GLASGOW, Scotland, Oct. 26, 2009 -- The Katrine Water Project's contribution to the quality of life in Glasgow has been recognized with an award for sustainable development. The project has ensured a high-quality water supply for the city's 700,000 residents; the Edmund Hambly Medal recognizes the sustainable manner in which these improvements have been achieved.
The Institution of Civil Engineers' (ICE) Edmund Hambly Medal, "emphasizes the important contribution that civil engineering makes to the well being of mankind and the environment," according to the institution's award criteria. The medal is presented to "an engineering project that makes a substantial contribution to sustainable development." The Katrine Water Project was undertaken by Scottish Water, with Black & Veatch providing design and construction services in its role as lead contractor.
The Baldernock Amenity Trust is a local conservation group concerned with social and environmental impacts on the community. The trust has previously nominated the Katrine Water Project for the Saltire Society Award for Civil Engineering stating, "Black & Veatch maintained an outstanding safety record and ensured consideration was given to community aspirations." The nomination continued, "the works achieves good environmental and economic performance, reducing the operation's carbon footprint."
In order to allay concerns about the project's impact upon the surrounding environment, the new works is partially below ground and screened by trees and extensive landscaping. The project was delivered two months ahead of schedule and £10 million under budget.
Technical notes:
• The Katrine Water Project required replacing an existing water treatment works with a £120 million state-of-the art facility capable of delivering 240 million liters of drinking water per day.
• To reduce the works' footprint, and therefore visual impact, Black & Veatch used lamella clarifiers rather than cone sludge settlement tanks and relocated the filter gallery pipework.
• Work also included design and construction of two covered reservoirs, a pumping station, a system of tunnels and intake structures and a number of other network improvements.
• The state-of-the-art facility formed the largest-ever water treatment investment project in Scotland.
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