Completion of North Somerset Scheme in November

Working on behalf of the Environment Agency, Team Van Oord is making good progress on a £1.35 million tidal defense scheme which will provide improved protection for more than 4,100 homes and businesses in North Somerset.

The Congresbury Yeo estuary is located between the towns of Clevedon (to the north) and Weston-super-Mare (to the south). The surrounding land is currently protected from flooding at times of extreme tidal events by the Congresbury Yeo Tidal Banks.

The banks have been subject to settlement since their last major refurbishment in 1968, which has reduced their designed standard of service from 1 in 100 years to less than 1 in 1 year. This has left the banks vulnerable to overtopping which in turn could cause scour to the landward slope and ultimately, a breach failure.

Under the Congresbury Yeo Tidal Banks scheme, the existing tidal defense embankment is being raised and widened. Three new sections of bank are being constructed and the existing banks topped up, to provide a 1 in 75 year standard of protection to property in Weston-super-Mare, Worle, and Kingston Seymour.

There are a number of site-specific constraints that the Team Van Oord project team is taking into account during construction of the scheme.

The Congresbury Yeo estuary flows into the Severn estuary and is therefore part of a site of international importance for nature conservation. It is designated as a Ramsar site, Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The work started in March 2015 and is scheduled to be complete during November 2015.

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