Barhale has been awarded a £16 million contract by Yorkshire Water to deliver a new service reservoir (SRE) at Springhill, strengthening Scarborough’s long-term water resilience.
The four-year scheme, awarded as part of Yorkshire Water’s AMP8 programme to upgrade infrastructure, will safeguard water supplies for properties in and around the Yorkshire town.
Civil engineering, infrastructure and tunnelling specialist Barhale will construct a 17.3ML twin-compartment reinforced concrete service reservoir, to be known as Springhill SRE No.3, together with an associated valve house. It will replace the 93-year-old SRE No.1 (15ML) and Springhill SRE No.2 (2.6ML) to accommodate both current and future levels of service.
The new reservoir will measure 55m × 77m externally and stand 5m tall. Internally, it will comprise two equal compartments of 54m × 38m and will be hydraulically balanced with the existing Springhill SREs.
Construction will use a hybrid solution. The base slab will be cast in-situ, while precast walls, columns and roof elements are fabricated off-site before installation. The hybrid approach improves quality control and reduces programme and site impacts.
The concrete mix design has been developed to resist soft water attack and chemical degradation without reliance on protective coatings, supported by enhanced durability detailing.
The scope also includes new inlet, outlet and overflow pipelines, pumping stations, and the decommissioning and disconnection of plant associated with the existing Springhill SREs.
The new reservoir will be constructed adjacent to the current site due to space constraints.
Johannes Esterhuyse, Regional Director – Yorkshire, Barhale, said:
“This project is fundamental to securing long-term water resilience for Scarborough and the surrounding communities. The new reservoir will provide the storage capacity needed to maintain service standards while allowing the safe retirement of existing infrastructure.
“We look forward to working closely with Yorkshire Water to deliver a durable asset that will serve customers for decades to come.”
Surveys are underway and construction of the service reservoir is scheduled for 2027
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