CCTV Drainage Survey for potential contamination leak on a business park, Chertsey
A Chertsey industrial park is home to a range of businesses from small garage workshops to large distribution centres. James Turner, who manages the site, needed to make sure that the tenants could run their business without any problems to the on-site amenities. It was also his job to ensure all tenants complied with the local council’s environmental regulations.
James received a notice from the local environmental agency that they had recently visited for a routine inspection and raised concerns about possible contamination to a watercourse that runs alongside the business park. The inspectors were concerned that the drainage at the business park may be leaking wastewater into the watercourse, which would be in contravention of strict environmental protection laws.
As per the notice, he needed to provide evidence that the drainage system is working fine and there was no contamination risk. This put James in a tough position because any deviation from the laws could result in heavy fines or even worse, could force it to close until the problem was rectified.
James was required to extensively check the draining system and provide evidence that it was in good working order. The problem was that most of the park’s drainage system was underground and would require specialist equipment.
James called Your Drain Experts to perform a full commercial CCTV drain survey at the Chertsey site. He knew us from a previous drainage issue that had previously been resolved by our company at the site.
We arrange for a detailed CCTV drain survey of the entire park system. It had been over 12-years since the last survey, with many tenants coming and going. A survey and flush were well overdue.
When it was time for the inspection, our drainage surveyors arrived at the site with our CCTV exploration equipment and began the survey through the manholes scattered across the business park. The advantage of our specialist drain cameras was that it can relay live footage to a main monitor so that James could view the system’s internals real-time. The camera would allow us to identify damage, blockages or leaks inside the pipes.
On inspection, the footage revealed several areas of concern. Our drain technicians discovered a serious blockage of silt, stones, and other debris in one place and also some industrial rubbish that may have entered the drainage system over the years. Even though it wasn’t a total blockage, it was stopping the water from flowing easily. The concern is that excess water on a heavy rain may overflow.
Still, the most serious finding was a crack in one of the underground pipes located near the edge of the business park. Even though the crack was not too big, it was, however, allowing wastewater to leak out. The agency thought that the wastewater was going into the watercourse because of the crack in the pipe.
Once the survey was done, our team reviewed the footage with James. They made two recommendations to ensure environmental compliance. They recommended using high-pressure water jetting to clear the drains first. This will open the way for water to flow through the system and not build blockages. Next, they suggested repairing the cracked pipe using a no-dig drain relining process. Sealing the crack and strengthening the pipe through this method would prevent further leaking.
James realised that it was vital that the problem be dealt with, not only to avoid any fines but also to allow the business park to remain open for business. He told our team to go ahead and action the drainage repairs.
The next week, the drainage engineers came back to do the repairs. The drainage system was cleaned using high-pressure water jetting to remove the debris and waste caught in the drainage. As a result, water was able to flow again in full capacity after the process was completed.
The team employed no-dig drain relining to repair the cracked pipe, this meant lining the inside of the pipe. The no-dig relining process had minimal disruption to the tenants and no harm to the landscaping of the business park.
Once the work was finalised, our team issued James a report that includes before-and-after footage of the drain work. The report laid out the status of the pipes, the repairs that were done, and proof that there are currently no leaks to threaten the watercourse in the vicinity.
James sent the report to the environmental agency as part of his compliance documentation. The thorough CCTV drain survey, and quick repairs cleared the business park of any infringement, and the environmental agency was satisfied that the drainage system did not pose a risk of contamination. This meant that no penalties were due, and no business disruption occurred.
“Like any landlord, I was anxious when we got the notice from the environmental agency.” said James. “A leak into the watercourse could have cost the business park money and damaged its reputation. Your team immediately placed me at ease, responded quickly, and were extremely thorough. The only means we had of proving the drainage system was safe was with the CCTV drain survey. Anyone looking to comply with environmental regulations, or if you just want peace of mind, will benefit from this service.”
