By Ashley Karen
SEVERN Trent’s £25 million scheme to decrease sewer flooding in Stroud is getting closer to completion after its TBMs (tunnel boring machines) have completed laying 1.7 km of brand-new sewer pipes.
The water and waste firm intends to transform the network in the town by delivering those living in Stroud with a reliable sewer network, expecting to improve river health and build more storage to protect homes and businesses from blockages and flooding.
Four TBMs have been employed to excavate underground for laying the new pipes to minimize disruption above ground for residents. All of them were named by the local community or by those working on the project.
Now the project manager, Chloe Dobbs, has provided the latest update ahead of its scheduled completion of Autumn 2024: “It’s been great to be involved in a project such as this and it’s great to see how well it’s coming along.”
She added: “We’re making good progress – we’ve completed the laying of the trunk sewer with all of the tunnel boring machines which has been a big piece of work and we’ve finished laying the rings of the new CSO storm tank shaft which is 26m in depth.”
Dobbs continued: “Using the tunnel boring machines has been so beneficial – they have been cutting through the earth, laying new pipes in their path without residents being aware of the amazing work going on beneath their feet.
“We’ve worked closely with businesses to mitigate any disruption and we’ve held customer drop-in sessions where it’s been great to meet customers with a keen interest in the project.”
The new CSO site, just off the Ebley bypass, houses a storm tank, which is said to increase the capacity of the local network extensively.
It will have wise controls that can hold water back during intense weather events before returning it to Severn Trent’s treatment works once rainfall has subsided and the capacity to treat it is available.
