Works well underway on new pumping station
Published: 22 August 2022
Aerial view of Bass's Recreation Ground the new pumping station outlined.
The final stages of the Munio Project, part of the Our City, Our River (OCOR) programme, are well underway.
Residents will have seen the large areas of Bass’s Recreation Ground transformed over recent weeks and months to make way for construction of the new pumping station.
Work is due to be completed on the site in March 2023, with the finished station occupying a much smaller footprint than the current construction site and a maximum height of around two metres.
Piling is currently in progress to allow construction of the wet well and flood walls around the station. The wet well itself will house the four pumps that move water from the brook into the river. Foundations for the nearby motor control centre are also complete and awaiting machinery and equipment for installation.
The location has been chosen specifically to prevent flood water backing up through the Markeaton Brook Culvert and causing flooding of low-lying areas in the city centre. At the same time the station will allow the flow of the brook to be discharged into the river.
Munio Project works have also created opportunities for wider environmental improvements on Bass’s Recreation ground, including woodland planting, the creation of a fish refuge lagoon on the Mill Fleam, and improvements to the park entrance and events area.
Councillor Steve Hassall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Decarbonisation & Strategic Planning & Transport said:
We’re happy to see work progressing well on the new pumping station at Bass’s Rec. The Munio Project has already seen large areas of the city transformed and left better protected from future flood events.
This pumping station is the final piece of the jigsaw on the west side of the river, completing a reliable flood defence system that will give an extra layer of protection to homes, businesses, and livelihoods.