Client: South West Water
Location: South Hams
In my former role, I acted as Environmental Project Manager during the planning and design phase of the Avon WTW Support Scheme. This was an £8.8 million pipeline scheme to improve South West Water’s security in supplying water to the South Hams and Plymouth area.
The 13 kilometre long, 700mm diameter, trunk main was partly located within the Dartmoor National Park to the north of Plymouth. The water main extended into the South Hams countryside in Devon.
As a result of the close liaison between the client, engineers and environmental team, environmental impacts were minimised. Key issues included part of the scheme being located within the Dartmoor National Park, crossing main watercourses, passing through woodland and a Scheduled Monument.
A screening opinion was obtained to confirm that the Avon Support Main was not EIA development. No planning application was required. Detailed landscape and visual assessments, ecological and archaeological appraisals were, however, still prepared.
Construction work was undertaken under South West Water’s Permitted Development Rights in accordance with a detailed Construction Environmental Management Plan.
The scheme won a number of awards including:
- Green Organisation ‘Gold’ Green Apple Award;
- Special Commendation in the Pennon Group Environmental Awards;
- Highly Commended in the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) World of Difference Award;
- Finalist in the Water Industry Achievement Awards;
- Finalists in the Carbon Reduction Category of the 2009 Devon Environmental Business Initiative (DEBI) Awards.