Consortium of firms takes part in largest Welsh coast study

Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has hired Capital Delivery Alliance, a consortium of external experts to conduct the largest ever investigation of water conditions around the Welsh coast. The deal is valued at £8 million.

The Welsh coastline is approximately 2,740 km, including the islands of Anglesy and Holyhead; the coast features a range of estuaries, steep drops and stunning vistas. The coastline is home to a variety of different ecosystems supporting birdlife, sea life and a range of human interactions – including the release of waste. One of the major stakeholders in and around water usage in Wales is Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW). The company provides water services, such as drinking water and wastewater, to most of Wales and parts of western England. The company is regulated by Natural Resources Wales.

DCWW has commissioned a scientific investigation of the Welsh coastline, which will look at 49 specific locations, including more than ten estuaries. To perform the research, which is valued at £8 million, the company has commissioned the Capital Delivery Alliance (CDA). CDA involves Mott MacDonald Bentley, a joint venture established in 1999 between Mott MacDonald and Bentley, as well as joint ventures between Morgan Sindall/Arup and Skanska/Arcadis. The research, involving the six companies, will be the largest scientific coastal investigation work ever undertaken in Wales.

The study will include field surveys, water quality monitoring and mathematical modelling. The CDA will create a host of investigations along the Welsh coastline, as well as carry out assessments of bathing and shellfish water to determine whether further investments are required. Besides specialists from members, the CDA will engage water consultants Intertek to lead the modelling and compliance components and a specialist survey team, led by APEM and including CREH and Fugro, to deliver this programme of work.

Mott MacDonald Bentley’s Mark Dives, project manager of the Capital Delivery Alliance, says that the project will involve a range of innovative techniques to get a better understanding of the topography and its various watery environments, techniques include “state-of-the-art modelling and microbial tracers, simulating coastal dynamics and pollutant transport, as well as the most advanced coastal survey technology ever seen.” Dives adds: “The sheer scale of the task in hand – to gather a huge amount of historic data to feed the study and drive a substantial survey programme to gather new data – in the time available will provide a big challenge to the Capital Delivery Alliance.”