We delivered a £34m project to upgrade Hull WwTW – a site serving a population equivalent of 1 million people. We constructed a new elevated inlet works for the preliminary treatment of raw sewage, new liquid import, cake import and rewetting, and dewatering facilities, plus refurbished the existing sludge treatment facility (STF). The new dedicated flow to full treatment inlet works comprised elevated coarse screens, grit removal and fine screens, a return liquors pumping station and new odour control plant. To eliminate the need for high-level temporary works and to expedite construction, we incorporated the temporary works into the permanent works design. The STF refurbishment was undertaken whilst maintaining full treatment capacity, which required a phased approach to delivery, further restricted by high seasonal summer loading and high winter energy demand.

Our adoption of nature-based solutions (NBS) continues to grow as we realise the economic, environmental and social benefits of utilising natural processes to tackle our clients’ challenges. Nature-based solutions are interventions that work with nature to sequester carbon, enhance biodiversity and improve resilience to the effects of extreme weather – ranging from constructed treatment wetlands for nutrient removal to sustainable drainage systems for flood alleviation. Witches Oak is a great example. This ground-breaking scheme is bringing an abandoned water resource back into use to improve the resilience of drinking water supplies during future droughts. Our solution includes the construction of floating treatment wetlands that provide the first stage of the treatment process.

We delivered a high-profile project replacing a 2.5km section of the Haweswater Aqueduct – the backbone of United Utilities’ network supplying water to 2.5 million customers every day. The project, praised for connecting the new pipes during a shutdown of less than eight days, scooped the Pipeline Industries Guild Utility Project of the Year Award, was highly commended in the British Construction Industry Awards, a finalist at NCE TechFest Awards for Best Use of Technology: Site Productivity and shortlisted at the Ground Engineering Awards in the Sustainability category. Read more on Water Projects Online.

A dam safety programme across the whole of Wales capitalised on our extensive reservoir experience. Projects varied in scope and scale but all ultimately ensured our client was left with upgraded assets that meet stringent legal requirements. We increased scour capacity at Llandegfedd so that the reservoir can be lowered faster should there be an emergency. Our solution utilised the existing infrastructure, installing three sets of twin valves to the tower and coring directly into the overflow shaft. Together with costing just 20% of a traditional siphon solution, this methodology reduced carbon by 80%. Complex scaffolding was required to facilitate safe working over water. Access was suspended from the top of the tower as each 1.5t valve was transferred by barge ready for lifting into position. We constructed a new spillway at Lluest Wen that followed the alignment of the old one to minimise future maintenance requirements. Working three miles from the nearest surfaced road and around 1400ft above sea level, the new spillway required installation of reinforced concrete on gradients up to 1:2 and with some walls 6m high. CFD analysis identified that forces on the walls were less than for a typical spillway wall, allowing us to optimise the wall design by making them slimmer with a lower reinforcement density. This significantly reduced the quantity of concrete and reinforcement needed, as well as subcontract and labour costs.

In 2013 we brought to a close the construction of the Covenham to Boston Pipeline, a 61km polyethylene pipeline running across Lincolnshire. The 27 million litres per day transfer pipeline was required to address a water supply/demand deficit in the growing town of Boston in Lincolnshire. By reusing and improving existing assets – and providing new assets – the water supply for a population forecast to reach 101,000 by 2035 has been secured.

One of the largest schemes in our history saw us complete the design and build of a new £45m advanced anaerobic digester (AAD) facility at Stoke Bardolph Sewage Treatment Works. The facility turns sewage into biogas that is exported to the gas network and treats remaining solids so they can be used as high-grade fertiliser. To achieve an ambitious programme of contract award to completion in just two years, the project championed DfMA, digital and innovative solutions. This included a productivity saving of 26 weeks made by manufacturing, assembling and testing the steam generating boiler house off site. Read more on Water Projects Online.

Upgrades to a major water treatment works in the north west of England are maximising its output, reducing the average ‘unit cost to treat’ to make it the most cost-effective water treatment asset in the area. The project saw us improve several key treatment processes through the installation of new rapid gravity filters (RGFs), lamella clarifiers and flocculation tanks, and upgrades to the pH correction system. Digital innovation was at the forefront of project delivery. The use of BIM 360, extended reality, the latest hand held scanning technology, intelligent machine control and digital inspection and test records helped to foster collaboration, improve safety and drive efficiencies throughout the project. Learn more on Water Projects Online.

To increase the resilience of Hereford’s water supply network, we designed and built a 34Ml service reservoir at Bewdley Bank. The ICE in both the West Midlands and Wales recognised its excellence, awarding it both the Innovation and Designed in Wales Awards, respectively. Judges in Wales were impressed with the attention to detail displayed on the project, together with its strong sustainability focus and an emphasis on landscape considerations, materials re-use, sustainable drainage and ecology. Read more on Water Projects Online.

Following a routine safety inspection, recommendations were made to ensure the ongoing resilience and capability of the reservoir at Lower Barden. Our client appointed MMB to improve the drawdown capacity, control leakages and modify the spillway channel to prevent floodwater from breaching the spillway structure. Due to its location in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the scheme was legally required to conserve and enhance the historic and natural environment. During design, the decision was made to maintain the sloped walls and the curved steps to retain the heritage of the structure, with masonry used from a nearby quarry to be in keeping with the surrounding area. The installation of a new self-priming siphon now ensures the total drawdown capacity reaches minus 5m from top water level within 5 days, meeting the safety requirements.

First built in the 1970s, Embsay Water Treatment Works is a 24ML/d water treatment site. To address risks to drinking water quality, the outline solution involved the construction of a new interstage pumping station, new manganese filters and a start-up-to-waste facility. However, utilising our low carbon solutions in design approach, the PAS 2080 principles, and our Moata Carbon Portal tool, we were able to optimise the solution to deliver significant carbon, cost, and programme savings. Through optimising existing plant processes, re-using existing assets and maximising build efficiency in design we reduced the whole life carbon on the project by 77%. The final solution was a single precast concrete structure consisting of a new three compartment contact tank, clean backwash tank and drywell pumping station.