Drinking water plant RGF upgrade contracted to Mott MacDonald in UK
Sutton & East Surrey Water (SESW) has appointed consultancy Mott MacDonald as the design engineer for an upgrade project of the Woodmansterne water treatment works in Surrey.
The consultants explained that the plans are designed to enable the treatment works to deliver up to 50,000 cubic metres of treated water into the supply network per day, helping to enhance supply resilience to the 655,000 population served by the SESW.
Originally constructed in 1907, the Woodmansterne facility has undergone several changes during its life and now comprises partial aeration, partial pellet reactor softening, rapid gravity filtration (RGF) and disinfection. It is currently rated at 45,000 m3/day.
The facility processes raw water that SESW abstracts from the area’s chalk aquifer via boreholes, which is then softened to remove dissolved minerals.
| [Image credit: Woodmansterne Water Treatment Works dated 1907 to Tristan Forward |
Mott MacDonald said that its work to enhance and increase the performance of the RGF plant will consist of three stages.
The first stage includes investigative works which will look at refurbishment, expansion or replacement of plant as necessary to achieve the required 50,000 m3/day.
As part of this stage the consultants explained that the condition and performance of all civil, mechanical and electrical infrastructure will be assessed. The options will be evaluated against cost, risk, constructability, carbon, operability, resilience and security, amongst other factors.
The second stage involves development of a preferred option and the third stage, preparation of documentation for tender and construction.
“We will be using BIM (building information modelling) delivery processes from the project outset,” explained David Thomas, Mott MacDonald’s project director.
According to Thomas this has proved successful with other clients and has led to cost savings in design and procurement, particularly through the efficient capture and transfer of data.
“We’ll be following these processes again with SESW, where the BIM journey has already commenced with a full terrestrial LiDAR survey of the entire site,” he added.
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About the Author
Tom Freyberg
Tom Freyberg is an experienced environmental journalist, having worked across a variety of business-to-business titles. Since joining Pennwell in 2010, he has been influential in developing international partnerships for the water brand and has overseen digital developments, including 360 degree video case studies. He has interviewed high level figures, including NYSE CEO’s and Environmental Ministers. A known figure in the global water industry, Tom has chaired and spoken at conferences around the world, from Helsinki, to London and Singapore. An English graduate from Exeter University, Tom completed his PMA journalism training in London.