
The Background
At its campus in Bedfordshire, Cranfield University faced two interrelated sewage management challenges in relation to its on-site pumping station and sewage treatment plant.
The pumping station was designed to collect sewage from across the whole campus (including halls of residence) and pump it to the treatment plant situated 500m away. However, at periods of high flow and particularly during occurrences of heavy rain, the pumping station couldn’t deal with the demands placed upon it. This resulted in sewage backing up in the drainage network and the need to contract tanker services to prevent flooding.
Problems were also experienced at the nearby treatment works. During periods of high flow, limited flow balancing was leading to insufficient treatment time within the works. As a result, there was a risk that the effluent would be discharged that didn’t meet specified standards.