Welsh Water will invest £1.4 million to upgrade the wastewater pumping station at Marine Lake in Rhyl.

The project, by the not-for-profit company, will involve installing new equipment at the pumping station which will include new screens to replace the current ones which have come to the end of their operational life.

The new screens will help remove more rags, objects and debris form the wastewater network which will help increase capacity in the system. This means during bad weather we will be able to hold more flows in the storm tank so that it does not overwhelm the network, minimising the need to discharge water during bad weather and help us treat the water more efficiently before it is returned to the natural environment.

It will all take place over the next few months.

Welsh Water Project Manager, Angela Meadows said: “Our major investment in Marine Lake reflects our commitment to reinvest profits directly for the benefit of our customers to provide them with a wastewater system that they can trust in as well as protecting the local environment. The work will see us replace screens at the pumping station which have come to the end of their operational life.

“As the network in Rhyl is a combined network which carries wastewater as well as surface water, when we have heavy rain, the network fills up quickly. The screens help remove objects and debris from the network which help to increase the capacity in the system. But we would also like to encourage customers to help us keep the system clear by not flushing down the toilet anything that they should not such as wipes, sanitary items, cotton buds and nappies. By helping us to stop the block we can help protect the environment.”

Work started on site on Monday (June 20) and should be completed by the end of November.

During this time, Marine Lake car park will be closed to the public and in the meantime, people are encouraged to use Quay Street carpark which is a free.

Marine Lake will remain open to the public and walkers and cyclists will still be able to walk and cycle the shore of the lake.

Angela Meadows added, “We understand that carrying out the work and closing Marine Lake car park during the summer is not ideal, but we need to carry out the work during drier weather when flows in the network are at their lowest.

"During wet weather we use the tanks on the site to hold water back to help minimise the need to discharge water and to help prevent flooding from our system. This means we can only carry out the work in summer when the tanks are not in use, and it is safe for our team to work in them.

“We understand that closing the carpark will cause some inconvenience and we would like to reassure residents that we will do our best to finish as soon as we can. We would like to thank the local community for bearing with us while we carry out this essential work and we would also like to thank Denbighshire County Council for their assistance in preparing for the work to be done.

“This work will not affect wastewater services to customers and residents can find more information and updates about the work on our website dwrcymru.com/InYourArea.”

The work will be carried out by contractors Morgan Sindall on behalf of Welsh Water. The scheme forms part of the £1.8 billion investment being made by Welsh Water between 2020 and 2025 to improve services to customers and protect the environment.