News
22 June 2009
Pick Everard is flushed with success as first phase flows at Minworth
Engineers at Pick Everard are celebrating their latest design triumph, the turn of flows at Minworth Sewage Treatment Works near Birmingham, marking the end to the first phase of a major refurbishment project - four years after Pick Everard’s involvement began.
Minworth is Severn Trent Water’s largest sewage treatment works, serving around 1.75 million residents in Birmingham and with a capacity for full treatment of a billion litres a day. The current project includes replacement of the inlet works and primary settlement capacity as well as extensions and improvements to storm water, biological and sludge treatment capacities as well as a menu of other works. A complete revamp of the works for the 21st century, this is Severn Trent Water’s biggest project to date. The first phase is now complete and boasts 170-metre-long 8 screen inlet works, an interstage pumping station and 22 primary settlement tanks. The old works represented an irresistible challenge for Pick Everard’s hydraulic, civil and structural engineering teams, as they worked in an alliance with Severn Trent Water, Biwater and North Midland Construction Nomenca. The collaborative working practices that were introduced at the start have proved to be key to the success of the project. The effective integration of the companies that form the alliance as well as those organisations in the 30 strong supply chain have worked together very successfully. But even in the face of some tough design challenges, the engineering solutions now in place are estimated to have shaved £15 million off initial predicted project costs for this £148 million project.
Minworth is the source of several design firsts for Pick Everard, notably the installation of a radial gate - bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Thames Barrier: normally used for controlling river flow, this is the first time that one has been used in a sewage treatment works. Limited water level fall along the mile-long flow path provided another challenge when it came to hydraulic design. And because of the complexity of the works’ design, rather than relying solely on comprehensive computer analysis, Pick Everard used extensive scale modelling to develop the most efficient and environmentally friendly design solutions.
Pick Everard partner Nick Thomson said: “The successful completion of Minworth’s first phase is a well-reached milestone. We’re very proud to have played a key role in the modernisation of Severn Trent Water’s flagship sewage treatment plant.”
Sir James Perowne, chair of the Central & Eastern Area for Consumer Council for Water, was a special guest at an event to mark the flows being successfully turned and unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion. Phase Two of the project is due for completion in June 2010.
PROJECT OVERVIEW - MINWORTH SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS
At the forefront of UK sewage treatment works design
