Salmon to Return to River Don
Following Sewage Works Upgrade
he River Don is cleaner now
than at any time since the
Industrial Revolution, thanks
in part to a £78m scheme
to improve the Blackburn
Meadows Sewage Treatment Works in
Sheffield.
T
Much of the new equipment at the
sewage treatment works was designed,
manufactured, installed and commissioned
by A&J Fabtech of Dewsbury in West
Yorkshire, who also refurbished some of
the existing equipment. There has been a
treatment works on the site for over 130
years; today it serves nearly 800,000 homes
and businesses across South Yorkshire.
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The upgrade works also incorporate a
storm overflow scheme which reduces
the likelihood of damaging flooding in
the area, a critical function as the works
is only a stone's throw from the 280-store
Meadow Hall shopping centre.
The project to upgrade Blackburn
Meadows started in 2012, with the
initial objective being to reduce the
levels of ammonia in the River Don
so that a balanced and more
natural ecosystem could develop.
It has continued in stages and is
now a state-of-the-art facility that
ensures water quality capable of
supporting a diverse plant and
animal wildlife profile.
A&J Fabtech has played a major role in the
sewage treatment aspects of this project,
including the refurbishment of existing
equipment and the installation of new
settlement tanks.
"The existing tanks were based on a 1960s
design, so were a lot deeper than modern
tanks but otherwise very similar," explains
Shaun Brosnan, A&J Fabtech's Contract
Manager for Blackburn Meadows. "It
made sense to refurbish these, and build
some completely new ones to add extra
capacity."