The sewage treatment plant off Barnfield Road in Rodbourne Cheney is more than adequate for the amount of material it will need to handle as Swindon grows.

As long as the weather is dry.

A new report into the state of Swindon’s sewers and sewage handling infrastructure, particularly as the town’s population is expanding rapidly, will tell borough oouncillors that the Thames Water Plant may suffer when receiving “unwanted flows”, which might include inundation from wet weather.

The report was mandated by a council motion that was agreed in December last year asking for the communities and place overview and scrutiny committee to be told whether the waste water infrastructure was fit for purpose for the coming century.

The report says: “In general terms, Thames Water has confirmed that the sewage treatment works is appropriately sized to accept forecasted growth within its permitted limits for dry weather flow.

“However, the main challenges arise from spills that relate to unwanted flows - this can be surface water, groundwater and inundation during wet weather rather than not receiving foul waste water in dry weather at the works, or from growth generally.

“Thames Water has a sludge growth project in design at the STW which is due to be delivered in the 2025- 2030 period.”

The report also notes there were 22 discharges of sewage to waterways in Swindon from the treatment plant in 2021 totalling 231 hours.

There were also three from the Broome Hall Tanks totalling just over 13 hours in that year.

It adds: “Thames Water has committed to achieving at least a 50 per cent reduction in the total annual duration of untreated discharges by 2030, and within that an 80 per cent reduction in sensitive catchments, against a 2020 baseline.”

One of the concerns of councillors is growth – and the report says there will be a new pumping station constructed at the New Eastern Villages where up to 8,000 houses are to be built over the next decade.

It adds: “The council is working with Thames Water to secure a site for this infrastructure to be put in place.

“Detailed infrastructure work was undertaken to support the strategic site allocations.”

There will be a representative from Thames Water at the committee’s meeting to answer members’ questions.

The committee meeting begins at 6pm in the Euclid Street civic offices on Thursday, March 2. Members of the public are entitled to attend.