c cutter suction dredge pump replacement

North Drain Pumping Station

North Drain Pumping Station

A second phase of repairs and improvements to North Drain Pumping Station was led by the Environment Agency and part-funded by the SRA. Works included replacing two penstocks used to help manage the inlet to the pumping station, straightening weedscreen bars, de-silting inlet bays, fitting three stop-log boards for controlling flows of water, and fixing stone gabions. The Environment Agency then installed new electric canister pumps, ‘fish-friendly’ and with a lower carbon dioxide (CO2) output than the station’s old pumps, which were near the end of their life.

North Drain Pumping Station sits close to the confluence of North Drain and the River Brue about halfway between Westham and Burtle. This area tends to have too much water in winter – and too little in summer – so the pumping station needs to operate as effectively as possible all year round. Pumping water from the North Drain into the Brue, as and when required, helps to reduce the risks of flooding for 9,700 acres of land.

A first phase of SRA-funded works took place in 2018, which included the replacement of the station’s 50-year-old leaking and collapsing concrete roof with a lightweight modern roof.

Using Growth Deal funding from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, the SRA has helped the Environment Agency to introduce better ways of working and more flexible water management at North Drain Pumping Station.