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10/03/2008 by Steve Barclay.
A once in a lifetime opportunity is how David Thomas, Chief Engineer of the Middle Level Commission, described the new pumping station at St Germans. Seeing first hand the sheer size of Britain’s biggest pumping station, it is easy to see why this special feat of civil engineering is such a unique challenge.
We were there for a small ceremony to mark the end of the first phase of the building work, with a dam now in place. The six massive dual-powered pumps being built will be able to shift the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool every 30 seconds. Given that the constituency in North East Cambridgeshire relies on the work of the Middle Level Commission to keep the area from flooding, the importance of this work cannot be overstated.
The visit to the site this afternoon followed a morning of detailed discussion about the workings of the Middle Level Commission with Chief Executive Iain Smith and Chairman Duncan Boughton. It was good of them to take time out to brief me, and seeing the new pumping station brought their points dramatically to life. With climate change, and the recent floods in the West Country, the pumps will be more vital than ever. It is a remarkable project - and one I look forward to visiting again.
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