A second party of students from the University of Brighton will visit the Clay’s Lake project in West Sussex next week, as part of Mackley’s latest initiative to provide aspiring civil engineers with real life experience.
Taking place on Monday, October 24, around 45 students will visit the site where flood prevention works are being carried out by Mackley working as part of Team Van Oord.
The visit will help the students develop their understanding of how theoretical practice is applied in a working environment, while also further strengthening the relationship between Mackley and the University.
A party of students first visited the site in November 2015 and this summer Mackley handed one-year work placements to two students from the University.
In addition to organizing the site visits, Mackley has also made a series of presentations at the University on issues relating to sustainability and environmental awareness on civil engineering sites.
The Clay’s Lake project
The works at Clay’s Lake are being carried out by Mackley as part of the Upper Mole Flood Alleviation Scheme which was developed by the Environment Agency after floods in the Crawley area during 2000.
The works comprise the removal of an existing dam which is being replaced with a larger dam. This will increase the lake’s capacity from 10,000 cubic meters to nearly 400,000 cubic meters, thereby reducing the risk of flood during periods of heavy rainfall.
Associated works include the excavation of a ‘borrow’ area to provide materials for the new dam, and mitigation measures including the creation of a pond and tree pruning.