Barhale to Lead Network Resilience Improvements at Walton-on-the-Naze

An £18 million investment in stormwater management infrastructure at Walton-on-the-Naze will bring essential additional protection to the Essex coast in the event of severe weather conditions.

Forming part of Anglian Water’s ongoing programme to improve resilience within its network, the scheme involves the construction of a new 5,000m³ storm tank and associated tunnelling works adjacent to the existing Walton-on-the-Naze terminal pumping station.

Work will be delivered through Anglian Water’s @one Alliance, the strategic delivery vehicle for Anglian Water’s Integrated Main Works programme, with civil engineering, MEICA and infrastructure specialist Barhale acting in the role of principal contractor for the scheme.

The new storm tank will feature an innovative “pill shaped” design to avoid the course of an existing aquifer and sewer and will be built using a diaphragm wall with excavation from within.

It will be connected to an existing storm tank through a new 84m long, 1200mm pipeline which will be constructed using concrete jacking pipes through microtunnelling.

Dan Ledger, Barhale’s Project Manager, explained that the Environment Agency and Anglian Water had conducted investigations and tracer studies identifying the need for additional storage.

“It would help to ensure that the stormwater capacity at the sewage pumping station was not overwhelmed in extreme weather conditions,” he said.

“The upgrades will provide a major boost to site storage capacity, helping to protect the environment and bathing water quality.

“The nature of the site, particularly the presence of the aquifer, has presented some interesting design challenges and construction constraints. We have responded by developing the innovative tank design and by using a diaphragm wall construction which will minimise the size of the excavation area.”

Completion is scheduled for November 2027.

Anglian Water’s @one Alliance is formed of eight partner organisations: Anglian Water, Balfour Beatty, Barhale, Binnies, Mott MacDonald Bentley, MWH Treatment, Skanska and Sweco.

About Barhale

Barhale is a civil engineering, infrastructure and tunnelling specialist.

Originally established in 1980 as a dedicated tunnelling contractor, Barhale has grown its skills and capabilities, including design and the supply of safety and construction products, to support its long-term commitment to the direct delivery of end-to-end construction services.

Strong family values and industry-leading personal development pathways have confirmed Barhale’s status as an employer of choice shaping teams with a reputation for innovation and exceptional engineering ability. The company is now one of the largest privately-owned infrastructure businesses in the UK, recognised by New Civil Engineer as the Tunnelling Contractor of the Year and by The Sunday Times as a Top 100 Place to Work.