Thames Water selects Black & Veatch to upgrade two treatment plants

U.K. water utility Thames Water (Reading, U.K.) has appointed Black & Veatch (Overland Park, KS) as principal contractor leading a program to upgrade and expand sludge treatment operations at sewage treatment plants in Basingstoke and Bracknell. The principal upgrades will involve the conversion of liquid treated wastes into a sludge cake that will result in a reduced risk of nitrate pollution runoff when used as a soil amendment. The conversion will also reduce vehicle activity, as it will take fewer truck trips to transport the sludge cake off site compared with liquid sludge. These upgrades are part of a ?5 billion program (approximately $8.2 billion U.S.) of essential works to improve water pipes, sewers, and other facilities across London and the Thames Valley between 2010 and 2015, according to Thames Water.