Residents invited to view River Spodden clean-up plans

Residents invited to view River Spodden clean-up plans

Residents in Spotland and Shawclough have been invited to find out more about plans to clean up the River Spodden at Foot Wood, Rochdale.

It’s all part of United Utilities’ £50 million clean-up programme to upgrade Rochdale's drainage system, bringing massive benefits for local watercourses.

The work involves upgrading a sewer overflow in the wood so that, if the sewer system has to overflow after heavy rainfall, any unsightly litter will not be able to get into the stream.

The overflow is next to an old asbestos mill site and United Utilities will be following very strict procedures to make sure there is no risk to the workers, the environment or local residents.

Lucy Ryan is the project coordinator for United Utilities and she explained: "There's an industrial legacy at this site and we've done a lot of pre-planning work to make sure safety is top of the agenda. In fact, all the samples we have taken show that there is no asbestos in the ground where we'll be working, but we will be following all the necessary guidelines as a precaution.

"The work we need to carry out will bring huge improvements to the river and it will make a cleaner environment for all to enjoy.

"We look forward to meeting people and the team and I will be pleased to answer any questions."

United Utilities plans to begin removing trees from the construction site on 11 February. The main work will begin on 18 February and will take around seven months to complete.

Foot Wood is one of nine different locations where United Utilities is working in and around Rochdale over a period of two years to improve the Rivers Roch, Beal and Spodden and the Whittle and Stanney Brooks.

Rochdale's drainage network was developed by Victorian engineers who built a system of "sewer overflows", rather like safety valves, to relieve the sewers when they filled up during heavy rain. These allowed the extra stormwater to overflow into local watercourses, preventing highways and homes from flooding.

It was an effective flood solution, but the overflowing sewers can now lead to litter and pollution getting into our rivers and streams. Rochdale's huge clean-up scheme involves building large underground storage tanks and new sieve-like screens at the overflow points to strain out any litter. This will mean overflows happen less frequently, and the water is cleaner before it enters the river.

Rochdale's sewer improvement scheme forms part of United Utilities' £3.6 billion investment programme between 2010 and 2015, which will bring cleaner, more reliable tap water and a cleaner environment.

The water company has invited residents to a public exhibition at Spotland Methodist Church Hall, Rooley Moor Road, Spotland on Tuesday 5 February between 4pm and 7.00pm.