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The Seaford Sea Defence Scheme, by A. E. Holmes, published April 1989 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 3, issue 2, article, pp.101-108)   View Online

During the last 100 years the shingle beach levels at Seaford have gradually declined, with the result that the 10-m high sea wall, protecting low-lying areas of the town against flooding, came under serious threat of collapse.
Southern Water Authority assumed responsibility for the frontage in 1981, and the paper briefly describes the history of events leading into the problem, model studies, and the solution which was adopted. Details of behaviour of the beach during the months following completion, including the great storm of October 1987, are also given.

Hastings and Bexhill Drainage and Sea Outfall Schemes, by R. B. Armstron, B.Sc., M.I.C.E., J. C. Foxley, M.I.C.E., N. J. Bennett, B.Sc., M.I.C.E. and R. g. Morley, M.I.C.E., published April 1989 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 3, issue 2, article, pp.135-146)   View Online

The development of the Hastings and Bexhill drainage systems since the early 1960s is described. Most of the 18 million investment has taken place in the last decade in several phases which were completed in 1988. Ultimate disposal of sewage is by long sea outfall. The new works include two pumping stations and rising mains leading to a header tower serving the outfall. A number of innovations are included to overcome technical problems and reduce costs. The paper concludes with some comments on operational aspects of the new works.

A new conceptual groundwater-flow system for the central South Downs aquifier, by N. S. Robins, D.Sc., M.Sc., B.Sc., C.Geol. (Fellow) and L. T. Dance, B.Sc., published May 2003 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 17, issue 2, article, pp.111-116)   View Online

The central part of the South Downs Chalk aquifer is intensely used for public water supply. Although the aquifer has a long history of careful development and management, the outline conceptual groundwater-flow vision has not been formally investigated for many years. A major programme of work has now been completed which (a) provides a new insight into the hydraulic workings of the aquifer, and (b) highlights a number of hitherto poorly understood concepts controlling groundwater movement in the Chalk. These include the key role of geological structure and the occurrence of hard bands and karst-type groundwater flow as major controls over preferred flow-paths. The new conceptualisation concludes that the main discharge area for the aquifer is laterally to the north-south rivers and not directly southwards to the sea.

A new conceptual groundwater-flow system for the central South Downs aquifier, by T. Keating, B.Sc., M.Sc.,Ph.D., C.Math., F.I.M.A., and D. Howarth, B.Sc., Ph.D., C.Eng., M.I.C.E., published August 2003 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 17, issue 3, article, pp.135-139)   View Online

In Water Resources Plan submissions to the Environment Agency in 1999, water companies predicted increases in demand over the next twenty-five years. With significant environmental and economic constraints on new resource developments, attention has focused upon the potential savings that water-efficiency measures can achieve.
The use of water for toilet flushing accounts for about 30% of household consumption, thereby offering considerable potential for water saving. The conversion of existing single-flush siphonic cisterns to dual-flush operation could be one method of achieving a desired reduction in water use, in accordance with the 'twin-track' approach to balancing supply and demand.
This small study, which was jointly funded by Southern Water and the Environment Agency, sought to measure the effectiveness of dual-flush toilets in reducing water consumption through an eight-month study of five retrofit devices which were installed in thirty-three unmetered domestic properties in West Sussex.

Maintaining Groundwater Supplies during Drought Conditions in the Brighton Area, by R. Miiles, B.Sc., C.Eng., M.I.C.E, published August 2003 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 7, issue 4, article, pp.382-393)   View Online

The very low level of recharge to the chalk of the South Downs, which provide Brighton with its water supply, has meant that the groundwater levels are very low. Despite this, no restrictions have been necessary since February 1991. This is perhaps due to the instigation of public information campaigns, together with media coverage of the drought, as well as a successful programme of leakage control. This paper looks at how the growth of public water supply has been accommodated operationally while ensuring that groundwater quality is maintained. Options for the future expansion of supply, and their cost-effectiveness, are also considered.

The restoration of Woods Mill Lake, by E. Hayes, published March 2004 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 18, issue 1, article, pp.17-19)   View Online

Woods Mill Lake is the centrepiece of a nature reserve at Henfield in Sussex, UK. During the last forty years, the lake has undergone a succession of changes, and this has resulted in loss of depth and encroachment of the reed-bed. In the summer months the large carp population was suffering stress due to shallow water. The problem of silt excavation required extensive discussion with statutory agencies: in addition, the work had to be scheduled around nesting birds, breeding newts and school visits. This paper (a) discusses the complexity of the work which was undertaken, and (b) provides an analysis of the fish population which was removed from the lake.

Effect on estuarine fine-sediment transport of intermittent pump discharge at Pagham Harbour, West Sussex, by S. B. Mitchell, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D., C.Eng., M.I.C.E., H. M. Burgess, B.Eng., M.Eng. and D. J. Pope, Ph.D., published March 2004 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 18, issue 1, article, pp.39-43)   View Online

Field investigations were undertaken to identify the mechanisms of fine-sediment transport at a landward limit of Pagham Harbour. Which is a semi-enclosed natural harbour in West Sussex, UK. Measurements of water level, velocity, salinity and turbidity were made during three tidal cycles between June and August 2002. Near-bed measurements revealed that, for spring tides, the most significant transport occurs during the flood tide, with smaller turbidity peaks recorded at times of intermittent pumped discharges at low water. Vertical profiling revealed that the timing of these discharges acts as a control on the landward transport of fine sediment by increasing salinity stratification. The resulting graphs show that, while increased near-bed velocity leads to increased turbidity and sediment transport, the degree of vertical salinity gradient is also linked with landward transport of fine sediment. These results help to explain the role of tides and fresh-water flow in controlling the transport of fine sediment in natural harbours, emphasising the importance of taking stratification into account when using 2-D depth-averaged predictive numerical models.

Robertsbridge flood alleviation scheme: the challenges of a fast-track approach, by Nigel Baker, B.Eng., C.Eng., M.I.C.E., John Palmer, B.Sc.(Eng.), M.Sc., C.Eng., F.I.C.E.(Fellow} and Garry Elswood, published September 2005 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 19, issue 3, article, pp.167-173)   View Online

Flooding occurred in many locations in the united kingdom in the autumn/winter of 2000. One of the worst affected areas was Robertsbridge, in East Sussex, where over that winter, some properties were flooded up to eight times following those events, the environment agency targeted defences for this high-risk township as one of its high priority projects to 'fast-track' to implementation.
Studies started in January 2001, which recommended a stand-alone scheme that would project the township against the 1% probability flood. Project development progressed on a'fast-track'basis to allow construction to start in September 2002 with completion planned in the summary of 2003.
Project development and implementation is always an obstacle course but the 'fast-track' approach magnifies the obstacle and introduces new ones. This paper describes experience from the Robertsbridge flood allevation scheme, with particular reference to some of the problems encountered, both technical and procedural.

Stratification and fine sediment transport mechanisms in a semi-enclosed tidal lagoon (PaghamHarbour, West Sussex), by S. B. Mitchell, H. M. Burgess and D. J. Pope, published December 2006 in Water and Environment Journal (vol. 20, issue 4, article, pp.248-255)   View Online

Preliminary analysis of data collected at a macrotidal semi-enclosed lagoon (Pagham Harbour, UK) has revealed useful information about long-term patterns of siltation and some of the related mechanisms. Sediment surface-level measurements made over 2 years at different sites within Pagham Harbour have shown a steady siltation, in common with earlier measurements, which is moderated by seasonal effects due to erosion by locally generated waves. Furthermore, inspection of vertical profiles of salinity and turbidity over individual tidal cycles has revealed that the degree of sediment transport on the flood tide is related to the vertical salinity gradient. Thus, at the Ferry Pool site, which is characterised by episodic pumped discharges from a nearby sewage treatment plant, landward sediment transport is enhanced by the high degree of salinity stratification observed during the flood tide. The mobility of the sediment, and the greater distribution of softer, less well-consolidated sediment deposits, is greater here than at the other significant freshwater inflow at the Salthouse site, where the fresh water flow is instead moderated by a tidal flap gate. Preliminary analyses suggest that the higher the salinity stratification, the greater the landward sediment transport during the flood tide. Such analyses could help inform future policy on the methods of land drainage to macrotidal lagoons, and on the potential for managed realignment at such sites.