In March 2010, the company began building a new pumping station at Ashton Avenue near the Cumberland basin in Bristol.
The facility is used for storm pumping in the event of heavy rains and includes a new 400m2 screening chamber that removes debris from the flow. The screens can handle some 8,000l/s of storm water, however, the screening chamber sits in an enclosed water screening building, which David Mining, Wessex's ICA technical & development manager, describes as an extremely "unpleasant environment".
To enhance health and safety and keep staff out of the chamber as much as possible, Wessex Water has worked with German software company Mobotix and its Hampshire-based partner, security camera specialist SeSys. SeSys has deployed a Mobotix camera, modified to meet ATEX standards for explosive atmospheres, to monitor the pumps.
