Report - SSSI (Upgraded), Manchester - 2013/2014.

[Ojay]

SSSI (Upgraded), Manchester

First explored by drainrat, SSSI is an old favourite and has seen much drain0r traffic over subsequent years

Essentially a CSO which serves the Work 5 and 6 intercepting sewers of our fine City of Manchester

It really is a stinker and our final few trips down there were no exception, even with some temporary ventilation

Before we crack on with the drain, a little history of the immediate area where the work is taking place

The area now known as Sand Hills is steeped in history and looked entirely different back in the early 1900's

2 significant landmarks here being Moss Brook Works and Collyhurst Quarry

Moss Brook Works

The significance of this factory, was that in 1909 Elijah Ashworth developed and submitted a patent to improve carding engines

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIJAH ASHWORTH, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at the Moss Brook Works, Collyhurst, Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, England, machine-maker, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Applicable to Carding-Engines, of the locking arrangements and to make same more compact

I propose to have incorporated with the lock mechanism but one locking lever and to permit a partial movement thereof when the strap is shifted to the loose pulley but to resist, by obstructing means, a full movement until rotation of the cylinder has ceased.

In other words partial unlocking only is possible so long as the cylinder revolves, because the locking lever cannot make its required full movement due to the presence of the obstructing means.

An important point resulting from the use of the mechanism to be described lies in the fact, that, in the event of complete unlocking, the door itself always remains free and can be opened and closed at will from either side of the card, no locking hold resulting on the mere shutting of the door so long as the locking lever remains fully out.

Collyhurst Quarry

Created from desert sands, the red stone dates back 280 million years

The stone quarried from here was used to build many of Manchester's key buildings

Chetham's School and Library, St Ann's Church, the original Cathedral stonework (Collegiate Church), Hanging Bridge at Hanging Ditch and the Roman fort at Castlefield all came from here

It was so well known this Collyhurst Sandstone, it even became the generic term for this type of North Western sandstone

Beyond the compound where the sewer upgrade is now taking place, exists an outcrop of red rock and is all that remains of Collyhurst Old Quarry today

History lesson over, back to Drains...

During late 2012, I noticed some plans go on-line for unsatisfactory intermittent discharges to be addressed here

One of 200 improvements being made by United Utilities at a cost of £600m

Of course it was a waiting game, with a number of trips during different phases of construction

I lost a few pics along the way and I ended up moving away from Manchester which made follow up visits less frequent

However I still found time here and there when home to look in on the progression...

The cobbled streets of Fitzgeorge St once looked a lot different than above

Below a pic from the archives dated 1960 where rows of terraced houses once stood

And this is how it looked in 2013 soon after work commenced

Here, a shot taken by Nick as they drove in the sheet piling, in preparation for construction of the new filter system

The upgrade work taking place will address the spill problems from the original Victorian setup which was constructed circa 1938

Here, the overflow chamber (MAN0050 CSO) is located nearly 20m below Rochdale Road as seen on this older st. view pic, c/o Google

And here it is below ground

Work 5 Interceptor Sewer

Work 6 Interceptor joins, ahead of a tumbling bay

Constructed circa 1938, here is a pic of the old boys stood within the tumbling bay in 1939 (Work 6 sewer) which connects u/s of the overflow chamber

(pic c/o Manchester Libraries)


The now defunct Penstock control chamber sits high above the sewer, the kiosk that serves it removed the day before I took these shots..

t'other side

At capacity it acts as a storm overflow, dumping it's sewer fresh load into the River Irk

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[Ojay]

The original set-up was a a 5ft 8" brick overflow pipe down to the Moss Brook/Irk

The recent overhaul had seen the original brick overflow intersected

Whilst the dig was under way for the below ground structures, 3 x 1.68m HDPE pipes were used whilst the re-connection chambers were constructed

..and below ground having been inserted into the original overflow

Once completed, storm flows will be diverted from the existing brick overflow to the new screening facility,
and returned back to the existing overflow via additional diversion and re-connection chambers

Primary overflow/re-connection chamber

The original brick overflow has now been intersected and any discharge is now diverted via the 7ft box section on the right towards the screening facility

We took these pics, whilst the chamber was undergoing different stages of construction

Here you can see the construction of a relief weir

Under storm conditions this will allow excess discharge to spill into the existing brick overflow, reducing pass forward flow to the screening facility

Realistically this would require a prolonged amount of rainfall as the re-connection chamber also acts as an in-line detention tank

It would mean unscreened waste water could still pass into the Irk, however it's deemed acceptable by the Environment Agency due to the limited annual events this would occur

On a follow up visit, the weir was almost completed, with only the top section shuttered and concrete having been tipped the same day

Primary overflow - Under Construction

Spill flows are now diverted via the 7ft concrete box on the right

Around 20ft of 'box', any resulting discharge passes through this inlet channel down to the screening chamber

Beyond, a set of upstream penstocks to enable the screen to be isolated

Naturally I monkey'd my way over to see what lay beyond..

(See Screening Chamber further below)

Some pics of the penstock setup from below and beyond, once the system was completed

It should actually read Rochdale Road or Fitzgeorge Street, then again the discharge runs into the sewer that joins Collyhurst Road anyhow

But who really cares other than me

​

 

[Ojay]

Screening Chamber

The new screening chamber is comprised of a main inlet/outlet channel, which opens out into two 2.5m wide screening channels

Each screening channel contains a single escalator screen rated @ 3580 l/sec capacity, together with upstream penstocks to enable the screen to be isolated

Today, the screens had only just been lowered into position..

A few weeks later..

Screening facility, under construction..

Almost completed..

Rags & sewage are removed from the escalators, the screen launder troughs convey the screenings back to the nearby combined sewer

(as seen here, but still under construction and not yet connected)

Here, the connection to the sewer and the elevated screens once the system was completed

2 x 2.4m wide channels convey filtered spill flows downstream to the outlet

A handy ladder, enabled us to get below and beyond the escalators

Here, a small holding tank is equipped with duty/standby launder pumps located within a small sump (to the left, and just out of shot)

This allows waste water to be retained and pumped back to the nearby sewer

From above, the newly installed pumping system, whilst it was being installed

On a later visit, the pumps were sat on the sidelines awaiting installation

And here on a final visit, the launder system operational

Here, the outlet into the downstream re-connection chamber, which joins back with the existing brick overflow to the Irk

As of August 2014, the work is completed, only 3 months behind schedule..

"Are you short staffed ?"

Funnily enough (not) the viaduct and surrounding area was bombed during a blitz on 2nd June 1941 here, amazingly the City Engineers managed to piece it all back together again

(Then/now pic cobbled together by Nickindroy)


Things looked good for over 73 years, until United Utilities quality makeover of the pedestrian area leading up Fitzgeorge Street as seen here

On closer inspection it appears they ran out of tarmac and managed to salvage some spare concrete from the skip, that and a piece of 3x2 scant to shutter a continuation from the footpath boundary

Instead of the usual tamping, looks like the side of an old shovel was used for that rustic look, thing is it looked better after the Luftwaffe had bombed it

The Victorians would be turning in their graves, still what else do you expect for £3m nicker

Hopefully someone will manage to do a better job with the landscaping in the next few weeks


Despite the slightly late completion and some questionable attention to detail here and there, the system seemed to work fine after it's first major spill

Sorted.. The tranquil waters and tropical paradise that is Moss Brook, complete with an Ojay

All that is left now is the above ground landscaping, the surface area surrounding the machine access was shuttered yesterday awaiting concrete & tamping

As I'm away again it may be a few weeks before I can grab a finished pic above ground..

Thanks also to Nick for the efforts dodging CCTV and workers etc on this one and a few aborted missions...

Not forgetting credits for pics used here too and for assisting with research into some of the Collyhurst stuff included

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[Nickindroy]

Brilliant. Loved keeping an eye on this, seeing it move along so fast. A great read also mate. The shoddy finishing is a disgrace, I'm sure they were, indeed, short staffed.

 

[Snake Oil]

quality stuff, its name will have to change to 'not-so-SSSI' now ...and an added bonus of pikey proof plastic so with a bit of luck the ladders will last a bit longer in this

 

[Lenston]

Epic stuff mate, nice report

 

[ViralEye]

a s**t hot report as usual! Loving the old pictures to see how it used to look.

In 100 years time it'll be your face on all the "old" pictures of drains

 

[ACID- REFLUX]

Great report

I"m learning more about the UK"s Sewer System every week.....cheers

 

[Kaplan]

Good shit, as usual

 

[Camera Shy]

You've put a lot of effort into that,the modern parts are very dull but got to admire your dedication (if that's the right word)

 

[The Lone Ranger]

Looks a lovely stroll, and a very enjoyable report too

 

[Ojay]

Looks a lovely stroll, and a very enjoyable report too

You have to sneak in when the workers are having a safety brew, looks like they had a fair few since they went 2 months over and the landscaping still needs to be completed, personally I'd have spent the money restoring Collyhurst all them years back as quite an important industrial area of Manc is now a bigger turd above ground than below!

 

[Bunk3r]

wasn't expecting another uber drain report so soon, nice one.

 

[Nickindroy]

the modern parts are very dull

There was a piano there at one point, after the annual derp lurkers ball, but Ojay weighed it in.

 

[Camera Shy]

WTF ? ^^instant improvement^^ derp lurkers ball ? Sounds like a nasty injury you'd get from climbing over some pallisade fence.