Melton Mowbray water treatment plant wins prestigious civil engineering award

Driven by the rapid growth of the local residential population and increased effluent from the food production industries, the existing plant was at risk of exceeding its capacity.

To deliver the increased capacity, MWHT and STW worked collaboratively to develop design proposals, construction methodologies and project programming — an approach that led to the sustainable re-use of existing assets, reducing construction costs by £10m.

The judges applauded the collaborative approach to delivering the enlarged treatment works. They were also impressed with the cost savings achieved and the significant reduction in CO2 emissions.

The Northampton North-West Relief Road, delivered by Balfour Beatty for West Northamptonshire Council, was Highly Commended in the same category. The judges recognised the project team’s innovative value engineering, which re-purposed 3,000 tonnes of quarried stone and re-used piling and crane pads.

Sponsored by Waterman Aspen, the ICE East Midlands Merit Awards were held on 13 June in Nottingham. Guests were joined by ICE Vice President, Richard Bayfield and guest speaker Professor Turi King, director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, known for her work leading the genetic analysis for the identification of King Richard III.

Commenting on this year’s ICE East Midlands Merit Awards, ICE East and West Midlands Regional Director, Jo Barnett, said:

“Our judges had a diverse range of projects to consider from all sectors of the industry, drawn from right across the region. Many entries this year also highlighted the sustainable benefits civil engineers in the region are bringing to our everyday lives and these particular projects are both a great example of that.

“Our annual awards are important in not only demonstrating the importance of civil engineers, whose hard work and dedication can often go unnoticed, but in also celebrating the positive impact that civil engineering has right across the region.”