A multi-million pound investment by Scottish Water in Edinburgh’s waste water network has been marked by a community effort to sow the seeds of what will become a large wild meadow above the site of a key project.
Community groups and school pupils took part in the event this week to plant the meadow which will cover ground on Bruntsfield Links in Marchmont. A 20-metre-deep storm tank has been installed underground as part of the investment to help protect customers from sewer flooding - construction of the tank was a major engineering feat.
Creation of the wildflower meadow was led by Dr Tim Duffy, Chair of the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Lothians Members Group and David Kyles of the City of Edinburgh Council. It will take around a year to establish, during which time fencing will remain around the perimeter of the site.
Scottish Water’s investment in the waste water network has been designed so storm water will be directed to the underground tank during heavy rainfall, something which occurs more frequently due to climate change.
Once the storm has subsided, storm water collected in the tank will then be pumped out to the sewer network and carried to the waste water treatment works before being returned safely to the environment. Ultimately, this means that for customers in the area, the risk of flooding has been reduced. In addition, over 600 metres of new sewer pipe has been fitted beneath Marchmont Crescent.
Early on in the project it was agreed that the site should be re-established as a wildflower meadow upon completion.
Rob Mustard, Scottish Water's Director of Capital Investment said:
“Completion of this multi-million pound investment in Edinburgh’s waste water network reflects Scottish Water’s commitment to improving its infrastructure to better serve our customers, meet increased demand and address the impact of climate change.
“The improvements made to the sewer network and installation of the storm tank will benefit customers and the environment in Marchmont for years to come.
“We are grateful to everyone who has worked with us to allow us to carry out this work. Their patience and understanding is greatly appreciated.”
The project was delivered by Scottish Water’s alliance partner Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA).
Paul Milligan, CWA’s Communications Manager said:
“This has been a huge piece of engineering in the heart of Edinburgh. We are very glad to have successfully completed the project and provide peace of mind for properties that were affected by flooding.
“The new storm tank will be able to hold around 3.5 million litres of storm water. When you see the sheer scale of the storage tank you get an appreciation of the amount of storm water that will be held back from the local sewer network during periods of heavy rainfall. We overcame challenges such as excavating out extremely dense sandstone for the tank construction to tunnelling a section of sewer to avoid mature tree roots.”
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
bNovate has launched BactoCloud, a secure cloud-based platform that connects and manages its BactoSense instruments, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of microbial water quality.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.