The Background
A burst sewage pipe causes significant inconvenience at any time – but for people living in the small village of Hythe, Hampshire, it was a source of major disruption to their daily lives. Not only did they suffer from the smell and impact of the leak itself, but the initial response caused problems of its own.
To keep flows under control, 14 tankers had been deployed to remove, transport and dispose of the sewage waste. This system was costly and caused significant noise and traffic problems for locals in the village, which is often congested even without additional vehicles on the road. It was very much a temporary solution to help with the immediate problem while a longer-term solution was put in place.
Pumping solutions specialists at Selwood’s Chandler’s Ford headquarters were called upon by Cappagh Browne, who were assisting Southern Water in dealing with the burst pipe, to find a temporary solution which would ease the disruption for villagers until a more permanent repair was carried out.
The Challenge
The task at hand was essentially to build a new temporary pumping station at a site which presented significant challenges for access – and without causing further disruption. It was important that the solution be brought into play quickly to avoid further inconvenience and complaints.
Access to the site was limited and there was a need to install a solution that had minimal impact on traffic flow in the village.
The Solution
Because of the limited space available, NZ Immersible pumps were used to pump sewage out from the site of the affected pipe. This was connected to a 300mm pipe and a pipe crossing setup which went up and over the car park, allowing vehicle access to the area of the repair.
The setup was highly energy efficient, as the Immersible pumps were connected to the existing site electrical supply, so there was no need for diesel to power the pumps.
Selwood’s telemetry systems were connected to the site telemetry already in place, feeding into Southern Water’s system and allowing remote monitoring of the installation.
The solution, from planning to commissioning, took just three days.
The Result
The installation of the pumps and pipe crossing meant that tankers were no longer required – a solution which resulted in huge savings on vehicle hire fuel and personnel costs, and eliminated customer complaints over noise, smell and traffic.
The ability to monitor the installation remotely meant it could be left unmanned. The swift installation of a safe and robust system meant that villagers were able to go about their daily business with the minimum of disruption, and risk of complaints was vastly reduced. It also gave the teams on the ground time for a proper solution to the pipe burst to be designed, planned and put in place.