Last week, Aquality welcomed guests from Southern Water to Clay Farm in Cambridge to showcase the future of sustainable urban water reuse as part of UKWRA’s Water Reuse Week 2026.
As the UK’s first communal stormwater harvesting project in a residential setting, this 208-unit development (completed in 2018 in partnership with AECOM) proves the scalability and incredible benefits of centralised water reuse.
How it works:
- Natural Pre-Treatment: Rainwater and surface water from roads and hardstanding are naturally filtered through reed beds to reduce sediments, nutrients and contaminants.
- Storage & Polishing: Water flows into 240m³ concrete tank, moves to a central plant room holding tank and undergoes final “polishing” before entering a break tank with mains backup.
- Smart Distribution: A dedicated non-potable network supplies all WCs across the development, backed by remote monitoring for real-time diagnostics and maintenance.
The Impact: Over the years, residents have saved an estimated 20–25 litres of mains water per person, every day!
Aquality fully supports UKWRA’s mission to make water reuse standard in all new developments by 2030.
Want to see how it works firsthand? Get in touch with our team at info@aqua-lity.co.uk to arrange a visit to Clay Farm!
