Costain has been conducting clay compaction trials to inform the design of Thames Water’s planned 150Mm3 reservoir in Oxfordshire.
The South East Strategic Reservoir Option, or SESRO, will provide a resilient water supply for up to 15 million people in the South East of England.
Costain, which is working closely with technical partner Arup-Binnies Joint Venture on the trials, has also provided constructability advice to inform the design proposals for the new reservoir, including design, construction and sequencing recommendations for the embankment, tunnelling and the rail siding from the Great Western Mainline, which runs to the south of the proposed site in Abingdon.
In the video below, James Barratt, project manager at Costain, Leonie Dubois, head of engagement, land and consents at Thames Water, and Mark Job, integrated major projects leader at Arup, explain the purpose of the trials and how they are progressing.
What is the purpose of the clay compaction trials?
Costain’s clay compaction trials help inform the detailed design and construction of engineering projects for which the behaviour of clay needs to be understood.
Costain is undertaking the trials at the proposed SESRO site to understand the ground conditions and the behaviour of the local Kimmeridge clay, such as its absorption quality and performance under different compaction conditions.
How is Costain conducting the trials?
Costain has excavated 16,900m3 of clay from within the site to assemble three test embankments, each approximately 50m long and 20m wide.
Geologists will be testing the clay on-site and in laboratories using specialist equipment to determine the performance of the Kimmeridge clay under different compaction conditions.
Costain is also providing safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) assurance and is acting as a logistical hub for all ground and environmental investigations, including archaeological assessments on site.
What will be the outcome of the trials?
The data gathered will have a direct impact on the reservoir embankment design and construction methodology, all in support of an application for a Development Consent Order.
Once the trials have been complete, the temporary embankments will be safely dismantled, replacing and compacting the earth to its original agricultural condition.
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Contact
Gerard Shore
Sector director
[email protected]