Water Resources

Bridgwater Tidal Barrier Phase 2 Ground Investigation | Causeway Geotech Ltd

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Project Title: 

Bridgwater Tidal Barrier Phase 2 Ground Investigation | Causeway Geotech Ltd

Date:

September to December 2019

Location:

Bridgwater, Somerset, England

Client: 

The Environment Agency / BAM Nuttall

Business Sectors: 

Environment (Flood Defence)

Services (Technical Disciplines):

The completion of land and overwater ground investigation works, including cable percussion boring, rotary drilling, static cone penetration tests and trial pitting. Overwater works were completed off a jack-up barge, with a series of temporary floating walkways installed from the riverbank to allow access and egress to the working platform at all states of the tide.

Project Objectives/ Outcomes:

Causeway Geotech were appointed by BAM Nuttall Ltd on behalf of the Environment Agency to carry out land and overwater ground investigation works for provision of geotechnical and environmental information to characterise ground conditions at the site of the proposed Bridgwater Tidal Barrier for input to the design and construction phase.

The success of this project relied heavily on good communication between all parties; works carried out under the supervision of a full time Site Agent and two designated Site Engineers (1 land and 1 marine) from Causeway Geotech.

The River Parrett feeds the Bristol Channel and has the second highest tidal range in Europe; bespoke access solutions were required to ensure overwater works could continue uninhibited.

The contract was completed on time and on budget to the satisfaction of all involved stakeholders.  The construction phase is due to commence in Q3 2022 following public consultation.

Our Role: 

This was an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) where the Principal Contractor (BAM Nuttall Ltd) appointed Causeway Geotech on behalf of their Client (Environment Agency) with the scheme Designer (Jacobs UK) acting as Investigation Supervisor.

The scope of works included:

  • 4 overwater boreholes by cable percussion boring and Geobor S wireline follow-on coring
  • 4 overwater Cone Penetration Tests
  • Overwater works conducted off a C5 jack-up barge
  • 12 land-based boreholes by a combination of cable percussion boring and Geobor S wireline coring
  • 14 boreholes by dynamic sampling methods
  • 29 land-based Cone Penetration Tests
  • In-situ testing including packer tests, HPD tests, borehole permeability tests and indirect CBRs by DCP
  • 40 trial pits by mechanical excavator
  • Factual ground investigation report.

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Darren O’Mahony (Darren.omahony@causewaygeotech.com)

Ras Tanura Port Upgrade | ByrneLooby

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Project Title: 

Ras Tanura Port Upgrade | ByrneLooby

Location:

Saudi Arabia

Client: 

HUTA

Business Sectors: 

Civil Infrastructure/ Water Resources

Services (Technical Disciplines):

Design

Project Objectives/ Outcomes:

ByrneLooby are a market leader in marine engineering and expertise and brought these capabilities to this project in Saudi Arabia. The primary objective of the Ras Tanura Port Upgrade is to improve the safe turnaround time of the vessels loading/offloading, to accommodate for the rapid expansion of offshore oil and gas operations in the Arabian Gulf. The forecast from the Drilling & Workover Departments indicated that the number of offshore drilling rigs will result in an increase in the support vessels in 2019 and beyond. ByrneLooby worked in collaboration with Wood Group in the delivery of the detailed design for HUTA who were the appointed LSTK contractor.

Our Role: 

The upgrade of the West Pier had a capital cost of $50m for the upgrade of the existing quay wall. The length of the upgraded wall is approximately 700 meters long. In addition, one alongside type berth will be constructed for wet docking maintenance, and a ramp will be constructed for deploying pollution equipment and small boats from onshore to offshore. This project will increase the 2,500 Tons Maximum Displacement Weight (MDW) capacity of the existing quay wall to 4,500 Tons MDW.

The primary objective of the project design is to improve the turnaround time of the vessels loading/offloading and improve the safe operation of the marine fleet, in compliance with ARAMCO requirements. ByrneLooby / Wood Group successfully achieved this.

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Steve Gregan (SGregan@ByrneLooby.com)

Al Naseem Development | ByrneLooby

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Project Title: 

Al Naseem Development | ByrneLooby

Location:

Diyar Al Muharraq, Bahrain

Client: 

Stantec / MSCEB

Business Sectors: 

Civil Infrastructure & Water Resources

Services (Technical Disciplines):

  • Marine Engineering
  • Numerical Modelling
  • Construction Supervision

Project Objectives/ Outcomes:

Al Naseem is a mixed-use water front development within the master planned Diyar Al Muharraq community in Bahrain. This unique development is envisaged as a premier marine lifestyle development with villas and apartments overlooking outer and inner canals. Other components of the project include amenities like Retail, Promenade, Marina Yacht Club and a Boutique Hotel along with a seafront view.

ByrneLooby were tasked with providing technical inputs in the development of the masterplan, design of the internal canals, lock gate and water recirculation system. The canals were designed as a hybrid wall which included using precast concrete blocks placed on a rubble mound. The hybrid wall was proposed as a smart solution to optimise the plot size whilst ensuring safe navigation and adjacent berthing.

Our Role: 

Infrastructure Consultants Stantec Khonji appointed ByrneLooby to develop the masterplan and provide marine services and MSCEB was assigned as Lead Architect. ByrneLooby provided the following marine services:

  • Masterplan development
  • Canal edge projection design
  • Numerical modelling studies
  • Concept marina and artificial beach design layouts
  • Navigation and dredging assessments
  • Lock gate and water recirculation system concept design

ByrneLooby has also been appointed to provide supervision for the construction of various marine and civil packages, including the inner canal, lock gates, pump stations, dredging and reclamation, and outer edge protection construction. ByrneLooby will also oversee the installation of the internal and external mooring structures.

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Steve Gregan (SGregan@ByrneLooby.com)

Lilongwe Water Board Treatment Works | Nicholas O’Dwyer

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Project Title: 

Lilongwe Water Board Treatment Works | Nicholas O’Dwyer

Location:

Lilongwe, Malawi

Client: 

Lilongwe Water Board

Business Sectors: 

Water Resources

Services (Technical Disciplines):

  • Detailed Design
  • Tender Dossiers
  • Procurement
  • Construction Supervision
  • Construction Management

Project Objectives/ Outcomes:

The main objective of the project is to prepare detailed engineering design, cost estimates and tender documents for Treatment Works III (50,000m³/day Drinking Water Treatment Plant), provide assistance in the tendering process and to supervise construction of the works.

The project also included upgrade of existing water treatment plants (capacity of 125,000m³/d) to serve over 1.1 million people in the city of Lilongwe, Malawi. The scope of the works include: Analysing the suitability of locating Treatment Works III on an alternative site to one proposed in preliminary design report; Preparation of detailed engineering designs, drawings, specifications for the Water Treatment Works III (TW III) and tender documents; Financial Analysis – Preparing cost estimates, economic, and financial assessments including the following: Preparing detailed cost estimates for the technology, civil works, commissioning, and erection including environmental and social costs; Environmental and social scoping of the water supply facilities; Assessing and reviewing operational efficiency of the existing water treatment plants (TWI and TWII) and proposing measures for efficiency improvement, including detailed designs and cost estimates; Construction supervision of the Treatment Works III including efficiency improvement measures for TWI and TWII.

Our Role: 

  • Detailed engineering design
  • Review of Tender Documents including Drawings, Specifications, Modifications to Conditions of Contract (FIDIC Red Book)
  • Preparation of Contract Documents, Tender Evaluation and Recommendation of Preferred Bidder, Tender Adjudication
  • Construction Management including; Review of Contractors Proposals Management of Variation Orders Commissioning Certification Interim and Final Valuations Dispute Resolution
  • Construction Supervision (FIDIC Red Book)
  • Defects Liability Monitoring

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Michel Davitt – mdavitt@nodwyer.com

Nacala Boreholes, Transmission Mains, and Distribution Centres | Nicholas O’Dwyer 

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Project Title: 

Nacala Boreholes, Transmission Mains, and Distribution Centres | Nicholas O’Dwyer

Location:

Nacala, Mozambique

Client: 

Fundo de Investimento e Património do Abastecimento de Água (FIPAG)

Business Sectors: 

Environment, Water Resources

Services (Technical Disciplines):

  • Preliminary Design
  • Detailed Design
  • Tender Dossiers
  • Procurement
  • Construction Supervision

Project Objectives/ Outcomes: 

The Nacala water supply distribution system is supplied by two sources. The first source is a dam on the Muecula River some 30 km south west of the city. The reservoir has a storage capacity of about 4.4 million m³. The dam was rehabilitated and raised to expand the capacity of the reservoir to facilitate a supply increase from 7,200 to 10,000 m³/day.

The second source for the distribution system is the Mpaco and Mutuzi (I and II) well fields. These well fields have a total of ten boreholes with flows between 1,080 and 2,400 m³/day each, resulting in a combined capacity of 13,920 m³/day. Further groundwater investigations indicated that the sustainable capacity of this second source was 23,000 m³/day. This project provided for the construction of the following works: Development of 22 No. Borehole sources together with collection systems; 2 No. 200m³ RC collection reservoir and 1 No. 100m³ RC collection reservoir; 4 No. High lift Pumping stations; Approximately 10km of 350mm and 17km of 200mm transmission mains; 2,000m³ service reservoir and 250m³ water tower; Extensive mechanical and Electrical works.

Our Role:

  • Preliminary and Detailed Design of Groundwater Abstraction Systems, pumping stations, Transmission Mains
  • Design review of Distribution Centre and Water Tower
  • Preparation of Tender Dossiers
  • Review the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) prepared by the Contractor
  • Supervision of the construction, commissioning and hand-over of the Schemes
  • Monitoring the Contractors design progress in accordance with the Contractual Programme
  • Instructing and monitoring the Contractor regarding compliance with health and safety precautions
  • Review of payment applications and approval of all eligible payments for the Employers action

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Michel Davitt – mdavitt@nodwyer.com

Chetwynd Reservoir Internal Inspection | Murphy Geospatial

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Project Title:

Chetwynd Reservoir Internal Inspection | Murphy Geospatial

Location:

Cork, Ireland

Client: 

Malachy Walsh & Partners / Irish Water

Business Sectors: 

Civil Infrastructure / Water Resources

Services (Technical Disciplines):

Upon receipt of an initial enquiry regarding the ability to obtain UAV captured images of the internal concrete wall of the reservoir, we gained an understanding of what Malachy Walsh & Partners required. Due to difficulties in ensuring reliable communications with a UAV, Murphy Geospatial suggested an alternative approach which was accepted by our client.

Upon award of the contract, Murphy Geospatial coordinated with multiple stakeholders to ensure all necessary preparations were made. The reservoir was emptied for the purposes of the inspection and any necessary repair, so the inspection needed to be carried out within a certain window of opportunity.

A two-man team was used to carry out the survey. With all appropriate PPE, including rope access harness and confined space kits, our inspectors used a 10 m telescopic pole in 3 radial bands around the internal wall of the reservoir at increasing heights. The pole had high-intensity LED lights to illuminate the wall and a high-definition HDR camera which could be remotely operated from the ground. A preview of the image was visible to the inspectors to ensure high quality results and avoid blurred images etc. before moving to the next section.

Project Objectives/ Outcomes: 

Murphy Geospatial delivered a set of high-quality photographs enabling an appropriate engineering assessment to be carried out.

Our client was able to proceed with their engineering assessment with confidence. Our combined efforts, along with other project stakeholders, partly ensures that residents of Cork City will have a secure water supply for years to come.

Our Role:

Murphy Geospatial was approached by Malachy Walsh & Partners to assist with the structural inspection of a key part of the water supply infrastructure in Cork City. High-quality visual inspection data was required to identify any defects in the post-tensioned concrete Chetwynd water reservoir structure, south of the city. The internal space was classified as confined space working, perfectly suited to our specialist inspection skills. Murphy Geospatial proposed a bespoke solution to capture the data required, fixing remotely operated high-definition cameras and LED lights to a telescopic pole.

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

David Graham (dgraham@murphysurveys.ie)

Monrovia Raw Water Pipeline Project | Nicholas O’Dwyer

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Project Title:

Monrovia Raw Water Pipeline Project | Nicholas O’Dwyer

Location:

Monrovia, Liberia

Client: 

MCA-Liberia

Business Sectors: 

Water Resources

Services (Technical Disciplines):

  • Detailed Design
  • Procurement
  • Construction Supervision
  • Capacity Building

Project Objectives/ Outcomes: 

The objective of the Project was to replace the raw water pipeline from the dam at the Mount Coffee Hydro Power Plant (MCHPP) to the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) serving Monrovia. During the pre-civil war period, there were two raw water supply sources feeding the WTP: a) A 42-inch intake pipe and lift pumps on the St. Paul River where the WTP is located. b) A 36-inch ductile iron pipe (DIP) that transmitted water by gravity from the dam at the MCHPP to the WTP. In the 1970s, the gravity pipeline was installed to replace the 42-inch intake at the WTP due to saltwater intrusion at the river intake.

The proposed pipeline route was approximately 5 km long and generally followed the original alignment of the pipeline with small deviations. Replacement of the river intake pumps with gravity flow through the new pipeline will reduce energy use at the WTP. In addition, the improved reliability of the raw water supply to the WTP will result in more consistent water supply to the LWSC service area. MCA-Liberia procured a Works Contractor for executing a design-build contract following FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Plant and Design-Build 1999 (“Yellow Book”), MCC’s Environmental Guidelines and the IFC Performance Standards.

The Scope of Works comprise all Works (detailed design, manufacture, supply, erection, construction, installation, testing, commissioning and training) necessary for the Works Contractor to design and construct fixtures, fittings, and equipment for the Works to be fit for conveying water from the MCHPP reservoir to the WTP.

Our Role:

  • Review of Tender Documents including Drawings, Specifications, Modifications to Conditions of Contract (FIDIC Yellow Book)
  • Preparation of Contract Documents, Tender Evaluation and Recommendation of Preferred Bidder
  • Construction Management including; Review of Contractors Proposals Management of Variation Orders Commissioning Certification Interim and Final Valuations Dispute Resolution
  • Construction Supervision (FIDIC Yellow Book)
  • Defects Liability Monitoring
  • Capacity Building / Training (with emphasis on FIDIC Yellow Conditions of Contract)

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Michel Davitt – mdavitt@nodwyer.com

Adaptive Management of Barriers in European Rivers -EU | Compass Informatics

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Project Title:

Adaptive Management of Barriers in European Rivers -EU | Compass Informatics

Date:

05/2020 – 07/2020

Location:

European Union

Client: 

Marine Institute

Business Sectors: 

Water Resources/ Environment

Services (Technical Disciplines):

Our team provided geospatial analysis services to provide insights on a variety of themes impacting the conservation of Atlantic Salmon in the EU. Using Python programming and ArcGIS, the team merged 21 river networks from estuary to sub basin level to assess European river connectivity. An SQL database was developed to consolidate data regarding the extant and historical salmon population using rod catch reports from 2000-2019.

Areas of the network were attributed to identify areas with geographically proximate qualities, ecological quality scores, dendritic connectivity indices and the location of main river barriers.

Water temperature was attributed using previous Global monthly levels (1981-2014) and modelled projections for 2020-2080, these large raster datasets where processed and amalgamated with the closest river sections, creating Climate Change forecasts for individual river networks.

Project Objectives/ Outcomes: 

Much of Europe depends on water from rivers for drinking, food production, and the generation of hydropower, which is essential for meeting the EU renewable energy target. Infrastructure for agriculture and energy production such as barriers and weirs can fragment habitats and block migratory species. Only half the EU surface waters have met the WFD’s 2015 target of good ecological status. Some barriers are old and out of use, but may hold historical value. European rivers need to take the complexity and trade-offs imposed by barriers into account to inform future decisions. From 2016 to 2020 AMBERs set out to apply adaptive management to the operation of barriers in European rivers. To achieve a more effective and efficient restoration of stream connectivity.

Our Role:

Our role involved providing expert geospatial analysis services through the analysis, amalgamation and aggregation of complex EU hydrological data. With the data consolidated and visualized cartographically, ecologists can effectively and efficiently identify opportunities to restore stream connectivity, improve water quality and promote biodiversity.

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Gearóid O’Riain/ goriain@compassinformatics.com

Mbarara Water and Sanitation Project (Design) | Nicholas O’Dwyer

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Project Title:

Mbarara Water and Sanitation Project (Design) | Nicholas O’Dwyer

Location:

Uganda

Client: 

National Water and Sewerage Corporation

Business Sectors: 

Water Resources/ Environment

Services (Technical Disciplines):

  • Feasibility
  • Preliminary Design
  • Detailed Design
  • Tender Dosiers

Project Objectives/ Outcomes: 

The project involves the detailed design, preparation of tender documents, procurement and construction supervision for works to the existing water and sanitation infrastructure in Mbarara in western Uganda. The project is being delivered in two stages; Stage 1 is Detailed Design and Stage 2 is construction supervision.

In terms of Stage 1 the scope of the Detailed Design includes the following works;

  • Rehabilitation of the existing Water Treatment Plants at Kabale road in Mbarara (capacity of about 5,000 m³/day),
  • Rehabilitation of Ruharo intake and WTP (existing capacity of about 8,000 m³/day) and extension with a new line of 8,000 m³/day,
  • Rehabilitation (including NRW reduction through implementation of DMA), intensification and extension of the distribution system in Mbarara service area,
  • Detailed design of approximately 20km of trunk and distribution mains ranging in size from DN150 to DN300.
  • Upgrade and rehabilitation of approximately 10km of sewer networks within 3 catchments including 1 Nr. Pumping station.
  • Detailed design for upgrades and rehabilitation to existing waste stabilisation ponds in the catchments of Katete, Kakoba and Kizungu.
  • Detailed design for new faecal sludge treatment centre and associated effluent treatment.

Nicholas O’Dwyer carried out all civil, structural, process, mechanical and electrical designs for the water and sanitation infrastructure. An ESIA and RAP study was also carried out for the project. Procurement of the works contracts will be through FIDIC Red conditions of Contract. Nicholas O’Dwyer will provide the key experts for the management and supervision of the works which have an estimated value of $35m.

Our Role:

  • Review and update of Preliminary Designs
  • Detailed Design of Water and Wastewater Improvement Works
  • Preparation of Tender Documents (FIDIC)
  • Assistance during the Procurement Stage
  • Assistance in preparation of ESIA and RAP

Geoscience Ireland Contact:

Michel Davitt – mdavitt@nodwyer.com

Resource Recovery and Land Remediation Initiative | CDE

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Project Title

Resource Recovery and Land Remediation Initiative | CDE

Location

Colombia

Client

AuVert Mining Group

Business Sectors

Mineral Resources/ Water Resources

Services (Technical Disciplines)

Wet Processing Plant Design

Project Outcomes/Objectives

The land surrounding AuVert’s Condoto site is rich in precious metals. Formerly mined for platinum, the old operation did not fully maximize the resources onsite so precious metals remained in the ground, something AuVert wanted to capitalize on with its new wet processing plant.

The AquaCycle™ water management system recovers up to 90% of the water used throughout the process. On average, the CDE and AuVert approach uses 77% less water than traditional methods, without using any toxic chemicals.

This ensures the water supply won’t become contaminated and unsafe for the neighboring community. The AquaCycle™ and EvoWash™ technology has also provided flexibility to enable the plant to process variable clay-bound feed material with a high percentage of fines.

Our Role

At the front end of the process, AuVert employs the world-class R2500 – a durable hopper, feeder, and scalping screen which conditions the feed material prior to further processing by breaking down tough clay-bound materials and scalping large boulders to provide a consistent feed to the processing plant optimizing production throughout.

It also employs the AquaCycle™ thickener water management system for water storage and recirculation around the plant, which is needed for this remote location in the Colombian jungle.

The tail end of the process features CDE’s flagship EvoWash™ technology – a compact, modular materials washing system which integrates a high-frequency dewatering screen, sump and hydrocyclones to provide unrivaled control of the slimes cut point.

Geoscience Ireland Contact

Kate McCormick (kmccormick@cdeglobal.com)

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