DAMM Environmental Case Studies

Retaining Wall Strengthening

At Yorkhill Fire Station it was found that part of the existing retaining wall was not structurally adequate. Our DAMM civils department was tasked with strengthening the wall by enlarging the base and thickening the stem of the wall with concrete.

Yorkhill Fire Station is situated on steeply sloping topography and the north boundary of the fire station is marked by a retaining wall that achieves a stepped ground level across the boundary. The retaining wall separates a vehicular yard area to the south and recreational park area to the north.

Resurfacing & Hard Standing

Our work on Tarbert Fire Station really illustrated DAMM’s capabilities as a ‘one stop shop’ solution for clients. At Tarbert, the premise of the project was to upgrade the drainage system at the fire station, and install a new tarmac service yard for them.

The drainage side of the job involved the installation of a fuel interceptor. This was a SEEPA requirement to ensure there was no contaminated water travelling from the fire station to the nearby public working harbour. Obviously, when fire tenders are being re-fuelled there is a risk of fuel spillage. (In any job, it’s important to take into account the surrounding area’s buildings/environment, and how these factors may be impacted by any construction work.)

Retail Civils Works

During the pandemic ‘Shop Online for Collection’ the ‘Click and Collect’ service of UK supermarkets grew by over 26%.  This rapid development led to an increase in the number of collection pods required in supermarket car parks. At DAMM Environmental we expanded our civil and construction services to allow us to install home shopping pods for clients.

Seawater Pipe Inlet Cleaning

A DAMM fine team headed round to Macrihanish in the Mull of Kintyre recently to clean and survey three seawater inlet pipes at MERL, the Marine Environmental Research Laboratory. The University of Stirling operate MERL, and MERL is the Institute of Aquaculture’s marine site at Machrihanish near Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. This versatile facility pumps and filters seawater 24 hours a day and hosts a wide range of academic and contract research, including pharmaceutical development for salmonid aquaculture to the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standard.

Gully Cleaning

A gully is roadside drain. The purpose of a gully is to collect water from a road to stop it flooding. Here at DAMM we maintain a large number of gullies for various local authorities all across Scotland. We clean them, removing all debris and clearing any blockages. We ensure they are working effectively and are free-flowing. In this particular gully cleaning case, we were contacted by Fife Council to assist with gully cleaning across their geographical transport network. We worked all over Fife for the council, from St Andrews to Rosyth.

Emergency Spill Cleans

If your property/land incurs an oil or chemical leak/spill, here at DAMM Environmental we have both the knowledge and equipment to safely and rapidly clear and clean contaminated areas. In the cases pictured below, we attended a hydraulic oil spill at the Lidl store in Anniesland, and a paint spill at an industrial estate in Dumbarton.

In Anniesland a mobile elevating work platform (a cherry picker vehicle) had been working on-site at Lidl, and had unfortunately leaked hydraulic oil onto the supermarket’s car park. Obviously, the oil spill had to be cleared quickly to allow customers to safely park and walk to and from the store. Upon arrival we applied a chemical to the contaminated area to break down the oil in such a way that allowed us to then safely remove it, and wash the area down thoroughly.

Patch Lining

The process of a drainage patch repair involves the use of a compressor, an inflatable rubber packer, thin woven textile matting and a 2-compound resin. The 2 resin compounds are mixed together then spread onto both sides of the matting. The matting is then folded and wrapped round the packer (which is covered with a film to prevent the patch sticking to the packer.) The patch is then pushed or pulled into position and the packer is inflated. The patch is then kept in the line under pressure until the resin has cured. The packer is then deflated and removed from the pipe. Finally, a CCTV camera is used to confirm that the patch repair has been installed successfully.

Flood Prevention Drainage

Scotland’s cold climate – particularly in winter – can adversely impact not just atmospheric travel conditions for drivers, but also the road surface itself. In the case of the B8033, which is the main dual carriageway as you leave Dunblane, due to a period of very wet and very cold winter weather, the road flooded so badly it had to be closed for safety reasons.

Waste Water Tank Cleaning

Our industrious DAMM team tackled an interesting and very satisfying industrial cleaning job in late 2022. We were called out to remove a significant amount (160 tonnes) of calcified seaweed from a large tank at Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works. Seafield is Scotland’s largest waste water treatment works -WWTW – which processes 300 million litres of waste water every day. That’s enough to fill 121 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Internal Drainage Installation

The Category-B listed David Stow building has been a landmark in Glasgow’s West End since it was completed in 1917. Its copper spires are a distinctive and striking component of the city’s skyline. The 150 year old building was recently transformed by CALA Homes into unique apartments, offering buyers a piece of Glasgow’s history coupled with the very best in West End living. The DAMM Environmental Civils team was brought on board to help with this new development. DAMM supplied all the necessary new underground drainage externally to the existing building, and internally to each of the new apartments.

Industrial Cleaning

DAMM Environmental’s High Pressure Water Jetting (HPWJ) solution is an economical and highly effective resolution to many environmental and industrial problems. For this project (pictured below) DAMM Environmental’s HPWJ team were asked to inspect and remove hardened scale from boilers.

We used our tank cleaning head and lance-gun, in conjunction with our high pressure water jetting unit. At a pressure of 15,000 psi, water jets can cut through solid concrete, and DAMM’s fleet of HPWJ units have pressures ranging from 1,500 psi up to an incredible 30,000 psi – providing the widest range of flows possible to tackle any job.

Local Authority Maintenance

One of Scotland’s largest Local Authorities contacted DAMM Environmental to clean approximately 30,000 gullies. The original tender specification requested that we clean every gully twice a year, every year. When our DAMM team assessed the gullies, we determined that not all gullies required cleaning twice a year, and that others within the cycle required more than 2 cleans per annum. Rather than constraining our clients via the initial terms of the tender, DAMM Environmental worked with the council to develop a plan for a proactive and bespoke approach to the gully cleaning cycle.

Investment in New Lining Equipment

Here at DAMM Environmental, we recently undertook a job in Motherwell which was the very first of its kind for us, utilising an exciting new piece of kit! On this particular drainage project, we were working for Synergy Civil Engineering – who are building a new Ford car garage. DAMM attended the garage building site to install a 15m liner on a defective sewer. We wanted to install a liner on this job, rather than using patches, because we knew it would create a strong foundation of pipe work. This is also the preferred method of Scottish Water – who have to ensure their network is fit for purpose to enable new site connections.

Housing Association Drainage Works

Maryhill Housing is a charitable, community-based housing association operating in Maryhill and Ruchill in north west Glasgow. Here at DAMM Environmental we’ve been working with Maryhill Housing for a number of years now, providing their tenants with a wide range of environmental services whenever they need assistance.

Maryhill Housing’s main role is to improve, build, manage and maintain homes. (In 2017 they celebrated their 40th anniversary, and they undertake a significant amount of regeneration activity to ensure Maryhill and Ruchill are great places to live.)

UV Liner Installation

A rural residential area in Fife was plagued by regular drainage issues, affecting adjoining private homes. Water pooling and flooding became common occurrences, with random discharge points appearing in residents’ gardens. Upon investigation, it became clear that these issues were not isolated, but rather indicative of a broader problem affecting the neighbourhood. The erratic water discharge was causing significant inconvenience and potential damage to the properties.

Agricultural High Pressure Water Jetting (HPWJ)

The owner of a smallholding on the outskirts of Greenock enlisted the help of DAMM Environmental to assist with the transformation of an agricultural shed. Previously, the shed had been used as a garage, but our client was converting the space to accommodate four stables. The client had already prepared the space by clearing out the whole interior, repairing some worn steel sheets, and filling in an old vehicle inspection pit by concreting over the surface. DAMM was brought in to deliver specialist cleaning and drainage improvements to ensure the space was viable for horses.

Heritage Drainage Repair

DAMM Environmental recently completed complex drainage investigation and repair works at the historic former bank HQ building on St Vincent street in Glasgow, a landmark property currently undergoing significant renovation ahead of an exciting new future.

What began as a routine CCTV survey and jetting project quickly developed into a highly challenging operation involving specialist drainage, civils and confined space works beneath one of Glasgow’s busiest streets.