Hydrolox S1800 Screens Safeguard Aquatic Life While Reducing Equipment Downtime

Customer Objectives

Northumbrian Water needed a new screen solution to meet the 2009 EEL Regulations at its River Wear intake at Chester-Le-Street, where 57 million liters of water are abstracted each day. The water company needed a low-approach velocity solution that would preserve eel stocks in adherence with a local regulation which requires that all such water intake structures adequately protect eel life at their abstraction points. Further, Northumbrian Water sought to reduce the heavy operator input and cleaning requirements of its existing inline bowl filters, which were causing excessive and costly downtime. In fact, during the region’s six-month storm season (October through March), the filters required weekly manual cleaning by two to three people, often outside of normal working hours.

Hydrolox Execution

The Hydrolox engineering, design, and project teams partnered with Northumbrian Water and its framework partner, Mott MacDonald Bentley, to implement four Hydrolox Series 1800 Mesh Top screens with debris flights. Made from lightweight, UV-resistant, and corrosion-free materials, the S1800 screens prevent fish entrainment, improve debris removal, optimize water filtration, reduce maintenance costs with a self-cleaning mechanism, and virtually eliminate downtime. Northumbrian Water selected these screens for their ability to meet both current and anticipated regulations for the protection of eels and other fish species, ensuring ongoing compliance in an ever-changing environmental landscape

Results

The Hydrolox engineering, design, and project teams partnered with Northumbrian Water and its framework partner, Mott MacDonald Bentley, to implement four Hydrolox Series 1800 Mesh Top screens with debris flights. Made from lightweight, UV-resistant, and corrosion-free materials, the S1800 screens prevent fish entrainment, improve debris removal, optimize water filtration, reduce maintenance costs with a self-cleaning mechanism, and virtually eliminate downtime. Northumbrian Water selected these screens for their ability to meet both current and anticipated regulations for the protection of eels and other fish species, ensuring ongoing compliance in an ever-changing environmental landscape.