Sewage treatment works on the Isle of Man to be redeveloped

Sewage treatment works on the Isle of Man are to undergo a redevelopment, after local authorities judged that the wastewater management site had 'passed its design life'.

Kirk Michael sewage treatment works are to be spruced up under new plans by the Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority. The organisation has put the project out to tender after government planners approved the scheme.

The existing treatment plant in Balleira Road dates back to the 1960s, and a spokesman from the Water and Sewerage Authority said the plant has 'passed its design life'. In its place will be two Integral Rotating Biological Contactor (IRBC) plants that will treat the sewage to the standards defined by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture’s environmental protection unit.

Around 1,700 people will be served by the new plants, which will utilise low energy and be very low maintenance. They have also been described as 'visually unobtrusive', which will please local residents living in a largely untouched part of the British Isles.

Improvements at Kirk Michael sewage treatment works is another step in delivering the
Regional Sewage Treatment Strategy, which it is expected will vastly improve the quality of the marine environment. An initial £39.984 million has been approved by Tynwald for the first phase of the strategy, and other treatment works are also either fully built or under construction.

The authority’s chairman, Graham Cregeen MHK, said: "I am delighted with the progress being made in delivering phase one of the Regional Sewage Treatment Strategy.

"The contracts are being completed under budget, and with this in mind, the authority will be reviewing with the Treasury the programme for delivery of future schemes within the approved budget for phase one of the strategy."

When the plans were unveiled earlier this year, Michael commissioner Brian Corlett said the commissioners were very happy to be upgrading to the new sewage system in Michael.

Posted by Joseph Hutton