Afternoon All.

Work to rebuild the two filter beds at Hexham STW is approaching completion.

The filter media continues to be delivered to site in varying rates. After washing any dust from the media, it is placed in the filters by a 22t long reach excavator, where it is spread by a 3t excavator. The filling of the first filter was completed last week, followed by a crane lift to move the 3t excavator to the second filter. Filling of the second filter is continuing and is around 60% complete.

In the few remaining weeks until the Christmas break our filter contractor will complete his works and demobilise, whilst our in-house gang will construct new manholes, which are part of the process to bring the new filters into operation, and possibly install an extension to the site water main to feed the planned new inlet works.

There is plenty of works still to look forward to in the new year – refurbishment of the existing distribution chamber, seeding of the new filters, refurbishment of the existing detritor, and construction of the new inlet works, amongst others.

Thanks for taking the time to read the update. Photos are also attached for your perusal.

Dave

Morning All.

Work is continuing at Hexham STW to rebuild two of the existing filters.

The walls have now been completely replaced with precast units and new filter tiles placed on the existing base. These filter tiles will provide the air circulation and drainage under the media to keep the biological elements healthy and prevent the media from clogging with deposits.

The edge beam has also been cast around both filters to tie the precast walls in place. This beam has gained enough strength to allow the installation of the filter media to begin.

The filter media will be delivered to site from today at a rate of around 300t per day. It will then be washed to remove any fines and dusts which could clog the treatment works, before being placed in the filters by the long reach excavator and spread by the mini digger left inside the filter bed for that purpose.

We expect this process to take 2-3 weeks during which time there will be increased construction traffic coming into the site.

Thanks for taking the time to read the update. Photos are also attached which may provide a better understanding.

Dave

Afternoon All,

Hexham STW Refurbishment is continuing well on site.

The demolition of the existing tank walls has been completed and the waste brickwork removed from site for recycling by crushing and reusing as hardcore.

The replacement of the filter walls is well underway with 85% of the walls for both filters completed, and only a gap left in the walls to provide access.

We have commenced installing the filter tiles to the bottom of the filter beds which will provide air circulation to support the ‘bugs’ in the filters which process the wastewater.

Once the above is complete we will fill the opening in the filter walls and start filling the filters with media, which is porous blast furnace slag in which the ‘bugs’ live. The media installation will see an uptick in construction traffic again for a couple of weeks.

Thanks for taking the time to read the update and please have a look through the attached pictures.

Dave

Afternoon All,

Work is progressing well at Hexham STW Refurbishment.

The excess soil and stones were removed from site and the hardstanding was completed as planned to provide us with our working area.

Next, we progressed onto the first stage of refurbishing the existing trickling filters. We removed the existing distributors and arms which spread the wastewater over the filter beds. This was accomplished with a 100t mobile crane brought to site for the purpose. Removing them allows us access to remove the filter media and replace or refurbish their worn-out parts.

We have now removed approximately 2200m3 of filter media from the filters, using a variety of plant including a long reach excavator, and fed that media through a washing plant to clean it and make it suitable for recycling offsite. Around 120 tipper wagons full have be transported to our in-house recycling facility.

With that complete, we are now gearing up to start demolishing the existing filter walls which are no longer structurally sound, before starting to replace the walls with pre-cast wall units, retaining as much of the original structure as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to read the update and please have a look through the attached pictures.

Dave

Afternoon All,

Time for a progress update for Hexham STW Refurbishment:

We have completed our site set up and we are currently completing our enabling works in advance of removing materials from site. The enabling works are required to protect existing pipework from the increased loading and frequency of our vehicles.

Starting tomorrow locals may notice an increased volume of traffic as our tipper wagons begin removing excess soil and stones from site to allow us to construct a level hardstanding and crane pad. The hardstanding will give use the necessary area for deliveries, storage, and construction of the new filter beds. The crane pad will safely support a mobile crane to assist in dismantling of the existing filter beds and will be retained for any future lifts.

Once the excess soil and stones have been removed and the hardstanding created, the increased traffic will continue as the used filter media is washed and removed from site for recycling, followed by delivery of the precast concrete sections to form the new filters and the filter media to fill them.

That’s all for now, I’ll post another update in a fortnight.

Dave

Good morning,

I am Dave Eden, the Project Manager for Esh Stantec, the contract partner for Northumbrian Water. Esh-Stantec will be carrying out the works to refurbish Hexham sewage treatment works over the course of the next 12 months.

We have recently arrived at site and are completing our site establishment and investigations in advance of the commencing the main works.

These works include removing and rebuilding two of the four existing filter beds, installing a new inlet works and other ancillary works. This will significantly increase the capacity of the works and thereby futureproof the wastewater processing capability in the Hexham area.

This essential work will ensure the Sewage Treatment Works can continue to serve the community for future generations.

We do not anticipate any significant disruption to the road network or pedestrian routes in the area, but as this is a significant investment you may notice an increase in construction traffic.

We expect to have completed our work by late summer ‘twenty-four.

If you would like to speak to anyone with regards to the works, please contact us via this portal or at nwl.customer@esh.uk.com.

Thanks for your time.

Dave.