Foam production at WRC outfalls – can you help?

Wessex Water Market Place Challenge - Foam production at WRC outfalls – can you help?

At some water recycling centres (WRCs) in the Wessex Water region, foaming occurs where the final treated effluent discharges into the environment. We have run many suites of upstream / downstream watercourse samples and ecological surveys and found that no environmental damage occurs.

However, these instances can result in loss of amenity value of watercourses for members of the public. Furthermore, foaming events can be classified as Category 3 pollution events, despite not causing environmental damage, and therefore can negatively impact our industry standing on pollution-related metrics.

Resolving this issue would help improve the amenity value of watercourses for our customers, reduce their concerns around river water quality and demonstrate our commitment to lowering our number of pollution incidents.

We’re running a Marketplace challenge to gauge whether the issue is present elsewhere and identify any alternative methods for reducing foam production at WRC outfalls.  For more information, visit https://marketplace.wessexwater.co.uk/challenges/foam-production-at-wrc-outfalls-can-you-help/