Latest news - Abberton reservoir enhancement
The Abberton Scheme newsletter - 'esw news' - is produced quarterly, to update anyone who might be affected by the scheme and our proposals.
Hedge Planting Events - Abberton Reservoir - January 2012
Hedgerows are an important natural habitat providing wildlife corridors, food and shelter for birds, small mammals and insects. Created and managed in the right way they are valuable assets within our countryside. The Abberton Reservoir Enhancement Scheme aims to create a network of hedgerows surrounding the reservoir for the benefit of people and wildlife.
Essex Wildlife Trust working in partnership with Essex & Suffolk Water are giving you the opportunity to join a volunteer work party to help create these valuable habitats surrounding the stunning Abberton Reservoir. Events are open to the public with no experience necessary. Everyone is welcome, just bring along your enthusiasm!
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Construction Update – January 2012
The relatively unseasonal weather during the autumn and early winter months has allowed us to continue working on the main dam and other earthworks activities such as backfilling a number of open excavations around the site. The site teams working on the new B1026 road diversion have also been able to take advantage of the good weather to get the formation work completed and the tarmac base course in place.
Work associated with the structures around the site has also progressed well. The temporary pumping station has now successfully passed commissioning tests and is now pumping water from the reservoir to Layer water treatment works. This has in turn allowed us to begin the demolition of the existing 1930’s pumping station. Over the forthcoming spring period our key targets will be to open the new B1026, begin the construction of the permanent pumping station and substantially complete the earthworks on the main dam.
Construction Update – September 2011
Work to enlarge Abberton Reservoir has continued to progress well over the summer months. Significant progress has been made on the raising of the main dam at the north of the reservoir; material has now been placed on the downstream slope to approximately 15 meters.
Work is currently underway on the culvert under the B0126 causeway. Construction of the diverted section of B1026 to the north of the causeway has commenced after a temporary delay caused by works required to a gas main in the area. It is anticipated that traffic will be transferred onto the diverted road in March 2012.
Work to construct the new structures around site continues to progress well. Over the next two/three months commissioning of the new temporary pumping station will be taking place. Once operational this will allow work to refurbish the existing pumping station to take place. This is a critical part of the programme as the reservoir must continue to supply Layer Water Treatment Works throughout the construction programme.
Excavation of granular material from Rye Borrow Pit has now been completed and backfilling of the pit is currently taking place. This area will be returned to arable land on completion of the Scheme.
'eswnews' – July 2011
Catch up on the latest news about the Abberton Scheme by downloading the July edition of eswnews below.
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Construction Update - July 2011
Work to enlarge Abberton Reservoir has progressed very well over the spring period. The construction site staff have made significant progress on the main dam at the north of the reservoir. This work, that had been held up by the harsh winter experienced on site, is now back on track. Elsewhere on site earthworks are progressing on the south shoreline of the reservoir to construct a number of smaller dams.
More visibly, adjacent to the existing B1026, you will notice we are beginning the construction of the new B1026 carriageway. These earthworks activities will continue over the summer period.
Work to construct the new structures around site is continuing, and will do so throughout the remaining duration of the project. Currently work is underway to construct the electrical building and temporary pumping station next to the waters edge. Once operational this will allow us to commence work to refurbish the existing pumping station.
To date a total of 269,000 man hours on site have been worked on site and we are approximately half way through the construction program.
Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre - June 2011
Work to construct the new Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre is progressing well. The wet and cold weather over the winter period caused some delays to the programme but the contractor, TJ Evers, has managed to make up the majority of lost time. The project is expected to be completed during September this year. The building is now erected with roof slates currently being placed. All the roof windows and lights are in and we are awaiting the delivery of the glass roof lantern. This will be craned in to place and once in, will enable the completion of the roof slates.
With the majority of internal walls now erected it is now possible to get a real feel of the final shape and space. The veranda steel supports were installed some weeks ago and now extend over the water filled main pond. Beyond this is the main Abberton Reservoir giving an overall quite dramatic effect. The access road is constructed up to sub-base level with the upper course to be laid at the end of the project. The 80 permanent parking bays off the access road are currently being excavated and the overflow parking area has already been shaped and will be grassed later in the project.
The workshop building is being constructed to a similar shape as the main building. The earth viewing mound has been roughly shaped giving a vantage point approximately three metres higher than the surrounding ground level. From the top, the view is extensive over the reservoir. The mound is being allowed to settle before its final shaping towards the end of the project.
Construction update - April 2011
Earthworks around site are now progressing well following a challenging winter period of heavy rain, freezing temperatures and snow. Work to increase the height of the main dam has started with the placement of clay material. This work will continue over the forthcoming year with our objective being to raise the dam to full height by early 2012. Work to construct the Electrical & Chemical Building and Temporary Pumping Station on the north shore of the reservoir continues to make good progress. The steel frames of these buildings have now been erected and cladding will commence shortly. Upon completion of cladding works, the buildings will be water tight and ready to accept the associated electrical equipment.
The new reservoir inlet has been completed at Broadmeadows. A significant milestone was achieved at this location on the 16 March 2011 when water started flowing into the reservoir via this new structure. In addition to this, an additional inlet will be created at the north west of the reservoir this year. This structure will receive the new pipe being laid as part of the pipelines contract being undertaken by Farrans. On site we look forward to good weather throughout the summer to enable us to make significant steps towards achieving a raised reservoir for 2014.
Public Information Session – 20 April 2011
Essex & Suffolk Water and Carillion are committed to working with the local community throughout the construction process to ensure that the work goes as smoothly as possible. We will work hard to avoid any problems during the course of the construction. If an issue does occur we will try our best to rectify it as quickly as possible. We will be holding drop in sessions in the site office, which will be open for anyone to come in and talk to a member of the project team.
The next drop in session will be held on Wednesday 20th April, 5.00pm - 7.00pm in the Abberton Reservoir site office on Church Road in Layer de la Haye.
'eswnews' – February 2011
Catch up on the latest news about the Abberton Scheme by downloading the February edition of eswnews below.
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Considerate Constructors Scheme Success for Abberton Reservoir - February 2011
The work being undertaken to enlarge Abberton Reservoir has achieved fantastic marks across the board in a recent assessment as part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
The Considerate Constructors Scheme is the national initiative, set up by the construction industry, to improve its image. Sites and companies that register with the Scheme sign up and are monitored against a Code of Considerate Practice, designed to encourage best practice beyond statutory requirements. Sites are not only assessed for compliance with the Scheme’s Code, but also to identify any measures being taken by a site which are above and beyond these requirements. The sites are assessed in 8 sections and scored between 1 and 5 points, with 3 indicating compliance.
We are delighted to announce that at the last inspection the Abberton Scheme Reservoir Enhancement Scheme scored 4.5 in each of the 8 sections. The project achieved an overall score of 36, which puts it in the best possible category of an exceptionally good site.
Construction begins on new Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre - December 2010
On the 8th of November, work commenced on the construction of the new Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre located adjacent to Abberton Reservoir. The existing centre location is to be flooded out as part of the main reservoir raising project.
The new Centre will be a 15 sided building with approximately one third of its wall being made from floor to ceiling glass to provide good views over the adjacent reservoir. A cantilevered external viewing balcony will be constructed the other side of this glass area for use during better weather. The centre will form part of a new nature reserve with woodland walks, bird hides, ponds, a playground area and viewing mound.
The Centre is planned for completion during September 2011. Essex Wildlife Trust will then begin their relocation for the following couple of months. The public opening date is yet to be confirmed.
Construction update – November 2010
Work is progressing well on the back of the main dam to install new drainage systems prior to placing the clay material that will form the lower embankment of the enlarged dam.
Placement of the clay material will continue over the winter months along with the demolition of the existing valve tower to allow raising of the crest of the dam in the following years.
Earthwork along the shoreline of the reservoir has finished for 2010 and will recommence in April 2011 with the completion of the col dams. In 2010 the vast majority of the shoreline re-profiling and concrete removal was completed, this work being undertaken within the agreed ecological time constraints.
Work to construct the temporary pumping station is progressing well and this structure should be commissioned and providing flows to Layer Water Treatment Works from April 2011. The completion of this structure will allow work to refurbish the existing pumping station to commence.
Works on B1026 have commenced with stripping of vegetation and the construction of drainage ponds along side the diverted highway. Work to form the carriageway of the B1026 will begin in March 2011.
'eswnews' – October 2010
Catch up on the latest news about the Abberton Scheme by downloading the October edition of eswnews below.
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B1026 causeway work begins - 19 August 2010
As part of the construction works to enlarge Abberton Reservoir it is necessary to divert a section of the B1026 between the causeway and St John the Baptist Church, Layer de la Haye. Work on this diversion will commence on 16th August 2010. The B1026 will remain open throughout the duration of the works with traffic control in place on the causeway from 4th October 2010.
Student scarecrows - 2 July 2010
Local primary school pupils are helping with the vital work to enlarge Abberton Reservoir.
More than 200 students from Layer de la Haye C of E Primary School have built scarecrows to be placed around Abberton Reservoir during the construction work.
The 50 scarecrows will be used to encourage birds to stay away from the machinery that is working to increase the size of the reservoir by 58 per cent to help safeguard water supplies in Essex. For more information, view the news release 'Student scarecrows'.
Our commitment to the local community - 16 June 10
Essex & Suffolk Water and Carillion are committed to working with the local community throughout the construction process to ensure that the work goes as smoothly as possible. We will work hard to avoid any problems during the course of the construction. If an issue does occur we will try our best to rectify it as quickly as possible.
We will ensure that the local community is regularly updated about the works taking place. Our newsletter ESW news will continue to be distributed regularly to our neighbours. Our website will also be updated regularly with news about the project.
We will be holding drop in sessions in the site office, which will be open for anyone to come in and talk to a member of the project team.
The first drop in session will be held on Wednesday 23 June, 5.00pm - 7.00pm in the Abberton Reservoir site office on Church Road in Layer de la Haye.
Breaking new ground at Abberton - 25 March 2010
Work is starting to enlarge Abberton Reservoir to help safeguard future water supplies in Essex.
After 17 years of investigation, assessment and consultation, work to enlarge Essex & Suffolk Water’s reservoir near Colchester by 58 per cent is getting underway.
The ground breaking ceremony took place at the reservoir on Monday, March 29 to mark this important milestone.
The enhancement of Abberton Reservoir is part of the Abberton Scheme, which also includes the installation of two large raw water pipelines and a new pumping station. The water company is investing £150 million to complete the Scheme, which will help ensure a secure water supply to one and half million people in Essex.
Essex is the driest county in the UK, receiving on average less than 600mm of rain a year. In a dry year, Essex already has a shortage of water compared with demand. This is predicted to rise even further, almost entirely due to a significant increase in population in the area.
The enlarged reservoir will hold an additional 15 billion litres of water and will be fully operational by 2014. The water level of the reservoir is being raised by three metres and its footprint is increasing by 40 per cent. As well as providing a vital new water resource the enlarged reservoir has been designed to provide benefits for the local community and wildlife.
Shoreline works starts - 15 March 2010
Work to remove the concrete edge of the reservoir and re-profile the shoreline is underway.
The shoreline work was scheduled to take place between April and September when the wildfowl numbers are traditionally lowest on the reservoir to cause the least possible disturbance. Due to the relatively low numbers of wildfowl currently using the reservoir, we have obtained consent from Colchester Borough Council and Natural England for the work to commence in mid March this year.
The shoreline of the enlarged reservoir will have a gentler slope and more natural appearance. This will be a significant enhancement for wildlife at the site and will also improve the appearance of the reservoir.
Abberton Reservoir Enhancement Scheme -
Main Contractor Announced - 6 January 2010
After over fifteen years of planning, investigation and consultation work to enlarge Abberton Reservoir is now getting underway.
Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) is pleased to announce that Carillion Plc has been appointed as the main contractor for the Abberton Reservoir Enhancement Scheme.
Carillion Plc is one of the UK's leading support services and construction companies, with over 50,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of £4bn.
ESW and Carillion have an excellent track record of working together successfully. Carillion has recently a major project to upgrade the water treatment works in Layer de la Haye, which provides an additional 145 million litres of water into the existing supply system.
Carillion Civil Engineering also has an ongoing project with Anglian Water at their Rutland reservoir to carry out large scale environmental works which will allow when completed Anglian Water to treat and abstract more water from the reservoir. This project has been managed in phases to minimise disturbance to the breeding/nesting requirements of the birds that use the reservoir, which is similar to those planned for the works at Abberton.
Carillion is equally committed to ESW’s long standing objective to work with the local community and ensure that the construction process goes smoothly. ESW and Carillion will be working very closely together throughout construction to ensure this.
For more information about Carillion please visit: www.carillionplc.com