Our Bubble Curtain supported BAM’s environmental protection and water quality aims by keeping dissolved oxygen above 90% and restricting silt movement during bank improvement works valued at £1.5 million on the River Don.
Urgent repairs were identified by the Environment Agency’s Incident Response team to eroding bank walls along the river which could pose a flood risk to nearby homes.
Our Technical Team designed a solution that used Bubble Tubing® technology to provide highly effective emergency aeration to increase dissolved oxygen levels to mitigate fish deaths from the impact of construction in the riverbed. While aeration was BAM’s primary concern, the bubble curtain gave an added layer of protection from oil spills, silt segregation and particles moving outside of the works zone.
There were a number of challenging factors for BAM to consider on this project, including a canal running adjacent to the river as well as site access limitations. Construction traffic and materials had to be transported along a narrow corridor strip of land stretching 3km between the two waterways.
A Bubble Curtain is easy to transport and install – on this particular project – a double 30m line was designed for use and moved as the works progressed along the bank.
The curtain was placed 10m upstream of the works to allow the bubbles to flow downstream to maintain high oxygen levels.
As well as aerating the entire water column, the Bubble Curtain helped prevent silt created by bank disturbance works from flowing downstream and causing silt pollution.
“The Bubble Curtain has been a gamechanger for our rivers network and has become an internal success story.
“It’s an incredible bit of kit which is so easy to use and is highly effective – our dissolved oxygen readings never fell below 90% when the curtain was in operation. It gave us instant control and best of all, once installed, it’s as simple as turning it on and off at the flick of a switch!
“Thanks to the specialist support given by Frog Environmental’s Technical Team in design and planning, we got it right the first time.”
Brett Holmes, BAM Nuttall Sub Agent
Preventing fish kills
Increased dissolved oxygen levels reduce the risk of fish kills or harm to other aquatic life when construction is taking place in their environment. It is often necessary to give emergency aeration during water-based works.
Easy, low carbon operation
It is a weighted product which makes it easy to install, move or remove from water.
The generator was turned off when the Bubble Curtain was not in use, saving fuel (c 40L used over 31 weeks) and reducing the need for excessive trips up and down the arrow 3km access strip to refuel.
Resilient technology
The Bubble Curtain was described as ‘resilient’ by the team at BAM who experienced flood events during the works with the technology remaining in the water.
Reusable environmental solution
Another great selling point of a Bubble Curtain is that it can be reused (in the right scenario) for other projects across a contractor’s network.
It is worth noting there are different sizes of tubing to suit project requirements and conditions such as river or coastal environments.
Award-winning approach to freshwater and marine projects
Bubble Curtains have scooped up numerous innovation awards this year. Their wide application range from noise reduction to silt control, abstraction protection, inlet protection, litter and weed prevention and emergency aeration, and can be scaled to suit the size or type of project being undertaken.
Are you considering Bubble Curtains for your next project? Contact Us for technical support and a no-obligation quote.
Frog Environmental are water quality & silt control specialists working with contractors, regulators and consultants within construction, utilities, marine and coastal and public sector industries across the UK and Europe.
We provide innovative solutions with a range of market-leading, sustainable products designed for projects large or small, in oceans, rivers, lakes and ponds. Follow our news and updates, find out more about our products, or contact us for technical support.
Key Stats
- Bubble Curtains are an industry-leading solution for marine and freshwater construction projects.
- They have wide application ranging from sound attenuation to silt control, abstraction protection, inlet protection, litter and weed prevention and emergency aeration and can be scaled to suit the length of the works being undertaken.
- A self-purging design coupled with a five year warranty, Bubble Curtains provide our customers with a reliable and cost-effective low energy and low maintenance solution.
- Frog Environmental is the only distributor of commercial Bubble Tubing®.