Members of the Luton Lea Catchment Partnership were given a guided tour of East Hyde Sewage Treatment Works that treats waste water from Luton and the surrounding areas, thanks to the generosity of staff at the Thames Water site.

The Partnership were fascinated to learn how sewage is treated at the plant, and the impact of misconnections and incorrect disposal of waste into our toilets, sinks and water ways on our local water network. They also found out about the treatment processes required to filter and improve the quality of the waste water.

The tour was guided by new site manager Jake Hiom, and included a chance to look at the whole sewage treatment works, including the physical, chemical and biological processes used to remove contaminants from sewage and the uses of by-products such as slurry.

Natalie Sutterby, Operations Manager at Groundwork Luton & Bedfordshire and Chair of the Luton Lea Catchment Partnership, said: "We work closely with Thames Water and a number of other water companies across the East of England on water-saving campaigns and physical improvement projects, so it was great to gain an insight into the complex business of treating waste water so it is safe to return to our rivers."

David Harding, Customer and Stakeholder Manager at Thames Water said: "Because the members of the Luton Lea Catchment Partnership work closely together, it is important that we all share an understanding of each other's activities and priorities. The wastewater treatment process plays an essential role in maintaining the health of our rivers, so I thought it would be useful to show the partners around the site and explain its operation. The partners seemed to find the visit useful and interesting and the site team enjoyed showing them around."

The tour takes in the inlet screens (background) and the grit removal plant (foreground).  Photo courtesy of David Oakley Hill

Design by LTD Design Consultants and build by Garganey Consulting.