A team from Costain's Water Sector, with client Severn Trent Water, worked round-the-clock to secure the supply of water to 100,000 customers in the Hereford area after a serious leak at Severn Trent’s Wyelands Intake Pumping Station, near Ross-on-Wye, last month.

Costain carried out routine maintenance at a pumping station that pumps raw water to a water treatment works 5km away.

As the team worked on the station, a 900mm diameter flange joint ruptured which released water at high pressure. With pressure inside the piping system set at 25 Bar, the chamber flooded and required urgent round-the-clock support and assistance from Costain, including a team from Costain Industrial Services, Severn Trent and numerous suppliers.

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The pressure in an average household water main is normally set at around 3 Bar which gives some indication of the amount of pressure going through the water main at the pumping station.

Working together, the team drained the 5km main containing the water, removed the leaking valve, and recharged the affected pumping main so it could restart pumping again.

"Not only did we have to repair the leak, which was a massive job in itself, but we also had to make sure that there was enough water in the reservoir to allow time for the repair to be completed before we turned the pumps off. A special repair piece was fabricated by one of our suppliers overnight on the Friday and that gave us enough time to complete the repair without emptying the reservoir. The dedication and teamwork from all concerned was first class and averted a potentially serious supply issue," said Matt Crabtree, Costain’s Water Sector Director.

(CD)