A joint venture (JV) between Arup and Binnies has won the contract to deliver the South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) for Thames Water. The project is part of Thames Water’s Technical Partner Framework, established to support its Strategic Resource Options programme, which the Arup Binnies JV was appointed to earlier this year.
Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and wastewater services provider
Thames Water are committed to ensuring sustainable water resource management for future generations. The company’s programme is essential for overcoming the challenges in providing clean water to a rising population and during a changing climate. As part of the programme, Thames Water has undertaken technical assessments and modelling, which have identified the need for a new reservoir to overcome a predicted water resources shortfall.
Measuring 150 million cubic metres (Mm³), the new reservoir will be filled from the River Thames during the winter, when there is plenty of water available, and deliver supply to customers across the south east and London, including those served by Affinity Water and Southern Water. When the river levels drop, or demand for water increases, water will be released from the reservoir back into the river for re-abstraction downstream. As well as providing a resilient water supply to homes and businesses across the region, SESRO will generate new employment opportunities, provide opportunities for leisure and recreation, and create new habitats to increase biodiversity.
The Arup Binnies JV has been selected to be the delivery partner for SESRO and will work alongside Thames Water in securing a Development Consent Order for the project, providing all design, consenting and environmental services for the integrated scheme.
