Minworth Sewage Treatment Works

At the forefront of UK sewage treatment works design

THE PROJECT: As the second largest sewage treatment works in the UK, the execution of a number of major projects for enhancement of the Minworth works presented a host of design challenges for Pick Everard and the rest of the delivery team.

This flagship plant - the primary treatment works for Birmingham’s 2.5million residents - needed full replacement of the preliminary and primary treatment processes, an extension to the activated sludge capacity with associated final settlement tanks, major refurbishment of the sludge stream, additional storm capacity as well as a menu of capital maintenance - all to meet current demand and to maintain strict Environment Agency standards. The works capacity is for full treatment of 12.5 m3/s (or 1 billion litres a day) and the storm flow arriving at the works can be two and a half times that.

This scheme has broken new ground technologically and also in terms of working practices. Pick Everard was responsible for hydraulic, civil and structural engineering and worked in an integrated design team with a collocated core on site with the client and the contractor. The ethos has been to focus on delivering cost effective construction with sustainability at its heart.

The sheer scale of the Severn Trent Water project has brought about a number of design firsts and most significantly, the installation of a radial gate. Usually used for controlling river flow, the gate is the first of its kind to be used in the UK for a sewage works application. The hydraulic design was a major challenge because of the limited head available and the cost and environmental implications of needing to pump such flows. As well as comprehensive computer analysis, extensive scale modelling was done to identify the most efficient design. Turning of flows into the 170 metre long inlet works and 22 primary settlement tanks was completed in June 2009. The rest of the works will be completed by June 2010.

PICK EVERARD’S ROLE: Hydraulic, civil and structural design
VALUE: £148 million

NEWS 22 June 2009
Pick Everard is flushed with success as first phase flows at Minworth Sewage Works