A scheme to protect the community of Lower Lancaster from flooding has taken joint first place in the Community Award category of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ (ICE) North West Awards 2009.

The coveted award is given in recognition of a civil engineering project that demonstrates a clear benefit to society and a recognisable or measurable improvement to the quality of life for the people who use it or are affected by it.

The Lower Lancaster Flood Alleviation Scheme, for which construction supervision was provided by Black & Veatch, a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company, shared the honours with the Environment Agency’s Eden & Petteril Flood Alleviation Scheme, Carlisle, Cumbria.

The £5 million Lancaster scheme, designed by Halcrow and constructed by Carillion, was commended by the judges for providing “significant community benefit in terms of the high standard of protection, additional public access and wildlife improvement” provided for the Lancaster district.

“The scheme was an excellent example of teamwork. Black & Veatch’s experienced professionals put forward a number of constructive suggestions to optimise the conceptual, technical and operational aspects of the project,” said Black & Veatch’s Project Manager Graham Deakin.

“Working in conjunction with the main designer, Black & Veatch carried out minor redesigns necessitated by unforeseen conditions, such as the embankment fill requiring a higher percentage of lime stabilisation than had been originally envisaged, as well as addressing obstructions encountered during piling. This redesign process resulted in considerable savings for the Environment Agency.”

Environmental considerations a key factor

Environmental considerations were a significant factor within the development of the scheme, including the maximised use of recycled and locally sourced materials and suppliers. Fill for the embankment was sourced from an adjacent landowner free of cost, thus avoiding around 8,000 HGV movements through Lancaster’s tight one-way system. This option proved a considerable saving to the project and afforded the opportunity to provide an enhanced facility for wildlife due to the creation of a wetland habitat at the Borrow Pit.

The River Lune, located to the west of the city of Lancaster, has a history of flooding at Lower Lancaster from both fluvial and tidal events. The flood alleviation scheme comprises 350 metres of precast L-walls, 1.7 kilometres (km) of sheet piling and 1.5km of earth embankment. It has significantly improved levels of protection to 900 homes and industrial units in the area by reducing the likelihood of flooding, in the event of extreme weather, from once every five years to once every 500 hundred years.

Lower Lancaster flood alleviation scheme has significantly improved flood protection to the predicted 1 in 500 year flood level.

The Environment Agency was very pleased with the execution of the works - Christopher Stone, Project Manager for the Environment Agency’s National Capital Programme Management Service explained,

"The Lower Lancaster Flood Alleviation Scheme has been a very successful project and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all the members of the project team."

The flood alleviation scheme has improved the quality of life for the local community and businesses and facilitates the future regeneration of the Luneside East area of Lancaster. The Environment Agency's aspirations for the scheme were achieved with the creation of a wetland habitat on the site with six hectares of open water, reed beds, wet grassland and woodland. Although still establishing, the new habitats have provided an enhanced environment for wildlife and attracted many different wildfowl and wading birds whilst protecting important woodland from saline flooding.Photo captions: Lancaster2.jpg- Lower Lancaster flood alleviation scheme has significantly improved flood protection to the predicted 1 in 500 year flood level.