T-T Pumps Supplies Pumping System to Lowestoft’s Flood Risk Management Project

The consultants and contractors for the new pumping station at Velda Close looked no further than T-T Pumps to design, supply and install the equipment needed to meet the demands of the Lowestoft flood risk management project. Drawing on decades of technical and site expertise, T-T Pumps were an essential partner to ensure the scheme’s success.

Coastal flooding can be a devastating event. The tidal flooding in 1953 and more recently in 2013 that saw 160 properties damaged by an extreme rain event and again in 2015 prompted Lowestoft to take action to reinforce its flood defences.

A range of options was considered to alleviate the risk posed by tidal flooding and the flood risk of Kirkley Stream. After consultation with residents, a new pumping station and flood wall were considered the most practical options to protect properties and businesses within the flood risk area.

The Lowestoft flood risk management project explained: "We will be constructing a sheet piled wall for approximately 300m along the stream to reduce the risk of flooding from the stream. We will also be building a new pumping station on land adjacent to the car park that will manage surface water from the existing drainage system during significant rainfall events. This will reduce the risk of flooding caused by the system becoming overloaded.”

As the pumping station would be an essential component of the long-term flood defence strategy, it was vital that suppliers had experience in water management and the capacity to supply the pumps to be used by the project.

T-T Pumps was the only choice made by the construction contractors. With an existing relationship built on trust and long-term supply reliability, the Velda Close pumping station component of Lowestoft's new flood defence project was in good hands.

“Surface water from a local housing development runs the risk of overwhelming the surface water sewer network in place,” explains Jon Whittingham, Pumping Stations Manager, T-T Pumps. “T-T Pumps was tasked to aid with the design, supply and installation of a pumping station. Also, to take flows from the housing development and discharging the water into a local river which in turn runs out to the sea. This then aids in protection of the existing surface water drainage infrastructure.”

As the pumping station would have unique characteristics to meet the project’s strict requirements, T-T Pumps’ involvement from the inception of the pumping station's design was critical to the entire project's success.

Experience and technical expertise

One key aspect of T-T Pumps’ involvement in the Velda Close component of Lowestoft's flood risk management project was to understand the specification of the pumping station itself clearly.

T-T Pumps’ Senior Project Engineer, John Plant, commented: "The pumping station pipework, pumps, kiosk and control panel all needed to be specified. In addition, we were also tasked with the designing and the connection to the power supply the pumping station would use, plus a connection to an emergency generator was also required in the design.”

John Plant continued: “Our expertise in the water management sector and the need for this project to have M&E performance specified by Anglian Water, T-T Pumps had the expertise to not only create the design for the pumping station, but also, supply the station’s essential components. No other supplier has this breadth of knowledge, technical expertise, and direct supply capabilities.”

The actual specification of the pumps that would be used at Velda Close included a four-pump layout with each pump capable of pumping up to 27.5% of the max discharge at the max design head. In addition, the pumping arrangement must also be capable of pumping a stepless range of flows from about 40l/s to max discharge of 320l/s.

T-T Pumps’ Jon Whittingham explains: “The pumping station contained four pumps and a unique control system on site, as the flows that enter the pumping station vary. Therefore, the station may only require one pump to operate, or up to all four pumps in operation should the inflow determine this. The task was to select pumps that would handle a combination of the minimum flow rate and the maximum flow rate required, plus all flows in-between.  To design a control system which would allow the pumps to react subject to demand.”

The pump chosen for the Velda Close project was the Zenit UNIQA model ZUG OC200B 7.5/6AD. This was the preferred choice based upon the quality of the product, reliability, and efficiency. This pump model contains an IE3 6-pole motor providing maximum efficiency for the application requirements.

The ongoing operation of this pumping station is vital; therefore, a TT SEER telemetry unit was installed to monitor and record the station performance.

Seer is the most advanced monitoring system on the market and allows T-T to monitor pumping stations and plant 24/7 with live status and alarm activation, but most importantly, observation of the entire system with history that allows potential issues to be identified early, rather than traditional telemetry systems which are reactionary.

MD, Bob Nash concludes: “As we are the only provider who could deliver such a project T-T Pumps are unique as we truly are a one stop solution for pumping station provision. We design, manufacture, install, commission and service. No element of the works is sub-contracted, therefore we deliver on quality, service, reliability and at the right price. Our ‘can do’ attitude and our willingness to think outside of the box constantly delivers solutions to our clients that just work.”

The Velda Close pumping station project is another example of the professional and integrated services T-T Pumps consistently deliver to the water management sector. With T-T Pumps' expertise, the residents of Lowestoft can look forward to a safe future with a massively reduced risk of tidal flooding.

For Drainage and Effluent pumping systems, call our experts today:

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