London & South East

Enhancing Abberton Reservoir

 Abberton Reservoir, Essex

A £150 million scheme to ensure a secure supply of water in Essex continues to make great progress.

The Abberton Reservoir Enhancement project is being implemented by Essex & Suffolk Water and includes the installation of two large raw water pipelines and a new pumping station. Once work is complete on the project, 1.5 million people in Essex will benefit from a secure supply of water over the next 25 years.

Located near Colchester, Abberton Reservoir is the largest freshwater body in Essex, covering an area of 485 hectares. Abberton Reservoir is one of the most important reservoirs for wildfowl and in addition to securing a supply of water, will provide continued benefits for wildlife.

Work began on the project in 2011, with earthworks taking place in March. The Abberton Reservoir Enhancement project sees the main dam raised by 3.2 metres; will see storage volume increased by 58%; and will involve the creation of number of earth dams around the edge of the reservoir.

During the project, the B1026 was diverted and the Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre was relocated to a more suitable site. The new visitor centre is twice the size of the previous facility, includes an internal and an external classroom and was officially opened by wildlife TV presenter Michaela Strachan in June 2012.

Speaking at the opening of Essex Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre, John Devall, Water Director of Essex & Suffolk Water, said:

“The official opening of the visitor centre was an important milestone in the Abberton Scheme. It was wonderful to hear the great positive feedback from visitors to the event about this new facility and the work taking place to enhance Abberton Reservoir.”

Construction work continued on the project, entering its final year in 2013. In September, Northumbrian Water received a preliminary certificate to authorise the filling of the newly enlarged reservoir to 19mAOD, which is 1.2 metres above the original top water level. This was another significant milestone in the project with work reaching completion in November 2013.

The reservoir will be filled to the new 19mAOD level in spring 2014, reaching a new top water level of 21mAOD by spring 2015.

For more information about the Abberton Reservoir Enhancement project, please visit: www.eswater.co.uk.

Sustainable Solution for Re-usable Water 

GPS PE Pipe Systems has launched Enviro-Line; a PE pipe designed specifically for re-usable water supplies.

A high performance PE pipe suitable for rainwater harvesting, grey water and irrigation applications, Enviro-Line from GPS features the distinctive green stripe recommended by the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) and the National Joint Utilities Group (NJUG).

It has been launched to help specification of sustainable commercial and residential developments, providing a flexible and durable re-useable water infrastructure that avoids the risk of cross contamination with potable water supplies thanks to its black with green stripe colour coding. Enviro-Line offers all the usual advantages of PE, including a 100 year+ service life. It provides a light-weight, corrosion-free option that is easy to install, easy to maintain and ensures a leak-free solution.

Explains Oxana Latypova from GPS PE Pipe Systems: “Using rainwater or grey water makes sound environmental and financial sense and is becoming a core feature of sustainable development, so it’s important to have a pipework infrastructure that clearly separates drinking water from re-useable water. GPS has created Enviro-Line to address that requirement, offering a practical, EN12201-2 compliant solution in line with the national guidelines (NJUG and WRAS IGN 9-02-05).”

For more information, please visit www.gpsuk.com/enviro-line.

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Roma Publications