Westminster Dredging / 4D Group Friars Bay Long Sea Outfall

The Friars Bay Long Sea Outfall is an environmental project that will bring cleaner seas to the area. It is a three year plan by Southern Water and consists of a new wastewater treatment works and a sludge recycling centre in Peacehaven East Sussex. The project, costing approximately 300 million pounds includes connecting the existing sewer networks to a 2.5km pipeline out to sea. When finished the treatment plant will be able to process and fully treat 95 million litres of wastewater.

Many years of planning has gone into this project along with Archeological surveys, and environmental impact studies. As the area surrounding this project is an area of natural beauty the whole works have been carefully planned to allow the least amount of damage to the area. With the latest in technology being used the excavations have been very accurate and efficient. The treatment works roof will be fully grassed over.

On Sunday the 12th of September 2010 the completed pipeline was dragged into Newhaven Harbour to have the final assembly work completed. It arrived shortly before 8am being pulled by tugs. The pipeline extended out of Newhaven Harbour and along the front of Tidemills beach, narrowing the harbour and making making harbour traffic have to pass with caution. This was one of the biggest operations to have happened in Newhaven Harbour for a number of years and attracted a fair amount of interest from the local population. The pipeline had been due to leave Shoreham Harbour around the 3rd of September but was delayed owing to problems with the concrete collars. This meant that the pipe had to be moored alongside the power station quay so engineers could investigate the issues.

The outfall pipe itself was manufactured in Norway and was then towed in four sections to Shoreham Harbour , where it was fitted together into its full 1800 meter length. Cutts Marine Services provided the safety vessels and crew change for the operation. Both the Coastal Pioneer and the Commodore were working continually over the 4 day period. Once it was ready to be pulled out of Newhaven Harbour the pipeline was attached to tugs and slowly pushed, pulled and directed out into the open sea. Slowly it made its journey round to its resting place and was carefully moved into position before being attached to vessels to allow it to be straightened out before sinking it to the seabed. The trench is then backfilled using the waste removed from it when it was dug.