South West Water reassures public over Gannel Road repair works

South West Water says no untreated effluent will be released while it repairs a leak on the A392 Gannel Road in Newquay.

The company said it will temporarily move some wastewater by tanker to be discharged at Towan Head, and make a short, controlled release of fully treated, UV-disinfected water into the River Gannel.

The Environment Agency is expected to issue a Pollution Incident Reporting Tool (PIRT) notification, a move South West Water described as “standard protocol” and made at the agency’s discretion.

The Gannel link road will stay closed during the repair work, with a diversion in place via Mount Wise and Trenance Road. Drivers are being warned to expect heavy traffic in the area.

Dave Swiggs, Director of Wastewater Services West at South West Water, said:

“We are carrying out planned work on Gannel Road in Newquay to repair a leak.

To do this safely, we’ll temporarily tanker some of the flows and discharge them at Towan Head as usual. We will also reroute a small proportion of the flows, with Environment Agency agreement, and make a short and controlled release of fully treated, UV-disinfected high-quality effluent into the River Gannel.

The Environment Agency has advised it will issue a PIRT notification, which is their decision and standard protocol.

We want to reassure the community that no untreated effluent will be released. We will continue to monitor water quality closely and apologise for the inconvenience while Gannel Road remains closed.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson said:

“As a regulator we have ensured SWW fully considered all alternative options to enable the pipe repair to be completed while minimising the environmental impact.

However, based on evidence from SWW, fully treated effluent will need to be diverted to the estuary.

This will enable the swift repair of the broken pipe and ensure safe transportation of sewage back to the usual discharge point as quickly as possible.

Our trained officers will monitor this work to ensure environmental impact is reduced.”

The Environment Agency confirmed the repair is on a leaking pipe within South West Water’s Newquay sewerage system, which transfers fully treated sewage from the treatment works to its permitted sea discharge point.

The government body said fully treated effluent will be discharged to the Gannel Estuary for a short period:

“Whilst the sewage effluent is fully treated, including disinfection using UV treatment, we’ve put information on bathing water quality at Crantock Beach on Swimfo so people can make an informed choice about using the bathing water.

South West Water will have equipment in place to monitor and address any impacts on the environment. The Environment Agency will be available for attendance on site during the operations.”