Langford Fish & Eel Pass, December 2024 Some good news to share as we embark on closing out the Langford Fish and Eel Pass structures. The finishing touches are almost complete: maintenance and access walkways have been constructed and safety handrails are in place. The Eel Pass has been in operation since September and the Fish Pass was successfully brought into operation last month (November).  Before closing out the project and demobilising from site, final testing and commissioning will take place early in the new year.  The photos show a view of the completed Fish & Eel Pass structures from the bridge on the western side, with a view of the perimeter fencing and the Eel Pass debris deflector. You can also see the Fish Pass in full operation.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Daniel Osborne, and I am the Project Manager for Essex and Suffolk Water. I will be overseeing this project until its completion. From 17 February 2025 to 30 May 2025, we will be conducting borehole drilling near our existing borehole, located on land we own off Bungay Road, as shown on the overview page map. This work includes the installation of new casing to facilitate testing for potential future groundwater extraction. These investigative activities will be carried out by our delivery partner, G Stow PLC. Given the location of the work, we do not anticipate major disruption. However, you may notice an increase in traffic entering and exiting the site, along with some construction noise. Additionally, you may see higher water levels in the ditches around the site, as we discharge clean water during testing. We will make every effort to minimize any inconvenience. To ensure the safety of both the public and our team, a temporary road closure will be implemented on Bungay Road, as shown on the attached Site Plan and Traffic Arrangements  This closure will take place from 17 to 19 February 2025 and will be clearly signposted in advance. Access to your property will remain, but you will only be able to approach from one direction. Please note, your water and sewerage services will not be impacted by this work. As the project progresses, I will keep you updated on our plans and any developments through this portal. I welcome your feedback and am eager to hear your thoughts. The team will post regular updates, and if you have any questions or require additional assistance, please use the 'Contact Us' button at the top of this page or post on this feed. If you prefer to speak by phone or need further information, please contact our Customer Centre at 0345 782 0999 or visit www.eswater.co.uk to request a call back from our project team  

Good afternoon. Today’s update brings news of us passing an exciting milestone in our pipelaying. With over 10km of pipes now in the ground, we’ve passed the halfway mark in the construction of the pipeline. Work is currently ongoing in the Tolleshunt D’Arcy area, and we will continue to keep you updated on progress. Thank you, as always for your patience while we carry out this work.

Progress on our project to install the Layer to Langford Pipeline has been very good over these past few weeks and we have now laid 5km of the 20km route. This has enabled us to begin reinstating land and installing post construction land drainage in some areas to ensure the ground is returned to land owners is as good as, or in an improved condition compared to when we mobilised to site. In autumn of this year we will also begin to replant any hedgerows we removed to ensure the biodiversity value along the route is maintained. We have now received the majority of the pipework required for the project and any large deliveries our communities may have observed will become a thing of the past.

Fish & Eel Pass Progress, July 24 The main construction works on the Fish & Eel Pass are complete, finishing touches like handrailing and a small debris deflector are needed before the structure can be put into use but there’s light at the end of the tunnel now. The progress photos show the structure with the eel pass on the right (looking uphill) which has had all the peg tiles installed and is now covered by a mesh walkway for maintenance access, and the fish pass on the left with the resting pool roughly halfway. Fencing, supporting gabion baskets of stone and soil backfill have all been completed recently along with the internal tiles on each pass.

We have now completed all of the archaeological work on the pipeline route and have found some interesting artefacts including Roman coins and pottery from the Iron and Bronze Ages. This generated interest from the BBC who wrote an article on the finds that can be located here…. Essex pipeline dig reveals Roman and Bronze Age settlements - BBC News Whilst the weather has been kinder to us in the last few weeks than earlier in the year we have made good progress stripping topsoil, receiving pipe materials on site and putting pipe into the ground. We have now laid just short of 5km of the total 20km length and in some places we have already begun to reinstate topsoil and return land to landowners. Please keep your eyes peeled for the crews working along the route as they work hard to improve our service to you, our customers. 

Hi all, Welcome to the Smart Suffolk for business page! On this page, we'll keep you informed of the progress we're making installing Smart meters for businesses in your area. Check out the different tabs for further information on what we're doing and why we're installing Smart meters.  We're currently conducting surveys in your area, and we'll be in contact with you as this progresses.  Our FAQ page should help to answer any questions you may have. But if there's anything further you want to ask, please don't hesitate to leave a comment below and someone will get back to you.

Fish & Eel Pass Progress, May 24 Following the successful concrete pour and a spell of good weather, progress has been storming ahead! Gabions (wire baskets of stone) have been installed to support the banks and the areas behind the gabions have been backfilled with soil to bring back the original ground levels. The lower gabion on the southern side (nearest the bank) will also prevent pooling in what would otherwise be a ‘dead end’ for the fish and eels using the pass.  Upcoming activities include filling the space between the gabion baskets at the lower end of the eel pass channel with stone. Looking further ahead, we will be installing the tiles designed to optimise the water flow characteristics in both channels to make passage up the pass as easy as possible for the different species.

Hi all, We have exciting news! Carlton, our brand-new community engagement vehicle, will be visiting your area from mid-May onwards! Carlton, named for the beautiful Carlton Marshes in Suffolk, will be manned by our two wonderful community engagement ambassadors Sophie and Julie. You’ll be able to ask them any questions you may have about water usage, bills, smart metering and so on. Carlton will be travelling around, visiting as many areas as possible within Suffolk. Check out our website to see when Carlton will be near you: Community events - Carlton (eswater.co.uk). If you see him whilst he’s out and about, give him a wave or stop and say hi! If you have any questions that can’t wait for Carlton, leave them below in the comments and someone will get back to you. Don’t forget to keep an eye on this page for future updates!

April/May 2024 Progress Update (Fish & Eel Pass Concreting) Following the portadam issues in February the site was temporarily stood down awaiting more favourable conditions in which to attempt the final concrete pour. The project team reviewed weather reports and flow data on a weekly basis searching for a reducing trend that would indicate an opportunity to return to site. Remobilisation commenced towards the end of April, the portadam was reset and the working area drained down and preparations were made for the major concrete pour, cleaning down the structure and reinstalling the shuttering. The concreting was successfully completed last week so the main structure is finally taking shape!

You may have seen our teams working alongside the B1026 near to Abberton Reservoir over the last few weeks. This team has begun to install the 900mm diameter pipeline that we have been receiving from our suppliers over the last few months. Its here that the water conveyed by the pipeline begins its journey south towards Langford WTW. We also welcomed BBC Essex on the 24th April who were keen to see what we were up to, talk to our installation teams and out Water Director, and to then go on into Colchester to discuss Smart Meters with local residents. IT was a great experience for the project team and nice to show off this fantastic project to improve water resilience in Essex.

Despite the very wet start to the year our construction teams have been working hard to begin pipelaying activities along the pipeline route. We previously posted an update about the progress of topsoil stripping and whilst this continues, we are also starting to put pipe into the ground. This work has started at our Langford WTW, adjacent to the Museum of Power. We recently completed the connection of two of the mains we had previously installed under the River Blackwater and we are now laying away from these towards the Water Treatment works.  In late March we will also being our archaeological mitigation work, having completed the trial trenching last year. The mitigation works will allow the archaeological teams to further understand the history of the area that our pipeline crosses. In total we have 21 areas where the local authorities would like us to complete further investigation work. These range from small area circa 20m in length up to areas that are 500m in length.