Water/Waste Processing

Water/Waste Processing - Feb 2012

UK Wastewater Plant Responds to Rising Demand Rising Standards The resort town of Gillingham in southwest England has responded to growing population plus increased treatment standards by installing four of Nordic Waters Dynasand moving sand bed filters The installation in its present configuration is designed to meet anticipated needs until 2013 but with additional media and designed capacity for a potential fifth unit it is expected to meet Gillinghams needs until the year 2020 Gillingham has responded to growing population plus increased treatment standards by installing four Dynasand units Gillingham is the most northerly town in Thomas Hardys county of Dorset in Britains southwest But far from the novelists isolated rural idyll it is a rapidly growing bustling small town well serviced and well connected by road and rail enjoying a mild southern climate that attracts those facing retirement one resident in three is approaching or past retirement age The town has seen faster growth than most around the UK one house in five has been built since the millennium and at 10500 population Gillingham has tripled in size since the 1950s and is expected to continue to grow expanding by a further 15 to 20 percent over the next 20 years The existing primary settlement tanks and bio filter beds Its a geographic and demographic profile that brings economic success but riding alongside that there are external and situational challenges that require resolution if the town is not to be defeated by an infrastructure that fails to keep up with existing and projected growth Take wastewater Theres an ever growing need for water to be reused as we become increasingly aware that it is not a limitless resource we need to look after every drop Hand in hand with that legislation requires any water returned to rivers after treatment to be cleaner and purer than ever before and its likely treatment standards will continue to rise so we have to get better at treating and reusing wastewater And as we use more theres also more requiring treatment particularly in towns like Gillingham where there is a high proportion of residents who have retired so tend to be home all day Theyre not commuting to the cities for work so more people are using more water in their dishwashers washing machines and for cooking and gardening as well as for bathing and flushing toilets A reasonable answer would be simply to increase the capacity of the existing treatment plant but there are problems there 12 February 2012 Water Waste Processing www waterwaste com