East Worthing Wastewater Treatment Works (WTW) is back operating under mains power and has been since last Wednesday lunchtime. This follows the total power failure Southern Water experienced at the site on 12 July when a key electrical panel failed.
The high-voltage (HV) panel concerned has been replaced with a new modern equivalent, which will provide improved reliability and resilience. With the works returned to mains power, and after a period of testing on the new panel, Southern Water have been able to turn off the mobile generators they have had on site since 12 July to provide the required electricity supply. This will eliminate any noise residents living nearby may have experienced from the generators
Southern Water have reviewed and updated our resilience plan for the works, with back up power generation equipment to be stationed on site full-time to ensure the impact of any possible future power issues is minimised as far as possible. It is important to stress that the installation of the new HV panel will help reduce the risk of a scenario similar to that which Southern Water faced last month.
Southern Water have invested £17 million at East Worthing WTW from 2012 to 2015, with a further £4 million spent on upgrade work in the last two years. They are currently revising their investment plans for the remaining years to 2020, as well as beyond.
Finally, please note that later this week Southern Water are due to remove one of the works' 45-foot long inlet screens, which, together with a second screen, removes debris, such as wet wipes and other non-biodegradable items, from wastewater flows entering the site for treatment. This is to help protect important equipment from getting damaged and malfunctioning. The screen will be replaced with a newly-refurbished / serviced screen, while it is then refurbished and serviced itself, ready for return to service as part of regular screen rotation. This is a key part of Southern Water's ongoing programme of proactive maintenance at the works.