G
uernsey facedoneof itswettest
andwindiestdays in recent
memoryonFebruary3rd this
year.Heavy rain fell throughout
muchof thedayandby theevening
GuernseyAirporthad recorded32.5mm–
more thanan inch–of rainfall, flooding
manyof the island’smajor roads,making
several impassableandcausing
widespreaddisruptions.
Both local radiostationswere forcedoff air
as theFM transmitterwasflooded,withTV
signalsbeingunavailable forpartof the
night.According toGuernseyPolicemore
than60 roadswereflooded–which
outpaced thenumberof closedsigns
available.Sandbagsalso ranshortas
authoritiesscrambled tocontain theworst
of theweather.
Investmentspayoff
But thanks to improvementsat theMarais
Streampumpingstation, oneareaof the
islandemergedvirtuallyunscathed from
theonslaught. Thepumpingstation,
situatedoff lesBanquesnot far from the
capital ofGuernsey,StPeterPort, ispartof
anetworkof facilities that formGuernsey
Water’s infrastructure for thecatchment,
storageand transferof rawwater for the
productionof the island’sdrinkingwater.
“Withoutadoubtwewouldhavesuffered
big issues thiswinterwith theheavy
rainfall ifwehadn’tundertaken thework
there,”AndyBenstead,WaterProduction
Manager, atGuernseyWater says. “I can
guarantee that therewouldhavebeen
problems ifwehadn’tupgraded it.
“Wedon’tactuallyhave rivers inGuernsey
theyareall classifiedasstreams; the
MaraisStreamhasa fair catchmentarea
and it includesabankandan insurance
company, andwithout thiswork they
wouldhavebeenflooded.”
Theworkat thepumpingstationwasan
upgrade; thewhole infrastructurewas
changedapart fromanold tank that
remained. “Therewere two reasons for the
Much like themainlandUK,
Guernseyhasbeen ravagedby the forcesof nature thisyear.
But thanks toa remotely controlled, pneumaticallyoperatedpumpingstation thatwas
completed last year, oneareaof the islandhasescapeddamage from the resultingfloods.
Floodwater safely
under control
Remotelyoperatedpneumaticwater pumpingsystemkeepsGuernseydry
