Civil engineering specialist JBA Bentley has been awarded a £19 million contract to deliver major flood alleviation works at Sheffield Forgemasters' Brightside Lane site, in a project designed to reduce flood risk in the Lower Don Valley.

The scheme will intercept the Bagley Brook culvert, which runs through the Sheffield Forgemasters site, enabling storm water to be diverted, stored, and safely discharged into the River Don. The system will include a large underground network of storage tanks, a cross-site transfer tunnel, and a pumping station, providing temporary containment of excess water during storms and releasing it back into the river at a controlled rate.

Craig Fisher, Programmes Director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: "We have already made huge steps towards flood prevention on the site, but the Bagley Brook transfer system will address a known flood-risk which can affect both our plant and this part of the city.

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"The brook, which runs through an enclosed culvert along our northern boundary and into the River Don, was contained in the Victorian era, and the culvert simply can't cope with an excessive flow of water, causing it to breach in heavy storm conditions.

"The new transfer system will allow storm water to be diverted from the culvert and contained in large attenuation tanks, before being transferred to the River Don via a new underground pumping station, near to Abyssinia Bridge."

Graham Frudd, Contracts Manager at JBA Bentley, added: "We are delighted to be working with Sheffield Forgemasters on what is a major flood alleviation project in the Lower Don Valley.

"JBA Bentley will undertake construction of a new weir chamber, integrated into the side of the existing Bagley Brook culvert, to allow a proportion of storm water to be redirected from the Bagley Brook culvert to a new pumping station at the side of the River Don.

"This will involve sinking a five-metre shaft to receive a tunnel boring machine which will drive a tunnel, twelve metres deep, for 320 metres across Brightside Lane. This will be launched from the 15m diameter shaft, which will double as storage and a pumping station."

As part of the works, a section of the existing flood wall along Sheffield Forgemasters’ boundary with the River Don will be repositioned to accommodate a new outfall structure, allowing storm water to be released back into the river at a rate of 8,000 litres per second.