Hydrolox Screens Achieve Full Compliance, Improved Water Supply, and £97,000 Annual Savings for Northumbrian Treatment Plant

Customer Objectives

Broken Scar, a Northumbrian Water UK treatment plant, was having difficulty meeting the juvenile eel requirements of local eel regulations. Also, their existing band screens couldn’t keep up with demand, becoming costly and difficult to maintain. Broken Scar wanted a solution that would meet regulations and improve water supply resilience for their customers.

Hydrolox Execution

We coordinated with the plant to avoid peak demand periods and projects on the River Tees, installing four Hydrolox Series 6000 Fish Recovery and Return Screens in May and September 2021. The screens were designed to fit directly into the existing footprints, while the customer upgraded the building that houses them.

Results

Broken Scar has been compliant with all regulations since installation. Customer supply resilience has improved, with water availability increasing from 45% to over 99%. The plant’s maintenance costs have dropped from over £100,000 per year to under £3,000 per year. The screens are anticipated to run effectively without replacement until 2040–2050, and a group of maintenance and operation staff has been moved to other, more pressing work.