This month’s edition features a Team Member Spotlight and the ‘Mysterious’ Inverness Project
As we missed out on it last month, let’s get this edition started with a Team Member Spotlight! (No one can escape me for long).
Come on downnn….
Bradley!
Bradley is currently working on-site in Inverness (more details on that job further down), and impressing the team with his work ethic and drive to get stuck in.
We have so many amazing employees who do their work come sun, rain and snow, and sometimes due attention isn’t paid to those with their boots on the ground. That was part of the reason this newsletter was started. To give a more behind the scenes look at Alba Dewatering, without some of the shine, polish and marketing spin. Marketing spin can sometimes be great, but it often doesn’t show the entire picture, or the realities of working in an industry or business. Dewatering is a muddy, often messy and tiring, business, and we shouldn’t shy away from that. It’s what makes us ‘tick’.
Now, let’s talk about that project we mentioned in the last issue.
‘Alba’s Inverness Project’
Alba Dewatering was taken on as the principal contractor for the SGN Gas Pipeline Diversion Pump Test, as part of the larger Longman Junction Improvement Scheme. It’s incredibly rare for a dewatering company to be brought on as a principal contractor – it’s the nature of dewatering: it tends to be a supplementary service to bolster the safety of a site, or otherwise sets the foundation for future works. It’s not often ‘front and centre’, so to speak. But, as we’ve said, this is a large project, with many parts – and for this stage, Alba was stepping up to the plate to bat.
The compound from above Inverness football stadium.
The job was relatively by the books from the outset. A pump test needed to be conducted at various points along the proposed route of the diversion. There were some extra considerations that complicated the project a touch. Namely, the presence of Japanese knotweed and a high voltage power cable running parallel to the main road.
As part of the site induction, our team was also alerted to the presence of numerous badger sets across the site, which had 30m exclusion zones in accordance with UK environmental and wildlife protection protocols. Typically, for dewatering related procedures, we also have to abide by other environmental protection measures, such as the protection of water courses, and to ensure no contamination occurs during the dewatering process.
Alba Dewatering went up with an on-site team, comprised of the project and site manager, operatives, electricians and a drilling team, supported by an off-site team who would liaise with the site team when needed.
Phoenix Drilling are also on the job, hello! Doing some excellent work.
We also have other plans in the pipeline (wink, the newsletter title, wink) that I can share details of soon. Hopefully in the next edition, or the June edition, if all things go to plan.
Feedback Absolutely Welcome!
As we’re moving on with this newsletter, is there anything you want to read about? Anything you would like more insight into in terms of dewatering and civil engineering? Or Alba itself? Please do comment as we’re all ears! Or contact us!
