Pipeline route to reduce impact on environment

Pick Everard is using all its skill in preserving the environment to ensure that one of the largest water pipeline schemes in southern Britain has the least possible impact on the environment.

The GBP17million pipeline, due to start construction in October 2007, will draw water from the River Thames at Bray in Berkshire.

It will run 17km (10 miles) south from Bray Treatment Works, near Maidenhead, to underground reservoirs just south of Bracknell, servicing South East Water customers across north Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey.

One of the challenging aspects of the project is that, in order to meet demand, the pipe has to be 1.2m (48 inches) in diameter.

It will also be made of flexible steel, a material widely used to transport water in America but less so in the UK and this requires the soil around it to be compacted in a particular way to add support to the pipe once in the ground.

The northern half of the pipe will pass through London Clay, a soil type unsuitable for the necessary ground compaction, so contractors will, where appropriate, reuse excavated soil from other sections of the pipeline to help reduce the environmental impact.

The pipeline will also pass through 5km of pine plantation.

To reduce the number of trees being felled, the route has been changed so that the pipeline runs along existing forest rides.

Using this technique the pipeline will pass through dense woodland with the minimum disruption to the ecosystem.

Only 1.2km of the route will be laid within roads.

At the southernmost end, the pipeline has to pass through a European designated Special Protection Area (SPA), home and breeding ground of Woodlark, Nightjar and Dartford Warbler, three species of rare and endangered ground nesting birds.

Pick Everard are liasing with local and national wildlife specialists in planning measures to minimise unavoidable damage and prevent any disruption that could endanger these rare and beautiful birds.

"We did a great deal of work with Natural England at the earliest stages of design to identify ways of minimising any disturbance to the environment," said Mike Ward, civil engineer at Pick Everard.

"We have also worked as part of the project team on the preparation of a full environmental statement which, along with the planning application, is now being considered by the local planning authorities and which we hope will reassure them that every possible measure is being taken to minimise environmental disruption," he added.

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