Complete enabling works including vegetation and watervole mitigation, access improvements and service diversions
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Upper Thurne Integrated Drainage Project
Horsey Pumping Station
Services
Civil Engineering
Location
Horsey
Norfolk
Partners
Bam Nuttall Ltd
Jacobs UK Ltd
Turner & Townsend
Start & Completion
Start: January 2025 – Ongoing
The replacement of Horsey pumping station is being delivered under Package 1 of the wider Upper Thurne Integrated Drainage Improvements Project. The pumping station directly protects the 792Ha Horsey drainage district (reference CMT028P) and is located only a few metres from the existing pumping station and original Horsey drainage mill, where a pump has stood since the early 18th Century.
Construction of the new pumping station commenced Spring 2025 and is planned for completion Summer 2026.
Construction Plans
The pumping station features two Pentair VDX1-450 suspended bowl mixed flow “less harm” pumps offering significant increases in efficiency over the current submersible pumps. To deal with climate change and increased severity of rainfall events duty capacity is increased by a minimum 50% with each pump delivering up to 375 litres per second.
The 3.14m deep pumping station “wet well” (intake) is formed from 8.1m long steel sheet piles driven in to the underlying crag group. The sheet piles form both the temporary cofferdam and permanent wet well. The wet well sump, central dividing wall and liner is constructed from in-situ cast reinforced concrete.
The pumps are supported on precast concrete pump support slabs which bear on the wet well concrete liner and central wall. A manually raked trash screen protects the intake from course debris.
The black horizontal timber effect GRP kiosk houses Motor Control Centre, power and telemetry systems. The pumps are controlled by Variable Speed Drives allowing them to deliver a broad range of flows in response to catchment conditions. The telemetry system provides improvements in remote monitoring, control and operation of the station.
The pumping station discharges through below ground PE pipework into Horsey Staithe through precast concrete chambers. The outfall chambers and pipework are designed to reduce discharge velocities, ensuring no detrimental impact on river users.
The system is protected from return flow by lightweight HDPE flap valves at the outfalls and “gate valves” within the wet well.
Both the control building and outfall pre-cast units are founded on steel piles to ensure prevent settlement.
The visual impact of the station has been carefully considered given the sensitive nature of the site through the specification of material colours and plant selection whilst balancing the primary function as a pumping station.
Project Gallery
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Planned Project Timeline
Spr 25
Sum 25
Civil engineering construction works. Manufacture of pumps and mechanical / electrical equipment
Aut 25
Installation of pumps, power and control systems, sensors and trash systems
Win 25
Commissioning the new pumping station and decommission existing stations (site specific timings)
Spr 26
Completion of works, landscaping and demobilisation
A history of pumps at the Horsey site
Horsey’s water management has evolved significantly over the centuries. The first drainage mill on the site, known as the “Great Mill,” was built in 1816 to manage water levels and prevent flooding. Prior to this, wind-powered mills such as the smaller smock mill, built around 1812, and older mills like the Waxham Drain Mill, were in use. By the mid-1800s, steam-powered pumps supplemented the wind pumps, with a steam engine installed at Mere Farm in 1863.
In 1900, a Garrett twin-cylinder portable steam engine was added beside the Horsey Windpump which was later replaced with a 55hp Crossley diesel engine pump in 1939. The diesel engine powering the pump was replaced by electric plant in 1957, with the Smithdale turbine pump being retained. This pump lasted for four decades, until it needed to be replaced in 1998.
