WJ Groundwater are pleased to announce the successful commissioning and switch on of their latest project in Blackpool, northern England. This project follows on from other recent projects in the local area, including the Phase 1 works at Anchorsholme in 2016 and at Lennox Gate in 2017.
The works, taking place in Anchorsholme Park in the Thornton-Cleverlys district of Blackpool, are being undertaken by Ward and Burke Construction Ltd as part of a multi-million pound United Utilities project to help improve the quality of the coastal waters of the Blackpool and Fylde coast. The Phase 1 works involved the construction of a new storm water storage tank, whereas the larger Phase 2 works involve the construction of a new storm water pumping station, housed inside a 32.0m diameter, 20.0m deep shaft, to replace the existing pumping station on Blackpool’s world famous promenade.
The complex geology of the Blackpool area is characterised by inter-bedded water-bearing sand horizons and impermeable glacial till deposits. In order to aid the construction of the new shaft it was necessary for WJ to install a dewatering system to separately target the Upper and Lower sand horizons. To do this WJ utilised their Conrad and Soilmec SM10 drilling rigs, which have been successfully used for the installation of similar systems nearby.
Mobilising to site in early February 2017, the SM10 drilling rig was used to install an array of 15m deep wells inside the footprint of the shaft to target and drain the Upper Sand deposits.
The Conrad drilling rig was used to install a ring of 49m deep wells around the external perimeter of the shaft to control groundwater pressures in the Lower Sand and to minimise the risk of any basal heave during the shaft excavation.
To ensure the system is working effectively the groundwater levels are being monitored using vibrating wire transducers, installed in monitoring wells, connected to a datalogger.
For more information about the project visit here.
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