Riding Mill’s Retrofit Maximizes Efficiency

Customer Objectives

As part of a site upgrade, Northumbrian Water’s Riding Mill station had to replace dual-flow screens at their water intakes. The new screens would need to reduce maintenance, operate with remote controls, and comply with the Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009.

Riding Mill’s legacy screens had no remote control capabilities and required 24/7 operation for extraction. They constantly clogged with debris, forcing manual weekly cleanings and more intense interventions in extreme weather. Screen maintenance drained staff capacity, adding safety risks and confined space requirements. Downtime for cleaning, plus regular screen repairs and drive chain replacements, reduced the station’s overall output and increased operational costs.

Hydrolox Execution

Northumbrian Water chose Hydrolox screens based on their low maintenance requirements and efficient, reliable performance at other sites. Due to their unique design and capabilities, Riding Mill only needed four Hydrolox Series 6000 screens to achieve equal or greater flow as the previous six screens. The installation was carried out on a phased basis, allowing the intake to remain operational. We also took advantage of existing civil infrastructure, enabling a relatively fast and cost-effective upgrade.

Results

The Hydrolox screens have drastically simplified and reduced Riding Mill’s cleaning and maintenance needs. Their remote control system runs automatically on an as-needed basis, allowing for maximum extraction even under changing conditions and low water levels. With automated maintenance cycles and all maintenance occurring above deck, worker safety and morale have increased. The savings in weekly maintenance hours allows operators to use their time on more critical functions, both on-site and at other Northumbrian Water locations.

Riding Mill station has experienced no unscheduled outages since installation. They note the simplicity, ease of use, and reliability of their Hydrolox screens. The fish and eel exclusion capabilities ensure 100% regulatory compliance.