.
To enable the new tank to be gravity-fed, avoiding the need for costly and energy-intensive pumping, the unit will be positioned downstream of existing units and upstream of the site’s final settlement tanks.
Contribution Towards Net Zero
Reducing energy use at facilities such as Ferniegair WWTW will contribute towards Scottish Water’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2040, five years ahead of the Scottish Government’s national target.
Joanna Peebles, Communications Manager with Scottish Water Managed Delivery, said: “We are making good progress with this important project. All of the work is being carried out on-site and we have minimised any disruption or inconvenience to local residents and road users.
“There may continue to be some construction noise in the area and we thank customers for their patience and understanding and stress that any short-term inconvenience will be far out-weighed by the long-term benefits this investment will deliver to the community and the local environment.”
Scottish Water has invested in multi-million improvements in its waste water infrastructure across the Greater Glasgow area in recent years to improve river water quality in the Clyde and its tributaries and tackle flooding.
