Morrison Water Services uses innovation to upgrade historic sewer

The Morrison Water Services (MWS) and Galliford Try Joint Venture (MGjv) team has undertaken phase three of a major upgrade of the 100-year-old sewer network across Thanet, Kent, on behalf of client Southern Water.

Working with the Environment Agency (EA), as part of its wider Water Quality Programme, Southern Water is upgrading more than 10km of the existing Thanet Sewer in Birchington, Westgate on Sea and Margate network to prevent exfiltration.

The project, which began in 2016, is an investment of more than £80m over 15 years to maintain the integrity of the sewers, reduce the risk of flooding and protect the environment and chalk aquifer that covers the area.

The Sewers, which were constructed more than a century ago, presented some unusual challenges due to their depth, including how they were accessed to start the work. The teams worked to identify parts of the network housed in chalk tunnels, to maintain a fully gravity network.

The team utilised trenchless and man-entry techniques, which required a small site area. This reduced disruption to the local community, as well as environmental impact by minimising working at street level The installation of UV Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) liner helped reduce costs associated with this no-dig approach. The exercise also reduced the number of offline pumped-return storage tanks, with their associated maintenance implications.

The team collaboratively worked to plan and coordinate with Kent County Council, National Highways, Local Authorities and the EA, alongside keeping key stakeholders and local businesses informed on the works locations and project timelines.

Due to the nature of this project, the team had to continuously reassess the project plan, due to changes to the scope impacted by challenging site conditions and other local considerations.

Speaking on the project, Kevin Parcell, Morrison Water Services Area Director, said: “ I’m delighted that we have continued our relationship with Southern Water on this major scheme and support its drive to deliver the best water quality to its customers.

“Our expertise in complex schemes means that we can offer a tailored solution to Southern Water’s requirements which ultimately delivers network enhancement without compromising safety or customer service.

The MGjv project team rose to the challenges on this scheme and together through collaboration with key stakeholders, partners and local communities, from project conception, they have succeeded in delivering a complex and innovative solution, while maintaining impeccable health, safety, quality, and environmental standards.”

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