Brief project information:
| The location: | Pittville Park, Cheltenham |
| The project: | To de-silt the lower lake, rid the area of blue green algae and arrange the transportation of the silt to local agricultural land. |
| Timescale: | August 2005 – January 2006 |
| PDF: |  Download case study - Pittville Park |
“Having a company who could look after everything made a real difference and they completed the project efficiently and on schedule with no problems at all.”
Geoff Beer, Senior Engineer, Design Services, Cheltenham Borough Council
The location:
Pittville Park in Cheltenham was opened in 1825 and has a Grade Two listing under the English Heritage register of historical parks and gardens. It’s the largest ornamental park in the town, offering a wide range of sporting and leisure activities – and it features a magnificent pump room and the beautiful Pittville upper and lower lakes.
The project:
Over time, the lakes had silted up very badly and blue green algae had also been found in the area. This was causing major concern for local residents as the algae is a potential health risk that can affect the whole ecology of the lake and result in poor water quality.
In 2004, Cheltenham Borough Council embarked on a major two stage project to dredge both the upper and lower lakes but during stage one, they found that disposing of the silt themselves was a real headache. For the second phase, they decided to choose a supplier who could manage the disposal process.
Why Blue Boar?
We demonstrated that we were able to fully manage the silt disposal, including liaising with the Environment Agency and applying for a Waste Exemption Certificate on the Council’s behalf. Our tender also showed that we were ‘technically sound and the best value’.
The challenges:
- The lower lake is home to many fish, including large carp. The fish had to be removed while the de-silting was taking place – between October 2005 and January 2006.
- In order to prevent any pollution problems being passed downstream, we had to isolate the lake during de-silting using a bypass culvert to convey the through-flow from Wyman’s Brook around the lake.
- Sending silt to landfill is not only expensive but also a huge waste of what is usually excellent quality material for farmland. We negotiated with local farmers to identify suitable areas for the silt and applied to the Environment Agency for the exemption certificate.
- In order to move the silt from barges to the lake shore for unloading into tipper trucks, we had to build a 420m long temporary haul road through the park.
“At the start of the project, there was some concern from the local community that the works would be disruptive, causing noise, smell and pollution but these fears were unfounded. The whole thing was carried out with very little negative effect on the surrounding area or on the local residents.”
Geoff Beer, Cheltenham Borough Council
The outcome:
In total, 8,375 m3 of silt was removed from the 5.56 acre lower lake. We used our own specialist equipment – a floating pontoon with retractable legs which could be lowered to the lake bed – to carry out the work required.
The excavated silt provided a huge agricultural benefit for nearby farmland.
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