Plans to replace failing wastewater pipeline after 37 bursts

Lewis Smith, Local Democracy Reporter

More than five kilometres of wastewater pipeline in south Wales could be replaced after the existing main suffered 37 bursts in less than three years and was identified as an ongoing pollution risk.

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) has submitted early-stage proposals to replace more than 5km of waste-water pipeline serving the North Cornelly area of Bridgend.

The company submitted a request to both Bridgend County Borough Council  and Neath Port Talbot Council earlier this year for an environmental screening opinion.

This is needed in order to find out whether or not an environmental impact assessment should be included as part of the submission of full plans.

If approved these could eventually see the construction of a 5.75km section of replacement pipeline associated with upgrade works to the Marlas waste-water rising main at North Cornelly.

Once completed this would be expected to track the route of the existing pipeline, running from Marlas pumping station to a location within Port Talbot’s Tata steelworks adjacent to Heol Heolcae’r Bont.

A report highlighted how the waste-water main had been subject to a total of 37 bursts since 2023 as a result result of “significant deterioration” in the pipeline infrastructure.

It said: “The new rising main is required to ensure that DCWW are able to continue to pass forward the permitted flow from Marlas pumping station.

“The current overland mitigation pipework is not capable of taking the full permitted flows – this means that in the wetter autumn/winter/spring months the asset will remain a spill risk in to the River Kenfig and the risk to the environment will remain in place until the permanent line is re-laid and commissioned.”

The proposal comes after a serious pollution incident occurred at the River Kenfig earlier this year at a location close to Bridgend County’s popular Kenfig Nature Reserve.

The sewage leak, which took place in May, is claimed to have devastated waters near the Welsh beauty spot killing everything in its path, with residents posting pictures of the river’s murky waters online.

One local environmental charity, A Peace for Nature, investigated the Afon Kenfig at the time describing it as one of the worst sewage pollution incidents they had seen.

It also came after concerns were raised about the Ogmore-by-Sea beach and River Ogmore at a Bridgend council scrutiny committee held in June.

Following presentations by Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales the council’s leader John Spanswick said he had been disappointed with the amount of work that had been carried out on storage tanks that were being re-purposed on the river located downstream from the Penybont Wastewater Treatment Works.

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