ECS completes penstock sluice installation in flooded river 29 August 2014

ECS Engineering Services has completed installing a new three-gate sluice as part of local improvements to the flood prevention scheme at at Constant Spring, near Emsworth, Portsmouth.

The structure on the River Ems is now helping to control water flow rates through to Chichester harbour, particularly during heavy rainfall, to prevent the flood defences being overwhelmed.

Jamie Wesley, commercial manager, Water Control Division at ECS, explains that it was not possible to divert the water flow during the installation, so everything had to be completed with the river still running its natural course.

This complication meant that enhanced risk assessments and method statements had to be implemented, with the structure designed for hand assembly in the river, using protective clothing and harnesses.

"Although the physical size of this project was relatively small, it remained quite complex in terms of engineering and logistics," comments Wesley.

"We timed the installation of the new sluices to minimise the flowrate of water through the site to reduce any complications to the project," he continues.

"The design included a temporary lifting frame that allowed site engineers to manoeuvre the heavier pieces of the structure into place without compromising safety."

The main framework of the new sluice has been built from galvanised steel, designed and manufactured at ECS's new factory at Huthwaite, while the penstocks were made from HDPE (high-density polyethylene) supplied from Waterfront Fluid Controls.

Wesley says the hand-railing across the sluice was also improved with new timber to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards, as per Environment Agency requirements.

Brian Tinham

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