Water & Wastewater Treatment

contractual terms being agreed, will also carry out the build. Most of the engineering for the project is being provided by Jacobs and MWH Global: Jacobs is working on the pipeline, the pumping station and the environmental impact assessment, while MWH Global is leading on the Frankley Treatment Works upgrades. MWH is also running the Programme Management Office (PMO) which manages and co- ordinates the overall project. When it won Ofwat approval for the project, Severn Trent committed to completing the project by the end of AMP6 in 2020, but its internal target for completion is a special date in 2019, as Hinsley explains. "We're currently working on the basis of a 3-year construction and commissioning period, and our plan is to have the physical infrastructure finished for our chief executive to come and cut the ribbon on the 21st July 2019. That's 115 years to the day since King Edward VII opened the Elan Valley Aqueduct. I'm keenly aware of the historical legacy of the aqueduct and so I thought it was a great date to go for." A great admirer of the Victorian engineering that created the EVA, Hinsley says it could last another 100 years if it is given the right maintenance. Once the resilience project is completed, 50-day shutdowns will be able to be scheduled as frequently as every other winter. The new pipeline will only pump water during these shutdowns and will be dormant the rest of the time, although a small 'sweetening flow' will pass through the pipeline in the reverse direction for a few hours a day to prevent any stagnation. Birmingham's water demand overall is not increasing – lower per capita consumption, reduced business use and reduced leakage are offsetting the effect of population growth – so explaining the rationale for the project to the public is a challenge. Despite this, the reaction the project team has received from public and stakeholder engagement so far has been very positive. "It's fair to say that when we explain the rationale to people they are very supportive of the scheme," says Hinsley. "That's not to say that some people won't have legitimate concerns about it but broadly, conceptually, people are very much in favour of doing this." And he adds: "We are really keen here that people understand the legacy that we are building on here, as well as the legacy that we are creating. What we are doing is tiny in comparison to what the Victorians did, but in a way, this is allowing that legacy to live on. so we're really very aware of that historical connection, and we're very proud of it as well - I want the whole team to feel that." "We are really keen that people understand the legacy that we are building on here, as well as the legacy that we are creating. " Simon Hinsley, Severn Trent project manager www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | AUGUST 2015 | 19 Frankley WTW Strategic Grid Edgbaston boreholes Aqueduct South Staffs Water Barr Beacon to Perry Barr B'ham Ground Water boreholes Birmingham Cri>cal exports Process Loss 245 Ml/d * (raw inlet) River upgrade, Dual stream & recirculaOon Above le : A diagram of the scheme, which will allow the Elan Valley Aqueduct (above right) to be shut down for repairs. Below: project manager Simon Hinsley

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