Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) were presented with four awards – three wins and a highly commended – at the annual ICE West Midlands gala; an event that celebrates all aspects of civil engineering, projects, people and ground-breaking research across the Midlands region.
Cinderford Wetlands – Winner – Team Achievement award
MMB have delivered a biodiversity improvement scheme for Severn Trent Water in Cinderford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Significant project risks were managed through collaboration with stakeholders at the Environment Agency, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Forestry England. These risks included a coal mining legacy, anecdotal evidence of contamination, high groundwater, difficult access and great crested newts. A key success from Cinderford was the identification of skill sets and areas of expertise that were needed early on, resulting in the appropriate people joining the multi-disciplinary project team.
Frances Stephens (MMB Civil Engineer) – Winner – STEM Ambassador award
Frances impressed the judges with her consistent support of STEM activities throughout this year, running a range of activities on behalf of the ICE and Mott MacDonald Bentley. This has included mentoring Year 9 students for the Industrial Cadets Bronze Award. Frances is also heavily involved with Girl Guiding and Early Career Professionals and she delivered a speech at Loughborough University to students about her journey to professional chartership. Frances has dedicated her time and effort into inspiring the next generation of civil engineers and has improved the education outreach of the ICE.
Phosphorus removal programme – Winner – Innovation award
As part of AMP7, Severn Trent Water have placed a focus on water quality schemes, especially focusing on the reduction of phosphorus (P) released into water courses to limit the risk of eutrophication. The P removal programme has used a dedicated delivery team across multiple MMB frameworks to manage the supply chain, and implement a standardised, digitally innovative design approach using Moata Intelligent Content (MIC). Throughout all MMB regions, 2,970 hours and £138,000 have been saved so far due to the implementation of MIC models into projects.
Uttoxeter Water Treatment Works – Highly Commended – Medium Project award
An impressive team achievement led by MMB and Severn Trent Water has provided new wastewater treatment facilities at Uttoxeter, ensuring compliance with a major tightening in discharge consent and contributing to Severn Trent’s commitment to improve the environment and ensure capacity for population growth. The inclusion of innovative processes including Enhanced Biological Phosphate Removal and a Hybrid Activated Sludge Unit has reduced infrastructure requirement and chemical usage resulting in a sustainably driven solution with a low carbon footprint. The adoption of MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) principles allowed off-site pre-fabrication of equipment to run parallel with on-site activities reducing installation periods and giving Severn Trent time to optimise the process before the new consent date. This AMP7 early obligation scheme is an excellent demonstration of how improvement of the environment can be combined with sustainable provision for future population growth.
