Monthly Archives: April 2019

Site Investigation – Bristol

Leave a Reply

Site Investigation – Bristol

Just to the south of Bristol actually in Thornbury!

This was a geotechnical investigation. We needed to provide geotechnical information for foundation design.

The site was to the left (or west) of a establishes educational site . The coring went well, and there was good core recovery, once we were in competent rock.

The results will be written up in a report, with load bearing calculations provided to the client.

If you require a site investigation in Bristol, London, Exeter or elsewhere please give us a call and we will get it sorted out for you.

Sewage Treatment Plant Decommissioning – Devon

Leave a Reply

Treatment Plant Decommissioning – Devon 

Acting on instructions from a property owner in Bishopsteignton, Devon, Southwest Environmental Limited have been commissioned to draft a Decommissioning Strategy for a Sewage Treatment Plant.

The plant was around 30 years old, and used to treat water prior to discharging it to a river (surface water). However, around 10 years ago the development was hooked up to the mains sewers, and the treatment plant is now no longer required.

Although there is very extensive guidance available for the decommissioning of underground structures in the “Blue Book” for petrol filling stations, guidance for the removal of sewage related tanks, is some what limited. The Binding Rules for example give very scant advice, and further information given in PPG27 has now been withdrawn with no replacement made.

In this instance we authored a removal strategy based on international guidance, parallel sector guidance and review of case studies.

If you would like an opinion on decommissioning of a septic tank, treatment plant read bed or other foul water treatment system, then please contact us, and we provide a no obligation initial appraisal. We provide advice and reporting for a wide range of drainage systems.

Odour Impact Assessment – Salisbury – Wiltshire

Leave a Reply

Odour Impact Assessment – Salisbury – Wiltshire 

 Acting on instruction from a client in Southwest Environmental Limited  are to prepare an Odour Impact Assessment in connection with a  proposed development in close proximity to a to a Sewage Treatment Works.
Odours from sewage treatment works can be created in numerous ways they can come from stockpiled materials, aeration areas, or digester which are sometime incorporated.We have seen some smells from sewage treatment works come from malfunctioning equipment. Ironically the very equipment that was installed to take away smells / odour.

Typically an odour impact assessment is not carried out based on direct “smells” that we for example might sniff upon visiting a site. Instead they are conducted using reference values, perhaps from other sewage treatment works.  
We take these values and feed them in to a model which is very complicated, and factors in weather, and when and where smells (odour) will be generated. The model then spits out a number, if it is higher than 3 then that is bad, if it is lower than 3 then all is well. 

Daylighting Study – Lambeth – London

Leave a Reply

Daylighting Study – Lambeth – London 

Acting on instructions from a much valued repeat client, Southwest Environmental Limited have conducted a Sunlight and Daylight Study in Lambeth, London.  

The scope of the study includes for ADF value calculation and a Sun-on-the-Ground calculation, these are explained further below:
ADF- This is used to estimate the level of lighting inside the development prior to construction. In its most basic form it is a measure of window size to room size. i.e. is the window big enough for the room. Other factors also go in to the calculation such as quality of the glass, and whether daylight can reach the window i.e. is the window darkened by near by tall buildings. 
Sun-on-the-Ground – A shady cold cool garden can be nice in the summer, but in spring and autumn it can be gloomy. We can work out whether an outdoor area you have proposed will be bright or gloomy. We do this using the BR209 method, which is verging on witchcraft. 
Very happy to talk about any of the above so please ring for a discussion about it. 
 

Air Qaulity Assessment – New Kent Rd, London

Leave a Reply

Air Quality Assessment – New Kent Rd, London

Southwest Environmental Limited have recently written an Air Quality Assessment for a site on New Kent Rd, London (SE1), the Air Quality Assessment report is for a small scale project. We prepare Air Quality Assessment Reports for any scale of project.

In this case the proposed project was at low risk of creating impacts as it was a single residential dwelling, the main focus of the report was assessment of risk from nearby sources such as New Kent Road.

NOX and Fine Particulate Levels fall off dramatically with distance, proving there is no canyoning effect. But in this case the streets lined with terraced houses do creating a canyoning effect which may prevent the dispersion of air borne pollutants.

This affect is hard to estimate, but we have used a review of nearby reports to make an estimate of air quality at the receptor (house) location and believe this will satisfy planning officials, with burdening the developer with disproportionate costs associated with bespoke modelling.

Image Courtesy of Luton Anderson