Rauceby Parish News
Published Quarterly	Community News & Village Events	£1 where sold
www.raucebyonline.co.uk	email: jonathanhoare@mac.com	Spring 2009

Anglian Water Baffled By Blockage

Repair work to playground at Rauceby Primary School.

You may have noticed the temporary lights in North Rauceby and the continued presence of a Bates Environmental truck. The Editor has recently spoken to Mark Rose at Anglian Water to ascertain what is happening.

It appears that the rising main that pumps raw sewage from the pump station in North Rauceby to the gravity fed sewage system in South Rauceby has developed a blockage.

Anglian Water shut down the pump station and attempted to solve the problem through high pressure hosing. This had no affect. It was then decided to attempt to clear the blockage with a method known as air scouring. This involves pressurising the main with air. On Thursday the 22nd of January this caused the rising main to burst and erupt raw sewage in the middle of the primary school playground.

Bates Environmental truck pumping raw sewage from
the pump station in North Rauceby.


Anglian water reacted quickly, cordoned off the playground and flushed down all the surfaces that the raw sewage had come into contact with. They also repaired the the damaged rising main. At which point they attempted to clear the pipe with air scouring once again. This had little affect other than to burst the pipe in exactly the same place as before.

Meanwhile during the whole process the sewage has been pumped out by Bates Environmental, which will continue to be done until the problem can be resolved.

Anglian Water are at present somewhat baffled as to why in fact a blockage occurred when the rising main is supposed to be self cleaning and to where in fact the blockage actually is. They are presently relaying replacement pipe work in the vicinity of the school and also fitting air valves to the main that will release air when the pressure rises above 10 bar. The works have been greatly hindered by the recent bad weather but they hope to complete all of the work as soon as possible.

Mr Rose wished to point out that Anglian Water will of course be replacing the entire playground surface and the realigning the surface to its original state. In the meantime Anglian Water wishes to apologise to Rauceby residents for any inconvenience caused.

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