March 8, 2023 - Turf Matters

Duncan Ross completes project: Specialist sports turf contractor Duncan Ross has completed a multiple-pitch construction and drainage project as part of the £18.5 million Skirting Beck and Whangs Beck Flood Risk Management Scheme in Egremont on behalf of the Environment Agency who have completed this project’.

Formally opened on the 9th December 2022 by MP for Copeland, Trudy Harrison, the Environment Agency project scheme reduces the flood risk to properties in the area while improving sports surfaces and facilities for the local community.

Duncan Ross completes project

Paul Robertshaw, Project Executive at the Environment Agency said:

“We are delighted that the £18.5 million flood scheme is now complete, reducing the flood risk to 220 properties, ahead of winter this year.

“The scheme not only better protects people and properties in the area from flooding but has created a better place for the community by providing, improved community amenities and an enhanced environment for wildlife to thrive.

“The help and cooperation of local residents, West Lakes Academy, the Falcon Club, schools and nurseries has helped this scheme and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support over the years.”

VolkerStevin Ltd and the Environment Agency created a flood storage reservoir to intercept and attenuate flood water from Skirting Beck before it reached Egremont Town, causing flooding in periods of heavy rain.

The area chosen to create the flood storage reservoir and surface water control system was on a 2.7-hectare disused hard porous pitch and tennis courts attached to West Lakes Academy. During design works, Sport England stipulated that the site had to remain suitable for sports.

The flood storage reservoir is designed to retain flood water by the construction of a retaining wall around the outside of the site, with the beck then being choked at the outlet end and open at the inlet end.

The beck then flows into the flood storage reservoir/sports pitch area and is retained until other flood levels reduce.

Once the flood storage reservoir has drained down, it needs to again be suitable for sport. For this reason, Duncan Ross Ltd was employed under the design of the drainage system by professional design consultants PSD Ltd.

The upper 150mm thick surface was removed from the hard porous area and tarmac tennis courts and replaced by imported topsoil. A GPS grade control bulldozer graded the topsoil to create the exact gradients of the existing area so as not to decrease or increase the holding capacity of the flood storage reservoir.

A new drainage system was installed by our GPS guided 15/15 Mastenbroek trencher. The Environment Agency monitored all works to prevent any contamination to Skirting Beck.

The area was then sand ameliorated with a 50mm layer thickness of medium fine sand and seeded. Once the sward had established, the area had slit drains installed at 1m centres and all spoil was removed from site, the area was then top-dressed at 180 tonnes/hectare vertidrained and fertilised.

Some of the difficulties encountered were the sourcing of a suitable 6000 tonne topsoil to match as near as possible local soil, working within such a narrow access site, sourcing materials to Egremont, the weather and working on site during Covid and all that entailed.

One of the many positives was working with VolkerStevin staff on this project, who provided excellent leadership and whose attention to all health and safety matters was exemplary.

The works will be completed in May 2023.

On the project, MP Trudy Harrison said: “This is a milestone day for the Egremont community. This area has suffered the devastating impact of repeated flooding for many years, and this significant investment will now make a real difference to families and businesses locally.

“I’d like to thank the Environment Agency and all the partners for working together for the benefit of the community.”

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Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem: Across the pond, 4B Landscape & Construction Inc are discovering the many benefits of Foamstream, having switched to the non-herbicidal weed-control solution in early 2022.

Previously using Glyphosate as their primary chemical control, CEO Jamie Berg and COO Gary Berg Jr explain how, since purchasing their L12 unit from Weedingtech, they’re piquing the interest of many new commercial customers with the alternative that saves labor hours and tackles weeds in a way that’s safer for operator and the planet.

Foamstream solves three-fold weed-control problem

Established in 2013, 4B Landscape & Construction Inc are a full-scale landscape design, installation and maintenance company servicing both residential and commercial clients in the Greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas. “When it came to weed control, our initial approach of glyphosate and supplementary hand weeding wasn’t proving effective for three reasons. Firstly, and mainly, is the overall adverse health concerns to humans and the environment. Next, we found weed crops were becoming glyphosate tolerant leading to an increase in treatments. Finally, hand weeding was just simply inefficient and labor intensive, and didn’t give us lasting results” explains Gary.

When exploring alternatives, Gary came across Foamstream on social media and later found that one of their local vendors was an approved distributor. Foamstream kills unwanted vegetation, including weeds, moss and algae, using the precise application of hot water insulated by a specially formulated biodegradable and organic foam. It is delivered by Weedingtech’s range of patented machinery range – an L12 unit purchased by Gary is now coming to the end of its first year of service.

“Not only is Foamstream a healthy herbicide-free option for people and the environment, it gives us instant knockdown results. Compared to hand-weeding, it equates to a 25% labor saving on each site which is in the region of 90 hours saved over the span of the season. Because it treats the spores and seeds as well as the weed, Foamstream has decreased our annual treatments from seven to three or four.” He continues, “It has also eliminated costly overspray or leaching repairs and expanded our potential for treatment throughout the year instead of being limited by suitable weather windows.”

“Additionally, the community perception of the system being herbicide-free helps us stand-out among the competition. Our customers appreciate the multiple benefits it has to their friends, family, pets and the environment and this has undoubtably seen us win more business in both the domestic and commercial markets.”