Welsh Water has now completed work on the £2 million sewer replacement scheme in Mermaid Quay.
Work on the £2million investment project which Welsh Water began in September 2018, involved repairing and replacing the Victorian sewer which ran under Stuart Street and Bute Street. The work was needed due to large blockages in the sewer caused mainly by the build-up of fat, oil and grease and other items being illegally put into the sewer.
As a way of saying thank you to local businesses, residents and visitors to the area for their patience and understanding while the work was undertaken, the company will be supporting an event being organised by the management team later this month. The event will include free entertainment including magic shows, street theatre, face painting and much more.
Mermaid Quay Centre Manager Justin Patel said: “We are delighted that Welsh Water’s sewer repairs have reached completion. It’s certainly been a challenging ten months for all concerned, but we are now looking forward to a fantastic summer with lots to entertain visitors both in Mermaid Quay and the wider inner harbour area of Cardiff Bay.
“With support from Welsh Water, we are planning a fantastic free event in Mermaid Quay to celebrate the completion of the works on the weekend of Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st July - with magic shows, balloon modelling, street theatre, face painting and more. PLUS we have the fabulous BRICKLIVE Fantasy Kingdom display of nine amazing LEGO brick models including a fire breathing dragon, unicorn, a princess and a selfie throne in Tacoma Square from Saturday 3rd August to Sunday 1st September.
“In addition to our own events, the Cardiff Bay Beach is back in Roald Dahl Plass, so it’s going to be a fantastic summer of fun for all.”
Overall, between September and December 2018, Welsh Water removed around 800 tons of sewage, made up mainly of fat, oil and grease from the sewer, the equivalent of 133 African elephants beneath the streets of one of Cardiff’s busiest areas.
Steve Wilson, Welsh Water’s Managing Director of Wastewater Services, said: “Work on the Mermaid Quay scheme definitely proved to be challenging due to the close proximity of local businesses and apartments to our work, and the large volume of fat, oil and grease which had built up in the sewer causing a number of sewer collapses along Bute Street and Stuart Street.
“To minimise disruption, our teams devised an innovative approach to repair and replace the Victorian sewer with a new sewer system in Mermaid Quay which will serve the community for years to come. We really appreciate the cooperation and patience shown to us throughout scheme by local traders and residents – and for this we would really like to say a big thank you.”
He added: “We always ask our customers to be careful about what they dispose of down the drains so that our sewers continue to operate effectively. We have worked closely with the businesses in and around Mermaid Quay to make sure they have the right equipment in place to help them dispose of fats, oils and grease in the correct way.
“We also ran our ‘Let’s Stop the Block’ campaign in the area which is aimed at encouraging people to help reduce the risk of pollution and sewage flooding by not putting fat, oil and grease down the drain.”