WET News

10 WET NEWS JULY 2014 The Barrow Hill service reservoir will comprise two cells. It is being constructed with in-situ concrete pours over fixed steel Planning for resilience in a small space • Water supply resilience and its methodology of pumping water has led Thames Water to build its first service reservoir in a century. Maureen Gaines has been to see it. TECHKNOW • 4,500m 3 of concrete has been poured so far • Girder trusses have been used to reinforce the steel-fixed walls • Submarine-style doors, built by Huber, are being installed for inspections • GMB has already started test filling the reservoir MOANS & GROANS • The small footprint • Space is becoming more limited as the project finishes • Cannot predict traffic for deliveries PROJECT SPECS • Construct a 25Mld service reservoir on the same small footprint as the existing one • Demolish the existing reservoir • The design life for the new reservoir must be 100 years • The reservoir must be aesthetically- pleasing • GMB has already started test filling the reservoir THE VERDICT • The site has gone from virtually nothing to where it is now in seven months. "It's a good effort," says Neil Franks, senior contract manager, Thames Water • "It's a nice civil engineering job but when you get something like the truss system that's proven itself that's the best thing I've learnt from here," Allan King, project manager, GMB • Design-wise, the process has been the most efficient way of doing it in the centre of London ONSITE SERVICE RESERVOIR P icture the scene. At the front, a new block of flats is being build with a £16M penthouse at the top. More resi- dential properties are to the right and the le•. At the back is parkland and London's infa- mous Primrose Hill. Slap bang in the middle is Thames Water's newest service reservoir, being built by Galli- ford Try, Mott MacDonald and MWH Treatment joint venture GMB. It is the first new reservoir in London for more than a cen- tury, and is being built on the site of a former reservoir that was decommissioned in 2002 – ground movement caused dam- age to the roof, and water qual- ity could not be guaranteed. The original reservoir was built in 1826 and a barrel arch roof was added in the 1960s. Since then, the Barrow Hill Zone has been supplied from an infusion in the network and local pumping stations. Water has been pumped into the area from other zones using the ring main beneath London. Going forward Thames Water does not expect to make major operational savings with the new reservoir, rather the benefit will be a reduction in spikes in demand for its water treatment plants in Hampton and Ashford, which will pump the water. Thames Water's control phi- losophy will be more efficient and robust. The new 25Mld service reser- voir will enable Thames Water to meet demand and ensure security of supply, says Neil Franks, senior contract man- ager at Thames Water. Serving around 280,000 people in the Barrow Hill area, the reservoir is scheduled to be in service by January 2015. Franks says Thames has recog- nised the need for local service reservoirs, and that is sup- ported by regulator Ofwat. A lot of the drinking water is created in west London, at Hampton and Ashford, and pumped round Thames Water's ring main to other areas. Operating regime Decommissioning the old reser- voir meant a changing regime, says Franks, in how the com- pany supplied water to the area. He says water was then being pumped at the least effi- cient times in terms of energy for Thames Water and its cus- tomers. Pumping water through during the day and at other peak times than relying on a reservoir. Bringing a reservoir back allows Thames to change back that operating regime so it can pump water through and get the balance correct during the night. "It's a more efficient way of using the ring main and our energy. Energy is becoming important for all organisations, not least for Thames." says Franks. The decommissioned reservoir, seen in the distance, featured a barrel- arch roof Planning for resilience in a small space • High Return On Capital – From 6 Months • Low Operating Costs – Class Leading • High Reliability – 25 Year Design Life • High Customer Satisfaction Water Treatment, Waste Water Treatment Water Filtration, Materials Handling Contact us today…. Tel: +44 (0) 28 867 69600 Email: info@skesolutions.com www.skesolutions.com Z-Tech and Siemens now offer: • 12 hours - restore your flowmeter telemetry • 24 hours - emergency flowmeter replacement Designed to make life easier for the water industry, we challenge you to try this new nationwide service. 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Next day flowmeter replacement Organised by To view the full agenda and register: www.sustainable-water.co.uk • Gain first hand insight from Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water into an evidence-based approach and its impact on decision- making • Understand how Severn Trent Water is approaching the sustainable implementation of the Water Framework Directive • Find out how South West Water is building a better water future through 21 st century catchment management • Learn how Lincolnshire County Council is integrating flood risk management with resilience to climate change • Apply lessons learnt from New York City Department of Environmental Protection's approach to sustainable infrastructure, ecosystem services and resilient cities Join over 100 representatives from government, water industry, local authorities, large landowners & NGOs: SpeakerS include lord chris Smith Environment Agency carter Strickland New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection Tony Harrington Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water dr. Tony Ballance Severn Trent Water Susan davy South West Water Sponsored by SusWater14-EWMC-125x86.indd 1 25/06/2014 12:01 Making the difference in Water Treatment sera ProDos UK Ltd. Axon 2, Commerce Road, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6LR Phone: +44 1733 396040 Fax: +44 1733 396050 Email: sales.uk@sera-web.com www.sera-web.com For more than 65 years sera products have represented the highest measure of quality, safety and reliability in the treatment of drinking water, process water and wastewater. n Dosing and feeding pumps n Dosing systems and disinfection systems n Process measuring and control technology n Fittings and accessories n Extensive pre- and after-sales service We don't just promise, we do! The new two-cell reservoir is an Ofwat driver for AMP5, so it "must be in a state to be used by March 2015", says Franks. By the end of January, it is expected the water will be in. What is impressive is that the reservoir is being built on the same small footprint as the old one. Actually, it is taking up less than the old footprint as Thames Water had sold off some of the land – where the block of flats are now being built. The project has involved "a lot of upfront planning and cooperation", and not just in the pre-design stage. The small footprint means the logistics planning has to be meticulous, and is changing constantly, says the man in charge of the scheme, Allan King, project manager at GMB. But more of that later. English Heritage was also involved because the site has a lot of history to it and to check whether the structure was pro- tectable. Photographs were taken for posterity. Westminster and Camden councils were both involved as the site sits on the boundary of both areas. Both councils were "very supportive" of the scheme. Franks says: "We had a lot of engagement with councillors, and Friends of Primrose Hill. We had to get it right in terms of the visual aspect of site, so we've gone for a green roof. Hopefully, we'll end up with an aesthetically pleasing result and an environ- mentally-friendly solution." Ground profile Once finished the site will look like nothing is there. It will be grassed over, and the planta- tion will be in keeping with the existing flora. Significant progress has been made on the project in just seven months. The site has gone from virtually nothing to where it is now in seven months. The first base pour was in February. "It's a really good effort," says Franks. The old reservoir was built as a bowl shape into a sloping ground, says King. "It wasn't until we demolished it and dug through that you could see the original ground profile." The new design was built all around the ground conditions based on some 140 CPTs to find out what the ground was like, says King. "Being an engineer it's far easier to get a machine in and dig it up and actually physically see it." The team looked a full pre- cast concrete design but access was an issue for this solution, and the weight of the wall units would have been too heavy. "Pre-cast only works if you can go fast. We would need four cranes to go as fast as the pre- cast would justify the cost of it," says King. A metal option was looked When the new reservoir is completed, it will blend in with its park surroundings

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