Award for work on dam hit by floods

Specialists from civil engineering firm Ove Arup, along with contractor Ringway Infrastructure carried out the Ulley Reservoir Rehabilitation Scheme for Rotherham Council.

The project involved draining the reservoir, which is owned by the local authority, and repairing the dam wall, which was put under severe pressure on the night of June 25, 2007.

Members of the Yorkshire branch of the Institution of Civil Engineers visited the site as work was completed in February and presented the award to the team earlier this week.

Judges said they were looking for a project which demonstrated “quality design and workmanship, innovation and engineering difficulty”.

Rotherham Council had to spend £3.8m making the dam safe after the heavy rains and commissioned detailed work to survey the damage and ensure the repair would withstand a similar deluge.

Coun Iain St John, who is responsible for Ulley reservoir and the surrounding country park, attended the awards ceremony at the National Railway Museum, York, along with representatives from the two firms.

He said he was delighted to see the scheme recognised by the engineering world and added: “This was an incredible engineering project that needed innovative solutions that had to meet stringent national standards.

“Ulley reservoir and country park is now safe for generations to come and my congratulations go to everyone involved. This was no mean feat – and I am pleased to be a member of an authority that had the foresight and courage to go ahead with such a scheme.

“It would have been a lot easier and cheaper to drain the reservoir but this would have meant the loss of a popular and much-loved local facility.”