Background to Project

Over the past number of years, there have been pollution issues with the Blackstaff River Culvert at Ormeau Avenue, which discharges into the River Lagan at the gasworks.

Following investigations, it has been identified that a critical sewer on Ormeau Avenue is almost totally blocked with Fats oils and grease (FOG’s) which have been discharged from local premises in Shaftesbury Avenue, Shaftesbury Square and Dublin Road. This sewer is inaccessible for cleaning due to its location within the Blackstaff culvert.

Various other defects were identified within the sewerage system, which include environmental upgrades necessary to bring the existing combined sewer overflows (CSO’s) up to an acceptable standard, and divert a number of the existing CSO flows to the NI Water Belfast storm water tunnel.

In addition to this, a number of new city centre developments located on the Dublin Road and Adelaide Street require connections to the public sewerage system and have requested a first time service storm sewer from NI Water.

This essential improvement work will get underway in January 2018 and we anticipate will last approximately 16 months.

The scheme will involve the following elements of work:-

• A new CSO at Sandy Row/Bruce Street, and storm retention sewer from Sandy Row to Hardcastle Street Centre.
• A new Wastewater Pumping Station will be constructed within an existing car park in Hardcastle Street
• A new pumping main will be laid from the Pumping Station to Cromac Street / Raphael Street
• A new CSO will be constructed at the junction of Cromac Square and East Bridge Street
• A CSO will be relocated to the junction of Ormeau Road and Ormeau Avenue
• New storm sewers will be laid in Linenhall Street, Adelaide Street and Joy Street to divert storm water away from the existing foul sewers. This will increase capacity in the existing sewers in these areas.

Interesting Facts

• The new sewers being laid will range in diameter between 300 and 1200mm
• The maximum pipe depth will be 7m with excavations of up to 9m to remove poor ground and replace with stone – this is equivalent to the height of 2 double decker buses
• The new pumping station will be 6m in diameter and 9m deep
• The new storm sewers will collect storm water from a 70,000m2 area - this is equivalent to 10 full size football pitches
• The tunnel under Great Victoria Street is 1.2m in diameter and will be approximately 9m deep. This work will involve personnel working at this depth within the tunnel under Great Victoria Street, while the traffic above will continue unaware of the works below

New Waste Water Pumping Station – Hardcastle Street

The new underground pumping station will be located on the site of an existing car park in Hardcastle Street (rear of Dublin Road cinema / car park), This will include the construction of a large underground storage tank 6m diameter and 9m deep, as well as associated valve and meter chambers. Once complete, only the control kiosk, telemetry pole and lighting pole will be visible above ground level.

NI Water are aware that these works are centred around a very busy commuter / business area within Belfast City Centre, and have endeavoured as far as possible to design the scheme to keep disruption to a minimum.

Detailed traffic management arrangements have been discussed with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) during the planning stages of this major project and prior to commencement. Traffic management will be in place in affected areas as the scheme progresses and there will be parking restrictions at certain times on streets including:-

Sandy Row, Great Victoria Street, Linenhall Street, Adelaide Street, Alfred Street, Joy Street, Dublin Road, Bankmore Street, Ormeau Avenue, Lower Ormeau Road, Cromac Street, Cromac Square and Bedford Street

The large diameter sewers across the major arterial routes of  Dublin Road / Great Victoria Street and Cromac Street are planned to be constructed using trenchless tunnelling techniques. This is designed to reduce disruption as far as possible to the public, commuter traffic and businesses in the area.

In an effort to further reduce disruption large sections of the sewers will be laid through existing car parks in the area. This will include the car parks in Bruce Street with the Little Victoria Street car park closing from February 2018 for approximately 5 months during this project.

Bruce Street / Sandy Row Junction

We appreciate that this will cause some inconvenience to the public, however this route has been agreed to minimise disruption and delays to traffic in this key commuter area of Belfast.

Project Benefits

When complete this essential project will:-

Reduce the risk of out of sewer flooding in the area

Reduce environmental pollution in the Blackstaff Culvert and River Lagan in this area

Provide first time storm sewers for new developments

Increase capacity in the existing combined sewers for future development within this area of Belfast City Centre

Reduce the amount of Fats Oils and Greases in the existing sewer

Fats Oils & Greases

One of the main contributing factors to the current condition of sewers within this area of Belfast has been the build-up over a number of years of FOG’s within the system. This has been due to ongoing discharges from local premises within the Dublin Road / Shaftesbury Avenue and Shaftesbury Square areas. In order to maintain the new and upgraded sewer on completion of this project, it is essential that these discharges are reduced if not eliminated. Through this project, NI Water would like to educate businesses on the impact and costs associated with such discharges to the system.

The number of blockages and pollution incidents relating to fat, oil and grease are also increasing. There are approximately 25,000 sewer blockages in Northern Ireland every year of which up to 60% are caused by fat, oil and grease. Clearing these blockages costs millions of pounds a year, which is money that could be spent improving services to the local community. Businesses also risk blocking their own drainage systems, which results in extra costs being incurred in clean-up efforts.

Useful links:

• Stop and think not down the sink
• Disposal of Fats, Oils and Food Waste – Best management practice for Catering Outlets
• Youtube video of Dublin Road Fat berg
• Bag It and Bin it
• Dirty Dozen

Following extensive investigations into all water carrying assets and systems within the area including the NI Water sewerage and the Department for Infrastructure Roads gully systems, a number of issues within both systems have been identified for improvement.

These issues are being addressed in a phased manner:-

Phase 1 – Sewer Rehabilitation

This phase which involved rehabilitation works on the existing sewerage network was completed in April 2017.   Completion of this work maximised the capacity of the existing sewerage network, helped reduce the risk of ‘out of sewer’ flooding and environmental pollution.

Future Programme of Work

Phase 2 – Sewer Realignment, Wakehurst Park

This phase of work requires the diversion of an existing sewer, which is currently located under a factory, and is at detailed design stage. This will include work on Wakehurst Park and Wakehurst Road. In order to further minimise traffic disruption in the area it is now planned to incorporate this into the Phase 3 / 4 works. This will be reviewed as further designs develop.

Phase 3 & 4 - Storm Storage /Storm Separation

These phases include the provision of storm water storage and storm water separation to the existing sewerage system in the area. These are currently at detailed design stage and subject to agreement with Rivers Agency / Mid & East Antrim Borough Council regarding the options for additional storm water storage and discharge to the Braid river.

Phase 2, 3 &4 will be incorporated into one project, and we anticipate will be ready to go to procurement in early 2019 with construction start date to follow. This is subject to funding, and all necessary statutory approvals mentioned above.

NI Water will continue to liaise closely with residents and Elected Representative on the options and proposed timescales

In the interim, NI Water will continue to closely monitor and maintain the existing sewerage system to ensure maximum capacity, and along with continued maintenance of the gully system and river system by the Department for Infrastructure Roads and Rivers, will reduce the risk of flooding to homes and business in the area.

Since the internal property flooding in June 2012, the public and private underground drainage systems have been traced, surveyed and capacity assessed.

Repairs on the defects found in the drainage system were completed in October 2013 and the existing underground drainage capacity maximised, which has helped reduce the frequency of flooding.

However, the underground drainage systems in the area may still be overwhelmed in heavy rainfall.

Short Term Measures

The Regional Community Resilience Group has facilitated the creation of a local community plan which co-ordinates residents, emergency services and government agencies in order to help mitigate the impact of flooding in the area.

The Community Plan for the area was completed early in 2015 and NI Water along with the other agencies has certain obligations under this plan. The agencies have also increased maintenance activities and prioritised the flooding ‘hot spot’ in terms of flooding response and clean up.

NI Water completed work on a £100K project in October 2013, which has helped to reduce the risk of flooding.

The Department for Infrastructure Rivers adopted the undesignated watercourses in early 2015 has undertaken work to improve the structural condition of these watercourses.

Medium Term Measures)

Phase 1a Sicily Park/Marguerite Park

NI Water has taken the lead in a multi-agency project to alleviate flooding in the Sicily/Marguerite Park area of South Belfast, and has been working to design the most appropriate long-term solution. This has included discussions with key landowners to investigate the practicalities of a scheme being undertaken within private lands. However, despite the best efforts of all parties, this option has not been possible.

This scheme will now be incorporated into the larger Glenmachan Project, which will cover flood alleviation for the wider west and south Belfast areas. This larger project will be undertaken in two stages. Work is now underway to advance the first stage which represents an estimated investment of £7.5M and will involve laying a large diameter sewer along Sicily Park, across the Lisburn Road, underneath the main Belfast to Dublin railway line down into Musgrave Park.

Route of proposed new sewers – Sicily Park to Musgrave Park

Work will commence with site investigation and design development in October 2018, with a target construction start of September 2019.

Following completion, NI Water will update the public regarding the second stage, which is a substantially larger capital investment project.

NI Water will continue to liaise closely with residents and Elected Representatives regarding progress on both stages of the Glenmachan Project.

Phase 1b Greystown/Upper Malone

Work commenced on this project in January 2018, with BSG Civil Engineering Ltd appointed as the main contractor. It is anticipated that the work will take approximately 18 months to complete.

This is a multi-agency project representing a £4M investment, jointly funded by NI Water and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Rivers. The scheme involves the upgrading of the existing combined sewers and the DfI Rivers culvert from Upper Malone Road to Finnis Close, and when complete will significantly reduce the risk of ‘out of sewer’ flooding and environmental pollution in the area.

Works are progressing well, with pipe laying now complete along Malfin Drive / Upper Malone Park, and currently continuing along Greystown Avenue.  

Works on Upper Malone Park

Work has also commenced on the Upper Malone Road, with weekend work currently being undertaken to install a temporary traffic island to assist with traffic management, and lay sewer pipes across the road. During these weekend works, a temporary lane closure will be in place with two way traffic maintained with the use of temporary traffic signals.

Sewer laying work will also be undertaken on the Upper Malone Road from 24^th September until the end of November. During the weekday works normal traffic flow will be maintained with a temporary traffic lane open in each direction.

Normal working hours will be 8.30am – 5.30pm for weekend and weekday works.

Construction works on the Upper Malone Road will be suspended during the Department for Infrastructure Christmas Embargo Period.

NI Water will continue to liaise with residents groups and local elected representatives throughout the construction phase of the Greystown/Upper Malone Project, and on the proposals for Sicily Park/Marguerite Park.

Orchardville - Flood Alleviation Proposals

Following an extensive feasibility study a Business Case was completed with a preferred option for further work at Orchardville.

Short Term Measure

A short-term measure was identified to help further reduce the risk of flooding in the interim. This involved the construction of 2 overflow chambers including a screen and construction of an emergency overflow pipe from the existing sewerage network in Orchardville Crescent allowing relief during periods of heavy rainfall.

This work was completed in February 2016.

Long Term Measure

The longer-term option recommends the upgrade of the Orchardville Wastewater Pumping Station and the re-direction of pumping main discharge from the existing combined sewer on Finaghy Road North, to a new combined sewer currently proposed under the Phase 1a Sicily Park/Marguerite Park project.

In the interim the Regional Flood Resilience Community Group plan to visit Orchardville to facilitate the development of a Community Plan for the area.

NI Water will continue to liaise with residents groups and local elected representatives on the proposals for Sicily Park/ Greystown/Glenmachan and the Orchardville area.

Anyone with any questions about the project can contact NI Water's customer relations team via Waterline on 03457 44 00 88 or by emailing waterline@niwater.com, quoting 'South Belfast Flood Alleviation Schemes.'

The project is good news for the local area and will greatly improve the water quality in Ballyholme strand and the North Down coastal waters, whilst improving the sewerage infrastructure in the North Down area. The work will also ensure that NI Water complies with Northern Ireland Environment Agency standards and will help to ensure that local beaches meet EU Directives for bathing water quality.

Luke’s Point & Bangor Marina

The first two phases of NI Water’s essential improvement programme represented an investment in the region of £3.1 million and involved upgrade work at Luke’s Point and the construction of a new Pumping Station at Bangor Marina to provide extra storage capacity, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall. This work was completed in Summer 2014.

Clandeboye Stream

Work on the third phase of the programme in the Clandeboye area commenced in Spring 2015. This project representing a £1.75M investment to the sewerage infrastructure of Bangor involved the construction of a new offline storm tank within the grounds of Clandeboye Primary School and the laying of new/replacement gravity sewers. Modifications were made to the existing Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) structures and a new pumping laid.

Clandeboye site – Nearing completion
It is anticipated that work on this phase will be completed by the end of September 2016.

SuDS – Rainwater Garden

NI Water working with the Education Authority, Head Mistress and Board of Governors of Clandeboye Primary School hope to construct a Suds (sustainable Urban Drainage system) Rainwater Garden as part of this project (http://www.susdrain.org/delivering-suds/using-suds/background/sustainable-drainage.html). This will help to manage and control storm water within the grounds of Clandeboye primary school introducing visual, environmental and educational benefits to the school alongside the primary benefits of sustainable stormwater management. Discussions with the school and the SEELB are at an advanced stage and it is hoped to complete this work at the end of the current project.

NI Water, the Department for Infrastructure, Education Authority and the Department of Education are pleased to announce that an innovative new rainwater garden to help reduce the risk of flooding has been completed at Clandeboye Primary School.

Castle Park

This phase represents an investment of approximately £3m to improve the sewerage infrastructure within the Bangor area. Work commenced in early September in Castle Park, and will involve the construction of a large (25m diameter, 13m deep) underground storage tank. This will replace the existing Castle Park Waste Water Pumping Station as well as providing additional storage. The new pumping station will be located within the grounds of Castle Park (see drawing below), within a scheduled archaeological area, archaeological work was carried out during the preconstruction phase and will be used to assess the key areas that will need monitored during these works. An archaeologist has been appointed and will record any additional features found during excavation. During construction temporary footpath will be provided where existing paths are removed. All grass areas and pathways will be reinstated on completion of construction.

Artists Impression – during construction

Artists Impression – on completion

The work at Castle Park will facilitate the closure of 4 Combined Sewer Overflows, and the diversion of a further 4 to the new WastewaterPumping Station within Castle Park. The project will also include the upsizing and diversion of existing sewers to cater for the increase in flows from the closure of these CSO’s. This work will take place on the Newtownards Road and through private lands into the pumping station within Castle Park. There will also be a road crossing at the Newtownards Road/Belfast Road junction. Following extensive archaeological investigations by NI Water, major incoming and outgoing pipework to the new pumping station in Castle Park will be laid alongside the historic St. Malachy’s Wall as agreed with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, significantly minimizing disruption for traders and traffic in the area. Our contractor will take all appropriate measures to ensure that the wall is preserved, and access will be maintained to Bangor Abbey. During construction we will maintain vehicular and pedestrian access to Castle Park and all car parks will remain open.

Trees

A number of constraints affected the positioning of the site for the new pumping station including the size of the incoming sewers, the underground tank and the position of the historic wall. We have as far as possible located the tank to reduce the need to remove mature trees, however some must be removed to allow the works to proceed.

NI Water in consultation with NDBC Grounds Maintenance commissioned an arboricultural report which identified 6 trees that required felling due to their current health and condition. Up to an additional 6 trees within council owned, council leased and private land are required to be felled to construct the proposed station.

All trees to be felled will be replaced with native tree species a minimum of 3 years old. This has been agreed in consultation with Ards and North Down Borough Council. Wherever possible trenchless methods of construction will be used to minimise any further impact on tress within the park.  

When complete this project will allow NI Water to meet standards set by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and substantially reduce the risk of ‘out of sewer’ flooding and environmental pollution. We anticipate that this work will take 10 months to complete.

Brompton / Strickland

Subject to funding, statutory approvals and agreement with key stakeholders the next phase of this programme will commence in 2017. This will involve the construction of 2 Waste Water Pumping Stations at Brompton and Stricklands along the costal pathway. The planning application for the proposed works was submitted to NDBC Council in July 2016. NI Water has worked closely with the Bangor West Conservation Group, local elected representatives and residents to develop the current proposals and will continue the consultation process as this scheme progresses.

Carnalea

A further scheme planned within the grounds of Carnalea Care home includes construction of a new storage tank with a flow restriction on the continuation sewer, this tank will capture dilute storm sewage from entering into the Carnalea Stream during heavy rainfall conditions, improving water quality and protecting the environment.. It is proposed to locate the tank within an existing grass area/layby within the grounds of Carnalea Clinic with a screened high level overflow to the Carnalea stream.

It is anticipated that this scheme will commence in Spring 2017 subject to obtaining the necessary statutory approvals and the availability of funding.

Click on the video below for an overview of the scheme and areas affected

Background Information

The overall £12M programme of investment will help to ensure NI Water complies with Northern Ireland Environment Agency standards and work towards ensuring that local beaches meet EU Directives for bathing water quality. To achieve the highest bathing water quality requires a coordinated joined-up approach from all stakeholders, help from the local community and all citizens playing a role.

Bathing Water Information

What are the top five sources of bathing water pollution?

1. Pollution from sewage – bacteria from sewage can enter our waters as a result of system failures or overflows or directly from sewage works
2. Water draining from farms and farmland – manure from livestock or poorly stored slurry can wash into rivers and streams resulting in faecal material entering the sea
3. Animals and birds on or near beaches - dog, bird and other animal faeces can affect bathing water as they often contain high levels of bacteria (much higher than treated human waste)
4. Water draining from populated areas - water draining from urban areas following heavy rain can contain pollution from a variety of sources, including animal and bird faeces
5. Domestic sewage – misconnected drains and poorly located and maintained septic tanks can pollute surface water systems

What are the top five things you can do to improve bathing water?

1. Check your home or business property is connected to the right drainage system. Wrongly connected plumbing could mean that dirty water from toilets, dishwashers and showers could be going directly into your local river or sea.
2. If you’re a dog owner, obey the dog exclusion zones on beaches and pick up after your dog.
3. If your property is connected to a septic tank, make sure it’s registered, check it’s working correctly and keep it maintained.
4. Don’t drop litter, especially food waste, as it encourages birds.
5. Get involved with local beach clean-ups. Many local and national organisations run regular beach cleans.

Source: Natural Resources Wales

https://naturalresources.wales/water/quality/bathing-water-quality/?lang=en

The “Sewerage Rehabilitation Programme” is an ongoing programme of work that is part of NI Water’s commitment to providing an effective sewerage system across Northern Ireland and represents an investment of approximately £18 million over a 5-year period.

NI Water commenced work on this project in June 2015, the project is being carried out in two Phases: -

This is the investigation stage, where surveys of the existing sewerage network are conducted. This utilises a CCTV system to check the sewers to locate any defects. Other work such as cleaning of sewer lines using high pressure jetting equipment may be required to facilitate the survey’s. A substantial amount of Stage 1 work has already been carried out throughout the province.

What benefits will the work provide when completed?

When complete the work will: -

• Improve the condition of the system
• Reduce the likelihood of sewer collapses and blockages
• Reduce the associated likelihood of out-of-sewer flooding 
• Reduce long term disruption to customers as a result of ongoing maintenance
• Reduce long term maintenance costs

Dawson Wam Ltd – Dundrum / Greater Newtownards Area Work currently ongoing in the outer areas of Newtownards Town

John Graham Construction Ltd – South East Area
Works currently ongoing in the Kilkeel area

BSG Civil Engineering Ltd – North/North East Area
Works currently ongoing in the Maghera, Magherafelt, Garvagh,  
Dunmurry and Belfast areas.

Geda Ovivo JV – North/South/South West Area
Work currently ongoing in the Portadown, Lurgan and Magherlin
areas

NI Water would like to thank the public for their patience and co-operation while this essential work is completed.

Anyone with any questions about the project can contact NI Water's customer relations team via Waterline on 03457 44 00 88 or waterline@niwater.com.

Please quote 'NI Sewer Rehabilitation Project KS213/KS834’