Osney Lock Hydro civil engineering completed
We are pleased to announce that the civil engineering works on Osney Lock Hydro achieved practical completion on Friday 8th November. Work was just about complete in time for our original target date of 17th October but the final finishing touches had to wait while the Greenford team focused on building the Weir B replacement for the Environment Agency. We have now extended the construction works to build the upper section of the fish pass rather than leaving this until Phase 2 of the scheme. These works should be completed in early December.
Environment Agency weir works underway
The new Weir B gate is now installed and being tested so that the old Weir B gate can be removed and the coffer dam pulled. Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has started work on repairs to Weir A and expects to complete its work to replace the footbridge and weir gates in time for Christmas. During this time the contact details for any queries relating to this element of the project are: weirimprovements@environment-agency.gov.uk If all of these civil engineering elements are completed by the target date of Christmas, it will be a huge achievement and testament to the great working relationship developed between Osney Lock Hydro and the Environment Agency and the dedicated support of the contractor, Greenford, and the professional team, OEx and Buro Happold.
Rain or shine
The fine dry summer helped ensure good progress could be made on the project during the initial phases. The autumn has brought with it more challenging conditions, but thanks to the careful management of the flows by the Environment Agency, work was able to continue during rains and high flows. Their flow management plan meant that the coffer dam was able to stay in place, despite the increase in water flow, allowing for pretty much continuous working – except for a small halt while we worked out what to do with a 19th century wooden pile no-one had foreseen!
Phase two on the hydro
We are now planning phase two of the hydro build in detail. David and Barbara Hammond visited the factory in Holland where our screw will be built and were very impressed both by the welcome they were given and by the whole quality of the Landustrie operation. We expect to be back on site by late January/early February so that we can commission the generator by the end of March.