An adoptable pumping station can represent a relatively small part of a major development, but when its design or technical approval stalls, the impact can spread much further.

Groundworks can be affected. Equipment procurement can be delayed. Programme dates can shift. And decisions that would have been relatively straightforward during design can become considerably harder to resolve once construction is underway.

The good news is that many pumping station approval issues are avoidable.

With more than 25 years of experience working across pumping station design, supply, installation and commissioning, Advantage has seen the same underlying problems appear time and again.

Here are five of the most common — and what developers and consultants can do about them.

What causes delays in adoptable pumping station approval?

Pumping station approval delays commonly occur when hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, civil or adoption requirements have not been fully coordinated before the design is submitted.

The exact requirements vary according to the adopting water authority or NAV, but the principle is consistent:

The earlier the technical requirements are understood, the easier they are to incorporate into the project.

Under the current adoption framework in England and Wales, sewerage infrastructure is designed in accordance with the Sewerage Sector Guidance and Design and Construction Guidance, with individual water companies/NAVS able to apply approved Local Practices where required.

That means there isn’t one universal pumping station specification that can simply be reused from one development to another.

1. The pumping duty hasn’t been fully resolved

The starting point for any pumping station should be an accurate understanding of what it is actually required to do.

That sounds obvious, but assumptions made around flows, levels, rising main characteristics or future development phases can have significant consequences later.

The pump duty affects far more than pump selection.

It can influence:

•  Pump size and operating characteristics

•  Wet well design

•  Rising main diameter

•  Velocities within the system

•  Electrical requirements

•  Storage

•  Controls

•  Operating efficiency

If the design changes after equipment has been selected, several other elements may need to change with it.

How can this be avoided?

Resolve the hydraulic requirements before treating the pumping equipment as fixed.

The pumping station specialist should have access to the flow rate restrictions if applicable and development assumptions early enough to test the proposed solution.

At Advantage, we are manufacturer independent, allowing our engineers to select equipment around the requirements of the application rather than making the project fit a predetermined product range.

That flexibility becomes particularly valuable when hydraulic requirements change or the development presents unusual constraints.

2. The adopting organisation’s requirements are considered too late

A pumping station that works hydraulically is not necessarily a pumping station that an adopting organisation will accept.

Water authorities and NAVs need to consider the asset they will eventually own, operate and maintain.

This can introduce specific requirements relating to:

•  Access

•  Lifting and maintenance

•  Site layout

•  Valve arrangements

•  Control equipment

•  Telemetry

•  Safety

•  Documentation

•  Commissioning

Water authorities may also apply approved Local Practices alongside the national Design and Construction Guidance, while NAVs can have their own technical and operational requirements.

Where the adopting organisation has not yet been selected, it is still important to understand which water authority or NAVs are being considered and identify the key differences between their requirements at an early stage.

Those differences can affect more than the physical arrangement of the pumping station. For example, one adopting organisation may require a different rising main diameter or design criteria from another. This can change the required pumping duty and flow rate. If a discharge rate has already been agreed or granted on the basis of one design, subsequently moving to a NAV with different requirements can create a conflict between the flow the station needs to deliver and the flow that the development is permitted to discharge.

Why does this cause delays?

Because adoption requirements can directly influence both the physical design and hydraulic duty of the pumping station.

If they are identified only after the wet well, valve chamber, rising main, kiosk or compound layout has been fixed — or after discharge parameters have been agreed — resolving the issue may require substantially more than a simple drawing amendment.

It can lead to changes in pump selection, rising main design, storage requirements, control philosophy or wider drainage infrastructure, as well as further discussions with the adopting organisation and other stakeholders.

How can developers reduce this risk?

Establish the proposed adopting organisation as early as possible and design around its current requirements.

Where the final adopting organisation is not yet known, identify the likely water authority and NAV options and compare their key technical and operational requirements before critical hydraulic parameters and infrastructure layouts are fixed.

Advantage has extensive experience working with individual water authorities and NAVs, helping developers and consultants understand these differences early and develop pumping station solutions that support both the hydraulic requirements of the development and a smoother route to eventual adoption.

Need guidance for a specific adopting organisation?

Explore our water authority and NAV pumping station guidance for organisation-specific information.

Explore Water Authority & NAV Guidance

3. Civils and M&E have been developed separately

This is one of the most important interfaces on any pumping station project.

The civil designer may be responsible for the wet well, chambers, site layout and associated construction.

The pumping station specialist is looking at pumps, pipework, valves, controls and electrical requirements.

Both designs can appear correct independently.

The problems often appear where they meet.

Typical questions include:

  • Is the wet well suitable for the selected pumping arrangement?
  • Is there sufficient access to remove the pumps safely?
  • Are valve chambers appropriately sized?
  • Does the incoming drainage work with the proposed operating levels?
  • Is the rising main arrangement compatible with the selected pumps?
  • Is the electrical infrastructure adequate?
  • Have kiosk, telemetry and access requirements been incorporated into the site?

Advantage can support critical elements of pumping station civil construction to help create a smoother transition between civil and M&E activities.

That interface is important precisely because a pumping station is not simply an M&E package dropped into an independently designed structure.

The better approach

Bring the civil and pumping station designs together before either is treated as final.

A relatively short technical conversation during design can sometimes prevent a much more complicated conversation on site.

Related: Pumping Station Design Coordination: Where Civils and M&E Need to Align 

4. Telemetry is treated as an afterthought

Telemetry is a critical part of an adoptable pumping station, but it is often considered too late in the design and delivery process.

The important question is not simply whether telemetry is required. It is understanding what telemetry arrangement will apply from commissioning through to final adoption.

Depending on the adopting organisation, the permanent telemetry system may need to be installed from day one. In other cases, the adopter’s telemetry may not be suitable for use by the developer or site team before adoption, which can mean a temporary or secondary telemetry system is also required during the interim period.

That creates several questions that should be resolved early:

•  Is the final adopting authority’s telemetry installed from initial commissioning?

•  Can that system be configured to send alarms and notifications to the developer, site team or maintenance provider before adoption?

•  If not, is a secondary telemetry system required?

•  Will the temporary system be purchased or rented?

•  Who is responsible for maintaining and monitoring it?

•  Does it need to be covered by a service or maintenance contract?

•  At what stage must the permanent adopting authority telemetry be installed and commissioned?

•  Does the adopting organisation require a period of operating history to be demonstrated through its telemetry system before adoption?

These requirements can vary significantly between water authorities and NAVs.

Why early consideration matters

Telemetry can affect more than the final commissioning activity.

If a temporary monitoring system is required, there may be additional equipment, communications, servicing and operational responsibilities to consider during the pre-adoption period. If the permanent adopting authority telemetry must be installed early, this also needs to be coordinated with the station controls, kiosk, communications infrastructure and commissioning programme.

Some adopting organisations may also require the pumping station to demonstrate an operating history before they will complete adoption, and the required period can vary.

Understanding the intended adoption route early allows the telemetry strategy to be planned from the outset, including how the station will be monitored before adoption and when the permanent telemetry system needs to be brought into service.

5. The technical submission isn’t complete

Sometimes the fundamental pumping station design is sound, but progress slows because the adopting organisation does not yet have all the information it needs to review it.

The exact submission requirements depend on the organisation and the project.

However, information can include areas such as:

•  Hydraulic calculations

•  Pump duty information

•  Pump curves

•  Station layouts

•  Wet well details

•  Valve chamber details

•  Rising main design

•  Mechanical and electrical design

•  Storage calculations

•  Controls and telemetry information

•  Equipment specifications

•  Rising main surge analysis if required

•  Structural design of chamber

•  Storage tank design

•  Septicity strategy

Submitting fragmented information can create an unnecessary cycle of queries and responses.

How can this be improved?

Treat technical approval as part of the design process rather than an administrative step that happens afterwards.

The people developing the pumping solution should understand what information will ultimately be needed to support its review.

How can developers reduce pumping station approval delays?

There is no way to guarantee that an adoptable pumping station will progress without a single technical query.

Every development has its own challenges.

But the risk can be significantly reduced by resolving the fundamentals early:

Understand the hydraulic duty.

Identify the adopting organisation.

Establish its current requirements.

Coordinate civils and M&E.

Develop the technical submission alongside the design.

Most importantly, involve the relevant specialists while there is still flexibility to make changes.

A problem resolved on a drawing is generally much easier to manage than the same problem discovered once work has started on site.

Need technical support with an adoptable pumping station?

Advantage works with developers, consultants, groundworkers, water authorities and NAVs throughout the pumping station process.

From early hydraulic and M&E design through to manufacture, installation, commissioning and adoption support, our aim is to take away the specialist technical burden and help keep the wider project moving.

Get Technical Guidance from our team of Advantage Experts 

See it in practice

Explore Advantage’s adoptable pumping station projects and see how our team has supported residential and infrastructure schemes across the UK.

View Our Pumping Station Projects

Posted in Pump Products