Page 18 - W M Donald Newsletter - Edition Eleven

Effective drainage key to success of pumping station project
Loirston Loch is a very scenic area located to the West of Cove, where the A92 and A956 intersect. There have long been plans to build in the area and, back in 2011, it was suggested as a possible site for a new stadium for Aberdeen FC.
Whilst it may be scenic, the site has provided a significant challenge for W M Donald’s work on behalf of Muir Homes and Muir Construction.
W M Donald was contracted by Muir Construction to construct a wastewater pumping station. As a first step, W M Donald had to drain the peaty, wet bogland in order to install overflow tanks.
Sarah Herd was one of W M Donald’s engineers on the project:
‘Effective drainage was key to the success of the pumping station project. We developed a robust surface water management plan before we got to site. The aim was to collect as much water as possible upstream and divert
it into an existing burn. Any remaining ground water was overpumped and desilted itself before entering the burn. We monitored the burn daily for any signs of silt and contamination.’
On site, W M Donald installed over 1,000m of 225mm rising main pipe. Wastewater was initially captured in a wet well and then pumped to a dry well and eventually into existing gravity sewers:
‘Significant excavation was needed to accommodate the wet well, dry well and storage tanks. The tanks were installed at a depth of 2.5m, and the wet well down as far as 4m.’
The work for Muir Homes was relatively straightforward in comparison. W M Donald constructed the access road, groundworks and plotworks for 29 properties on the site.
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