Waste Water & Water Treatment

A lot of the waste water treatment sites we have worked on were built in the 1960s and 70s and the because they are commonly situated near water courses, so they can easily discharge treated water into the natural water course. To span these water course bridges of about 3-5m in width were needed to allow sludge and sewerage lorries access to the plant to unload.

The bridges were built for the weight of vehicles of their time but now lorries are heavier and we are asked to assess their condition and capacity. We look at the quality of the concrete, corrosion and the condition of the reinforcement.

If needed then we will design strengthening works to allow the safe crossing of fully articulated lorries that can have a GVW of 44t.

Water treatment tanks come in all shapes and sizes and essentially we are designing a waterproof structure that will keep the water in and not allow leakage.

We have designed both reinforced concrete structures and pre-cast concrete structures (to speed-up erection on site). Sizes of water tanks range vastly from 15m2 to 150m2.

Clients also required bases and foundations to be designed for proprietary tanks, and we will then design to size and shape of the tank. The below diagram was a circular dished slab which required radial bars throughout.

Access platforms are needed to safely allow the sewerage and water treatment staff to inspect and maintain their equipment such as the sludge holding tanks.

Essentially these access platforms are a steel frame with steps up to a mesh platform. The challenge of designing these is that they need to be installed and work around other pieces of equipment and plant. Being able to design a a steel frame around obstructions is a skill and requires the experience and knowledge of a structural engineer