Blackburn Meadows

Add links
Coordinates: 53°25′20″N 1°23′35″W / 53.42222°N 1.39306°W / 53.42222; -1.39306
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Blackburn Meadows
The nature reserve, with the Magna Science Adventure Centre in the background
Blackburn Meadows is located in South Yorkshire
Blackburn Meadows
Blackburn Meadows shown within South Yorkshire
TypeWaste Water Treatment Works
LocationSheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Coordinates53°25′20″N 1°23′35″W / 53.42222°N 1.39306°W / 53.42222; -1.39306
Created1886 (1886)
Operated byYorkshire Water

Blackburn Meadows is an area of land just inside the

First World War
. This process became known as the "Sheffield System", and was demonstrated to visitors from Great Britain and abroad. Despite these improvements, ammonia levels in the river below the works were high, and fish populations did not survive.

The works had its own internal

1926 general strike, the locomotives hauled trains over the main line, delivering wagons to Kilnhurst tip under a special dispensation. By the 1960s, the Sheffield sewer system was inadequate for the volume of effluent produced, and the Don Valley Interceptor Sewer was tunnelled beneath the city to the works, enabling 26 storm sewage overflows into the river to be shut down. Water quality was further improved by a new treatment process installed in 1992 to reduce ammonia levels, enabling fish stocks to be re-established in the lower River Don. Subsequent improvements have been made so that the works complies with the Waste Incineration Directive and the Freshwater Fish Directive. The works was inundated by flood water on 25 June 2007, when the Don burst its banks
, but was recommissioned in just 18 days.

A power station was operational on the southern part of the site from 1921, supplying electricity to the steel works of the Lower Don Valley. Although it closed in October 1980, two of its cooling towers which were designed by L. G. Mouchel and Partners in 1937, remained until 2008, as demolition was difficult because of their proximity to

M1 motorway
across the Don valley. Following extensive upgrading of the treatment works, to improve the quality of discharges to the river still further, the sludge beds became redundant, and have been turned into a nature reserve, providing habitat for migrating birds.

Sewage Treatment Works

Blackburn Meadows is the lowest point within

gallons (360,000 m3) of effluent each day, with only the works at Leeds processing more.[3]

History

As the population of Sheffield increased, Sheffield Corporation bought 23 acres (9.3 ha) of land at Blackburn Meadows, on which to build a

puddle clay.[2]

Some of the settling tanks at the treatment works

By mid-1886, the works was complete, and the Mayor, J. W. Pye-Smith Esq, officially opened it on 2 June. The event was witnessed by members of the Council, and by invited guests, which included a representative from the

Milk of lime was then added as it flowed through mixing channels, after which it entered rectangular settling tanks. Next it passed on to a number of precipitating tanks, each holding 50,000 imperial gallons (230 m3), where after 30 minutes of settling, it passed over aerating weirs. Finally it ran through coke filters and was discharged into the river. Around 100 long tons (100 t) of sludge was removed from the precipitating tanks each day, to be pumped into ponds. Once the water had drained off, it was moved to drying beds, and was then used as manure by farmers, or was taken by rail to a tip at Kilnhurst, near Rotherham. Initially, there were 30 precipitating tanks and 60 aerating or filtering tanks.[4]

The railway also developed, with the acquisition of 250 yards (230 m) of portable track and six tipping wagons in 1889, a steam crane later the same year, and more wagons in 1891 and 1892. The first locomotive arrived in 1898, after its purchase from the

saddle tank, which had been built in 1875 for use as a contractor's engine, and had been refurbished by the manufacturer. A maintenance contract for the wagons lapsed in 1900, as the men at the works had become proficient at repairs.[5]

In parallel with the construction of the works, trunk sewers were built to convey sewage from the city to the works. These was a major programme of expansion to the sewer network in 1910, to ensure that it could cope with the expected volumes of effluent produced. Because British sewers are also expected to handle rainwater, a series of storm sewage overflows were provided, which resulted in diluted sewage being discharged into the River Don in times of heavy rainfall.[6]

Expansion

Jordan Bridge, which carried the internal railway over the River Don Navigation to reach the sludge beds

The quality of the effluent discharged into the Don was soon giving rise to concern, as the treatment process was unsatisfactory. An

act of Parliament was obtained in 1900, which allowed Sheffield Corporation to buy an additional 105 acres (42 ha), on which contact beds would be built, so that the effluent could be better treated before discharge. The initial plan was costed at £367,355, which was reduced to £270,369 when secondary contact beds were removed from the scheme. The Local Government Board approved the plans on 13 May 1905, paving the way for the construction of a biological treatment system, instead of the system using lime. Logan and Hemmingway, who were contractors based at Nottingham, won the initial contract for excavations, and also the subsequent one for the construction of six settling tanks, 24 contact tanks, and Jordan bridge, which would carry the internal railway line over the River Don Navigation. The contract was worth £41,046, and further contracts followed, which included £36,500 for 36 more contact beds and three settling tanks, £5,000 for excavating 40,000 cubic yards (31,000 m3) of earth, and £36,484 for storm beds and other work, which was subsequently raised to £39,184, so that they could pay their workers at the same rate as Sheffield Corporation paid their own workmen.[7]

The Lord Mayor opened the first part of the new works on 28 October 1909, and Sheffield Council increased the amount of land they owned for sewage treatment to 226.5 acres (91.7 ha) by buying another 81 acres (33 ha), on which contact beds could be constructed if required at a later date. Discharges to the river were still of poor quality, and a secondary treatment process was designed, although its implementation was delayed by the onset of the

First World War. However, John Haworth became works manager in 1914, and began to experiment with ways to treat the effluent. A continuous narrow channel was constructed within a tank, and paddles were used to agitate the liquid. This allowed it to become oxygenated, which supported bacteria, allowing them to digest the sewage. The process was called bio-aeration, but became known as the "Sheffield System", and a steady stream of people came to inspect the works, both from local authorities in Great Britain and from overseas. Many of the contact beds were converted to use the new system between 1922 and 1927.[8] The treatment process significantly reduced the biochemical oxygen demand of the effluent discharged to the river, but was not good at removing ammonia, which was a major contributor to the poor water quality of the river below the works, and the destruction of the fish populations. The effluent regularly contained more than 20 mg/L of ammonia, which resulted in levels of over 10 mg/L in the river. Few fish can survive in concentrations of over 2 mg/L.[9]

In 1915, the Corporation had made enquiries about purchasing a second-hand steam engine, approaching six locomotive manufacturers, but eventually acquired a new 0-4-0 saddle tank from

1926 general strike, to allow this engine to run over the main line, delivering wagons to Kilnhurst tip.[10] Kilnhurst tip eventually became full, and in January 1948, regular tipping operations ceased, after a new tip at Thrybergh opened. Tipping continued at Kilnhurst sporadically, until it was closed in 1959. During its operational life up to 1948, 2,917,480 tons of sewage sludge was dumped at the site, and following closure, it was sold to the National Coal Board in 1961.[11]

Modernisation

The entire works was upgraded between 1956 and 1969, in five distinct phases. The plan was announced in January 1956, and was expected to cost £1 million. The first phase was the construction of a filter pressing plant, for which the main contractor was Norwest Construction Co Ltd, while the actual presses and other plant were supplied by S. H. Johnson and Co Ltd. This phase was completed in 1962, and was officially opened by the Lord Mayor on 14 May 1963. The second phase consisted of a preliminary treatment plant, a storm sewage separation plant, and metering of the flows within the plant. This was completed in 1965. The third phase was split into two parts, which initially involved the building of new primary sedimentation tanks. Once these were operational in 1969, the old sedimentation tanks were converted to become temporary storm sewage tanks. This fourth phase was called phase 3b, and was completed in 1970. The final phase was the construction of a sludge incinerator, which was completed in 1969 and meant that the pressed sewage cake did not have to be taken to Thrybergh to be dumped.[12]

The railway was also upgraded at this time. Thomas Ward Ltd supplied replacement track in 1955, and a new 0-4-0 diesel electric shunter was ordered from

Charles Roberts and Co Ltd of Wakefield supplied 12 more in 1958, and a further 35 in 1961, with Hudsons supplying the final 6 in 1963.[13]

In 1976, a new diesel shunting locomotive, made by

National Railway Museum at Shildon, and the Thomas Hill engine, after several changes of ownership, is now located on the Peak Rail preserved railway at Matlock.[15]

By the 1960s, the Sheffield sewers were inadequate for the volume of effluent, and overflowed into the river during periods of light rainfall and sometimes when there was no rainfall. Some of them had been in use for 80 years, and inspection revealed that major reconstruction was required. The solution adopted was to tunnel the Don Valley Interceptor Sewer through the Carboniferous rock beneath the existing sewers. Work began of the first phase in 1979, when 1.33 miles (2.14 km) of 18-foot (5.5 m) tunnel were built from the works to a drop shaft in Hawke Street. A new pumping station was required at Blackburn Meadows, and this phase was completed in July 1983. Over the next decade, four further phases were completed, involving the tunnelling of 1.39 miles (2.24 km) of sewer with a diameter of 12 feet (3.7 m) to a drop shaft near Furnival Road, a new sewer from Furnival Road to the Whitbread Brewery with another from the Sheaf Valley sewer to the central bus station, extension of the Don Valley sewer to Gilpin Street, and finally extension from Gilpin Street to Livesey Street in Hillsborough. As a result of this work, the capacity of the sewers was greatly increased, and 26 storm sewage overflows were closed, resulting in significant improvement to water quality in the river.[6]

Improvements

Diagram of the sewage sludge incineration process

In 1992, the problem of ammonia levels in the final effluent was addressed by the construction of a system using anoxic zones and diffuse air activated sludge treatment. This dramatically reduced ammonia levels, and was the most significant factor in the re-establishment of fish stocks in the lower River Don.[9] In 1990, the outdated filter presshouse and incineration plant were replaced by a new sludge-dewatering plant and a fluidized-bed incinerator.[16] The new plant made the old sludge beds, situated to the east of the River Don and on the island formed by the Don and the Holmes Cut, redundant, and these have now become a nature reserve. Further improvements to the process were completed by 2005. These included an upgrade to the wet scrubbing system, in order to remove heavy metals and acid gases such as sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride from the flue gases produced by the incinerator, and the addition of a tertiary adsorption filter, which removes mercury and dioxins. The improvements were designed to ensure that the plant met the standards set out in the Waste Incineration Directive.[17]

The outflow from the works, which passes under the

gallons (136,000 m3) of treated water each day, more than doubling the flow in the river at this point.[19]

The works was shut down on 25 June 2007, after the Don burst its banks, and the entire site was engulfed by several feet of water. It remained submerged for over a week, with much of the equipment suffering catastrophic damage. Once the water subsided, imaginative ways had to be found to return it to operation within a reasonable time. The analyser which measures emissions from the incinerator plant had been completely destroyed, and in order to mitigate a 16-week delivery time, the manufacturers removed one from a training centre at Telford, and it was hired by Yorkshire Water until a new unit could be supplied. The plant was recommissioned and operational just 18 days after its inundation.[20]

In 2012, a contract for the construction of a mesophilic anaerobic digestion facility was awarded, including the construction of buildings and various other pieces of equipment required for the treatment of sludge. Mesophilic anaerobic digestion enables the breaking down of biodegradable materials using micro-organisms under moderate temperatures. The new sludge treatment facility enables the recycled sludge to be used on neighbouring farmlands as manure, and also enables Yorkshire Water to generate 1.9MW of renewable energy using combined heat and power units.[21]

Association with biological warfare

In 1942 Olympia Oil and Cake Company (based in Blackburn Meadows) was outsourced to produce 5,273,400 cakes by the Porton Down biology department for use in Operation Vegetarian.[22]

Power Station

Main article: Blackburn Meadows Power Station
The cooling towers prior to demolition

In 1921, Sheffield Corporation built a coal-fired power station on spare land at the south west corner of Blackburn Meadows. At the time there was no national grid, and the steelworks which occupied much of the Lower Don Valley needed additional electrical power.

listed structures, but ruled against it because the internal cooling structures had been removed, and there was no context for them, as the rest of the station no longer existed.[23] On 24 August 2008, at 3 am, the two landmark towers were finally demolished with explosives,[26]
without damaging the motorway.

In 2011, as part of Sheffield City Council's drive to become self-sufficient for energy, construction of a biomass power station began. It is operated by E.ON UK, and was completed in 2014. It generates 30 megawatts by burning waste wood, sourced from the United Kingdom, and waste heat is captured to provide a district heating scheme.[27][28]

Nature Reserve

In 1993

peppercorn, to enable it to be reclaimed and turned into a nature reserve. In order to manage the project, a consortium was formed, with representation from Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Wildlife Trust, South Yorkshire Forest and Yorkshire Water. It now provides habitat for migrating birds, for which it is an area of European significance. The Wildlife Trust run an active programme of school education visits. In 2005 the City Council exercised an option to increase the size of the reserve by taking over additional land from Yorkshire Water.[29]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ "Bench Marks". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 6 November 2012. (Rivet at SK40999170)
  2. ^ a b Booth 1986, p. 1.
  3. ^ "My birthday treat-ment". The Star. 14 July 2006. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  4. ^ Booth 1986, pp. 1–2.
  5. ^ Booth 1986, p. 2–3.
  6. ^ a b Firth 1997, p. 52.
  7. ^ Booth 1986, pp. 3–5.
  8. ^ Booth 1986, p. 6.
  9. ^ a b Firth 1997, pp. 46–47.
  10. ^ Booth 1986, pp. 8–10.
  11. ^ Booth 1986, pp. 25–26.
  12. ^ Booth 1986, p. 10.
  13. ^ Booth 1986, pp. 10–16, 27.
  14. ^ Booth 1986, p. 18.
  15. ^ "Thomas Hill 'Vanguard' 4wDH Charlie". Andrew Briddon Locos. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  16. ^ Tolan, Bennett & Kwiecinski 1991.
  17. ^ Abbott, Jones & Wright 2004, pp. 37–39.
  18. ^ "Customers get value for money in Yorkshire". Yorkshire Water. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  19. ^ Lima & Bachmann 2002, p. 35.
  20. ^ "ABB Rises To Floods Challenge". ABB. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  21. ^ "Waste treatment sludge to fuel city's £23m green energy plant". Yorkshire Post. 23 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021.
  22. ProQuest 331261246
    .
  23. ^ a b "Cooling Towers, Sheffield, Advisers Report" (PDF). English Heritage. 10 March 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  24. ^ Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 map, 1923 (available here)
  25. ^ "Robson Renewable Fuel Systems to be Installed in Sheffield". Geo Robson & Co. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  26. ^ "Echoes of Blackburn Meadows". BBC. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  27. ^ "Plans for £120m Sheffield biomass power plant unveiled". BBC News. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  28. ^ "Blackburn Meadows Renewable Energy CHP Plant". E.ON. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  29. ^ Curtis, David (27 May 2005). "Blackburn Meadows Nature Reserve". Sheffield City Council. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackburn Meadows Sewage Works, Sheffield.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blackburn_Meadows&oldid=1136404724"