Flood alleviation success in Carlisle
Three years since the devastating flooding that
DOMInIC
struck Carlisle, the £13 million Eden and Petteril
BrADlEy
OODS
Flood Alleviation Scheme has been completed Principal
Fl
ahead of schedule.
Engineer
rIvErS &
COASTAl
The floods led to two deaths and around £500 million
14
of losses. Atkins has been working in partnership with
T: 01925 238000
the Environment Agency (EA) and contractor Volker
dominic.bradley@atkinsglobal.com
Stevin to develop and implement a solution to prevent
future flooding losses.
The scheme has mainly involved raising and replacing
flood defence embankments and walls as well as
storage and pumping facilities. The project also
included environmental enhancements along a
“ As our key supply chain partners on this scheme
4.5km frontage of both the River Eden and Petteril
in central Carlisle.
[Atkins, Volker Stevin, Arup], have been instrumental
in getting us this far. I would therefore like to take this
Part of the project involved raising a structurally
opportunity to add my appreciation to you all for the great
substandard 3.5m high Victorian masonry wall by over
1m to achieve the required level of flood defence.
efforts put in. The project team and the organisations they
Traditional options that would essentially require represent can be rightly proud of this achievement.”
demolition and reconstruction of the wall were Graham Sheppard, Environment Agency Project Manager
discounted in favour of an innovative piling technique.
This technique improves the stability of the existing Successful collaboration and exploring innovative
wall and provides a pile cap to support the new flood solutions has resulted in an overall saving of £3 million
defence wall. on a scheme that protects around 1500 properties.
It also helped the Environment Agency exceed its
The solution provides a highly cost effective, sustainability targets and the good practice has been
environmentally sound and sustainable solution shared and since used elsewhere on another EA scheme;
bringing additional health and safety benefits. in this instance, to safeguard a wall of historic value. n
Top: River diversion works to
enable construction of defences
is one of many solutions
implemented to improve flood
protection for Carlisle.
Left: The project involved
raising a structurally substandard
Victorian masonry wall by over
1m to achieve the required level
of flood defence.
Autumn 2008 | solutions
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