Viltra successfully provides a carefully considered bespoke concrete wastewater solution, with protective plans in place to help preserve this delicate and historic National Trust site.
Client Overview
Castle Ward is a unique 18th-century National Trust mansion, famed for its mixture of architectural styles and is a popular location for tourists and visitors who want to explore the gardens and the view over Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.
Visitors to this tourist attraction can walk or cycle along the lough trail or through the sheltered woodlands and spot butterflies, rabbits, ducks and swans. Step into a fantasy world of castles and dragons, visitors can explore the Georgian farmyard and the lough shore, film locations for the hit television series Game of Thrones.
Since 2013, Viltra has been proud to be working with the National Trust to ensure that the wastewater treatment systems are compliant and operating smoothly. Viltra service and maintain every National Trust site in Northern Ireland, offering them a 24-hour call-out service, 365 days a year.
The preventative maintenance program that we devised alongside National Trust has dramatically reduced the need for emergency call-outs to their sites and is contributing to the streamlining of the operation of their business. This enduring and dependable relationship reflects the high standards Viltra set in caring for our environment.
Challenges
The National Trust has invested heavily in time and money to preserve heritage sites in Northern Ireland, and to that end, Castle Ward has been treated with the utmost care. With this in mind, it was crucial that Viltra carried out all work with the greatest respect to ensure all areas of the surrounding environment were protected without any disturbance to the day-to-day function of the tourist attraction.
The mansion house at Castle Ward is a listed building due to its historic heritage, this meant in a very literal sense that absolutely nothing in relation to the house could be amended. This proved to be quite a challenge when presented with the scenario of stormwater and sewage getting into the system that was in situ at the time. A simple fix of a pipework tweak to re-route was out of the question. With this is mind we had to design a system to cope with combined stormwater and sewage and treat it accordingly to produce compliant effluent.
Likewise, the surrounding grounds required delicate treatment to ensure no unnecessary damage was inflicted during the course of the works. Protective mats were used to minimise the impact on the landscape to great success. The snowdrops continued to bloom underneath the mats which the National Trust was most grateful for. Visitors were frequently on-site when this project was underway, it was Viltra’s priority that their visitor experience wasn’t disrupted due to the work being carried out. The Viltra team put measures in place to ensure all appropriate health and safety procedures were carried out on-site.
Our Solution
Viltra's team of engineers carried out a site investigation and survey to assess ground conditions before we issued our proposal. Viltra designed, manufactured and installed a concrete sewage treatment system that could cope with the combined stormwater and sewage influent.
The system was installed and the project was completed to schedule, the system is serviced and maintained by Viltra on an ongoing basis to allow Viltra to predict and act quickly should an issue occur. The system is sampled regularly and continues to exceed compliance rates set out by NI Water in Northern Ireland.
With the protective mats used throughout the project works, the ground and surrounding landscape was left in the same condition as before the commencement of any work. With Viltra setting out these protective plans, it meant that no damage or disruption was caused to our client’s property. This showcases our commitment and ethos as a company to respect our client’s surrounding area and to care for our environment.
Our latest projects
A bespoke concrete wastewater solution for one of the most protected RSPB nature sites in Britain, with some of Scotland’s most amazing wildlife
A bespoke sewage treatment solution for a beauty spot popular with visitors and campers in Scotland
Start a project with us
At Viltra, we are specialists in separating waste and water. Whether you have an individual household, a business or a development, we all need and rely on water, we all create and dispose of waste and we all must keep these two worlds apart.
Viltra are a dedicated team who designs, manufactures and installs wastewater treatment solutions for a wide range of sectors across the UK and Ireland, including the commercial and industrial sector, education sector, conservation sector, domestic sector, agricultural sector and the tourism and hospitality industry. Offering an end-to-end service, the experienced team at Viltra ensure our customers receive a premium service and a robust solution to their wastewater management requirements.
To make an enquiry or to book a site visit by our expert engineers who will find a solution for you, please get in touch with Viltra through the contact form provided.
Our clients
