Peterborough, IKEA

Description

Needs<br>The IKEA warehouse in Peterborough operates as adistribution centre to the company retail outlets in the local region. Thewarehouse itself is a significant size and, combined with the hard standingrequired for the parking and turning of large articulated lorries, generates asignificant rainfall catchment. The consequent run off from the warehousegenerated during rainfall events requires management and treatment prior todischarge back into the environment. The event based nature of the flow,following precipitation events, meant that some form of balancing was requiredto handle initial high ‘first flush’ volumes. Run off passing over the hardstanding areas picked up hydrocarbons from oil and rubber deposits from thelorries as well as grits. These would be present in higher concentrationswithin the ‘first flush’ and needed to be removed to acceptable levels prior todischarge. The Environment Agency specified a visual consent with a maximumdischarge rate of 16.4 l/sec.<br><br>Solution<br>A suitable area was identified between the warehouse and adrainage ditch leading to a network of local amenity ponds. A spillway wasconstructed leading to an attenuation lagoon to provide some dynamic storageand to settle suspended solids and grit. One boundary of this lagoon wasconstructed using gabions which allowed the run off to flow quiescently fromthe lagoon into a horizontal subsurface flow reed bed constructed on the otherside of the gabions. This provides treatment including solids and hydrocarbonreduction before the run-off is discharged into a surface water course. Thetotal area of the system is 2,570m2.

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