Birse Civils Trial Innovative New Flood Defence System
4 Apr 2008
York City Council and Birse Civils are beginning trials in the Terry Avenue and
Clementhorpe area of York for a new interlocking, demountable flood defence system,
named “Aqua Barrier”. Councillor Andrew Waller, leader of York City Council, set in motion the construction
phase of the trials on Tuesday 1 April. Councillor Waller operated the machine
which excavated the first element of the foundation works.
The Aqua Barrier system is designed around plastic barrier modules, multiples
of which are linked together with a unique rubber seal to form a continuous barrier
of any chosen length.
The hollow barrier units have holes in them to allow them to fill with water
to
increase stability during flooding. Sections of barrier can be erected quickly,
at a rate of 20m per hour, by teams of four, non-skilled workers.
The aqua barrier units sit on top of a pre-formed permanent concrete foundation
pad which is engineered and constructed to fit to specific local site geometry
and physical features. Permanent slabs are fixed preformed channels into
which the barrier units are fixed when needed. Channels are filled with a
rubber strip to keep debris out when not in use. The foundations can therefore
be used as a footpath or part of the local highway infrastructure during non-flood
conditions.
