Construction works at the river intake are complete, the attached photos show the installation just prior to the completion of the safety fencing at the river's edge. There are some minor works to complete at the pumping station at the top of Locks Lane but these should not cause any disruption in the local area and should be no more noticeable than our normal operational or maintenance checks. Thanks to everyone for your patience during the works and all the best for a healthy and happy 2021.

The Waveney site has given the construction team some challenges since Christmas with the severe flooding but the installation has held up really well and has continued to work all the way through. The old drum screens have been removed so the bulk of the construction works are done. There are new covers to be installed over the chamber where the old screens were removed and some minor works at the river as well as training of our Operatives, so you will continue to see the team on site at times over the next few weeks.

The new screens have been installed in the river and are now able to operate automatically, currently washing on a timed sequence once per day. The similar installation at our Belaugh site on the River Bure in Norfolk has been operating successfully for about eight weeks and so far we're really pleased with the performance. We'll continue to monitor and refine the washing cycles at each site to make sure they are working optimally and efficiently.

The Waveney site has now closed down for Christmas but we will be returning in January to complete works inside the compound area and remove the old drum screens from the pumping station site. The majority of site-based works should be completed by the end of February.

The attached photos are from the day the final (fourth) screen of the set was installed.

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and New Year!

Activity at Waveney has been quiet in the last few weeks while the team were away working on our Belaugh site installing similar Eel protection screens there. That installation has gone really well and the team have transferred back to the Waveney, bringing with them the learnings and experience of Belaugh to make sure Waveney goes equally smoothly.

The dive team started on site last week moving any built up silt away from the intake in preparation for the screens and their supporting framework to be installed this week. Once that’s in the river the pipework and electrical connections will be made and if all goes well the system should be up and running by the beginning of December.

Great day at the Waveney yesterday installing the new kiosk. It was another hot one but the work went really well. The photos show the crane manoeuvring the kiosk into place and its final position on the steel supporting framework.  It's been raised off the ground to keep it clear of floodwaters.

The piling works went well, the framework for the new kiosk to sit on has been installed and the kiosk itself will be arriving on site this week. The site is really starting to come together.  A few pictures below show the recent progress. 

The team have continued with the ground works this week in preparation for the piling to be carried out next week, that's planned for between Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th July.

The project is progressing well and on schedule. This week the team have been working on preparatory groundworks.  Handrailing on the bridge over New Dyke has been completed (see photo) and some additional ducting has been installed up to the location of the new kiosk. The piling works were originally planned for this week but have been rescheduled due to subcontractor availability so it's now due to be done in the week beginning Monday 13th July.

Works are continuing this week at the river intake, installing handrailing on the existing concrete bridge over New Dyke to make it safer to cross and preparing for the piling works which are due to start in the week commencing 29th June. The piling will create a foundation to support the new control kiosk and there will be three piles installed. The work will be done during normal working hours and is expected to last a maximum of two days. There is likely to be some intermittent percussive noise while the piles are driven in (similar to the ground investigation borehole works that were done in January). Our installation team will aim to keep any disturbance to a minimum and the piling technique chosen for this job is 'bottom driven' which is a much quieter method than traditional top hammering techniques.

The photos attached to this update show the initial ground preparations that have been done for the kiosk installation.

Site establishment will begin at Waveney next week (from Monday 8th June). The welfare, storage and parking area will be set up in the field just to the west of the Pumping Station site at the top of Lock's Lane. At the river, preparations will be made for the piling works which we expect will start towards the end of June. More details will follow when the dates are confirmed.