Optimise Networks Newsletter Spring 2013

Issue No.11 Spring 2013

Friar StreetOptimise back at the heart of the town

Networks

I have experienced numerous AMP cycles and as Year Three of this one draws to an end I am struck by one significant difference this time. Rather than the customary dramatic and painful tailing off in workload, Optimise can look ahead to a very busy final two years.

This AMP is ever-changing, and the significant changes in hand for OPEX R&M demonstrate how during this AMP the way we work is constantly being examined and, where necessary, revised.

One constant however is our focus on health and safety. The article in this edition shows why health and safety audits should be welcomed for the opportunity they bring to improve our on-site safety.

The legislation relates to health, as well as safety, and the experiment with fruit boxes at depots and offices, and the trial use of a well-being machine, are novel attempts to improve the health of our people and awareness of health issues.

I have commented in the past about the way the work we do impacts on other people, including customers and members of the general public. The project to replace Victorian mains running underneath the famous Walthamstow Market is a great example of the lengths we go to, to ensure people can go about their normal working days.

The various projects to involve schools local to some of our sites inform and involve young people. And who knows? We may just be inspiring the water industry engineers of the future by the work they see us do today.

Optimise and Thames Water have agreed key changes to OPEX R&M contract working methods and payment procedures.

The changes are the result of tough negotiations that have been on-going for some months. Both Thames Water and Optimise management and supervisory staff were briefed at two events in mid-March hosted by Thames Water’s Bob Collington, and briefing sheets have been issued to all teams.

John Murphy, operations director for Optimise, was one of the senior management team involved in the talks. He said: “The agreed changes are designed to make it easier to carry out the work, and also ensure that it becomes more straightforward for Optimise to be paid for the work it does.

“Among the changes agreed are a number of improvements to the evidence required for payment applications to be successful.

“While photographs remain the primary type of evidence, other types of evidence such as comments from an NST assist, or van tracking data can also now be used to support applications that are rejected for lack of primary evidence.”

Importantly, photos can now be taken in Mobile-i or Triple M and do not have to be retaken using the Toughbook. Also, for the first time, where the photo carries a watermark stating the job number, such as when using Mobile-i, physical white or black boards are no longer required in photos. While this applies only to South London at present, there are plans to extend the change to Thames Valley too.

Other changes include removing claims for Network Service Technician waiting time from payment applications, and enabling additional and follow-on work to be raised remotely.

A new process is also being trialled where Thames Water Technical Planners can approve additional or follow-on work remotely using photos provided by the gang. This is designed to reduce the amount of time spent waiting for NST attendance and reduce their workload

John Murphy said: “Currently, all these changes only affect R&M gangs and commercial teams. However we will be looking to roll out the same or similar benefits in Developer Services soon.”

2 Networks Newsletter

OPEX ChangesNew working methods and payment procedures agreedIan Noble contract director

> intro

Customers will choose Thames Water because of our performance

Front Page: Optimise is repairing a 300mm clay sewer six metres below street level in the pedestrianised Friar Street in Reading’s busy town centre.

Welcome

3Networks Newsletter

Trench step

Optimise has developed a prototype trench step designed to make it safer to enter and leave trenches between 700 mm and 1000 mm deep.

HSEQ manager Nick Gilbert said: “At present people have an awkward option of clambering in or out of relatively shallow trenches and this has led to at least two reportable injuries. The prototype is being manufactured and will be tested by Optimise to see if it helps to overcome the problem.

“We have already received positive feedback from operations, together with ideas on how to improve.”

Supply chain

Quarterly engagement reviews with Optimise’s Top 25 suppliers now include two-way discussions, with one of the areas being health & safety. Nick Gilbert said: “These are designed to give two way feedback - our suppliers

can learn from us, but we can definitely learn from them too.”

Lost time incident boards

New ‘days since last lost time incident’ boards have been produced for use on CAPEX projects. These will be displayed on main sites which last for more than one month, to show the number of days since the last occasion that a lost time incident occurred on the site. It also includes figures for CAPEX North London and Thames Valley areas.

‘Lost time’ is defined as an injury that prevents a person undertaking normal duties for one whole day, or more, not including the day of the incident.

Nick Gilbert said: “These boards are another way of reminding everyone how important an accident free working environment is.”

Lift plan for excavators

Optimise is developing a lift plan for use when any excavators are used as cranes. The plan will be used by all personnel to ensure that they check the equipment, the capabilities of the machine involved, the nature of the item being lifted, and the environment in which the lift is planned to take place.

The plan is being put into practice from March onwards and includes checks learned from previous incidents.

Awards Success

The Optimise Joint Venture Board is delighted to announce that Optimise was successful in three categories at the Thames Water Health and Safety Awards

Best Health and Safety Improvement for Optimise OPEX Teams.

Best Practice in Health and Safety Collaboration for our work on the SCADA project with Thames Water and MGJV.

Young Person of the Year for Barhale’s David Crawford currently working on the tunnel re-lining at Datchet.

Optimise was also shortlisted for Excellence in Health and Safety Innovation for our work on fencing stability and site branding.

Congratulations to all involved and to everyone who contributes to the positive health and safety culture we have developed.

Updates on latest measures

Health and Safety> health and safety updates


Members of the successful Optimise team at the Thames Water Health and Safety Awards Presentation


Best Near Miss WinnerCongratulations to Gary Gentle for submitting the Best Near Miss for October to December 2012.

While working on the OPEX South London R&M contract, Gary assessed conditions on site prior to work starting and realised that unless parking bays were suspended, both gang and pedestrians would be placed at risk.

The work was subsequently delayed until appropriate parking suspensions and precautions had been taken. Gary (right of main photograph) is being presented with his £50 in vouchers of his choice by Darren Lake, district manager.

Random Near Miss Winner

The Random Near Miss winner for October to December 2012 was Gary Emerton. Gary’s Near Miss card was submitted while he was working on Tunnel Inspections in Wood Green, a CAPEX North London contract. He also wins £50 of vouchers of his choice.

Submission demonstrates safety focus

Near Miss Winners> health and safety updates


Trial gives chance to improve diet

Fruit Box Initiative

Optimise people are being given the chance to get fruity at work – thanks to a fruit box initiative which has been introduced.

The three-month trial sees a box of fruit delivered once a week at Kidlington and Brixton depots, and at Rose Kiln Court and Maple Lodge offices. People there are invited to tuck in, and take the opportunity to incorporate additional fruit in their diet.

Staff at Kidlington depot were keen to give it a try including, pictured left to right, Andrew Harbottle, Click scheduler; Darren Sawala, streetworks co-ordinator; Liz Dancy, developer services planner; and Dave Courts, field team manager, Thames Water.

“The three-month trial sees a box of fruit delivered once a week”


Optimise sites are subject to a number of different health & safety inspections and assessments.

According to Randolph Lavelle, health and safety adviser for North London CAPEX, the inspection teams go to great lengths to ensure fair and helpful assessments are carried out.

He said. “Working together with the site management team, we help to ensure that sites are legally compliant, in line with management systems, and are the safest and most efficient we can be.”

Sites receive various formal health and safety assessments, including the Thames Water SHE 8 inspection, site management checklists and task observation audits. Optimise carries out full health and safety audits, plus senior management and SHEQual inspections – as well as advisory visits.

The site teams are also expected to undertake weekly inspections and a contract or area manager should undertake regular ‘monitoring’ inspections.

“There are big differences,” said Randolph. “While some inspections are a straightforward pass or fail situation,

Optimise audits are benchmarked against an 80 per cent level, which is deemed good standard. Any score above 80 per cent will highlight a site which is exceeding the norm and setting best practice, and we need to ensure this is shared.

“I work closely with the three partner companies and it is interesting how they have their own approach to standards – the methods may be slightly different but the results can be correct for each.”

A full audit is a standard process with set areas to be assessed and typically will take three or four hours, although flexibility is incorporated, as the key risks will vary from site to site. For instance, traffic management may be critical on some sites but not on others, while confined space working will not apply to all.

Randolph said: “I always try to go with an open mind and listen to the responses of the people on-site. I am looking for evidence that the risk assessment and method statement reflect input from the whole team because there is a wealth of knowledge that we can tap into. It is not all about the site manager telling everyone how to do it.”

Randolph pinpoints a couple of suggestions for improvements on some sites. “Good site setup is vital. On many projects we are there a long time and we should be getting that right from the start,” he said. “Also, risk assessments and method statements can be quite subjective but there are a full set of documents and tools for site managers to use so that they don’t have to start from scratch.”

He has seen some encouraging trends since the AMP 5 programme began. “Lifting arrangements have very much improved over the last couple of years, while temporary works awareness is very good,” he said. “I must say, too, that the calibre of Optimise site managers is excellent.”

His advice to site teams is straightforward. “Don’t panic, be open and helpful and engage in discussion, and ask for help if there is uncertainty,” said Randolph. “It’s not about me being a policeman. It is about working together as part of the team to make health and safety on site better to ensure no one affected by our works gets hurt.”

Working together to improve site safety

Health & Safety Audits> health and safety updates


“Good site setup is vital. On many projects we are there a long time and we

should be getting that right from the start”

Randolph Lavelle, health and safety adviser for North London CAPEX


A drive is on to improve the speed and efficiency with which Optimise projects are Taken Over.

Andrew Scoble, lead programme manager, said: “All stages of our projects are important, but Take Over is particularly significant both to our client, Thames Water, and to Optimise.

“For Thames Water, Take Over demonstrates successful ‘capital delivery’ and transfer of responsibility back to the asset owners. For Optimise, Take Over allows welcome release of retention money, proven delivery of the project and the commencement of close down commercial processes such as Final Accounting.

“Increasing attention will be placed on achieving effective take overs and I’m sure the delivery teams will rise to the challenge, with support from Asset Integration.”

The Asset Integration team has been strengthened in recent months and, as part of its role to overview each project from order to commissioning, is now able to focus on improving the completion of projects.

Asset integration manager Wayne Street said: “Optimise has in excess of

370 capital projects to date covering North London and Thames Valley and 170 have been handed over so far.

“As with each year the race is on to achieve certain completion numbers by the March year end but this is an ongoing challenge. We hope to improve the general finishing performance in order to avoid this scramble at future year ends.”

According to Wayne there are numerous reasons why the completion of projects may be delayed.

“It can be a simple case that Optimise could not gain third-party access to complete the works in time, or delays on the documentation being handed over,” he said. “Sometimes we are not able to get hold of the resources needed – either from Thames Water or from within Optimise. And on a couple of occasions there has been a late change of view by the client about the scope of the project where, either through differences in interpretation of the original scope or an increase in work required, handover has been delayed” he said.

“The delivery managers appreciate there are problems in projects getting hung up.

“Now that the asset integration team has been increased in size a number of improvements can be made. The team is working on improving the processes, including the process of commissioning documentation. Putting extra resources into the team means we have more time to talk with the client to understand the issues and support the delivery teams.”

Wayne’s advice to the Optimise team is clear and straightforward. “Communicate! Communicate with each other, within Optimise and with Thames Water. It is not about us and them, we are a team trying to deliver the same goals – and both sides have responsibilities to that end,” he said.

Drive to achieve project Take Overs, on time and effectively

Project Delivery> Spotlight


“As with each year the race is on to achieve certain

completion numbers by the March year end but this is

an ongoing challenge.”Asset integration manager

Wayne Street

“ Construction work started just after Christmas and has progressed well - despite the initial heavy snow and the very

wet weather ground conditions that followed.”Site agent John Clark


> Spotlight


As part of the flood alleviation programme Optimise is constructing a £1.8m offline tank storage solution at Croft Road in Swindon. This will help to reduce internal and external flooding problems in the area.

A new 275m long 300mm gravity sewer will take excess storm water flows to a 13m deep, 7.5m diameter storage shaft which is being constructed on the site. The project also includes laying 285m of 180mm diameter rising main and the construction of six manholes.

Excess flows will be stored in the new shaft – which has a capacity of 330m³ or 330,000 litres - and then pumped back into the network when levels subside.

Site agent John Clark said: “Construction work started just after

Christmas and has progressed well - despite the initial heavy snow and the very wet weather ground conditions that followed.

“We construct the segmental shaft from the top ring downwards, by excavating with a large grab machine that can work at a depth of up to 25m.

“We excavate in 1.0m stages, we then use the crane to drop a mini-digger into the excavation and this digs back beneath the lowest ring of concrete segments to enable the next segment ring to be swung into position and locked.”

The programme is such that the scheme should deliver benefit before the end of the financial year. “We should be off-site by end of April,” said John.

Tank storage will reduce flooding

Croft Road Swindon

Site agent John Clark, sub agent Colin Joyce and foreman Ollie Ryan oversee

the shaft construction

While it’s mostly the construction teams that feature in Networks photos and project articles the design team is also a key part of Optimise. Here Networks talks to design manager Richard Armitage, and design team leaders Jason Bee and Mike Vickers about the work of the team.

Networks: What is the structure of the team?

Richard Armitage: We have two design managers – me, with my team based at High Wycombe and Warrington, and Rodney Ogbeide whose team is based at Rose Kiln Court and Cardiff. Both teams receive modelling and CAD support from our team in India.

We each have design team leaders who look after groups of designers working on either clean or wastewater projects.

In addition Steve Hunt heads our engineering function which ensures technical compliance and expertise.

Networks: How many of you are there?

At the peak we had 110 full-time-equivalent design staff working on Optimise business and that is now standing at around 80. Three-quarters of those are full-time on Optimise work and the remainder are specialists who work on other things too.

The proportions of the design requirement have changed too. For the first couple of years it was a 50/50 split between waste and clean water activity and now it is 70 per cent wastewater. This has required us to move our resources to match the change.

Networks: What areas of work do the teams concentrate on? What do the clean water teams do?

RA: The clean water teams work on networks - the general mains infrastructure; rehabilitation and leakage - and large water supply infrastructure such as reservoirs and tunnels.

The emphasis of their work is changing. In the first two years there was lots of

relining with VMR in North London and the mains repair and replacement programme in Thames Valley. Both are substantially completed from a design point of view, although there may be another phase of work to come on prioritised leakage solutions.

We are now looking more at the trunk water mains system. including ensuring that Thames Water has good facilities for measuring flows and therefore controlling leakage better.

We also have a major assessment and cleaning programme on the large tunnels joining the Thames Water’s reservoirs. These carry strategic supplies and working on them requires an outage programme which is carefully coordinated with the client. This was particularly difficult and some projects were delayed when we were threatened with drought last year.

We have also done good work on block pressure management where, by managing the pressure in the network to the minimum that achieves an acceptable pressure to the customer, leakage levels can be reduced. This is a performance-driven scheme and has been very successful.

Our designers are currently working on Baseload One through to Baseload Nine! The Briefs from the client during the earlier baseloads were very specific, and often included reference designs. Now the Briefs are wider with more emphasis on achieving outcomes. This creates an opportunity for more innovation, while still working within the Thames Water assets standards. We are being challenged all the time to innovate but the client has to be confident about what we put forward.

Team faces new programmes as AMP unfolds

Design> Spotlight

8 Networks Newsletter Customers will choose Thames Water because of our performance

A day in the life of... Carl FestDesigner Carl Fest joined the MWH Optimise design team at the start of the AMP when he moved across from Thames Water. He works mostly on wastewater projects, with CSO and flooding jobs currently taking up most of his time.

“I am working on up to 7 projects at any one time and I am involved throughout the life of the project,” he said. “This starts with receiving the Brief from Thames Water, clarifying the required scope and outputs and identifying any problems. Part of the lead design engineer’s role is to collaborate with Thames Water’s Operations, Capital Delivery and Asset Management staff to ensure that the project output meets each department’s expectations.

Carl and his team firstly deliver an outline design with projected cost, to achieve Thames Water’s approval for the project to proceed, which is followed by the detailed design. “Modelling of the network is usually involved and I brief the hydraulic modellers in India and oversee the modelling outputs” he said. “Effective modelling is crucial to ensure we start the project on the right track. It is essential.”

His role also includes co-ordinating constructability reviews to ensure designs are deliverable, identifying risks, managing the design programme, scoping site investigations, liaising with internal experts, managing design budgets and delivering the design in compliance with the CDM Regulations.

Carl said: “No project is typical. All new projects have something different .”

Networks: And on the wastewater side?

RA: A major driver is the floodingof domestic properties. ThamesWater has a target set by Ofwat toreduce the number of properties onits Sewer Flooding History Database.

However, there is an issue in provingthat the data on the database has asound foundation - we are discoveringthat a lot of the properties on thedatabase actually have operationalproblems and therefore fall outsidethe remit of this programme.

Definition of the programme was therefore really challenging and it has been difficult finding the affordable opportunities we need. However, we believe that between our flooding programme and the Maida Vale flooding alleviation project, we can outperform our target and achieve cost savings.

The second area of wastewater activity is improving water quality in watercourses to standards that satisfy the Environment Agency.

We are engaged in a programme to reduce the number of spills from combined sewers into watercourses. Typically the pollution comes from either foul water overflowing into the surface water network during storm events through combined sewer overflow (CSO) or dual manholes (where surfacewater and foul run side-by-side in channels next to each other). We are also discovering a lot of properties being misconnected so the foul connection goes into the surface water network, but resolving these is the responsibility of local authorities not Thames Water.

We can improve the quality of the foul water overflowing into the surface water by screening if the Environment Agency has granted a Consent to do this. Alternatively we may have to close off the CSOs, but this usually means we need to provide additional storage to prevent flooding and in London there are limited amounts of land available for these storage solutions.

We now have joint meetings with Thames Water and the Environment Agency to discuss innovative options. These solutions have included underground Weholite pipe storage or, as at Rye Meads a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) using ‘egg crate’ storage and swale ditches.

A third area of work is “growth projects” that require delivering extra capacity for new developments such as at Wichelstowe, near Swindon and Harlow.

We are also involved in the rehabilitation of assets beyond their normal useful life, such as the NOS pipe bridges and numerous rising main projects.

Emergency sewer collapses are also part of our work, including recently at Blagrave Street and Friar Street in Reading.

Networks: What are the main challenges in your work?

RA: The design element is often not technically difficult. The difficulty is in a fitting it in because of the various constraints such as third parties and

other infrastructure being present. It is a classic problem of ageing infrastructure.

The recent Adolphus Road project required us to work in people’s back gardens, for instance, while the Olympics had a big impact on our deadlines and led to a staccato pattern of working for nine months.

Mike Vickers: Meeting client expectations can be a challenge. Thames Water has its asset management and capital delivery teams and Optimise has to deal with both of those. This can be difficult as the different teams within Thames Water may have different expectations.

Jason Bee: The unpredictability is a daily but welcome challenge. One issue is that some of the projects are No or Low Build - which is good for Thames Water and Optimise gainshare targets, but not for turnover! Our challenge is then to help define and evolve new work by collaborating with Thames.


> Spotlight

Design manager Richard Armitage (right) and design team leaders Mike Vickers (top) and Jason Bee (above)


An Optimise gang delivering Victorian mains replacement in Camden’s Arlington Road has discovered three sections of timber water-pipe which are believed to date back to the 1700’s.

Although the upper parts of the pipe are quite decayed, much survives intact and the team retrieved some interesting finds from inside, including pottery and the leather sole of a shoe.

Pottery was also discovered in the compact grey clay that covered the timber pipes which archaeologists say may also date back to the 18th century. It is believed the clay was used as a way of making the pipes

water-tight. Timber pipes were part of the water management system which brought fresh water into central London and were still in use well into the 18th century.

The discovery is the second found by an Optimise team in the last year, after a gang working near Euston Station in March discovered a three metre trunk main with a seven inch diameter dating back to the 1600’s. The main is currently in the process of being conserved, using a technique similar to that undertaken to preserve the Mary Rose, Henry VIII’s warship which was recovered in 1982.

Second historic find by an Optimise VMR team

Wooden Pipes


> Projects

Nesting birds alert from ecologist

Bird Spotting!

While Spring is the signal for new growth and new life it is also the time for caution for Optimise site staff who may encounter nesting birds on the land they need to work on.

Optimise ecologist James Hildreth provides advice on the steps to be taken and has developed an environmental alert briefing sheet which is issued with the regular health and safety updates to project managers and site foremen.

He has also created a presentation for other Optimise environmental advisors giving detailed advice on how to survey sites and study birds who may be nesting.

James said: “Nesting birds can be found in lots of habitats - woodland, scrub, hedgerows, on the ground, in buildings, cliff faces, riverbanks and using stored materials and equipment.

“The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 dictates all nesting and nest building birds are protected and it is illegal to disturb them.”

He added. “This includes intentionally taking, damaging or destroying the nest of any wild bird whilst it is in use or being built, or recklessly disturbing any wild bird while it is nest building, or at a nest containing eggs or young.”

According to James, clearance of trees, hedgerows, scrub long grass fields and ornamental shrub planting should be undertaken over the winter months where possible. “If this is not possible, vegetation clearance must be pre-checked and then supervised by an ecologist or environmental advisor,” he said.

If a nest is found it has to be fenced off at an appropriate buffer distance, with access to the area restricted and exclusion signs erected. The ecologist will monitor the nest until all breeding activity has been completed, which can cause 6-8 week delays.

Birds such as robins will nest in any suitable space – as these photos showing a nest built

in an old teapot (top) and on a piece of machinery (above) demonstrate.


Thames Valley Developer Services are installing a new water main in a very high profile location in Aylesbury town centre.

The 58m 100mm ductile iron main is being installed to service a new supermarket and restaurant park under construction at Walton Street. The work is immediately in front of the striking new Waterside Theatre on a main roundabout.

The new main will link to an existing 8” cast iron main but initial plans to avoid working in the carriageway had to be changed in order to make the

connection. The team of Roy Gibbs and Kevin Matthews are only allowed to work in the roadway between 9.30am and 3.30pm to avoid peak traffic flows, and so temporary reinstatement is required each day.

Operations manager Dan Davis said: “The start date for the work had to be held back because of an Olympics-related embargo that was in place. We have liaised very closely with the local authority and with local businesses to ensure our impact is minimised.”

> Projects


High profile Developer Services project

Walton Street, Aylesbury

Underground storage is solution for West London flooding

Maida Vale

Optimise is building two vast underground tanks to significantly reduce the risk of sewage flooding into at least 200 West London residents’ properties.

In the past, heavy rainfall has led to flooding at premises in Maida Vale and in neighbouring Brent having wastewater back up from an overwhelmed sewerage system.

The £17.5 million scheme will run for around 20 months, and will start in May provided planning approvals

are granted.

Neil Marples, design manager for Optimise, said: “Computer-aided hydraulic modelling had shown that 6300 cubic metres of additional storage was needed to alleviate the flooding in this location. However, to achieve this amount of storage, 14 different 6m diameter storage shafts, each 20m deep, would need to be constructed and then joined together.

“This is not appropriate for many reasons but because there is not the space locally to install one large tank, the flows need to be transferred to a point where a large tank can be safely constructed and where future maintenance can be carried out.”

The tank under Westbourne Green will be 20m deep and 20m in diameter and able to hold 6.3 million litres of wastewater – enough to fill two and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools. A second tank will be dug under Tamplin Mews Gardens. This one will be 15 metres deep and 15 metres in diameter with a capacity of 2.65 million litres.

Project manager Iain Tytler said: “We considered about 40 different sites before settling on Westbourne Green.”

Picture left: Roy Gibbs, Kevin Matthews and Dan Davis on-site in front of the Waterside Theatre.

“ We have been working very closely with the Council and the Market Traders... in order to minimise the disruption

and ensure that all businesses and market stalls can remain open and pedestrian access be maintained”

VMR planner Joe Alves


The VMR team replacing Victorian water mains in Walthamstow has had to carefully manage its impact on Europe’s longest daily outdoor market.

The one kilometre long Walthamstow Market began in 1885 and stretches the entire length of the High Street - apart from the last 100 metres of the street - with about 500 stalls in operation five days each week.

Work began in January to install new twin 125mm and 180mm mains along the length of the High Street – literally underneath where the stands are located. The existing 12” and 4” cast iron main will be abandoned once the new main is in place and commissioned.

The presence of a large gas main on the same route and HV electrics also in the ground has added to the complexities of completing the work.

VMR planner Joe Alves said: “We have been working very closely with the Council and the Market Traders for around eight months in order to minimise the disruption and ensure that all businesses and market stalls can remain open and pedestrian access be maintained, while the work goes on.

“The project has been split into four separate, six week ‘phases’ during which the market stalls affected are temporarily relocated to either the Town Square or the Arcade site at the junction of Hoe Street.”

Site agent Dermot Conway said: “The phased working is to suit the market traders and overall their reaction to our efforts has been positive.

“In order to minimise the impact we are treating each phase as a complete single entity, with main laying, service connection and reinstatement all taking place consecutively so that we can be out of the phase and onto the next as quickly as possible.”

Joe Alves added: “The Walthamstow Market stretch of existing main forms a crucial feed for the entire DMA and has been the site of around 100 leaks within the past 10 years. The replacement work is set to run until the Summer, and is part of a much larger programme to replace 18km of main in the area.”

Victorian mains replacement under famous street market

Walthamstow Market> Projects


Family affair – left to right, brothers Dave and Ray Oakey laying the new main.

Site agent Dermot Conway outlines the

scheme to market trader Enayat

Miakhel, who has been at the market

for over 11 years.

Having completed a complex collapsed sewer scheme at Blagrave Street, Optimise was called back into Reading’s busy town centre to tackle a similar repair beneath the pedestrianised Friar Street.

The 300mm clay sewer is 6 metres below street level and the team first had to relocate two 9” ductile iron water mains in order to gain access. Teams have had to hand dig the excavation because of the many utilities in the ground.

MWH has brought in specialist structural engineers to complement the temporary works design to minimise any risk of excavations affecting the stability of the nearby church (pictured on the front page of Networks).

Dominic Nelson said: “There are two repairs being made on a 5m stretch of the sewer, one of which is very close to the foundations of the adjacent church. We have had to dig trial holes to locate the exact location of the foundations so we can plan our repair accordingly.”

Second town centre sewer collapse

Friar Street, Reading> Projects


Young tunnellers see Optimise project

Wichelstowe

More than 20 young members of the British Tunnelling Society paid a site visit to Optimise’s Swindon Southern Trunk Sewer programme at Wichelstowe.

They were hosted by site manager Ovi Frunza who demonstrated the pipe jacking method of construction and its benefits for deep level sewer construction.

Work began in June on the £5.4m programme to construct a new trunk sewer from Wichelstowe to Swindon. The Phase 1 programme is constructing 1410m of 1200mm gravity sewer at depths between 4 and 9.5 metres using microtunnelling, plus 375m of

combined 600mm and 450mm of predominantly open cut gravity sewer.

Ovi said: “The BTS members also walked the line of the new sewer drives and inspected the then live Tunnel Boring Machine drive shaft. They

all enjoyed their experience and the chance to see a significant pipe jacking operation in action.”

Tunnelling on the project has now been completed, with reinstatement set to be finished before the end of March.


Team members uncover the damaged pipe.

Work has now begun on site on the construction of a new 19.2km pipeline to reduce the amount of abstraction from the River Kennet at Speen WTW.

£10 million pipeline project sets off...

Speen Pipeline> Projects

...and local youngsters get involved

Pupils from a school near to the Speen project had the chance to try out their engineering skills when they took part in Thames Water’s ‘network challenge’.

The game, which teaches students about the complexities of constructing a real-life water network, tasked the pupils with planning, building and testing a network of their own. And, like real engineers, they had to do it

in time and on budget – and without getting wet!

Volunteers from Optimise spent the morning with the pupils from Mary Hare School for deaf children and young people, helping them to complete each stage of the challenge.

The session offered an insight into the difficulties that are often encountered

during construction projects in highly populated urban areas – including the unexpected discovery of a protected badgers’ set midway through the game, a twist designed to get them thinking on their feet.

The visit from Optimise was part of a wider programme of engagement aimed at keeping the local community informed about the new Speen pipeline being laid in the area.

Optimise will also be arranging a site visit which will give the youngsters a chance to see for themselves what a major construction project looks like.

School Challenge

14 Networks Newsletter Customers will choose Thames Water because of our performance

The £10m investment will reduce the amount of groundwater abstraction at Speen Water Treatment Works. Optimise will be laying the new 19.2km pipeline between Tilehurst, Reading, via an existing water booster station in Bradfield, to the Cold Ash service reservoir near Newbury.

Stakeholder engagement manager Rachel Groves said: “The programme will help the environmental condition of the River Kennet and improve the sustainability of the water use. It will help to reduce the amount of water being abstracted in the area by an average of 4.5m litres per day.

“The new pipeline will also help to safeguard Newbury’s water supply in the future by providing an additional water supply route into the area.”

The construction work is expected to be complete by June 2014. The route of the pipeline takes it past ancient woodland and scheduled monuments, and involves three river crossings and the crossing of the M4 motorway.

Traffic management and diversion routes will be in place with a series of rolling road closures designed to enable working in the narrow lanes in the area.

“The game, which teaches students about

the complexities of constructing a real-life water network, tasked

the pupils with planning, building and testing a network of their own”

“The programme will help the environmental condition

of the River Kennet and improve the sustainability

of the water use”

Stakeholder engagement manager Rachel Groves

Rachel Groves of Optimise with school Head of Geography Robin Askew and pupils


The Optimise team relining the two main raw water intake tunnels from the River Thames at Datchet pumping station have taken time out to build relationships with their local community.

Site engineer Steve King visited the local Datchet Montessori School to explain the work that was being carried out and answer questions from the children. The youngsters then came to site to see the work for themselves. Viewing areas were set-up to allow the children and their teachers to safely watch how the site team carried out their daily activities.

Teacher Jessica Frearson wrote afterwards: “Watching the digger move the sand to create a road for the children to walk over was a highlight. We appreciate the thought that went into the visit, including the itinerary, hats and hi-viz jackets: it proved to be a fantastic way to combine a fun, safe outing with a great learning opportunity.”

The team also made donations to local charities, and chipped in to help fund Christmas Day lunches for local disadvantaged people.

‘Fantastic’ feedback from local youngsters Second main under way

Datchet School Visit Slades Hill> Projects

Customers will choose Thames Water because of our performance 15Networks Newsletter

The construction by Optimise of a second 16” water main at Slades Hill, Enfield in North London will increase capacity and allow the existing main to operate at a lower pressure to reduce leakage.

Site manager Steve Hills said: “The £1.1m project will create 600m of new main under the main road from Cockfosters to Enfield, and involves a mix of directional drilling and open cut techniques, plus two under-pressure connections. Work is scheduled to run until May.

“A local hospital is served by the existing water main and we have to plan carefully to ensure its supplies are not disrupted during our programme.”

Flooding scheme ties in with regeneration programme

Markfield Road Tottenham

A project to remove 19 properties in Haringey, London from the Sewer Flooding History Database is being carefully co-ordinated to tie in with a major regeneration programme in the area.

Work has begun to upsize 345m of 225mm diameter surface water sewers at Markfield Road and adjacent streets. The new sewers will range

in size from 300 to 600 mm. Foul flooding is also being resolved by the re-opening of the Stonebridge CSO, the addition of cross connections, the removal of a grill in a drop manhole to the tunnel sewer, and the remaking of the connection to the Moselle Brook plus a new dry weather flow connection to the Stonebridge Culvert.

The installation of a sump pump and some local internal drainage will be utilised to resolve flooding in the Prince Arthur pub.

Optimise stakeholder manager Arthur Gugan said: “Our work is being timed to fit in with the extensive Tottenham Hale regeneration works which are

under way. We have carried out extensive liaison with the London Borough of Haringey and TfL to ensure we can carry out this work as part of their wider programme.

“It’s a specific time window we have to work in.”

The regeneration plan for Tottenham Hale aims to deliver a new urban centre, 4,000 new jobs, a high class transport hub and connectivity improvements. Other members of the Optimise delivery team include delivery manager Ian Thompson, site manager Edmund Bradshaw, and lead design engineer Peter Quinn.

“The £1.1m project will create 600m of new main under the main road from

Cockfosters to Enfield”Site manager Steve Hills

“The regeneration plan for Tottenham Hale

aims to deliver a new urban centre”

> People

Two Minutes On... DESIn our regular look around Optimise we asked CAPEX programme manager John Barnes to tell us about DES – the Data Exchange Sheet.

What is DES?It is the key monthly report in which we transfer information to Thames Water to update their systems. It gives them all the information they need to know about Optimise project milestones, value of work, cash flow and outputs. It tells the whole CAPEX picture in a single report.

What do you do on DES?My role as programme manager is to maintain an overview of the programme performance, both internally and to Thames Water, and also use the information gathered to work with our delivery teams to set priorities and resolve issues. DES is at the core of that process.

What does the work involve?I take the raw project schedule and cost information from our Primavera P6 planning system and add explanation and analysis of this data, and this creates the DES report. First, I prepare a draft report that is discussed and reviewed with Thames Water, and then we can agree

the finalised report. DES now covers over 400 different projects.

Is it demanding?It’s a relentless cycle. As the AMP rolls on, the number of projects keeps on increasing - but it is getting easier to report on them!

Is it enjoyable?It is quite a privilege to be in a position to have an overview of the entire programme each month. I also enjoy working with everyone in Optimise – there is a really good culture of working together.

What would you change if you had a magic wand?I would decimalise the reporting periods so that rather than having 12 monthly reports, some of which have four weeks and some of which have five, I would have 10 five week months – and two weeks off at Christmas!

We asked Kevin Matthews, ganger on Developer Services in Thames Valley, for his answers to our regular ’10 Questions’. Here is his response.

Playing or watching sport?Definitely playing. I play football every week in the season for a local club. We are doing well.

Pub or wine bar? Pub please. I’ll take a pint of lager in my local pub in Banbury, which is big and friendly.

Underground or up in the air? Up in the air. I do like flying.

Pop or rock? Pop, although I have no real favourites. I just like to listen to the music on the radio.

Beach or mountains? Beach every time. We love to take holidays in the Canary Islands.

X factor or Strictly? Neither thanks. I might watch nature or sports programmes but rarely sit down to see TV before 9pm.

Planes or trains? A plane – to the Canaries!

Dogs or cats? Dogs, although I don’t actually own a pet myself.

Sweet or savoury? I like everything sweet. If it has got sugar on it I will eat it.

Tell us something about yourself that we don’t already know. I have two false knees, as a result of a motorcycle accident around 20 years ago. My kneecaps and joints are all silicon – although that doesn’t stop me playing football or digging trenches!

Ten Questions

NETWORKS EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION TEAM

EDITORS: Erica Fairhurst, Optimise communications manager, Tel. 01189 236 926

Ken Harrison, Tel. 07801 649045

DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Anthony Hughes, MWH, Tel. 01925 845000

Contact Us: If you have any comments or suggestions for the Networks Magazine or would like to contribute, please email [email protected]

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Documents

Optimise Networks Newsletter Spring 2013