A helicopter was brought in to carry around 44 tons of machinery and materials up a steep hill near Swanage as part of a tricky reservoir improvement project.
Wessex Water’s Ulwell reservoir is located on a Site of Special Scientific Interest that is 80 metres above the village of Ulwell.
A helicopter was brought in to lift equipment and materials up the hill
“Other options weren’t feasible”
As the service reservoir is only accessible by foot, the water and sewerage company decided to use a helicopter to carry its equipment up the hill.
Dave Fear, Wessex Water project manager, said:
“The decision to use a helicopter to transport machinery and materials came after we realised other options, such as using a crane, weren’t feasible.”
The helictopter took the ‘heavy lifting’ out of the work
“Smallest impact”
Dave explained:
“We liaised with our environment team, Natural England and the local authority to decide which option would have the smallest impact on the local environment.
“By using a helicopter, we were able to ensure green spaces on the hill weren’t damaged during the scheme.”
The Ulwell reservoir supplies water to the village below
Ensure water quality
Wessex Water regularly inspects, cleans and maintains all its service reservoirs to ensure drinking water quality is maintained.
Ulwell Reservoir is a single compartment concrete construction that was built in 1930 and supplies drinking water to the village of Ulwell.
The work, which will be completed in November, will help maintain a safe supply of drinking water for customers in the surrounding area for at least the next twenty years.
The Ulwell reservoir is in a site of special scientific interest
