An emergency scheme to fix a collapsed sewer pipe buried 15 metres below ground is progressing at Appley, with semi-permanent pipework now laid to divert all of Ryde’s wastewater.
As previously reported by Island Echo, an 8ft-wide sinkhole appeared on the footpath between Appley and Puckpool on 16th January. Investigation work has since confirmed that a 1-metre wide sewer, which carries all of Ryde’s sewage and wastewater at a rate of 1,000 litres a second, has failed dramatically.
Pumps and tankers have been drafted in from the mainland as a temporary measure, but due to the depth and complex nature of the repair, the work will take several weeks to complete and therefore a semi-permanent pipe network is being laid.
Work to build the diversion pipe began on Monday and an army of contractors have been on site since. As part of the project a bridge structure has been created to allow Ryde Inshore Rescue to launch their lifeboat and for other emergency access to the beach.
Initially, Southern Water said the repair work would take ‘several weeks’ but it has now been indicated that it may be early Spring until things are back to normal. Geological surveys are due to take place next week, although the impending snow could have a knock-on effect on the progress of repairs.
The new pipework is being laid along the seawall towards the Canoe Lake meaning pedestrians are having to use the pavement on the opposite side of the road before then crossing back over at the lifeboat station. Boarding has been laid on the beach to enable the continued use of the footpath towards Puckpool.
Vehicular access to North Walk and Appley Car Park has been closed to all motorists. It’s unclear when the road will re-open.
A spokesperson for Southern Water has said:
“We apologise to the community as we continue to work in the area at Appley beach on the collapsed sewer. Recent poor weather conditions – and with more rainfall due this week – mean that the extent of the damage caused to our sewer and the sinkhole continues to be investigated. Geological surveys will be conducted early next week before permanent repairs can start safely.
“We have diverted the footpath onto the beach using boarding to make it safe and accessible for all thus keeping the popular pathway open for those who wish to walk in the area. Currently a more permeant temporary pipeline is being installed along the beach wall so that it is out of the way of the work on the sewer and will allow us to stand down tankers and temporary pumps.
“The final repair is complex and will take several weeks, at present we cannot confirm an exact time frame as specialist engineers will have to work to design the best solution, but it is likely to run into early Spring.
“It is in no one’s best interest for this to take longer than necessary and we wish to reassure customers we will work as quickly as possible. We recognise the inconvenience this is causing in to local area and thank everyone for their patience”.
Southern Water has said that any damage to nearby pavements and carriageway as a result of the works will be fixed.
Obviously there must be a good reason but why, originally, would they dig a trench 15 metres deep to lay a sewer pipe?
I would guess because it is near the beach and sea
No sewage is allowed untreated into the sea, least not officially.
Water ONLY flows ‘down hill’ so, unless you use expensive pumps then you have to lay the pipe to flow downwards to its destination, which if that destination is much lower, then the pipe has to be laid deeper.
Have YOU ever seen water flow ‘uphill’?
Could be to protect it from freezing in very cold weather ?
Yet Sewers in London were built by the Victorians are still working perfectly and in Rome sewers built by the Romans continue to give great service after 2000 years.
Yet a leaking duck pond breaks this?
Pull the other one.
Whatever, it seems like a big job.
Leaking duck pond?? Where does it say that??
It actually says a 1 metre section of pipe collapsed and this was under the path fairly close to the lifeboat station and not near the duck pond.
Look at the diagram of the problem.
the diagram is simply a representation of the problem, probably drawn by some office muppet who has never visited the site. The standing water in this case is tidal and caused by the sea one side, and caused by soggy ground the other side, not a pond.
This failiure is a good quarter mile if not more from the boating lake, which in any case is sealed and has its own outlet to sea if it becomes over full.
Duck pond / boating lake is nowhere near the leak – it’s a few hundred feet away!!!
Sewers in London regularly need repair. This often doesnt require the digging of a dirty gurt hole because the sewers are big enough for a person to walk through, and can therefore be repaired internally. The main maintenance they undergo is clearance of grease clogs, which can be several metres long and as high as the sewer, and are normally hardened with other waste mixed in.
Appley is a 1 metre pipe at 15 metres depth. Impossible to repair without digging down, and presumably at that depth to go well out into the solent before discharging.
The pipe from the Appley pumping station behind the Cafe, could be accessed and a narrow gauge but strong titanium sleeve could be slid through the existing pipe to join the two broken ends without any need for vast excavations.
A sledge hammer to crack a walnut job.
You want to slide a titanium sleeve through a pipe?
Putting aside for a moment that titanium is massively expensive, that your plan would require dismantling half the pumping station, and that there would be no way to create a proper seal once it was in place, what do you think will happen once this incredibly expensive titanium pipe patch gets to the point where the existing pipe has collapsed? How exactly do you expect this sleeve to force its way past the collapse? Even if it were possible to get a sleeve in place, it would be clogged with debris from the existing collapsed pipe.
The only way to do this is to dig down and repair the pipe properly. Its not a sledgehammmer to crack a walnut job, its a digger to do the job properly.
The cost of many men working for weeks with expensive plant equipment will make a titanium seem cheap, YET if doing this job on the cheap there are TWO other options. One is to use hi grade stainless steel. Will need to be slightly thicker than titanium, but not enough to reduce capacity by any major amount.
The second is to use high power water jets and pumps to expose the damaged pipe ends from above, then use an inflatable long air bag balloon to fill both ends of the damaged pipe.
Then cement is pumped into the void around the damaged area over the balloon, and once set, the balloon air bag is withdrawn and Jobs a ‘good un’ for little cost, less excavation and the sink hole back filled with rubble and soil.
There is not just ‘one’ solution to this, and cheaper alternatives are there. I would be willing to advise if needed.
P.S the damaged pieces of pipe would be blasted out by the hi pressure water so not an issue.
Titanium or steel, inserting a pipe patch inside the pipe is not feasible and incredibly costly, quite likely resulting in needing to dig down anyway.
You really think using high power water jets to excavate down 15 metres is more feasible than a digger? Seriously? 15 metres using a water jet, with the sides caving in due to the water, and god knows what further damage caused by water leaching under the pipe. The caved in section might be blasted away, only to cause a further blockage down the pipe. Meanwhile your balloon covered in concrete cant be withdrawn because its set itself to the concrete, and its 15 metres down so some bloke best get started with a JCB.
Southern Water dont need your advice, they have plenty of their own expertise, none of who will be suggesting ridiculous titanium patches or digging 15 metres using high pressure water jets.
Jack has a good idea. CCTV could be slid into the broken ends of the pipe, to check for masonry etc, and pushed out from the nearest inspection point which I believe is before Puckpool IF needed one end and the appley poo palace the other, even easier.
The air bag with an inflatable balloon is excellent and the INNER core could be burst once the cement covering is fully dried, leaving the outer layer a strong nylon mesh as structural cement reinforcement and leaving the pipe plenty of room as the section NOT in ‘either end’ of the shattered pipe could be expanded as large as needed to cover any loss in diameter of the outer nylon weave. A cotton weave could be used if the need to have it rot was deemed useful.
The combined hi pressure hose and suction system with attached cctv would work well and save hours of digging and moving tons of soil to get the hole so massive as to be able to reach that level
I think he should be given a chance, as it could save millions of pounds.
Seems that some want the contract to be as expensive as can be, likely those who stand to make out of Ryde’s sanitary misery.
Oh please. Noone stands to make anything out of “rydes sanitary misery”
The cheapest and fastest way to repair the pipe is to dig down using shuttering to hold the sides, and repair the pipe properly. It’s the main sewer, it needs a proper repair not a bodge job with a balloon, and certainly not more water added to a sinkhole with high pressure jets.
The pipe will be excavated, the damaged section removed, and the pipe repaired. That is the cheapest way of doing it, and such a repair stands a good chance of lasting another 30 to 40 years without problems.
Messing about with balloons won’t work and could easily cause more problems. Not to mention that to get concrete in there you would need to dig down anyway.
Dry digging is the way to go. This is a large bore pipe in soaking unstable ground that definitely does not need more water adding. It’s not Dyno rod coming out to unclog your toilet.
Was probably built by IWCC labourers…
Be interesting to know how old the pipe is and what its connection is with the installation behind the Rowing Club ?
Don’t you all remember the major works they did along the seafront for the new pumping station in the late 80’s early 90’s. Beat’s the old pipe that used to just run into the sea at Appley.
I remember they even reversed a lorry and accidentally knocked over one of the old blue shelters that used to be there.
Where does it go? Or did I miss that?
The Apply Sink Hole, sounds like a new tourist attraction 😀
Poor IWCC, all that lost revenue in car parking charges……….. never mind IWCC, the tax payer can make up the shortfall.
Am I missing something here? The picture is wrong… sink hole is 10 ft deep, but they say the sewer pipe is 15M… deep.Also, does this 1M pipe discharge raw sewage into the sea? Or is it treated effluent?
The sinkhole is 10ft. The pipe is 15 metres. The pipe has caved in leading to material dropping 10 ft into the pipe and the cavern created by a leak that could have been going for years.
I would think the vibrations from all the vehicles coming around that corner, plus going onto the beach had a lot to do with it.
But not to worry, guess all our water bills will increase to pay for this ! I thought that is what the STANDING CHARGE on our bills is for ! To be sure they had enough saved to pay for repairs like this !
Woah, this story is a day old and I haven’t seen any of the usual comments so let me begin:
“There is so much low life scum in Ryde the sewage system is having trouble draining it all”.
“How will the sewage system cope with all these extra housing developments filled with druggy mainlanders”.
“It’s the council’s fault, vote them out”.
Your welcome.