FAQs - Peel

The Planning Inspector when reviewing the Glenfaba House proposal concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove that there were not more suitable sites for a treatment works with lesser environmental impact.

We went back to the beginning and reviewed over 40 potential sites that had been previously identified in feasibility studies or had been proposed during a public call for sites. The pump away to Meary Veg option was also reviewed.

A rigorous ‘coarse screening’ process was completed against criteria such as space, land zoning, proximity to residential areas, ecology and other factors which led to the selection of a small number of options which were looked at in more detail in order to determine the preferred solution. A concept design (comprising site layout and pipeline routes) for each option was created and a desktop environmental review completed (including carbon footprint calculations) to allow a further ‘fine screening’ assessment to be undertaken, resulting in each option receiving a ‘quality’ score. Each was then costed with the ‘whole life costs’ developed over periods of 25 and 50 years. The cost and quality scores were then combined on a 70:30 quality:cost ratio (also undergoing a sensitivity check at 50:50) to ensure the best solution was chosen, not necessarily the cheapest.

This process resulted in the preferred site being the fields adjacent to the Peel Power Station.

The Glenfaba House site will be sold following receipt of planning approval for the preferred site.

IRBC (Integrated Rotating Biological Contactor) equipment will be used at Peel, as it is throughout the Island at 13 other locations. This is a tried and tested process used extensively in the UK and Ireland.

The process used at Meary Veg is slightly different ‐ it is an aerated ‘activated sludge’ process. Some of the IRBC treatment works produce effluent of a significantly higher quality than that of Meary Veg.

Numerous studies have been completed that all conclude that the regional approach is both cheaper and more sustainable than connecting into the IRIS network.

The final construction programme is yet to be finalised. It is currently estimated that the works will take between 18 and 24 months to be constructed.

Processing sewage can lead to the production of odour, and so we are taking steps with the provision of odour control equipment to minimise this risk. The preferred system sucks air from within the covered works, passing it through specifically selected odour control media to absorb the chemicals that smell, releasing it back to the atmosphere via a chimney.

Some earlier sites did not include odour control facilities and these are now being introduced as a retrofit following public feedback. The IRBC system provides a covered plant which lends itself well to the provision of odour control.

There is no plant within the works that produces high levels of noise. Any noise created by plant will be attenuated as required. We have many IRBC sewage treatment works in very close proximity to residential properties and do not receive complaints with regard to noise.

No ‐ The site will operate automatically at night in darkness. Movement activated (PIR Controlled) lighting necessary for out‐of‐hours emergency maintenance activities will be used. PIR movement ‐ activated external security lighting may also be provided to ensure the safety and integrity of the facility.

No, given the nature of the works no pathogen containing aerosols will be produced.

It is envisaged that 2 tankers will visit the site each day, 5 days a week. There will also be daily visits from operational staff in small vans.

Access to the site will be from a new private road running directly down from the A27. This will be one of the first elements of the works to be constructed to ensure large plant will not need to travel through Peel. The site will be accessed via the A27 through Patrick.

Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) are a necessity on the Isle of Man (as they are in the UK, Europe and around the world) due to the combined nature of our sewerage network. This results in large amounts of surface water entering the system which is designed to allow the discharge of dilute ‘storm sewage’ through CSOs when the infrastructure is overwhelmed to prevent the flooding of property during heavy rainfall. Whilst many schemes have been undertaken to remove surface water and infiltration from the sewer network, it is not financially viable to retrofit a fully separate system, and so these discharges are a key part of providing an economical and effective sewerage network.

The infrastructure proposed at Peel will include a combined storm overflow which will be constructed to modern day standards including 6mm screening to remove all solid particles.

The works will provide a minimum of ‘Good’ quality bathing water as required by the Isle of Man’s Water Pollution (Bathing Water Standards and Objectives) Scheme 2021. Modelling predicts that the impact of sewerage discharges will be very close to providing ‘Excellent’ bathing water quality, and it is the frequency of storm discharges which is the potential barrier to that achievement. It should be noted that sewage discharges are not the only discharges that impact on bathing water, with animal faeces, agricultural runoff etc. all potentially having a detrimental impact on bathing waters.

Blue Flag Status requires some 40 factors to be addressed, of which bathing water quality is one. It requires ‘Excellent’ bathing water quality to be achieved. Should Blue Flag Status become a realistic ambition for Peel beaches and future monitoring indicates that storm spills are preventing the ‘Excellent’ standard being achieved then there are surface water separation schemes which could potentially be undertaken to reduce the amount of surface water entering the network.