St Germans: State-of-art pump opens
Lord James Russell officially opens the new �40million pumping station at Wiggenhall St Germans. LtoR - David Thomas (middle level commissioners chief engineer), Lord James Russell and Stephen Whittome (middle level commissioners chairman)
The largest pumping station in the UK has officially been opened at St German’s.
The £38m flood defence facility protects 26,000 properties and 100,000 people, as well as high grade agricultural land over a vast area.
The Middle Level is the largest single pumped drainage catchment in Britain, with the whole river system discharging into the Great Ouse.
It replaces a station built in 1934 and now set for demolition.
The new modern, glass-fronted, plant boasts six concrete volute pumps – scroll shaped – which can shift up to 100 tonnes of water per second. This is the equivalent of emptying an Olympic swimming pool in 25 seconds.
It contains 9.6MW of internal generating capacity, which is more than would be needed to serve the 500 houses in the neighbouring village of St Germans.
The project took four years for engineers to complete and the opening ceremony allowed more than 100 contributors and commissioners to marvel at the result.
Lord James Russell, brother of the Duke of Bedford, officially opened the new plant by revealing a plaque and starting the pumps. His family have been involved with the draining of the Fens for 400 years.
Also at the ceremony was 92-year-old Reg Deptford, who was present for the opening of the original pumping station, 77 years ago. Mr Deptford said: “I was very interested in the project as a teenager and followed it from when work started in 1932.
“The opening ceremony back then was certainly a lot grander, but I am very pleased to be here to witness the opening of this wonderful new station.”
Chairman of the Middle Level Commissioners, Stephen Whittome, said: “The commissioners are delighted with this state-of-the-art, efficient and effective station – the outcome of many years of planning and hard work.”
Chief engineer, David Thomas, said: “The station’s design is dramatic without dominating surroundings. In planning, we considered the foot print we left behind so all waste materials have been recycled and new shrubs and trees will be planted.
“This has been a project of a lifetime and we are confident it will run for the next 100 years.”
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 9 C to 26 C
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