Bedford Pumps has just completed installation and commissioning of three new Fish Friendly canister pumps for Wolferton pumping station. Located approximately 1 mile north of the village of Wolferton in Norfolk, the pumping station provides flood protection to a 2800 hectare catchment, including a number of villages and part of the Sandringham Estate.
This hidden gem of land drainage operated by Kings Lynn Internal Drainage Board (IDB), plays an important role in protecting both land and infrastructure in West Norfolk by pumping water from the drain to the tidal salt marshes of The Wash.
The original pumping station, which was commissioned by King George VI over 65 years ago, had come to the end of its service life. The new pumping station, designed by PBA now part of Stantec, was constructed adjacent to the old which was then removed upon completion of the works.
Bedford Pumps’ Submersible Fish Friendly pumpsets are manufactured in cast iron with a Ni-Resist shroud and an aluminium bronze impeller. These materials have excellent resistance to any corrosion erosion possible with brackish water. The pumps are canister mounted and installed into a vertical wet well and will each provide a duty of 1,600 litres per second at 2.8m head with an approximate run time of 750 hours per pump per annum.
Bedford Pumps’ Fish Friendly pumps are the complete solution for eel regulation compliance and are available in submersible, mixed flow or direct drive variants. Covering 400 to 9,000 litres per second at 2m to 14m head they will also improve hydraulic efficiency with up to 10% reduction in power absorbed.
