The first pipes have been laid in a new 57km water pipeline, which will support supplies to more than 200,000 people across the North East. Northumbrian Water’s Project Pipeline: County Durham and the Tees Valley is a huge £155m investment in futureproofing the resilience and quality of water supply to customers. Phase 1 of the project, which will connect Lartington Water Treatment Works in Upper Teesdale with the town of Gainford and across to Shildon, County Durham, is being constructed by Northumbrian Water’s partners, Farrans Construction. The project will see the replacement of sections of the network that have served the area for more than 100 years, alongside new stretches of pipeline. Pipelaying started from Whorley reservoir and the teams are working in the directions of Lartington and Shildon. A second phase is currently being planned, with work scheduled to start in 2025, further connecting the pipeline on to Teesside at Long Newton. James Dawes, Project Manager, said: “This is one of the biggest ever investments in customers’ water supplies here in the North East. Following years of planning and preparation, to ensure we can deliver this project in the best way possible, it’s fantastic to see the first pipes in the ground. “There is still a long way to go, with Phase 1 scheduled to see us working into 2025, and Phase 2 for a further three years after that, but this is a huge milestone. “We will continue to work with Farrans Construction and our other partners, with local stakeholders, communities and customers, as we progress across the south of County Durham and into Teesside, on the road to putting this new pipeline, that will deliver benefits for 200,000 customers, into service.” Stephen Coates, Project Manager, Farrans Construction, said: “We have been on site for the last two months making final preparations ahead of the pipe work being laid so this is an exciting milestone for this project, our client and our team. The route of the pipeline will cross the River Tees and we are constructing a tunnel to carry the pipe 12m below the river bed, close to the villages of Lartington and Cotherstone in Teesdale. “This is an important project which will provide resilience in the water supply for many years to come. We look forward to continuing to support the local community through our social value programme and already we have worked with social enterprises, charities and taken part in the Cotherstone 5km run.”

Earth Change, a division of the Land & Water Group, alongside Project Seagrass and Swansea University Unveil Groundbreaking Automated Seagrass Planter, Revolutionising Large-Scale Seagrass Planting Land & Water, a leading environmental engineering company, and Project Seagrass, a renowned marine conservation organisation, are proud to announce the successful design, construction, and testing of an innovative Automated Seagrass Planter (ASP) patent pending. This groundbreaking technology promises to revolutionise the large-scale planting of seagrass, offering new hope for the restoration and preservation of these vital coastal ecosystems. “We are now convinced we can substantially scale up seagrass glade restoration using the automated planter, taking conventional planting (done with divers on an individual seedling basis) to sea-scape scale planting at 1000’s of plants per day” says James Maclean, CEO of Land & Water. Seagrass meadows play a crucial role in maintaining healthy marine environments, fostering biodiversity, and mitigating climate change by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Globally, seagrass has the capability to capture carbon faster than tropical rainforests, accounting for 10 to 18% of total ocean carbon storage, despite covering less than 0.1% of the seafloor [source: Duarte et al., 2005b; Kennedy et al., 2010]. However, due to various human activities and natural disturbances, seagrass habitats have been rapidly declining worldwide. In the UK alone seagrass depletion since 1936 EXCEEDS 30% of the areas of previous colonisation. Recognizing the urgency to restore these critical ecosystems, Land & Water partnered with Project Seagrass and Swansea University to develop a cutting-edge solution. The Automated Seagrass Planter developed by this dynamic collaboration represents a significant breakthrough in seagrass restoration efforts, aligning the use of biodegradable seedpods/hessian sacks developed by Project Seagrass with the installation innovation from Land & Water. This innovative device streamlines and automates the process of seagrass planting, making large-scale restoration projects more efficient and achievable than ever before. Key features and benefits of the Automated Seagrass Planter include: The successful testing of the Automated Seagrass Planter has yielded promising planting results, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing seagrass restoration efforts. By enabling the rapid planting of seagrass at scale, this technology has the potential to rejuvenate degraded habitats, enhance coastal resilience, promote marine biodiversity, and provide substantial new habitats for carbon sequestration. Trial planting regimes will be subject to ongoing monitoring by Project Seagrass to validate the effectiveness of the new planting regime. “We are excited by the planting results, and we must now see how this method of planting works in Dale” says Richard Unsworth, Associate Professor Swansea University.                         Earth Change and Project Seagrass are committed to collaborating with governments, environmental agencies, research institutions, and coastal communities to deploy the Automated Seagrass Planter in large-scale restoration initiatives worldwide. Through these partnerships, they aim to create a positive and lasting impact on the health and sustainability of our marine ecosystems. About Land & Water Land & Water Group is an environmental engineering company specializing in waterway maintenance, dredging, and ecological restoration. With a deep commitment to sustainability, Land & Water provides innovative solutions for preserving and enhancing natural habitats and promoting environmental stewardship. About Project Seagrass Project Seagrass is a leading marine conservation organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of seagrass ecosystems. Through community, research and action, Project Seagrass strives to raise awareness about the importance of seagrass and work towards its protection for future generations. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

Yorkshire Water is investing £36m in six projects in west Leeds and Bradford to improve water quality within Pudsey Beck by reducing storm overflows during periods of prolonged or heavy rain. The six projects include: Approximately 18,250m3 of additional storage will be added to the network to slow the flow of heavy or prolonged rainfall, which modelling indicates will reduce the number of storm discharges into Pudsey Beck by more than 20%. The new integrated constructed wetland at Hough Side will accommodate a minimum 25,000m3 of diluted wastewater from heavy or prolonged rainfall events and will take approximately three years to construct. Plants in a series of cells will treat the diluted wastewater as it travels through the wetland via gravity. Pollutants and nutrients will be naturally broken down and taken up by the plants and bacteria within the wetland. The wastewater will not include solid waste. Once established, the wetland will also provide a biodiversity net gain and improve the area for local wildlife. Richard Stuart, director of capital delivery at Yorkshire Water, said: “We are committed to improving water quality in the rivers across our region. One of the key focuses is reducing storm overflows to make a real difference to water quality in our rivers. “This project is a significant investment in the west Leeds and Bradford areas to improve water quality within Pudsey Beck. The additional storage and wetland we are building into the network will reduce the number of storm overflows significantly into the watercourse and is just part of a £568m capital investment we are making across Yorkshire this year alone. “While work is being conducted in the area, there may be some traffic disruption and we are working closely with local authority highways departments to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. “We know that there is more to be done to tackle storm overflows. We are already working on our largest ever environmental investment as part of our 2025-2030 business plan. The plans, which will be subject to approval by our regulator Ofwat, outline a £1 billion investment to further reduce discharges from overflows to meet the government’s storm overflow reduction plan, including the requirement for coastal bathing waters of an average of two spills per bathing water season by 2035.” The project is a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Stantec, Kier, Arup, WSP, Mott MacDonald Bentley, Peter Duffy Limited, Galliford Try, Barhale, Tilbury Douglas, Leeds City Council and Bradford Metropolitan District Council.