Flood Prevention Yields 20% Cost Saving

A new flood prevention programme in Great Yarmouth built on behalf of Anglian Water is set to use an innovation-led approach to help protect properties. It will deliver over 20% cost savings on traditional approaches and will also minimise distruption.

As a partner in the @one Alliance (the collaboration set up to deliver Anglian Water’s capital investment programme), civil engineering and infrastructure specialist Barhale has been appointed principal contractor to carry out the work at Burgh Road, Gorleston.

However, opposed to undertaking a large-scale works programme, Barhale will bring back several redundant assets into use and will reconfigure the existing network with a small number of specific, smaller-scale interventions. This will produce faster-to-deliver, less expensive solutions with a lower impact on the community.

These works will also mobilise a nearby box culvert including the associated pipework, pipework modifications, chambers, actuated valve, level monitor and telemetry.

Project manager Dan Ledger explained that the programme follows the Anglian Water strategy of seeking innovative, ‘Tech not Tank’ approaches that make the most of current infrastructure, rather than simply defaulting to expensive build programmes to increase overall physical capacity.

“The typical approach in this situation would be to look to build new capacity into the system, which usually entails significant works to install new tanks and sewers,” he said. “That can mean long build programmes and disruption for local communities.”

He continued: “We worked closely with Anglian to find a smarter solution which uses existing, unused headroom within the existing infrastructure to minimise intervention and to protect the vulnerable properties from flooding.”

The programme of works is expected to be completed in mid 2022.

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