Topic Environment
Date 18 Dec 2023
Morrison Construction’s Environment team were called in by client Scottish Water to repair vital sewerage works at the famous Carnoustie Golf Links course following storm damage.
A 30-metre section of the strategic sewer pipeline serving the local community had been washed away by extreme high tides caused by Storm Babet.
The Morrison Construction team was responsible for the installation of 40-metre-long sheet piles to supplement the restored and reinforced rock armour. The overnight work was captured in a time-lapse video, which demonstrates the difficulty of the surrounding conditions following the bad weather and serious flooding.
Morrison Construction worked alongside Scottish Water’s PFI partner Veolia, to minimise the impact of the incident on the local environment and manage the operation of the major waste water treatment works at nearby Hatton.
The combined work of all the teams involved, supported by Carnoustie Golk Links, Angus Council and members of the public, enabled the sewer network to be returned to normal operation within less than two weeks.
Scottish Water’s PFI Performance Manager Craig Carr said: “Given the scale of the damage that had been wrought by the forces of nature, it is a huge credit to the whole team on site that flows could be restored via the pipeline within 10 days of the damage occurring.
“The footage does not really do justice to the very difficult conditions on site in the first few days, when high tides and waves continued to batter the area. However, it shows the pace of the combined efforts once the protection of rock armour had been largely restored.
“As we adapt to the wide-ranging impacts of climate change on our infrastructure, we know that we will face more challenges like this. We aim to improve our ability to anticipate and prevent damage where we reasonably can, but our ability to respond quickly when required will always be a key element of our resilience. The first-class support from our supply chain and from other key partners, which was strongly in evidence at Carnoustie, stands us in good stead.”
Drew Mackie, Construction Manager at Morrison Construction commented: "I am so proud of our team who were deployed to resolve the damage to this vital sewer infrastructure. The sewer was quickly returned to normal working order whilst the team battled severe weather conditions in a marine environment under tight timeframes. The quality and resilience the team have shown is exemplary and I want to express my appreciation to everyone who helped in this emergency situation."