Keadby Pumping Station

Galliford Try delivered a £35m project to improve Keadby Pumping Station to mitigate flood risk across the Isle of Axholme. 

Keadby Terminal Assisted Outfall (TAO) Pumping Station lies at the end of an intricate system of rivers and pumping stations within the low-lying Isle of Axholme catchment, in Lincolnshire. The pumping station was originally built in the 1940s with the purpose of discharging water from three parallel channels, known as the Three Rivers, into the River Trent during high tides, serving a catchment of over 37,000 hectares.  

The station is over 80 years old and had reached the end of its working life with equipment unreliable, inefficient, and costly to maintain.  

The three-year project began in 2019 and saw the renewal of the pumping station to provide a resilient, modern flood defence asset. As part of the project, Galliford Try replaced the existing diesel pumps with fish-friendly electric pumps, added a new high voltage grid connection and standby generator to bring a resilient electricity connection to the site, and replaced all mechanical, electrical and control equipment. 

Also seen in the works was the construction of a new outfall structure to discharge excess water to the River Trent and the refurbishment of the pumping station building and grounds incorporating improved operational and welfare facilities. 

The pumping station remained operational throughout the work and when required during flood incidents and for water level management across the Isle of Axholme. 

The project scooped two awards in this year’s Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) East Midlands Merit Awards (EMMAs) in both Large Project of the Year and the Sustainability categories.