Distinguished in sewer and concrete technology

For the construction of Hollandse Delta Water Board's most sustainable pumping station, main contractor Van Hattum en Blankevoort called on the knowledge and expertise of M.J. Oomen sewer and concrete engineering. Since much of the existing civil substructure was reused, M.J. Oomen was already hooked into the construction team as a knowledge carrier.

Since its founding in 1959, the M.J. Oomen Group has developed into a leading civil engineering company with a diversity of disciplines. In 2017, the family business was split into two companies. M.J. Oomen Moerdijk, specializing in inspection and renovation work and M.J. Oomen sewer and concrete technology, specializing in sewer and concrete technology. A few years later, the company was completely merged into KWS, a VolkerWessels company. "Because M.J. Oomen is an established name in its field, we continue to operate under this name in the province of Zeeland and the western part of the province of North Brabant," says Jan van de Bilt, company manager at KWS Infra Roosendaal - Sas van Gents van Gent. 

Expert in mills

M.J. Oomen sewer and concrete engineering specializes in the construction of complicated sewer systems and small-scale (and complex) concrete work focused on pumping stations and culverts in particular. "Our people know better than anyone else how a pumping station works, how the individual components behave and what demands are associated with working in a dike, in this case a primary flood barrier. That is also why, at the intercession of the Hollandse Delta water board, we joined the construction team of our sister company Van Hattum en Blankevoort as a knowledge carrier," Jan outlines the preliminary process. "Our role was to shine our light on the civil construction and the existing pressure pipeline to make it suitable for application in the new situation."   

Own workshop

Unusual dimensions, difficult to reach places or any other aspect that makes a project unusual, at M.J. Oomen sewer and concrete engineering we are specialists in special works. "In addition to experienced and knowledgeable employees, we have an extensive fleet of equipment and a wide variety of materials," Jan says proudly. "And in our workshop, with our own trusted people and machines, we make any desired concrete product or attachment for the outdoor project. Fast, with high quality and completely in-house. And so we like to think proactively with our clients on issues concerning the supply and drainage of water, just like here at pumping station Oudenhoorn. Ultimately, we don't care about the size of the pumping station, except that the concrete work for a larger pumping station is a bit more substantial, but we have our sister company Van Hattum en Blankevoort for that, which masters that like no other."

Broad scope

Although a large part of the existing discharge pipe from Oudenhoorn Pumping Station will be reused, the pipe must be connected to the new pump. That, too, M.J. Oomen sewer and concrete engineering is taking care of and is quite complicated, according to Jan. "It takes knowledge of how the materials behave to arrive at a high-quality solution. We also take care of the construction and connection of the fish migration pipe, which is basically a large PE pipe of around 400. In addition, the complete earthwork around the pumping station also falls within our scope, ranging from all the paving, the site layout with asphalt, stones and fences, and all the pipework outside the pumping station." Surely the biggest challenge, according to Jan, was scheduling. "We were bound by the storm season, outside of which all work had to take place in the dike. But that worked out well. Moreover, we didn't have to keep the existing pumping station in operation. That also saves again."

M.J. Oomen sewer and concrete engineering is familiar with these types of pumping stations. "For example, we are currently doing major maintenance and repair work on several pumping stations in Moerdijk. Especially when it becomes complex(er), we find it interesting and come up with an innovative and sustainable solution, also for sewer systems in inner and outer urban areas."