Marsh plants filter filth
POLLUTED DRAIN WATER CLEANED AT NEW PROCESSING CENTRE
MARSH plants and straw are being used in a green filtration system for dealing with filthy drain water.
Tanks that collect dirty water from roadside gulleys after spills such as petrol and oil following traffic incidents are located around Leicestershire.
In the past, HGVs have driven round collecting the contents of these tanks and transported them out of the county for filtering and recycling.
But now Leicestershire County Council has constructed a new method that will save money and reduce emissions.
The water, mixed with mud, gravel, oil and other contaminants, is being collected by HGVs as it was before but it is now being taken to the highways depot in Croft.
There, artificially created salt marshes are being used to clean oils, diesel and chemicals out of the water so that it can be put back into rivers. Before the water enters the marshes, it is put through a filter made of straw to get out the heavier solids.
Those solids that are recovered are then transported to the West Midlands where some will be recycled and used in the building industry.
Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda, said: “We have an ambitious green agenda.
“Putting in place innovative schemes such as the living water initiative at Croft is one example of the huge steps we are taking towards reducing the environmental impact we have as a council.
“Helping to replenish the water cycle is incredibly important, not only for Leicestershire’s wildlife but also our rivers, streams and the ecosystems that live within them.
“To take something which was once waste and repurpose it and make it beneficial for the environment is a huge achievement.”