Kemp Completes Major Wastewater Survey Project in Lyme Regis

We’re pleased to share the completion of a major project our team has been working on over the past few months in Lyme Regis, Dorset. Working on behalf of South West Water, our involvement formed part of a wider effort to upgrade vital wastewater systems across the South West, a long-term investment in infrastructure that we’re proud to support.

Kemp was brought into the project by our clients, who were managing the works for South West Water. Our role was to carry out a comprehensive utility and topographical survey across multiple sites around the town. With works starting at the end of February, the job has spanned several months and involved close coordination between teams on the ground, local stakeholders, and our project managers behind the scenes.

As beautiful as Lyme Regis is, its natural landscape doesn’t make for the easiest working environment. The steep, undulating topography

meant setting up a solid and reliable control network took more time and ingenuity than usual. But thanks to the skills and experience of our surveyors, and a good dose of perseverance, we were able to overcome these early challenges and establish the control network we needed.

Many of the survey locations were in busy areas of town, including along main roads and in high-footfall areas. To minimise disruption and keep everyone safe, much of the work in these areas had to be carried out overnight. This meant close coordination with our trusted traffic management partner, who provided night-time traffic management that was, as always, spot on.

One of the survey sites was located within a school, which introduced a different set of responsibilities. With

safeguarding and minimal disruption front of mind, we planned this section of work to fall during school holidays wherever possible. For access during term time, we ensured team members with enhanced DBS checks were used – another example of how we tailor our approach for every site and situation.

To deliver the most in-depth and accurate utility mapping possible, our team deployed cutting-edge Multi-Array Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology. This allowed us to collect dense subsurface data safely and efficiently, with minimal disruption to the surrounding area.

Using GPR meant we could offer our client a detailed picture of the underground utility infrastructure, vital data for future design and 

construction work. By combining this with a full topographical survey, we’ve provided South West Water with a comprehensive, geospatially accurate view of existing assets and ground levels.

A job of this scale requires a lot of coordination. At peak periods, we had multiple teams working simultaneously across different locations; some out during the day, some at night. With some of the team staying away from home and adapting to irregular shifts, it took careful planning and commitment to keep things moving smoothly.

“Lyme Regis was stunning but so hilly! Getting around the sites was almost as much of a workout as it was to survey. That said, there’s no better backdrop for a complex project.” -Andy Morton Seeka Survey Manager

Huge thanks go to our Seeka Manager Andy and Senior Topographical Surveyor Ben for their organisation and leadership throughout the job. Their behind-the-scenes and on-site coordination ensured that the right people were in the right places at the right times, helping to keep the project on track and meet our client’s deadlines.

Now that work on the ground has finished, it’s always satisfying to look back and reflect. Every Kemp job takes time and attention, but large-scale projects like this, with multiple moving parts and technical complexity, really highlight what our team is capable of.

From topographical mapping to underground utility detection, from night shifts on busy roads to careful work within a school setting our team brought professionalism, adaptability, and expertise to every part of this project.

We’re proud to have played our part in supporting South West Water’s investment in the region, and we’re looking forward to seeing the next phase of improvements unfold in the months and years to come.