Wyke Regis

CRL specialises in the maintenance of water sector structures and were awarded the contract to undertake comprehensive external and internal refurbishment on one of Wessex Water’s more unique structures; Wyke Regis Reservoir, a 100-year old redbrick arch structure situated in Weymouth, Dorset.

The buried reservoir required full internal and external refurbishment during a 6-week outage in the winter. The roof was exposed by removing the 0.5m deep topsoil and overburden using a long reach excavator; this was originally specified for removal by hand, a slow and costly exercise. However, CRL was able to demonstrate that the topsoil and overburden could be removed mechanically, a method which would significantly reduce the project cost and programme time.

Following the repair of the exposed roof, a new dualseal membrane was laid in conjunction with the installation of new deck drains to complete the roof waterproofing. Finally, the topsoil and overburden were replaced.

Internally, the tank was cleaned using high pressure water jetting, followed by the repair and inspection of the defective concrete and brickwork. Furthermore, CRL installed new stainless steel access handrails, replacing the original rails which had been in place since the structure's construction. Wherever root penetration was found, the roots were removed and the appropriate repairs were carried out. Finally, the whole tank was thoroughly cleaned prior to chlorination.

CRL was able to complete this extensive refurbishment scheme during the winter months before handing the reservoir back to the client on time, ready for the summer demand.