Sykes Pumps Assists in Dewatering Operations for New South East Reservoir Construction 

A new Oxfordshire reservoir, South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SERSO), is under way, creating a major new investment in water security and water supply for the Southeast region. Sykes Pumps was called to assist in the dewatering process of a large pond and surrounding floodplain to make way for the new reservoir.

The water needed to be pumped a distance of 350m to a designated runoff water course. Before discharge, the water needed to be treated in order to make it environmentally safe and regulatory compliant, meaning it had to have a PH level between 4-8 to meet the strict standards. Maintaining such a large distance of 350m introduced complexities to the project, including controlling the flow and turbulence of the water. These factors could directly impact the accuracy of our PH level measurements, therefore it was important that the flow of water was controlled.

During the dewatering process, to help control and manage the flow of water, Sykes Pumps devised a solution that involved using the P3001 Submersible Pump and PX12N Submersible Pumps; high volume flow rate submersible pumps suited for moving vast quantities of water.

The LC50 Lamella Clarifier, Polymer Dosing System and Water Treatment Monitoring System from our Sykes Silt Away range was used to treat the discharged water and monitor the PH levels.

Achieving the desired PH values required monitoring the flow and turbulence rates via a live monitoring system, making several adjustments to the flow rate control, and using an additional settlement tank to allow accurate monitoring before discharge. This required regular site follow ups to recalibrate our systems from our experienced engineers. We also provided technical advice from our polymer dosing specialists. Heavy rainfall in the area caused additional issues, such as flooding of the whole area, however, our engineers were on hand to support on several occasions.

We successfully pumped and treated the water from the floodplain and pond and safely discharged the water into the runoff course. This has allowed for further ground testing to take place, confirming the area’s suitability for a large reservoir to be constructed on it. As a result, the area has been green lit by local authorities and can now proceed with the next phase of the project. This project is a significant milestone in regional water security planning, and the long-term benefits it will be bring to the region cannot be understated.