SPRING2014 ISSUE181
IN THIS ISSUE: ENGINEERING MONTH FLOOD MANAGEMENT RETAIL COMPETITION SKILLS INSTITUTE OF WATER JOURNAL
RPS is a recognised training provider and operates both CABWI and City & Guilds licensed centres; providing training and assessment for our own staff to gain recognised qualifications throughout the UK. This service has now been extended and is readily available to new and existing clients. The training team includes a number of qualified QCF (formally NVQ) assessors and practising Operational Specialists with many years’ experience in the Water Industry. RPS offers the following courses: • Level 2 Certificate in Leakage Detection • Level 3 Diploma in Leakage Control All qualifications are arranged at a time and location to suit the needs of the customer (including weekend and night working) and can be combined with other qualifications where appropriate. For further information please contact: Fergus Black MCMI, CILT(UK), Training Support Manager Email: blackf@rpsgroup.com Mobile: 07810 508958
RPS is a recognised training provider and operates both CABWI and City & Guilds licensed centres rpsgroup.com
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
8 must surely be an abundance of development and career opportunities out there, for those who are willing to make the necessary commitment. On this basis, it would seem that now is as good a time as ever to consider taking the next step in your career and achieving Professional Registration. Having completed the Professional Review process previously, I can personally recommend the many benefits that registration provides as registration demonstrates that your knowledge, understanding and competence has been assessed by a licensed body and accepted as meeting a defined set of criteria.
Welcome to the Spring edition, and indeed the first journal of 2014. It is with great pleasure that I have the opportunity to introduce yet another high quality issue, where you will find the usual array of regular features as well as articles on Retail Competition, Flooding, and Skills. In particular, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Institute of Water will be promoting ‘Engineering Month’ during the month of March. Within the Journal you will find details of the Institutes’ Engineering Panel, and the role we play in contributing to one of the Institutes’ many functions. I and other panel members were recently sent Professor John Perkins’ Review of Engineering Skills, which was published by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It cites an estimate by the Royal Academy of Engineering of demand for 100,000 new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), professionals each year until 2020. This naturally got me thinking…If there is indeed such shortage, what does this mean for our members, many of whom are considered STEM professionals? Being optimistic, I concluded that with such a shortage, there
Whether you are new to the industry and planning your future, or established within the industry but seeking formal accreditation, Engineering Month could be the ideal time to do so. As many of you will be aware, the Institute of Water is licensed by the Engineering Council to award Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration. To assist your development as a member of the Institute of Water, a wide range of support is readily available from mentors, your respective Area Committees and Head Office. For example, in the Welsh Area we recently introduced a range of Professional Membership and CPD workshops to our events programme. The workshops have proved so popular; we have had to plan even more events this year just to meet demand! I hope that the information provided on Engineering Month is worthwhile, and that you consider the benefits of Professional Registration. As always, if you would like advice on Professional Membership or CPD, then please feel free to contact me – ashley.moule@dwrcymru.com Pob dymuniad da (Best wishes)
Ashley Moule
CEnv IEng MIWater MCIWEM C.WEM
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Features 24-29 Skills 30-31 Welsh Innovation Awards 49-61 Flood Management 78-81 Retail Competition 82-83 Online CPD
Regulars 4-5 News in Brief 6-7 Members Update 8-9 Science News 10 Environment News 13 Rising Stars 2014 14-17 Engineering News 18 WaterAid 86-94 Area News
Lead Wastewater Asset Engineer Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
Institute of Water HQ: 4 Carlton Court, Team Valley, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE11 0AZ Website: www.instituteofwater.org.uk President: Chris Loughlin Chairperson: Richard Barton Chief Executive: Lynn Cooper Editorial, Marketing & Communications Manager: Dan Barton Tel: 0191 422 0088 Fax: 0191 422 0087 Email: dan@instituteofwater.org.uk Advertising: Martin Jamieson Tel: 0845 884 2333 Email: martin.jamieson@distinctivegroup.co.uk Designed and produced by: Distinctive Publishing Tel: 0845 884 2385 Email: pete.thompson@distinctivepublishing.co.uk
The Institute of Water is the only professional body solely concerned with the UK water industry. We can support and develop your career whoever you are and whatever you do. We do this by providing a unique learning, developing and networking framework. For details on how to join visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk today.
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New streetworks code will help keep Bristol moving Bristol City Council has joined forces with local utility companies to reduce disruption during essential works and help keep Bristol moving. The new Streetworks Code of Conduct agreed by the city council, Bristol Water, Wales & West Utilities (gas), Wessex Water Services and Western Power Distribution (electricity) goes over and above existing legislation. As an alternative to costly formal Permit Schemes used in other parts of the country the city council has encouraged utilities to take a collaborative approach to reduce inconvenience to road users. Under the voluntary code the utility companies will: n share their plans well ahead so the council can co-ordinate essential streetworks works at the same time n work at the same or similar locations together as much as possible to avoid lengthy, consecutive works n strive to work at times that minimise disruption and disturbances n put up notices at least two weeks before major works start and notify local businesses n keep use of temporary traffic lights during works to a minimum The code will also lessen the impact on bus routes and journey times by limiting the number of works taking place on any given route. Mayor George Ferguson said, “Streetworks are essential to both repair and modernise our utility services, but we all know they can be a headache, particularly in terms of frustration and delay to travel. I’m delighted that the four utility companies have been so open and willing to join the city council in drawing up the Streetwork Code of Conduct to co-ordinate works more efficiently. It’s a win win. They utilities can use their time on site more effectively and it’s good for all of us because it keeps disruption to a minimum and our roads and public transport moving more smoothly.” The code came about in response to a debate a Full Council in March 2013 following a motion put forward by Councillor Gary Hopkins to investigate alternatives to the current Streetworks Notice system. At the moment utility companies can give as little as three days notice before starting streetworks which can result in consecutive works on major routes delaying bus routes and traffic flow.
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MAGNIFICENT SEVERN WINS THE FIRST LEAKAGE GAME A team from Severn Trent Water, imaginatively named “Magnificent Severn”, were declared winners of the inaugural league of the Leakage Game in December 2013. Alan Tripp of Severn Trent was presented with the trophy by Stuart Trow and David Pearson during the SBWWI Leakage and Metering Workshop on 3rd December 2013. The other team members were Helen Walker, Jenny Collins, and Paul Taylor. The league comprised teams from four water supply companies and a consultancy firm, with
a sixth team “The Good Guys” basing their decisions on those of the other five. Magnificent Severn had the best OPA score for period 6, and they showed an improving trend over the six periods, showing that they learned from taking part. A second UK league is planned to commence early in 2014. Anyone interested in taking part can contact David and Stuart through their web site at www.TheLeakageGame.co.uk
NEWSINBRIEF
CDENVIRO & EWD ACHIEVE NEW STANDARDS IN RECYCLING The CDEnviro Recycling plant installed at Eastern Waste Disposal, Brightlingsea, is a UK first – it can recycle road sweepings, gully waste and trommel fines. “In recent years waste disposal has turned to waste recovery and recycling. Equipment, technology and plant require huge capital investment but we knew we had to keep ahead of the industry to remain competitive in the growing waste sector. To improve the quality of decontamination and to maximise the recovery of saleable aggregates we turned to CDEnviro. ” commented Danny Carter, Director, Eastern Waste Disposal. Eastern Waste Disposal began to investigate recycling systems which would allow a wide range of materials to be processed and diverted from landfill. The CDEnviro solution was unique in that it combined the proven road sweepings recycling technology as well as the new potential to recycle previously landfilled trommel fines. Explaining the advantages of the new system, Danny Carter said “We are in a position now to improve the quality of our recycled products and create a more sustainable market for our customers. The CDEnviro system has allowed us to
unlock the potential of road sweepings and treat trommel fines as a resource not just a waste” Eastern Waste Disposal has set a new standard in recycling large proportions of road sweepings and trommel fines using the dedicated, proven
INSTITUTE OF WATER ANNUAL CONFERENCE EXHIBITION PACKAGES NOW AVAILABLE Exhibition packages are now available for The Institute of Water Annual Conference. The Conference will take place on the 5th and 6th of June 2014, at @-Bristol Science centre, Bristol. Exhibition Packages for company members are priced at £1,500+VAT*. This includes one delegate place and complimentary seat at the President’s Dinner. 6ft x 5ft exhibition space and company synopsis and contact details to be included in the Conference Preview and delegate pack. Additional stand representatives/delegates can be booked
washing and water treatment processes from CDEnviro. With landfill taxes continuing to increase, this solution is an essential part of safe guarding their business for the years to come.
Annual Conference and Exhibition At Bristol Science Centre, Bristol 5-6 June 2014 ‘Delivering great service in the water
industr y’
at a reduced rate of £150+VAT (maximum 2). Additional seats for the President’s Dinner will be available upon request. The cost for non-Company members will be *£2,000+VAT. We’d love to have your business exhibit at the Institute of Water Annual Conference 2014.
Supported by:
For further information or to make a booking please contact Dan Barton (dan@ instituteofwater.org.uk) on 0191 422 0088.
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NEW YEAR’S HONOURS Trevor gained a BSc (Hons) First Class in Civil Engineering from Queens University in 1973 and is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of ICE and CIWEM. He was Local Chairman of CIWEM in 1994/95 and subsequently became National Chairman in 2009. Trevor joined the Institute of Water in 2000, with 27 years’ service in the water industry, and was made a Fellow in February 2003. Much of Trevor’s experience was gained in a variety of engineering design, construction and operational/management roles within DRD Water Service but he also spent four years contracting within the private sector. When he was made a Fellow Trevor had recently taken up the post of Director of Development, Water Service, then in 2006 he was appointed Director of Engineering Procurement, to deliver the largest ever Water Service Capital Investment Programme. Trevor was appointed CEO of Northern Ireland Water in January 2011 and retired in August last year. He is currently President of the Northern Ireland WaterAid Committee. “I'm absolutely delighted to have been awarded the CBE in the Queens New Years
Keith gained a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering from Manchester University in 1967, is a Chartered Civil Engineer, a Member of ICE and a past member of CIWEM. He joined the Institute of Water in 1994 and retired from work in 2010 after 40 years in the Water Industry, mostly with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. Keith was awarded his MBE primarily for 25 years voluntary service, training, supervising, and for 5 years leading, a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Group at Hereford Sixth Form College. Whilst leader he encouraged an average of 35 students each year to complete the 4 day expedition section of their Gold Award in the remotest parts of the Welsh mountains. Keith’s award also recognised the work he did fundraising at his church, managing the production and delivery of a Community Newspaper, a long term treasurer and mentor of his canoe club and not least a lifetime of service for the community working as an engineer to the Water Industry. “I do feel that I am accepting the Honour on behalf of all those very many volunteers who never get official recognition, especially those who helped with my voluntary work” Keith spent 36 years with Welsh Water undertaking many, various, water engineering assignments. For very many years he specialised in planning, design and construction of major capital work schemes. Then in 1998 he joined its
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Trevor Haslett CBE for services to the water industry in Northern Ireland and voluntary service to the community.
Honours list. It is not only a great personal and family honour but recognition of the hard work and commitment of Northern Ireland Water staff around the clock, to keep customers throughout the province supplied with clean wholesome water and to treat their waste water, to be safely returned to the environment. I recognise there have of course been some incidents where things haven't gone as well as we had planned, but overall the standard of customer service has noticeably improved since I first joined what was an embryonic Water Service.
“Importantly we have focused on any areas where improvement was needed to ensure investment and remedial measures were swiftly put in place. Since joining Water Service in 1974, I have seen enormous change and more so in the last 10 years with increased capital investment, the introduction of Regulation and the local political dimension that brings a unique form of Governance to NI Water as a Government Owned Company. I am proud to have worked in the local water industry alongside colleagues who genuinely try to deliver as good a service to the public as they can on a daily basis. “
Keith Pratley MBE for service to the community in Herefordshire.
Headquarters staff to manage the introduction and implementation of the then new Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations. This resulted in him spending much time working with the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) to prepare guidance to enforce the Regulations. He was a member of the WRAS Technical Committee, chaired the production of the Fittings Regulations Best Practice Manual and a member of the Expert Panel which produced Whole Site Backflow Protection Guidance. For many years he was also heavily involved in liaison with the fire service and various organisations that were promoting the installation of fire sprinkler systems in houses, in order to help ensure there would be sufficient water and pressure for the sprinklers to work properly. After leaving university he spent two years working for Halcrow (then Sir William Halcrow & Partners) in Caxton Street, Westminster, doing
hydrology, irrigation and sea defence work. He was first attracted to engineering in the Water Supply Industry when an early teenager and so late in 1969 moved to Southampton Water Department which supplied water to the majority of Hampshire. After becoming a Chartered Engineer in 1973 he moved to the new Welsh Water Authority, when all the Water Authorities were created on 1 April 1974. On retirement in 2010 he was invited to become one of approximately 60 volunteer Members of Glas Cymru who, in the absence of shareholders, hold the company to account on behalf of its customers. He particularly enjoys this continuing link with the water industry which has always been his passion and continues to be a retired member of the Institute of Water.
MEMBERSUPDATE
JENI COLBOURNE NAMED AS ONE OF UK’S LEADING SCIENTISTS
USIT BUSINESS SKILLS AWARD
Applications are still being accepted for a Business Skills Award from USIT (Utilities and Service Industries Training Ltd).
Dr Jeni Colbourne MBE has been included in a list of the UK’s Leading 100 Scientists, published by the Science Council. The Science Council was seeking to identify individual scientists who illustrated a commitment to the practice of science with integrity, who exercised professional skill and judgement in their work, and also contributed to their profession and the future of their subject through their leadership, for example through development of standards or best practice, supporting their professional body, volunteering or mentoring. To identify its list of 100 the Science Council organised a competition around 10 different ‘types’ of scientist roles. The list of 100 has 10 different examples of each of the 10 types and gives a broad picture of the many different ways people work with science, making valuable contributions across UK society and the economy. The Institute of Water nominated Jeni – as Chief Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate –
for the Monitoring/Regulator category, On learning of her inclusion, Jeni said: “I am delighted for the recognition of the important and often unrecognised role of scientists in the safeguarding of our drinking water”. Robin Price, our own Vice President Science, said: “I’m delighted that Jeni has been recognised as one of the UK’s leading practising scientists. The water industry employs thousands of scientists across water companies, the supply chain and regulators such as Jeni. Jeni’s leadership and expertise in ensuring that the understanding of water quality and public health is incorporated into scientific standards and practice across the international stage takes her across more than one of the ’10 types of scientist’ identified by the Science Council. This award comes at a significant time for the Institute of Water, which has recently launched its Chartered Scientist registration, working closely with the Science Council. Jeni is a great supporter of the professional development of scientists within our industry.”
ROYAL SOCIETY APPOINTMENT Former President Alan Alexander has been appointed General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The RSE is Scotland's National Academy and is an educational charity, founded in 1783 during the Scottish Enlightenment, existing entirely for public benefit. It has about 1600 Fellows drawn from all fields of science, social science, humanities, arts and culture; Alan has been a Fellow (FRSE) since 2003.
Professor Alan Alexander OBE FRSE
On welcoming Alan to the role, Sir John Arbuthnott, President of the RSE, said: “Alan will, I am sure, help to take forward the work of the Society. Even before becoming General Secretary he has been heavily involved in the RSE Constitutional events, as well as serving as one of our co-chairs on the current Inquiry into Spreading the Benefits of Digital Participation.” More details about the RSE can be found at: www.royalsoced.org.uk
The Award - sponsorship of up to £7,500 to attend an established academic or training course in the UK which is relevant to the Utilities Industry – is designed to assist individuals to access opportunities that would not normally be available to them from their employer's ongoing training and development support arrangements. Applicants are required to write a supporting paper explaining in up to 1,000 words why they want sponsorship, why they have chosen this particular course and how they expect to benefit if they receive an award. Closing Date is 21st March: visit www.usit.org. uk/usit-business-skills-award.aspx for more information and to download an application form.
SUPPORTING THE STROKE ASSOCIATION The institute of Water’s own Francesca Madden is supporting the Stroke Association, a charity raising vital funds for stroke survivors and their families, by soaring nearly 1000 feet over the famous River Tyne on March 30th. Your support will help the Stroke Association work towards their vision of a world with fewer stokes and where those affected by a stroke can get the help and support they need. Please support Francesca and a great cause by sponsoring her via www.justgiving.com/ Francesca-Madden
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Chartered Scientist now officially launched!
By Robin Price, Vice President – Science
The first Chartered Scientists at the launch event. From L-R, Robin Price (Vice President Science, Institute of Water), Chris Loughlin (President, Institute of Water), Diana Garnham (Chief Executive, Science Council), Lynn Cooper (Chief Executive, Institute of Water), Peter Simpson (Chief Executive, Anglian Water), Sue Petch (Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland).
Our formal launch for Chartered Scientist was held on Wednesday 4th December 2013 at the headquarters of the Science Council in London. The event was hosted by Peter Simpson, Anglian Water’s Chief Executive and was attended by members of the Institute’s Board, representatives from the three Drinking Water Quality regulators, key individuals who have helped with the implementation of CSci and…the Institute of Water’s first Chartered Scientists! Alongside Peter Simpson, speakers at the event included Diana Garnham, Chief Executive of the Science Council and Marcus Rink, Deputy Chief Inspector (Operations) at the Drinking Water Inspectorate. All spoke of the importance
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of science in the wider community and in the water industry, and the benefits of professional scientific development to individuals and organisations. Diana Garnham said “It was exciting to see such a varied range of different
scientist roles as well as both regulators and the regulated receiving Chartered Scientist certificates”.
SCIENCENEWS
OUR FIRST CHARTERED SCIENTISTS! Congratulations to our first sixteen Chartered Scientists, who are: From Anglian Water, Robin Price (Regional Quality Manager), Peter Barratt (Senior Water Quality Specialist), Chris Gilfoyle (Laboratory Manager), Ben Tam (Operational Development Scientist), Catherine Fearon (Water Quality Performance Manager), Bev Parmenter (Water Quality Liaison Manager), Nicola Johnston (Operational Science Manager), Jo Froste (Principal Scientist – Drinking Water Standards), Nick Humphreys (Senior Scientist – Parasitology), Louise Boulton (Risk Scientist), Kara Sadler (Strategy Scientist), Matthew Lea and Kate Willis (Water Quality Liaison Scientists). Matt Bower, Operations Team Leader, Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland. Claire Pollard, Deputy Chief Inspector (Science and Strategy), Drinking Water Inspectorate. Lewis Jones, Future Quality Obligations and R&D Manager, South West Water.
Chris Gilfoyle and Catherine Fearon from Anglian Water receive their CSci certificates from Paul Gibbs, IoW President Eastern Area.
THE SCIENCE PANEL The Institute of Water Science Panel. L-R Claire Pollard, Deputy Chief Inspector (Science and Strategy), DWI, Matt Bower, Operations Team Leader, DWQR for Scotland, Nicola Houlahan, Director of Water Quality, Sutton & East Surrey Water, Dermot Devaney, Water Quality Manager, Northern Ireland Water and IoW Vice Chair, Lewis Jones, Future Quality Obligations and R&D Manager, South West Water and Robin Price, Vice President Science, Institute of Water. The Institute of Water Science Panel is now up and running. The panel will be responsible for approving all Chartered Scientist registrations moving forward, making recommendations to
the Science Council. The panel will also work closely with the Institute of Water board and the wider industry to promote the professional development of water scientists.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NEXT? The next groups of applicants for Chartered Scientist status are going through the process of preparing Professional Review reports and having their Professional Review interviews. These individuals come from across the industry, including water companies and consultants - we’ll profile our next Chartered Scientists in forthcoming journals. We’re also talking to a number of water companies, including Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, about wider opportunities for scientific development, and are working with the Science Council to complete the necessary paperwork for our license to award Registered Scientist and Registered Scientific Technician, which we hope will be awarded in April 2014 – more details to follow!
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ENVIRONMENTNEWS
WHO SAID WEATHER PATTERNS AREN’T CHANGING? By Tim Boldero, VP Environment Once again I find myself reflecting on exceptional weather this last winter which has adversely affected most of the utility industries both at home and abroad. Certainly our own water sector has had significant additional challenges and, with pressure on all involved to achieve more for less, that places an even greater responsibility on how the water sector is managed and regulated and how it is perceived by its customers. Are these exceptional weather patterns manmade? The jury seems to be out at the moment but increasingly politicians and the public alike are seeking explanations and solutions to their specific
difficulties, which seem to be occurring much more frequently. Man-made or otherwise more sectors of society are beginning to address what contribution they can make, both in an individual capacity and from a corporate perspective. This brings me to you as members of the Institute of Water, who are already engaged in addressing some of those challenges, both in terms of short term remediation and in a longer term strategic capacity. I believe that the progress made since privatisation is one of the greatest largely untold success stories of recent times and a large part of that progress is down to the dedication and commitment of each and every one of you.
Registration by the Institute of Water of Chartered Environmentalists (CEnv) is already ahead of our projections, but that was to be expected as the appeal of the qualification becomes better understood and individuals evaluate their job context against the requirements of the CEnv Specification (which can be seen on our website). We now have the ability to register Engineers in all three registers; Chartered Environmentalists and most recently Chartered Scientists. Robin Price has given an account elsewhere in this Journal of the successful journey both he and the Institute of Water have made over recent months and should be congratulated.
UPDATE At the end of last year Alex Galloway, CEO of the Society for the Environment (SocEnv), presented an overview of the Society and highlighted the fact that globally there are now approaching 7000 Chartered Environmentalists spread over more than 70 countries. There are some 23 Member Bodies such as IWater licensed by The Society to award the Chartered Environmentalist qualification. Alex also promoted the SocEnv target of 10,000 CEnv registrants by 2015, so if you are thinking about becoming Chartered, or know someone who is a potential applicant, please get in touch and we will familiarise you with the application and review process.
HRH The Prince of Wales receives an Honorary Fellowship Award from the Society for the Environment. Representing SocEnv (from left to right): Tim Boldero HonFSE, Past Chair of SocEnv; Alex Galloway CVO HonFSE, CEO of SocEnv; Prof. Carolyn Roberts, Chair of SocEnv; Prof. Peter Matthews OBE HonFSE, Past Chair of SocEnv; and Tony Juniper HonFSE, President of SocEnv
CLARENCE HOUSE On 11th December last, at Clarence House, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales accepted the award of Honorary Fellowship. Carolyn Roberts who presented the award said: “"To welcome His Royal Highness into the Fellowship of the Society is an honour in itself. To welcome a natural environmentalist who has worked to raise public awareness makes the occasion even more special and a significant moment in the history of this evolving Society." The Society recognises The Prince of Wales as an outstanding ambassador for environmental
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matters across the many disciplines represented by SocEnv's membership, from ecology and resource management to engineering and the built environment. Through initiatives such as Accounting for Sustainability, The Prince's Foundation for Building Community and The Prince’s Rainforests Project, The Prince of Wales has demonstrated a tireless commitment to issues of sustainability, and has promoted innovative, practical solutions to some of our most pressing global challenges.
The SocEnv Council recently agreed to create a register of Environmental Technicians which will be a qualification in its own right but also a stepping stone towards becoming CEnv for those who wish to undertake that journey as their career develops. Much of the work to achieve it is well advanced and the new technician register is likely to be launched mid-summer this year.
CHRISTMAS The SocEnv Christmas Reception was again held in London and six Honorary Fellowships (HonFSE) were presented by Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, together with the Chair of the Society for the Environment, Professor Carolyn Roberts who said, “All of our new Honorary Fellows have shown outstanding leadership and fully deserve to be called professionals in their various spheres. Their leadership has inspired many and has brought tangible results. Their breadth of vision and their willingness to work for the good of future generations is an example to us all, and we are delighted to welcome them as Honorary Fellows.” Those presented with their certificates were; Rt Rev and Rt Honourable Richard Chartres, Bishop of London; Keith Clarke CBE; Dr Liz Goodwin; Bishop James Jones; Professor Sir John Lawton CBE FRS; and Dr Alan Knight OBE.
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ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 5-6 June 2014
‘Delivering great service in the water industry’ At-Bristol Science Centre, Bristol Chaired by Heidi Mottram, Institute of Water President and Chief Executive Officer of Northumbrian Water Ltd The latest industry thinking, innovation, best practice, news and ideas mixed with a wide social programme. www.instituteofwater.org.uk
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RISING STARS
Rising Stars attend Utility Week Awards 2013 Our Rising Stars attended the Utility Week Awards 2013 which were hosted in December at Grosvenor House in London. The event was well received with prizes presented across a number of categories. Winners can be viewed at www.utilityweekawards.co.uk. The Rising Stars table was hosted by Chris Loughlin, Institute of Water President and Chief Executive at South West Water, and Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of WaterAid. This is what some of our Rising Stars had to say about the event... "The Utility Week Awards Dinner was a well organised and successful event. It was a great opportunity to meet my fellow Rising Stars and get to know them on a professional and personal level. "We all had the opportunity to meet some key people in the water industry: Barbara Frost Chief Exec. of Water Aid, Chris Loughlin Chief Exec. South West Water and Martin Baggs CEO of Thames Water. Without being Rising Stars we would not have had this unique opportunity to benefit from." Paul Harte “The Utility Week Awards Dinner was a chance to network in a fun, relaxed environment, and hear about some of the great achievements in the utility sector.” Katy Buckland “I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the opportunity to meet a number of people with varying amounts of experience both in the water industry and other utilities.” Cerys Pope “The evening was a fantastic event that showcased some of the very best in the industry. It was a great opportunity to meet other professionals from both the water industry and the wider utility sector. Congratulations to Northumbrian Water from winning utility of the year! Nathan Deeming
“The one thing that struck me was the sheer size of the UK utility industry and in particular the Water industry. Coming from Northern Ireland where only have one major company for each utility it was a change to see so many represented here. All in all it was a great evening and having met so many people (too many to name) it was a privilege and an honour to be amongst the crowd. And of course congratulations to Northumbrian Water for cleaning up with the awards!” Gareth McFarland
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March is Engineering Month We have designated March as ‘Engineering Month’ – a month to appreciate some of the great engineering going on in the water industry today. Our eight Area Committees have been asked to arrange one Engineering Event so please visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk to see the events in your area and understand some of the latest technology, even if you aren’t an engineer. Some events taking place during Engineering Month include: Eastern Area Great Billing Water Recycling Centre - technical visit to look at the engineering solutions that have been employed at a major sewage and sludge treatment centre South East Area – visit to Thames Water’s Lee Tunnel construction
Midlands Area Wanlip Sewage Treatment Works – site visit to see new wind turbines Welsh Area Bretton WTW - lab visit and presentation on the coagulation stage
GET REGISTERED If you are an engineer but aren’t professionally registered, why not begin the process in March? There are three types of engineer – Engineering Technician (EngTech), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng) – and anyone working in a technical role has the potential to pursue Registration. Each has its own standard of competence and the standards are explained in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence which can be downloaded from our website. Registration shows that your competence and also your commitment to professionalism have been independently assessed by other professionals. Registrants often find they have greater influence within their organisation and the industry and it can be easier to gain promotion or a new job.
Ed Bennett, EngTech
Alan Alderson, EngTech
Ray Arrell, IEng
Process Technician, Northumbrian Water
Renewable Energy Engineer, South West Water
“I applied for EngTech registration because I’m a firm believer in CPD and like to think that my career has a forward momentum. The Institute of Water keeps me up to date with the rapid changes taking place in the industry and I intend to work towards Incorporated Engineer Registration.”
“The process was challenging and had me going through past initiatives and project work to complete my CPD log and competency report, but the support I received from the Institute was first class and enabled me to put together a firm initial application and later my full competency evidence submission.
Network Engineer, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water “Membership and Professional Registration is widely promoted within the company, so it has always been an aim of mine to register. Membership of the Institute of Water and EngTech registration will assist me to meet my long term career aims and I am appreciative of the opportunities and benefits that membership provides. Professional membership denotes that I have attained a certain level of competence, and this allows me to benchmark my ability against what is required to progress further, first to IEng and ultimately CEng.”
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The application process for EngTech is straightforward: a paper submission to demonstrate how you meet the 13 components of the EngTech Standard. If you hold an approved vocational qualification (level 3) OR a Water Industry Advanced Apprenticeship you will not normally be required to submit anything more than evidence of that qualification. For IEng and CEng the application is in two stages: an Initial Application with a career history, supported by two sponsors, which is reviewed by an experienced assessor who determines if you are ready for Professional Review, the final stage. The Professional Review comprises a report and interview.
“I found my professional review interview to be extremely rewarding and interesting, discussing various aspects surrounding my career, the evidence I included in my report and general engineering topics and areas of interest. My two assessors were very knowledgeable and engaging and although the session was challenging, there was a very open and engaging atmosphere. The interview was an opportunity to talk about some of my achievements and ambitions and I left the session with a very rewarding impression of the whole process. “My IEng registration firmly consolidated my progression into a new role. It has enabled me to achieve a personal and professional ambition, whilst also pushing me to widen my experience and development further.”
ENGINEERINGNEWS
ALREADY REGISTERED? If you are a Registered Engineer or Technician and would like to help or inspire future engineers, here are some things you might consider: 1. Encourage someone you work with to pursue Registration 2. Offer your services as a mentor 3. Attend an Engineering event in your Area and make yourself available to talk to anyone who is considering applying for Registration 4. Join the network of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) Ambassadors
n STEM Ambassadors use their enthusiasm and commitment to encourage young people to enjoy STEM subjects, opening the doors to a world of opportunities and possibilities which come from pursuing STEM subjects and careers. n STEM Ambassadors not only inspire young people, they also support teachers in the classroom by explaining current applications of STEM in industry or research.
n STEM Ambassadors contribute to their local community and at the same time boost their own professional skills, experience and confidence. n STEM Ambassadors cross all ages and backgrounds, representing thousands of different employers across the UK.
Tony Waite, an Honorary Member, now retired, has been a STEM Ambassador since the scheme was first established. Here are some of his experiences...
Becoming a “STEM” Ambassador what’s in it for you? I first became an Ambassador for Engineering back in the mid 1980’s when the Engineering Council set up three trial areas for the scheme, under the umbrella of the Engineering Council Regional Organisations, ECRO. My local ECRO was based at Plymouth Polytechnic, now Plymouth University. The scheme was initially set up to encourage Engineers of all disciplines and levels from EngTech to CEng to go into schools and colleges to give talks and advice to potential school leavers who might want to take up Engineering as a career. I, with several of my colleagues from Devon & Cornwall, visited various careers conventions, some with innovation competitions, which we were often asked to judge and evaluate individual or team entries. Some years later, the Education and Careers Establishment realised the valuable input made by Engineers through the ECRO initiative and it was extended to bring in expertise from other professions. The management switched to the Education / Business Partnerships to reflect the broadening of focus, creating the role of STEM, (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) Ambassador. Over the last 25+ years I have attended a number of educational establishments, mostly in Devon, participating in Schools Career Events
with a wide range of topics: competitions for bridge and crane building, ‘green energy’ racing cars, a school project building a working hovercraft, and “What’s My Line?”, where all the Ambassadors dressed in casual clothes, and the audience had to guess our professions. We then donned our normal work-wear and gave a short presentation on our respective career paths, from Emergency Services, Military Forces, Healthcare Professionals, H & S, Finance, Legal & Management roles, Interior Designer, as well as numerous Engineering disciplines. It was amazing some of the adverse perceptions that were revealed and corrected. Other help has been mentoring pupils in interview techniques, both as candidate and interviewer, and help with CVs. For those Registered Engineers (and also CEnv and
CSci) it is a worthwhile mentoring initiative to be involved in. It gives the school leaver an insight into the real world and the direction and targets to aim for, giving the ambassador the opportunity to guide and mentor the next generation, for the benefit of the global business community. It will open your eyes too, once you get involved and realise the immense range of talents you as a STEM Ambassador can influence for the betterment of all. We all need guidance at some time in our lives: start with the young and set the ball rolling in the right direction for them. You will need to be DBS (formerly CRB) Checked and undergo a short induction to become a STEM Ambassador. For further details and to register your interest visit www.stemnet.org.uk/ ambassadors
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INTRODUCING OUR ENGINEERING PANEL Our Engineering Panel helps us comply with the conditions of our licence from the Engineering Council by: n
n n
Making decisions on all applications for Engineering Registration on the basis of recommendations from assessors on Professional Reviews Ensuring an adequate pool of trained Professional Review assessors Providing a forum for consultation/discussion on all engineering matters
Michael Fowle
Ashley Moule
Jo Parker
Michael began his career as a Civil Engineering apprentice in local government before moving to Swansea University where he gained a BSc in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science degree. A brief spell in consultancy with WS Atkins was followed by 30 years with Severn Trent Water, mainly as an Operations Manager delivering both clean and wastewater services.
Ashley is employed by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water as a Lead Wastewater Asset Engineer within the Programme & Delivery Team. He has worked in the industry for 13 years in operations, capital delivery and now local asset management.
Jo is a chartered civil engineer and has worked in the water industry for 37 years. She has held a variety of roles including Head of Network Asset Management and Operations Director with UK water companies and was awarded the MBE for services to the water industry in 1996.
Michael head up the Engineering Panel, is Chairman of our Membership & Standards Committee, is an Assessor for Engineering Registration and represents the Institute as a Liaison Officer with the Engineering Council. Michael is married with 5 children and 3 grandchildren.
Ashley chairs the Welsh Area Membership and Professional Development sub-committee, which also involves being the Area’s membership secretary and will take on the role of vice-chair of the Welsh Area Committee this spring. “The Institute of Water has been integral to my development as an engineer, given the many opportunities that membership has provided. My aim has always been to make a difference and I am always keen to assist and share my experiences with others.”
Jo currently works as an independent consultant specialising in the management of water mains. Besides being on our Engineering Panel Jo is a council member of the UK Society of Trenchless Technology, chair of the Midlands Branch of the Pipeline Industries Guild and a founder member of the Utility Mapping Association. Jo has acted as a mentor for the Women’s Engineering Society as well as I Water. “In my view the engineering profession has rarely had such challenges or such opportunities, and this is particularly true for those in the water industry. Climate change and increasing urbanisation require more and more innovative ideas and the ‘same old solutions’ just aren’t good enough any more. Engineers need to really be ‘ingenious’ and this opportunity to solve problems which are of interest to the general public offers an opportunity to raise the profile of the profession and attract much needed new recruits. “My dream is that the excitement of engineering will be really recognised when an engineer is the hero of the next TV blockbuster series!”
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ENGINEERINGNEWS
HAWLEY AWARD FOR ENGINEERING INNOVATION
Gary Orton
Sandy Squires
Gary is a chartered civil engineer and chartered environmentalist and has worked in the water industry for 27 years. He has held a variety of roles in engineering feasibility, design and construction as well as operational roles. Gary is currently employed by Severn Trent Plc providing assurance on operational and business activities.
Sandy joined the Institute at the age of 18, shortly after starting work as a Civil Engineering Technician in the Water and Drainage Department at Berwick County Council. Following roles with South East of Scotland Water Board and Borders Regional Council, he left Scotland in 1979 to join North West Water as Distribution Officer then SubDistrict Manager. North West Water became United Utilities where he worked as System Manager, Territory Manager and Customer Operations Manager. Sandy retired from UU and became a lecturer and Assessor in Water Engineering and retired from that last summer.
Gary has been a Professional Review Assessor for the Institute of Water 10 years. This role has been to act on behalf of the Engineering Council and Society for the Environment in assessing applications for CEng, IEng, EngTech and CEnv. Gary was recommended to join the Institute’s Engineering Panel in 2013 in recognition of his engineering expertise and assessment experience. ”I have seen the engineering landscape change significantly within the water industry over the past 20 years, which has put engineering in the great place it is today. Engineering evolution must continue to meet the demands of their customers in order to survive. The exciting and significant challenge for today’s and tomorrow’s professionally qualified engineers is to push efficiency and innovation whilst maintaining engineering and professional standards.”
The Hawley Award, which carries a cash prize of £5,000 to be used for furthering a career, is awarded annually for the most outstanding Engineering Innovation that delivers demonstrable benefit to the environment.
Sandy is a Fellow Member and an Incorporated Engineer (IEng); he also has a Masters Degree in Management. Sandy joined our then Engineering Board in February 2007 to take responsibility for our pool of assessors and he still undertakes that role. “I believe that by becoming Registered as a Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Engineering Technician (EngTech), is recognition of your ability as an Engineer to meet the national academic and engineering standard set for the appropriate professional qualification. Achievement of these qualifications demonstrates that you have the knowledge and awareness of modern equipment and techniques available to the industry and the ability to adopt the most appropriate of these in your everyday work projects. Also a good recognition of customer expectation and the need to carry out work with as little disruption as possible. “I would encourage all who have the correct qualifications or experience to undertake a Professional Review to become registered.”
Applications are accepted from UK residents who are Graduate or more senior members of a recognised Engineering Institution at an early stage in a career as an engineer or scientist, in academia or industry (typically in the first 10 years of a professional career). The applicant should be an individual who has personally produced an engineering innovation; exceptionally, a small team may be considered. The 2013 winner was Caroline Hepburn, Cranfield School of Applied Sciences for her work on online measurement of siloxanes by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy. Applications close 31st March. For further information and an application form visit www.engineerstrust.org.uk/index.php/awardssummary and select The Hawley Award
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WATERAID
TREKKING FOR WATERAID
Celebrate water this World Water Day On 22 March, supporters from across the water industry will join WaterAid to mark World Water Day. Safe, clean water is something we often take for granted but for millions of people in the developing world, it’s the one thing that can change everything. There are lots of ways to get involved in WaterAid’s World Water Day activities and show how much water means to you.
Marie Whaley, Asset Planning Manager, NWL and Institute of Water Board Member WaterAid is a charity that works in 27 of the poorest countries worldwide, transforming millions of lives every year with safe water, sanitation and hygiene projects. Every minute, every day, people suffer and lives are lost needlessly because of a lack of safe water and sanitation. I have been an active supporter of this charity for many years helping to raise funds for WaterAid’s projects, raising awareness in the North East by giving talks to school children and local club members about the charity and how life is so different for those around the world who do not have access to clean water or proper sanitation. In February 2010, I visited Ethiopia with PAWS to see first hand the vital work that WaterAid does. Ethiopia, as so many developing countries in the world, faces the challenge of ever expanding towns and cities at an exponential rate. This development is often so rapid that it is difficult to take account of water and sanitation issues and plan for sustainable solutions. I worked there with local water companies in 7 towns of South Central Ethiopia to support them in their planning, transferring the expertise that we have and delivering training in water resources management and investment planning. There is much we can do in supporting these countries, even if only through sharing knowledge and experience. This year, I have volunteered to take part in a WaterAid challenge in March combining trekking in Nepal with visits to local projects. In addition to raising funds, seeing how safe water and sanitation transforms lives, not just now but for future generations, is always for me a great motivator to inspire others and get them to join in supporting WaterAid.
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In Adi Sibhat in the highlands of Tigray, northern Ethiopia, the community will be celebrating a new gravity flow system bringing clean water to the heart of their community following WaterAid’s recent Big Pipe Project. Before the project, families collected water from a spring at the top of a hill behind the village. The journey to the spring was long and difficult, and jerry cans full of water had to be carried back over the rocky ground. Working with the community and our project partners, we capped the spring at the top of the hill, laid 700 meters of pipe to bring the water downhill, and installed nine new taps in the village. A regular supply of safe water means better health, better hygiene and better harvests for this hard-working community. Mothers like Mana will see the biggest difference. Instead of taking her children on the long walk to collect water, she can use the new tap moments from her house. Since she was five, Mana has been collecting water for her family. She now has children of her own and used to make the journey three times a day collect enough water for the family to use: “I had to collect 25 litres each time I
Mana Miteka, 31, with her 10-month-old, Berihu, at the opening ceremony of the Big Pipe Project. Credit: WaterAid/Behailu Shiferaw went and carry the water home on my back – tying rope around my chest to secure it.” Even when she reached the spring she often had to wait as other families, and their cattle, used the water. During the dry season the dwindling supply of water had to be shared. The new taps in the village will transform life for Mana. She now has more time to work on the family farm and can make a better income for her family. With your help, we can change life for more people like Mana. By 2030, we believe everyone, everywhere can have safe water and sanitation. Help us make it happen. Find out how you and your colleagues can get involved in World Water Day at: www.wateraid.org/uk/worldwaterday.
INTREPID SUPPORTERS TAKE ON NEPAL’S WALKING TRAILS Employees from Northumbrian Water, Welsh Water and Black & Veatch will spend World Water Day in Nepal on a sponsored trek through the foothills of the Himalayas. They will join a group of WaterAid trekkers for six days in the beautiful Annapurna region where the remote villages are connected by ancient trails making some of the best trekking in the world. The group will also see WaterAid’s work firsthand on a visit to projects in Kathmandu. Marie Whaley from Northumbrian Water is looking forward to the challenge: “Nepal is a country I have always wanted to visit and I’m excited I’ll be seeing some of its most beautiful scenery on foot. The trek will be challenging but knowing I’m helping WaterAid to bring clean, safe water to the
millions of people living without it will make each step (even the painful ones) worthwhile.” To find out more about WaterAid sponsored events see the Get Involved section of the WaterAid website: www.wateraid.org/uk/get-involved/events.
NWLSUCCESS
High five for Northumbrian Water A North East water company has swept the board at what is widely regarded as the utility industry ‘Oscars’. Northumbrian Water won a record five of the seven categories it entered at the Utility Week Achievement Awards 2013, including the coveted title of Utility of the Year. The top award was presented to the company’s chief executive, Heidi Mottram, at the awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane on Monday. (December 9) The other four awards were for Community Initiative of the Year; Environment Award; Marketing Initiative of the Year and Supply Chain Excellence.
Community Initiative of the Year The title of Community Initiative of the Year was awarded to Northumbrian Water for its Just an Hour volunteering scheme. Employees are encouraged to spend at least 15 hours a year working on community projects of their choice, in teams or as individuals, during work time. Last year, 54.4% of the workforce spent 16,246 hours supporting 695 different organisations, ranging from garden makeovers and decorating community centres to becoming reading buddies and business ambassadors.
Environment Award When the original lagoon systems used in the process for recycling water treatment sludge at Hanningfield, near Chelmsford, Essex, were at the end of their useful life, an alternative solution was required for water production to continue on site. Tried and tested, energy intensive methods were available, but Northumbrian Water Limited, which operates in the south east as Essex & Suffolk Water, believed there must be a more sustainable solution. After three years of research and trials, the world’s first natural reed bed system was installed in 2013 to sustainably manage the sludge and recycle the valuable water. The initiative, known as the Hanningfield Sludge Treatment Reed Bed system, was named as the winner of the Utility Week Environment Award.
From left, Ellen Bennett, editor of Utility Week, Heidi Mottram, Northumbrian Water’s chief executive, Graham Neave, Northumbrian Water’s operations director, Paul Galligan, managing director of sponsor comparethemarket.com, and compere Hugh Dennis.
Marketing Initiative of the Year The Marketing Initiative of the Year award went to Northumbrian Water’s ‘Love your drain’ campaign. Launched in August 2012, the campaign featured mascot Dwaine Pipe in a bid to educate customers on how to prevent blocked drains in a positive, light-hearted and appealing way. The campaign was developed after a steady increase in the number of blocked drains and sewers in recent years, costing Northumbrian Water more than £1.2m each year to clear. More than half of blockages were caused by the growing use of ‘disposable’ products, such as wipes, nappies and sanitary items. Since the launch of the campaign, which included the cheeky slogan “Only toilet paper, pee and poo go down the loo”, Northumbrian Water has seen a 17.6% reduction in blockages.
Supply Chain Excellence A long-term partnership with chemical company ICL to guarantee a reliable supply of ferric sulphate, used to produce safe, clean drinking water for more than four million people, earned Northumbrian Water the Supply Chain Excellence award.
hugely impressive showing at the Utility Week Achievement Awards. The judging panels for the five awards they won were unanimous in their praise of the company’s ambition, achievement and consistency. Well done Northumbrian, this really was your year.” Heidi Mottram said: “The fact that we have won awards in five different categories, including Utility of the Year, emphasises the fact that we are committed to providing the best service possible, working for and with the communities we serve. It also demonstrates the one team ethos and dedication shown by everyone across the board at Northumbrian Water on a daily basis. “Recognition such as this helps to cement our position as leaders in the water and sewerage industry and spurs us on to maintain the highest standards of service.” The unprecedented success at the Utility Week Achievement Awards capped a fantastic year of recognition for Northumbrian Water. A string of accolades includes: n Listed as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies n Green Apple Award n RoSPA Gold Award n Business in the Community Platinum Big Tick n The Queen’s Award for Enterprise n CIPR Pride Awards Gold Winner
Utility Week editor, Ellen Bennett, said: “Congratulations to Northumbrian Water for a
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PANTON MCLEOD
Panton McLeod – New year, New horizons
A screen shot taken from a Panton McLeod ROV being used to monitor performance of aeration devices within a live service reservoir
With the final year of AMP5 approaching it has been a time of reflection for Panton McLeod. After a number of years of steady growth centred mainly within their existing business streams. 2014-2015 is now showing signs of being one for innovation and diversification as they aim to address their client’s latest challenges. AMP5 has seen Panton McLeod win and extend framework agreements with six of the top UK Water Companies and complete work across the whole of the UK. The latest awards include a key refurbishment framework with South West Water’s capital delivery partner H50 in October 2013 and even more recently they have been re-awarded the Severn Trent framework in Jan 2014.
Panton McLeod are now working with their key clients on a number of innovation projects, these include improving the quality of pipeline cleaning using technology new to the UK, borehole yield recovery using their Reg 31 listed products, the refurbishment of filter media insitu and the validation of hydraulic modelling using their own Dead Spot SamplingTM technology.
Business Development Director Paul Henderson added “As one of our key clients it is fantastic to continue our relationship with Severn Trent. I have been involved with the Severn Trent framework since it’s inception in 2000. I feel our in-depth knowledge of their assets and our strong links to their Operational team and wider supply chain will be key to helping our client maintain the highest levels of water quality.”
Leading the R&D is Iain Weir, Chief Technical Officer, Iain believes these new techniques can improve water quality and reduce cost across the board. “Our business ethos has always been to respond to our client’s needs. Over the last 5 years we have identified a number of key challenges and we are now trialling our proposed solutions. Initial results look very promising but we will continue with field trials before full commercial release later in the year, I would like to thank our key clients for working with us to this stage”.
In addition they have supported most Tier 1 suppliers with pipeline services and the commissioning of new assets, their unique Robotic technology has also supported nearly every client in the UK.
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CEO Jim Panton is also excited about the coming year and values the strong relationship Panton McLeod have built with their key customers. “We could not drive forward innovation without the
support our key clients, our Robotic Operations Manager Gwynn Tiberio and her team have recently cleaned a large strategic reservoir for Northumbrian Water. Due to access constraints this project had been deemed impossible, but by working closely with the NWL team and especially Project Manager, Bill Williamson we have been able to create new access points and clean the live reservoir without any disruption to supply whilst maintaining the quality of the stored water. All things considered, 2014 looks like it will be a very interesting year for us.” For more information about any of the points raised above please contact Paul Henderson, Business Development Director at paul.henderson@pantonmcleod.co.uk, or visit www.pantonmcleod.co.uk
Water Industry Products & Services
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Stonbury, specialist contractors to the water industry celebrate success after the award of another framework contract. Stonbury, Specialist Contractors to the water industry are
Works can include reservoir cleaning, inspections,
delighted to announce the award of a ‘Service Reservoir/
chlorination, installation of waterproof roof membranes and
Contact Tank Cleaning and Minor Repairs Framework Contract’
associated removal and reinstatement of roof topsoil or
with Severn Trent Water. This contract is for a 2 year period
gravel, drainage and pipework alterations, recasting of new
and has an option to extend for a further 2 years to 2018 and
access upstands and fitting of new access covers, internal
beyond. Stonbury have a long history of working with Severn
concrete repairs, joint repairs and overbanding to expansion
Trent Water, however, this is the first official framework contract
and construction joints, leaksealing and grouting, removal
award for Stonbury who are very excited to be able to expand on
of existing failed coatings and linings to wall and floors,
the working relationship with Severn Trent.
preparation and application of new waterproof and protective coatings to internal concrete and steel surfaces, installation
Along with this Stonbury have been re-awarded their framework
of new stainless steel ladders, landings and handrailing,
contract with Affinity Water, for service Reservoir and Water
installing baffle curtains and construction of new baffle
Tower refurbishment and re-active maintenance, for an initial 3
walls, refurbishment and adaptions to internal pipework,
year period with the option to extend by a further 2 years. This
replacement of valves and valve spindles.
contract covers all 3 regions operated by Affinity Water. In all cases Stonbury work very closely with their clients to Stonbury now hold framework contracts with 10 of the UK’s
formulate the most cost effective and technically correct
water companies, to include Northumbrian Water and Essex and
engineering solution to ensure bacti compliance and
Suffolk water company, Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Welsh
watertightness of the structures.
Water, Severn Trent Water, South Staffordshire Water company, Anglian Water, Affinity Water and Portsmouth Water company. All framework contracts are for repairs and maintenance of service reservoirs, water towers, contact tanks and associated water retaining structures.
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Readying the water industry with a stream of talent for its future The UK water industry is currently facing a trilemma of water scarcity, pressure to limit carbon emissions and rising water quality standards. To secure its future as a well-functioning sector, enhancing UK economic growth and contributing to a lower carbon future, it must tackle these issues. However, the water industry is currently facing a knowledge, experience and manpower numbers crisis – all barriers to long-term sustainability.
n Weather volatility
By 2023, it will need to find thousands of new recruits to plug an ever-widening recruitment gap, while tackling a lack of future-proof skills, knowledge and experience,
n Legal and regulatory requirements
Placed against a backdrop of a need to reduce demand and lower carbon intensity of water and sewerage service delivery, the industry is facing a hard road ahead.
External pressures Since privatisation over 30 years ago, much has changed in the sector. And over the coming years, the water management challenge will be increasingly tough due to a combination of factors:
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n Land use changes n Scarcity of supply n Decarbonisation of water treatment processes n Sustainable abstraction
Further regulation shifts, such as the Draft Water Bill, will mean greater competition, as well as a requirement for innovation in technologies and processes. The need to comply with the Water Framework Directive and Priority Substance Directive, while reducing the long-term environmental activities of the sector, will place different demands on skills and training by 2030.
Current employment picture Changes in population size and make-up influence demand for water and determines the characteristics of the workforce available.
By 2035, the UK population is estimated to increase to 73.2 million, with the median age expected to rise to 42.2. Similarly, the number of people at pensionable age will increase to 15.6 million. Currently, 16,500 people work in technical and engineering roles in the water industry. However, due to a range of factors, including increased retirement numbers, the current workforce availability will not fill vacancy demand over the next 15 years, leaving a gaping recruitment void.
Horizon scanning A need to improve efficiency and reduce costs will mean the water industry in 2030 will look very different. Its changing sector landscape is also likely to transform the skills of the workforce. Existing occupations will need to evolve to adapt, while training and qualifications, although unlikely to see a radical overhaul, will include new elements as the lower carbon-impact shift
FEATURE:SKILLS
occurs. Environmental issues will take a higher precedence, as will development of more strategic and commercial skills, to match the need for more competition.
Sustainable drainage systems and source-control catchment management will also allow the industry to work in harmony with the natural environment.
The industry could see automated systems for leakage repair, universal water metering and a free-moving water grid linking a diverse network of suppliers and service providers. Ideally, regional stakeholders will collaborate much more closely, eliminating the need for the current commonplace water treatment technologies used today. The picture could see building regulations integrating sustainable drainage and water recycling, as well as reuse requirements, and, perhaps most importantly, and a little idealistically, consumers will habitually limit consumption.
Skills solutions
New solutions will need to counteract water scarcity by reducing demand, eliminating leakage and improving efficiency. They will limit carbon emissions by decarbonising water purification technologies, as well as matching rising water quality standards. The industry is likely to tackle this by drawing on low-tech solutions to flooding risk and low-carbon treatment of certain water sources.
To match the numbers and ranges of new skills required to fit the changing water industry landscape, forging a consistent supply of talent is crucial. EU Skills is working with employers, government and educational establishments to increase the take up of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, boosting sector attractiveness so more students want a career in the sector. The new Energy and Efficiency Industrial Partnership (EEIP), which is being led by National Grid and represents 66 other employers, has been developed through funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as part of its Employer Ownership of Skills (EOS) pilot. The partnership will tackle the skills and recruitment gap in the sector by developing training programmes, as well as thousands of apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities.
The water industry stands to benefit a great deal from this work, catching a wave of increased focus on apprenticeships. Change is already in motion, with the number of UK apprenticeship starts rising by 172.6 per cent during the last nine years, and applications to STEM higher education courses also on the up. To help capture and nurture this intake of future professionals, EU Skills’ Talent Bank has been developed in collaboration with industry and other stakeholders. Employers have, at their fingertips, a specialist recruitment and training hub that offers a complete end-to-end service. And to foster competency in new professionals, applications such as the Energy and Utility Skills Register (EUSR) provide a clear benchmark on skills, as well as a route to develop recruits through their career. It is with these tools and industry partnerships, backed by government, employers and educational establishments, that a new and more promising picture of the water industry’s ability to recover this opening skills and recruitment gap is being painted.
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S1E
SOURCE ONE ENVIRONMENTAL - A GLOBAL BRAND SUPPLYING INNOVATIVE, PROBLEM-SOLVING PRODUCTS Source One Environmental, formerly known as Fernco Environmental, offers products and training in the following specialist areas: n Coatings such as the Ultracoat epoxy coating system for refurbishment of structural assets n No Dig Pipe Repair including the WRc Approved Pipe Doctor n Water Management including the Kessel backwater protection range n Infrastructure including the Kryton range of concrete waterproofing products Jon Crean, Managing Director of Source One Environmental, described the company’s ethos, “The Source One Environmental team focusses on delivering new technologies into the water management and infrastructure markets. We’re also committed to supporting our customers in their use, with outstanding service and training.”
Training and support
operatives and benefit from use of a drainage set-up, complete with tripods and harnesses, so that attendees can prepare an installation of a product in a safe yet realistic environment. The course covering the WRc approved Pipe Doctor is independently accredited by Energy & Utility Skills.
Product Focus Advanced stormwater management range Source One Environmental will shortly launch a new range of attenuation products, for the safe and controlled storage and release of extensive rainwater. The system is designed for improved inspectability.
Pipe Doctor no-dig patch repair The market-leading Pipe Doctor range achieves permanent, watertight repairs, with no costly excavation for infrastructure owners. It offers unique convenience to the contractor, with everything required included in handy kits, for example pre-measured resin for no wastage or mess on site. The range includes: n The WRc approved Pipe Doctor, ideal for straight sections of pipe. n Pipe Doctor Radius to repair 90° bends.
CPD courses are offered both at the Skills Centre and at customers’ premises The company offers training in two ways: RIBA approved CPD courses for architects and hands-on courses aimed at contractor operatives.
n New Pipe Doctor Lateral for damage at lateral junctions.
Ultracoat 100% solids epoxy coating system
Courses offered at the Skills Centre are aimed at
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Ultracoat boasts numerous impressive test results and accreditations and has been installed in over 50,000 applications throughout the World with no failures.
Kryton concrete waterproofing Products from the Kryton range incorporate a unique crystalline technology, which reacts with moisture to form millions of microscopic crystals. The crystals form in the naturally-occurring voids in the concrete, blocking them up. Only a tiny amount of the Kryton formula is required to create millions of crystals, offering permanent protection of an asset, once treated. Products containing Kryton’s technology are available for new build and repair applications. Other Source One Environmental products include: n Sealguard and Hyperflex to stop leaks n Kessel backwater protection valves and pumps
Part of a World-leading Group
“Supporting our customers is a fundamental part of what we do here at Source One Environmental,” explained Jon. “We offer training in all of our products and that’s so important to us that we invested in building our own Skills Centre just over a year ago.” The CPD courses explore the issues concerning specification of products for the building and rehabilitation of infrastructure assets. They were written for architects but can be tailored to suit different audiences, such as engineers, surveyors etc. Courses are delivered by technical specialists relevant to the subject matter.
Ultracoat is used to rehabilitate and structurally reinforce damaged or corroded constructions, such as manholes, bunds and culverts. It offers superb chemical resistance, from pH 2 to 14, including high levels of H2S.
Source One Environmental is part of the Fernco group of companies and a sister company of Flexseal, the UK’s market-leading manufacturer of flexible couplings.
Ultracoat is used to reinstate assets such as this digester, leaving them resistant to corrosion from chemicals
During 2007, Fernco Environmental was established, with a wider aspiration to seek out innovations within drainage and infrastructure that protect and preserve the environment. Building on the new company’s initial success, the name was changed on 1st January 2014, aligning the company with others in the Fernco Group to create a global brand. www.s1e.co.uk
WATERTRAIN MEASURING THE COMPETENCE OF THE WATER INDUSTRY’S FIELD PERSONNEL THROUGH ASSESSMENT - NEW FRAMEWORK FOR WATER NETWORK LAUNCHED BY OCG Demonstrating competence in a regulatory environment has been an on-going requirement for the Water industry and with the challenges that an ever technologically sophisticated asset base will undoubtedly present, then operator performance will increasingly be uppermost in the minds of the industry’s leaders and decision makers.
provided by the OCG allows Water Managers and HR Professionals to develop much more accurate training plans, increase efficiency and drive up overall levels of competence across the workforce. Entirely bespoke to the individual organisations and employees needs and at its core a comprehensive question bank designed specifically with the client in mind, the OCG is the most comprehensive assessment tool currently available to the Sector.
The proven success of the Occupational Competency Gateway (OCG) assessment tool has now been extended to the area of Water Network Operations and Water Leakage. OCG assessment now fully supports the end-toend operational activities required by the Water Safety Plan approach for all the steps in a water supply service chain from catchment to Customer. Due to be launched in March 2014 this new development augments the existing OCG Water, MEICA and Wastewater Treatment pathways, already widely deployed across the Water Companies and Supply Chain. This important development will provide the Sector with the most
For more information contact Glenn Jackson at OCG on 07931 136966
comprehensive suite of assessment pathways to measure competence on offer anywhere in the UK Water Industry. The OCG has provided to its many existing clients a cost effective, independent and objective system for measuring the currency of knowledge of their employees. The reliable performance information
CSTS are proud to support Energy & Utility Skills delivering
SHEA Passport & Water Hygiene Training Courses CSTS Ltd. Warrington Business Park, Long Lane, Warrington. WA2 8TX Tel: 01925 244144 Fax: 01925 244544 info@csts.co.uk www.csts.co.uk
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In Scottish Water everyone’s got talent… If you ask people in most organisations about their approach to learning and talent development more often than not you might hear people talking about the need to identify people’s skills gaps, weaknesses or development needs to help improve their performance. Alternatively, you might hear people describing the need to attract, develop and retain high-fliers. While all these areas are entirely valid things to consider, Scottish Water is trying to think a little bit differently about the way that they approach learning and talent development. Like many water companies in the UK Scottish Water has a demographic that leans towards the right hand side of the page, with a fairly high percentage of their people aged over 50 years and with an industrial legacy that means most of these people are men with quite lengthy periods of service. Scottish Water have been actively working to create greater diversity and inclusion, for example by encouraging more women in STEM areas as part of their graduate and apprenticeship programmes (their female workforce percentage is increasing slowly, up from 22% a few years ago to 25% today) but demographic change can take time. However, rather than looking at this purely as a problem that needs to be solved Scottish Water are trying to think about all the different ways that diversity, inclusion and multiple generations in the workplace can bring benefits to the organisation. Paul Campbell, Organisational Learning and Development Lead for Scottish Water said “at Scottish Water we believe that all our people have unique skills and talents and that these talents should be developed to their full potential. Rather than looking at deficiencies we want to know what our people’s strengths are and understand how we can help our people to use them. We are very aware of our operating context both internally and externally. The nature of work is changing and it’s been widely reported that the UK generally has an ageing population. In Scotland the population overall has become older over the last 100 years with the proportion under 15 years of age falling from 32% to 16% while the proportion aged 65 and over has increased from 5% to 17%. With changes to default retirement ages, more flexible approaches to retirement and increasingly flexible working practices many people are choosing to stay in work for longer. We have therefore recognised the need to find creative solutions and opportunities for successive generations to co-exist and remain motivated and engaged in the workplace, for us talent is something that’s diverse and has no age-limits”.
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Scottish Water still places a lot of emphasis on future talent attraction, investing in their youth pipelines through modern apprenticeships, graduate programmes and internships but they are also looking at the different ways that they can harness the knowledge and wisdom of their experienced employees. Paul went on to say “creating the next generation of water industry experts is still crucial for us but maximising the benefits of people’s experience and expertise is also vitally important to our industry. As I mentioned before the work environment is changing, the world is becoming more connected and increasingly social, it’s all about network performance rather than just individual performance. Tapping into the wisdom of our experienced people experience that has often been gained the hard way - is one of the keys to unlocking innovation and sustaining performance.
With this in mind we are currently implementing a new technical skills academy model, where our experienced employees will train, coach and pass on their skills to other people coming through. Our academy is one solution we believe will help to tap into the tacit knowledge of our long serving operational employees while also engaging them both emotionally and psychologically as they are given the opportunity to ‘give something back’ by helping to train and develop our next generation. We have realised just how important it is to work in harmony with our demographic context, influencing this positively where we can while making the most of both our own people’s experience and the collective experience within the industry. Whether it’s encouraging engagement with our alumni network, the provision of internal mentoring networks and IW membership for our apprentices and graduates or the introduction of our new technical skills academy, in Scottish Water everyone has talent”.
FEATURE:SKILLS
Developing a new technical workforce for the future There is a new model of education paving the way for future generations of engineers, scientists and environmentalists.
rather than solely in the classroom. They will engage in projects designed and supported by employers. For South West Water this will give their employees the opportunity to play a part developing the new generation of engineers, scientists and environmentalists.
By 2016, it’s estimated that thousands of students will be studying at 50 new state schools, known as University Technical Colleges (UTCs), which offer high-quality, practical training to help fill a skills gap in the UK. Prime Minister David Cameron has already said he wants a UTC college in every single major town. One of the first of its kind, South Devon University Technical College, opening in 2015 in Newton Abbot, will focus on water, science and engineering and be supported by South West Water, which helped develop the initial business case for the Department of Education and has since been involved in public consultation, building design, curriculum formation, marketing and recruitment. The new concept for 14-18 year olds presents a highly-regarded and technically-orientated course of study which is sponsored by a university and offers clear progression routes into higher education or further learning in work. The UTC ethos and curriculum is heavily influenced by employers seeking to bridge the technical skills gap and find talented students who are ‘work ready’, which is why South West Water is working in partnership with the University of Exeter and South Devon College,
Once it is up and running South West Water will have a dedicated hub which is focused on water and the environment and the company will offer students work-based learning activities such as site tours, work experience, mentoring and business challenges. along with other local employers, to develop a new education institution in Newton Abbot. South West Water Operations Director Stephen Bird is the South Devon UTC steering group chairman. He said: “When we are recruiting engineers and scientists we look for knowledge of our fast-changing industry and an enthusiasm to be involved. We believe that the UTC will give students the passion they need to ensure a commitment to their scientific or engineering career.”
The company’s Organisational and Employee Development Manager Nigel Fenn explains: “For South West Water this is not only an opportunity to secure a steady supply of talented young people who have the skills and the potential to take on valuable jobs in our industry but it also enables our existing employees to share their experiences and mentor students.” Read more about UTCs at www.utcolleges.org and South Devon UTC at www.southdevonutc.org
Integrated into the technical studies will be GCSEs and A levels in English, Mathematics and Science, along with a focus on employability and enterprise skills. The college day will mirror an adult working day, 8.30am to 5pm. Students will work in small groups with employers and the local community
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Institute of Water Welsh Area Innovation Awards 2013 The Institute of Water Welsh Area Innovation Awards Dinner 2013 was held at the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff on 28 November and hosted by the Institute’s Welsh Area President, Steve Wilson. The dinner marked the end of an application and judging process that began in August following workshops to change the format and categories to sit in line with innovative progress within the industry. To meet our vision of improved compliance, reduced costs and first class customer service we need to find ways to continually improve and so it’s great to see a growing passion for innovation and for sharing our ideas across the sector. The new categories this year were: n Technological Advances n Environment n Engineering n Customer Service & People n Ideas award n Judging Panel Special Award n Chairman’s Award In the Engineering category the winning entry came from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s (Dwr Cymru) Wastewater Programme & Delivery team, in partnership with Morgan Sindall, for the use of horizontal, directional vacuum excavation to remove debris from downstream of a sewer collapse. The award was presented to Ashley
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Moule and Chris Walters by Martin Hennessey, Director of Capital Delivery, Dwr Cymru.
customers are already familiar with using it for a wide range of applications.
The Environment Award was won by Morgan Sindall & Arup, for Steboneath School Retrofit Sustainable Urban Drainage Scheme. Morgan Sindall and Arup have been working with the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Capital Delivery Team on this innovative drainage system at Steboneath Primary School in Llanelli. The aim is to reduce storm flows entering the sewer network and cut the risk of flooding and pollution downstream. Apart from creating an improved environment for the school, additional benefits achieved included improvements to the biodiversity of the site - which now provide an educational resource for pupils. The award was presented by Graham Hillier, Executive Director for Operations South, Natural Resources Wales.
Recent statistics have shown that these pages are the most viewed in the event of an operational incident, which then reduces calls to the Operational Control Centre. This award was presented by Julia Cherrett, Managing Director of Dwr Cymru Customer Services.
The Customer Service & People Award was won by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, for In my Area. This innovative use of Postcode Search (called ‘In Your Area’) on the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water website provides customers with localised information on Emergency and Planned work, as well as Water Quality & Events. This gives customers the ability to self-serve by using their postcode, thereby avoiding the need to call the company. The Google maps Application Programming Interface was chosen as it is used widely and
The Ideas Award was won by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water – Gwent Instrumentation Team, for Turbidity Probe Tube. The Gwent Instrumentation team recognised the risks associated with repeatedly entering confined spaces at water treatment works sites in order to calibrate equipment and take routine turbidity readings. Their investigations saw them test existing manufactured products, aimed at reducing the need for confined space entry, before developing their own low cost solution which has already been installed at one site and endorsed by a leading UK supplier. This award was presented by Tony Harrington, Director of Environment, Dwr Cymru. This year, the Judging Panel felt that one submission deserved a special mention for its innovative approach – Dwr Cymru’s Kayak Rangers project, in partnership with Arup, won the Judging Panel Special Award. This project took an innovative approach to identifying river
FEATURE:WELSH AREA INNOVATION AWARDS 2013
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Engineering Winner – DCWW and Morgan Sindall
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Ideas Winner – DCWW Gwent Instrument Tea
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Judging Panel Special Award – DCWW and Arup
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Environment Winner – Morgan Sindall and Arup
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Chairman’s Award – Steve Wilson, Geraint Williams and Marc Davies
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Customer Service Winner – DCWW ‘In my Area’
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Overall Winner – Pulsar Process Measurement
pollution risks associated with the sewer network through kayak surveys from within the river. Due to some area being inaccessible a team of kayakers were able to reach difficult areas to identify problems. The award was presented to Nigel Godfrey and Luke Cooper (Arup) by Nikki Kemmery, Dwr Cymru’s Head of Health & Safety.
Pulsar Process Measurement Ltd and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s Innovation Team for its ‘Flow Pulse – Pulsar clamp on flow meter’. This will be put forward for the National Award to be held in Bristol in May 2014. The national winner will be announced at the Institute of Water’s National Conference at the President’s Dinner.
The Chairman’s Award was won, for the second year running, by Geraint Williams for his innovative retrieval tool kit to recover items from the sewer network without excavation. This was presented by Steve Wilson, and Welsh Area Vice President, Marc Davies,
Judges announced this entry the winner because even though the use of ultrasound is not new or unique to the water industry, this particular application and development of the technology is a great example of innovation in the wastewater sector. It is clear there are many operational, process and safety benefits to be gained from the wider use of this device.
The overall winner from the Welsh Area, was
This Innovative non-intrusive clamp-on flow meter has been developed collaboratively between Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s Innovation team and Pulsar’s Research & Design engineers. The result is a low cost fixed and portable clampon flow meter which is more than 70% cheaper than traditional inline magnetic flow meters. With no requirement for pipe cuts or shutdowns, the technology significantly reduces health and safety risks for staff. The technology is proving to be so successful that more than 250 are planned to be installed across waste water sewage pumping stations, saving over £1.5m. More than a 1000 have already been purchased by other UK water companies.
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S1E Jon Crean, Managing Director, Source One Environmental
Fernco Environmental is Evolving into Source One Environmental Effective from January 1st 2014, Fernco Environmental, suppliers of water management and infrastructure repair products, has been renamed Source One Environmental Ltd.
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The new name reflects that of their US-based sister company also owned by the Fernco Group, which trades within similar industries. The change creates a powerful global brand with presence in North & South America, Europe and Australasia.
looking forward to further growth as Source One Environmental.”
Jon Crean, Managing Director of Source One Environmental, explains “This change positions the company for the future, not only in the development of new products, but also in our planned expansion into new territories. We’re building on the success that Fernco Environmental has developed to date and are
n No Dig Pipe Repair, including the WRc Approved Pipe Doctor
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Product ranges supplied by Source One Environmental encompass:
n Water Management, for example the Kessel backwater protection range n Coatings, such as the Ultracoat epoxy coating system
n Infrastructure, including Sealguard, for the prevention of infiltration
RSKW
THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNCONVENTIONAL OIL AND GAS IN THE UK The Shale Boom in North America
project a more favourable picture where shale gas can, with the right safeguards appropriate level of regulation, be developed safely and with considerable economic benefit to the UK.
The rapid growth during the last 5 to 10 years, in the development of unconventional oil and gas in the USA, has attracted much interest in Europe and elsewhere. Unconventional gas accounted for over 50% of total US gas production in 2010. Indeed, projected production is forecast to outpace consumer consumption up to at least 2040 . The USA is therefore set to become a leading exporter particularly of LNG. At the same time CO2 emissions in the USA have declined as gas has displaced coal in electricity generation.
DECC SEA and Consultation for the next onshore licensing round The next step for UK shale gas is the release of the 14th Round of Production and Exploration Development Licences. DECC have conducted a strategic Environmental Assessment which is now out for consultation with a deadline of 28th March3. Water companies and trade bodies such as Water UK therefore have an excellent opportunity to set out any concerns and opinions on the detail of the next onshore licensing round.
European Resource Estimates For the European continent, 17 basins and 24 shale formations included in the World Shale Gas and Shale Oil Resource Assessment are expected to offer a significant quantities of recoverable unconventional oil and gas reserves. A combined estimate for these basins alone shows risked shale gas in-place levels at 4,895 Tcf, of which 883 Tcf would be technically recoverable. By comparison annual consumption in the UK is approximately 3.5 Tcf and the UK is now a net importer.
Andrew Gunning, Partner , RSKW Ltd
Environmental regulation and economic benefits Many of the arguments against shale gas have been centred around environmental issues particularly with respect to ‘fracking’. However a number of independent reports including those from the Royal Institution, IoD and CIWEM,
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DRYDEN AQUA
USED GREEN CONTAINER GLASS IS ANSWER TO ECOLOGICAL ISSUES CAUSED BY SAND “The time is now for the water sector to recognise that they have a disruptive technology to use in their process which not only delivers cleaner, safer water than sand, but which minimises pollution and ecological impact.” Governments and regulators across the globe are tightening up on environmental law and putting in place ever more stringent requirements for the disposal of waste. More significantly for the water industry, attention has turned to put the spotlight on the use of natural resources as part of the global move toward the “circular economy” and the unnecessary mining of sand is one such resource that needs some rethinking. While sand has been used for water filtration for thousands of years, the application of activated glass filtration media means the industry now has a solution to help ensure that sand mining is conducted in a responsible manner – sand is a finite resource – and one that the water industry doesn’t need to abuse. Activated glass filtration media can be recovered and upcycled for reuse again and again for water filtration, or can be directed into other high value uses. Scottish based company Dryden Aqua has been doing some of the thinking, and their novel water filtration product AFM® uses waste container glass and transforms it into the most efficient water filtration media on the market on all measures of performance. AFM® was developed with European Union Life + funding and the company recently moved from proof of concept to full scale production. A 5 Milllion Euro processing plant opening in Edinburgh at the end of 2013, and the newly produced AFM®, now independently tested by IFTS, has confirmed the product’s pedigree as being twice as good as sand at removing the smallest and sometimes the most toxic of particles. By Way of example, AFM® removed 87% of all particles at 5 microns, at a water velocity of 20m/
Richard Lochead, Environment Minister, left, and Howard Dryden
hr. Leighton Buzzard sand removed 55%, and all other glass media tested removed less than 50%. The new factory can process 40,000 tonnes per annum, almost sufficient for the whole of the UK water industry. AFM® is an activated filter media manufactured only from green glass. Green glass has unique catalytic properties. The glass is reduced to a very precise particle size and size distribution. The surface of every grain is then turned into a mesoporous catalytic selective molecular sieve adsorber. In addition Dryden Aqua manufacture a second line products DGS (Dryden Glass Sand) made from mixed glass culet that is not activated. DGS performs better than sand but it does not have the same ability as AFM® to adsorb small
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particles and dissolved components from the water. AFM® is recharged by just back-washing with water. To prevent green container glass going to landfill, at a cost to the public purse, Dryden Aqua is working with social enterprises in Scotland to create jobs and upcycle a previously worthless material into a highly efficient, high value water filtration media which can be reused and further upcycled at the end of the life of the water filter in which it is used. Dryden Aqua is being asked to build AFM® plants across the globe and the intention is to extend and modify these models of working with social enterprise, as part of the company’s template for international expansion.
Standardised
Customised
Systems-based
You choose. We supply. Our wide range of standard pumps and valves provides plenty of scope for individual demands. You can select the materials, hydraulic systems and drives. When you’re facing complex tasks, we’re with you from Day One – whether you want planning guidance, specially designed components or help with commissioning. But see for yourself. Test our products for quality and versatility and discover why KSB is so often first choice. www.ourtechnology.yoursuccess.ksb.com KSB Limited • 2 Cotton Way • Loughborough • Leicestershire • LE11 5TF • 01509 231872 • www.ksb.co.uk
Welcome to:-
Pumping Technology
A KSB Company •
Our technology. Your success. Pumps • Valves • Service
One provider
HUBER
HUBER AWARDED TWO CONTRACTS TO SUPPLY TERTIARY TREAMENT APPLICATIONS Huber Technology were pleased to be awarded two contracts to supply the RoDisc for tertiary treatment applications in Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW). Both sites were supplied along with other items of Huber equipment as part of the a large batch of schemes involving 30 sites in total where specific site improvements and upgrades were identified and necessary Huber supplied and installed 1 off 4 disc RoDisc unit to a small site in South Wales and the second larger project which was also located in South Wales was for 2 off 10 disc RoDisc units. The Huber RoDisc is a compact and robust unit supplied in its own stainless steel tank or can be installed in a separate chamber supplied by others and is used for the polishing of Final Effluent as part of tertiary treatment and thus enables stringent wastewater discharge consents to be met. It is suitable for both gravity and pumped applications and has a large filtration area.
Both sites were completed and commissioned in 2013 and handed over to the client and have proved to be a great success. “Huber won this order against stiff competition to help Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) to improve the discharge consents of both sites� commented Adrian Heneghan, Area Sales Manager for Huber. For further information please contact Huber. 01249 765000 www.huber.co.uk
High quality solutions for all municipal and industrial waste water needs. Large and diverse product range which includes inlet screens, screenings handling, storm screens, sludge thickening and dewatering, grit removal and washing, tertiary treatment plus many more. Customised solutions including design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and after sales service.
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Our expertise is as precious as water itself Aqualogy is the global technology and solutions division of Agbar, one of the world’s largest water and waste water companies, with specialist products, services and expertise available across the entire water cycle.
LEAKAGE SERVICES
ICE PIGGING Innovative and patented method of cleaning pipes. Learn more at www.icepigging.co.uk
NETWORK MANAGEMENT
Detection of physical losses with trace gases (helium) and products to assist in the detection of apparent losses.
Including water mains chlorination, pressure valve installation & maintenance and network data collection services.
+44 (0) 1454 800 468
info@aqualogyuk.com
SLUDGE MANAGEMENT Including low temperature sludge drying, and heat treatment using gasification or pyrolysis
www.aqualogyuk.com
EVOQUA
EVOQUA WATER TECHNOLOGIES LAUNCHES NEW GENERATION OF WATER QUALITY MONITORING Evoqua Water Technologies launches its Hydraclam® Water Quality Monitor to deliver high resolution data for water quality across thousands of locations Remote solutions enable utility companies to take a proactive approach to water monitoring in their network and plan preventative action to minimise incidents
Evoqua Water Technologies has extended its portfolio of leading water treatment products and solutions with the addition of Hydraclam®, an effective remote solution delivering high resolution data of water quality across the UK’s water networks. The Hydraclam® monitoring unit, enables water utilities to remotely access quality and timely data on water samples at thousands of locations. The innovative technology is installed in washout hydrant chambers and on fire hydrants, effectively enabling them to monitor quality from treatment facilities through to close to the point of use. The solution is configurable to capture data at defined intervals and upload accurate information for turbidity and pressure with additional measured parameters temperature and chlorine residual available, and results are accessed via a web-based system. The solution incorporates trigger point technology to alert users when incidents, such as water discolourisation due to sediment build up, are likely to occur, meaning they can take preventative action. This approach also enables companies to track and better understand patterns in issue
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occurrences, thereby helping them to identify and implement more long term measures to minimise them. “While investment in the water industry has resulted in improved services for many customers, we understand utilities face mounting pressure to continuously meet regulatory responsibilities whilst driving customer service improvements. “ says Aran Bray of Evoqua Water Technologies. “When it comes to taking a proactive approach to closely monitor water quality to help companies meet these objectives, there simply hasn’t been the level of technology needed to do so effectively.” “The development of the Hydraclam® solution is a major step forward for water monitoring technology, providing companies with key information on water quality at vital stages in their network. By equipping companies with this level of insight, they’re able to detect problems and explore the suitable treatments before being alerted to issues by customers, “ he added. “Historically, many water companies have had to manually obtain samples to analyse quality at different stages and locations in their
network. They can now proactively use the intelligence delivered remotely through the Hydraclam® system to develop more strategic plans and responses, so that they can deploy their team and resources more effectively. At Evoqua Water Technologies, we’re committed to developing proactive infrastructure management systems such as Hydraclam® and Chloroclam® to help companies meet industry challenges head on.” Evoqua Water Technologies provides comprehensive, cost-effective and reliable services and treatments to meet the most rigorous demands in virtually any water application. The Hydraclam® solution has been developed in conjunction with the Salamander Group, and is produced under license in the UK.
CROWCON
CROWCON’S MODULAR GASMASTER CONTROL PANEL MONITORS UP TO FOUR GAS DETECTORS Crowcon’s new Gasmaster control panel has a modular design meaning users only need purchase the required number of input modules. It can easily be extended by adding more modules at a later date. Gasmaster monitors up to four gas detectors or four fire zones, all from a single location. Simple to operate, the large multilingual LCD display shows gas levels from all detectors simultaneously and allows quick and easy system adjustment and testing from the control panel. It can operate as a stand-alone unit or interface with any alarm or visual warning devices and control systems. In addition to standard 4-20mA-type gas detectors, Gasmaster can also be used with mV pellistor-type flammable gas detectors, which are significantly lower in cost than 4-20mA-types as they have no internal electronics. Sensor calibration is performed via the Gasmaster user interface: once commissioned, mV pellistor-type detectors do not need to be accessed until the sensor needs replacing – usually 3-5 years after installation. In addition, power to mV pellistortype detectors is automatically cut if the gas reading exceeds 95% of the gas’ LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) to prevent sensor damage.
Gasmaster provides as standard a wide range of analogue, relay and Modbus outputs and a ‘calibration due’ warning informs the user when a service is due on a gas or fire detector. An IP65 enclosure also means the control panel can be installed in potentially wet areas without requiring the additional cost of high-IP enclosures. Key industries include: n Refineries n Petrochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical plants n Water and wastewater treatment n Gas storage and distribution n Power generation n Manufacturing processes (e.g. car manufacturing plants)
n Universities and research facilities n Local authorities
Flooded With Pumping Enquiries? •Flooding •Dewatering •Emergencies •Pumping Waste Boasting 50+ years in providing pumping systems from the smallest scheme to highly complex systems, T-T can offer solutions for land drainage and flood relief, right through to emergency pumping.
01630 647200 www.ttpumps.com
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Keeps clean all by itself
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Secure Conveying for Your Processes The right model for every application Rotating positive displacement pumps have been used for decades in the treatment of wastewater and sludge as conveying systems for all types of media. Due to their regulatory properties, these pumps guarantee secure, dependable and efficient processing.
NETZSCH Pumps & Systems Ltd. Horchester, Holywell Dorchester Dorset, DT2 0LL Great Britain info.npu@netzsch.com www.netzsch.com
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t:+44 (0) 1283 523000 www.wilo.co.uk e:sales@wilo.co.uk f:+44 (0) 1283 523099 t:+44t:+44 (0) 1283 523000 (0) 1283 523000 www.wilo.co.uk www.wilo.co.uk e:sales@wilo.co.uk e:sales@wilo.co.uk (0) 1283 523099 f:+44f:+44 (0) 1283 523099
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t w e f
PALINTEST
PALINTEST LAUNCHES PORTABLE PHOTOMETER 8000 FIELD KIT FOR ON-SITE WATER TESTING The new, upgraded Photometer 8000 Field Kit from Palintest has now been launched for use in the drinking water, wastewater, surface water and process water markets. The kit brings together a portable multiparameter photometer and all required accessories to conveniently and accurately test in almost any application environment. Equally suitable for use in the lab or in the field, it successfully and economically answers the call for a single water technician’s kit that is suitable for virtually any situation and set of test parameter. Included within the kit’s sturdy IP67 case are cuvettes, sample preparation apparatus and interface cables to allow USB or RS232 connection of the Photometer 8000. Transport containers within the case allow users to carry any of the range of tablet or liquid reagents used for determination of species such as ammonia, nitrate, heavy metals and chlorine. More details of the new Photometer 8000 Field Kit can be found at www.palintest.com or by following @Palintest on Twitter.
New product available for the UK water industry
Sewaco specializes in design, manufacture, supply and construction of purpose built plant and equipment for use in water supply systems and treatment of municipal sewage and industrial waste water. Our range of products includes: HYCOVER Static & Rotary distributor systems (from 5 l/s up to 980 l/s flow range) with optional auto cleanse and electro pneumatic belt drive mechanism, respectively. HYRATE Polytower biofilter systems using modular plastic media for:• High Rate (BOD/COD reduction), upstream of existing treatment plant, • Secondary ( BOD removal only or combined BOD removal/ Nitrification) T: 01778 342202 W: www.sewaco.co.uk E: info@sewaco.co.uk
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Power from Water – the ecological answer
• Tertiary Nitrification applications, downstream of existing secondary treatment processes. HYRATE Polytowers can easily incorporate natural ventilation or air extraction systems for odour control purposes, if required. Water Meter Boxes for single and multiple water meter installation (up to 16 water meters in one chamber). Suitable for installation in brownfield location.
Eastgate House, 87 Eastgate, Deeping St James Peterborough PE6 8HH
STEFFTURBINE – small scale micro hydroelectric turbine power plant rated to produce up to 12 kW LV power. Uses mainly potential energy to drive conveyor based turbine generator. Two sizes; 250-400 l/s (requiring 3.5-5.0 m available head) & 400-600 l/s (requiring 2.0-3.5m available head). Efficiencies between 70-90% expected depending on application. Contact Sewaco for more information.
GLOBAL SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY PRODUCTS & SERVICES Mobile/contract dewatering
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New Dawn House, Gorse Lane, High Salvington, Worthing, Sussex BN13 3BX T - 01903 69 44 00 F - 01903 69 44 77 E - sales@euroby.com www.euroby.com
CDENVIRO
CDEnviro to launch Pro:Dec at IFAT 2014 CDEnviro have marked their arrival in the European Waste Water market with the announcement that they will exhibit at IFAT 2014. IFAT is recognised as the leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management, and CDEnviro have chosen this platform for the launch of Pro:Dec. Pro:Dec is a system designed to provide protection for downstream systems like decanters, belt presses and filter presses through prior removal of the grit which can cause significant wear and increased cost. Decanters offer a final dewatering process which can handle the variability found in material streams processed by the water treatment, industrial, construction and mining industries. The continuous process provided by decanters can adapt to varying volumes and solids to recover materials, reduce water and waste disposal costs, and recycle water for reuse. This makes decanters a critical component in many modern processes. The Pro:Dec is introduced into the process prior to final dewatering. It efficiently removes grit to protect the decanter scroll tips and filter cloths and other downstream processes from attrition and wear. As well as wear reduction, grit no longer accumulates in process vessels such as digesters, ensuring energy production levels are maximised. The Pro:Dec ensures that all grit below 63 micron is removed from the process water stream. Treated water is held in the on-board buffer tank which ensures a controlled feed to the decanter, this flow rate is sized to suit each decanter application. CDEnviro will have a Pro:Dec system on display at IFAT 2014 along with an S:MAX Sludge Screen. The S:MAX system is recognised as a significant development in the technology available to the sludge screening market, offering operators enhanced health and safety on site, greater operational efficiency, maximum screenings removal and minimal operator intervention. The S:MAX sludge screen range effectively removes rag and screenings before these materials can impact on downstream processes such as pumps, valves and anaerobic digesters. Blockages and subsequent additional maintenance are reduced. This also maximises the potential for energy generation from bio solids by reducing the level of contamination within digesters CDEnviro have developed a wealth of experience in the design and manufacture of waste reduction and recycling equipment for applications in the sewage & waste water, waste management and utility sectors. CDEnviro focuses on developing technologies to enable customers to maximise efficiencies and minimise costs.
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Imtech introduces a step change in wastewater treatment quality in the UK With the constant challenge within the UK water industry of high quality, sustainable wastewater treatment, Imtech is always looking for innovations, which will lead to a step change and provide increased benefits to its customers. With this in mind, Imtech has teamed up with Royal Haskoning DHV last year and signed a cooperation agreement, to enable it to introduce and convey Nereda® technology for wastewater treatment in the UK. Nereda will deliver enhanced treatment standards at lower CAPEX, lower OPEX, and smaller footprints than existing solutions.
Easy to operate, cost effective and sustainable Nereda is easy to operate, cost effective and sustainable. It has a compact and uncomplicated tank design, less mechanical equipment, no separate clarifiers and requires no, or minimal, chemicals. This enables lower capital expenditures and lower operation and maintenance costs, which ultimately results in lower energy consumption and lower operational carbon footprint. Nereda also provide robust and reliable process performance. It also has remote support capabilities from process specialists and an integrated AquaSuite® Nereda process controller. The plant has much smaller footprint and requiring as little as a quarter of the land as conventional plant, and less construction material leading to a significantly reduced embedded carbon footprint. Nereda provides sustainable wastewater treatment and a remarkably high effluent quality safeguarding water sources for generations to come.
What is Nereda? Nereda technology is an aerobic granular biomass, provided by an innovative wastewater treatment technology for biological nutrient removal. It is the first aerobic granular biomass technology that has been applied at full-scale. Since 2006, the technology has been used in various industrial applications throughout Europe and has demonstrated its robustness and stability.
WWTP Garmerwolde, the Netherlands Since its 2005 retrofit into an AB-system, the Garmerwolde sewage treatment plant (STP) was not able to meet the required nutrient removal targets. For the upgrade of the 375,000 pe STP, the consortium of contractors GMB/Imtech selected Nereda as the most promising alternative technology. Based on the evaluation of more than twenty options, the water board selected Nereda as the best solution to extend the biological treatment and biological nutrient removal capacity. The solution involved the addition of two 9,500m3 Nereda reactors, with 150,000 pe total capacity, in parallel to the existing plant. Capacity of this addition is 2,000 m3/day and 4,200 m3/h peak flow. The overall plant capacity is 9,600 m3/day and 13,500 m3/h peak flow (375,000 pe). The plant was commissioned in Autumn 2013.
The principle of Nereda technology utilises design and control mechanisms, to encourage biomass to form granules rather than flocs. The agglomerates formed allow simultaneous anaerobic, aerobic and anoxic conditions to exist throughout the granules, which reduces the need for multiple tanks and recirculation. The Nereda process has three stages: Simultaneous fill/draw – during this cycle step the wastewater is pumped into the reactor and at the same time the effluent is drawn out Aeration – during the aeration phase, the biological conversion processes take place. The outer layer of the granules is aerobic and nitrifying bacteria accumulates. The formed nitrate is denitrified in the anoxic core of the granules and phosphorous uptake occurs. Sedimentation – after the biological processes, a sedimentation phase is required for separation of clear effluent and sludge. This time is short, due to the excellent settling properties of the sludge. Once the three stages are completed, the system is ready for a new cycle.
The future Nereda is a revolutionary wastewater treatment technology, which operates through an unique aerobic granule process and Imtech is recognising exciting potential opportunities for its deployment across the UK. After 100 years of Activated sludge, this innovative biological solution is now proving itself as the next leap forward in high quality, low cost, sustainable wastewater treatment technology. Visit
www.imtech.co.uk to discover more
VEOLIA
VEOLIA’S BIO-REFINERY GIVES WATER COMPANIES A MUCH NEEDED EFFICIENCY OPPORTUNITY Many people are aware that the water industry is under increasing pressure to deliver greater efficiencies, reduce operational costs as well as improve its environmental impact. This is by no means a small task but rather one of enormous complexity and requiring significant investment. With this in mind, Veolia’s BioRefinery team is tackling these challenges via an innovative ‘Water2Energy’ methodology that supports the whole efficiency journey. At Veolia we have been actively working with some of our key contracts to develop our ‘Water2Energy’ audit process which includes four individual stages of Veolia expertise: n Recover: If a site is not meeting regulatory requirements, we can put operational interventions in place to bring the site up to required standards n Stabilise: To be able to benchmark efficiency results, we can stabilise the plant to ensure it has a fixed base to start from n Energy recovery: Using our OCEAN audit software and associated Veolia processes, we can identify where cost and energy savings can be made and implement interventions to deliver them n Support: Once the changes are in place, we provide ongoing educational support to staff to ensure they understand how deviances would impact results and that appropriate focus is placed on energy management. This structured process is quick and repeatable, allowing comparable energy reviews to drive efficiencies that respond to changes in the energy market. The main cost savings and efficiencies therefore occur at the energy recovery phase where we use Veolia’s global tool OCEAN. Through the audit review, carbon emissions and operational costs are
identified and then analysed to determine where operational and investment interventions can be made. The benefits of the process are then fully realized with the reduction in carbon emissions through consumption management and increased production of renewable energy. At one of our 11 waste water treatment sites that we operate in Scotland ranging from 15,000-85,000 population equivalents, we have identified operational interventions with a value of £125k a year in cost avoidance on energy and increased production of biogas. Our aim is to achieve 10% savings in energy across all of our projects. The ‘Water2Energy’ review process can be applied to all wastewater treatment plants, associated
sludge streams and anaerobic digestion sites, representing an opportunity for the whole waste water sector to manage its commitment to carbon reduction in a way that complements its existing obligations. As the programme can be rolled out across multiple sites, an additional performance benchmarking process can be implemented which allows us to make comparisons with other Veolia operational sites across Europe and helps identify areas that can drive even greater efficiencies, leading to a more sustainable business future. For more information, please email: information@veoliawater.co.uk
Cost savings are no longer a drop in the OCEAN Veolia’s global software tool, OCEAN, allows us to: n Model the wastewater treatment works, apply process specific interventions and then judge the energy impact of each intervention across the whole treatment streams n Calculate the gains and losses over the whole energy balance of a site by applying multiple interventions to a single calibrated site model n Focus on site regulatory compliance throughout the review process
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THE SOLUTION IS CLEAR
LOCKERTEX CLARIFIERS l
Effective reduction of SS and thereby BOD
l
Easily and quickly retro fitted to pyramidal, end flow or radial settlement tanks
l
Can handle hydraulic load of 1.67m3/m2/hr
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Cost effective and long term solution without the expense of additional civil works
Locker Wire Weavers Ltd, Farrell Street, Warrington, WA2 1WW, United Kingdom sales@lockergroup.com
Tel: +44 (0)1925 406600
Fax: +44 (0)1925 444386
www.clarifiersystems.co.uk
SAINT GOBAIN PAM UK
SPECIFICATION, SPECIFICATION, SPECIFICATION THE CHANGING ATTITUDE TOWARDS CARRIAGEWAY ACCESS COVERS AND GRATINGS Often overlooked, the humble ductile iron access cover and gully grate are rightly now being given greater attention as it is recognised that they form a vital part of any below ground network. As clients and engineers are becoming increasingly aware of cost versus price, attitudes are changing towards the specification, installation and operation of these products leading to the selection of solutions based on their whole life performance rather than the initial purchase price. But what is driving this change? Traffic speed and intensity, climatic conditions, and legislation are factors combining to place greater emphasis on durability and performance, leading clients to the selection of solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders. Specifications are slowly evolving too, with many requiring products to include features as standard that offer greater efficiency, security and ease of use safeguarding their asset base and those who operate it. Let us also not forget that the quality and performance
of products placed in the carriageway, plays a key role in ensuring the safety of all road users. The key consideration when specifying access covers and gratings must centre around the reduction of whole life cost from both a financial and social perspective given that an access cover or grating will, if selected, installed and maintained correctly, form part of the network for several decades. Products used in the UK and Europe should as a minimum be designed and third party verified to meet the requirements of the European Standard EN124. However it is now apparent that this criterion alone is insufficient in ensuring the suitability of a product for a particular application given the changing nature of the environment in which they will be installed and operated.
that continually evolve the wide range of high performance solutions that now include features as standard that when combined ensure significant improvements to durability, safety and security and ultimately the reduction of whole life cost.
Saint-Gobain PAM UK identified a number of years ago the importance of constantly reviewing and updating the needs of all stakeholders, this has lead to technological developments
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Adopting a long term solution
Stuart Crisp, Business Development Director of the Concrete Pipelines System Association considers the forthcoming changes to the rules regarding Sustainable Drainage Systems and their impact for local authorities.
Flooding is big news, once again, this winter. High tides coupled with severe rainstorms saw large swathes of southern England disappear under water. The resulting damage to crops and property led to questions being asked of the government about what it is doing to prevent similar events occurring in the future and, in particular, when the new legislation on sustainable drainage systems, or SuDS, would come into force. The issue of flooding is not new. In 2007, flooding was responsible for the UK’s biggest civil emergency; 13 people died and hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes after 55000 homes were inundated with floodwater. Back then, the government’s response to the disaster was to commission Sir Michael Pitt to find ways to reduce the flooding risk and to minimise
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the impact of any subsequent flooding. The Pitt review resulted in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. This comprehensive approach towards preventing flooding called for developers in England and Wales to identify potential flood risks and to mitigate these using a SuDS-based solution. SuDS schemes are designed to mimic the natural drainage characteristics of the land by dealing with rain where it lands through the use of engineered or landscaped features, which limits the amount of run-off helping to prevent flooding. This is in contrast to conventional drainage solutions which are designed to carry rainwater run-off from developments to an outfall as quickly as possible. These can overwhelm
the receiving body with large volumes of water potentially inundating the surrounding land and water courses causing flooding. Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act imposes a requirement for drainage systems to comply with a National Standard on SuDS, which will set out the strategy and performance requirements for storm water drainage. There are two main categories of SuDS features: soft and hard. Soft SuDS are usually landscaped, vegetated features including swales and detention ponds. Hard SuDS include: proprietary engineered precast concrete soakaways, attenuation tanks and treatment chambers. It is anticipated that most schemes will feature a combination of both hard and soft solutions.
FEATURE:FLOOD MANAGEMENT Under Schedule 3 developers have to seek approval for their proposed SuDS solution from a SuDS Approval Body (SAB) as part of the planning approval process. The SAB will evaluate the proposed drainage scheme against the National Standards on the design, construction, operation and maintenance of sustainable drainage. SABs will sit within county councils or unitary authorities, who are responsible for developing, maintaining and applying a strategy for local flood risk management in their areas. They also have lead responsibility for managing the risk of flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. If planning permission is required for development, a combined application must be made to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) for both the SuDS and planning permission applications. Because the LPA sits within the District or City Council, it will need to ensure that the SuDS application is dealt with by the relevant SAB authority. The intention is that the joint application route will encourage discussions between the developer, the SAB and the local planning authority in order to facilitate the design of SuDS. However, one of the challenges posed by the introduction of SuDS legislation is to establish mechanisms that will encourage close coordination in authorities where responsibilities are split between district and county level to ensure an efficient SuDS solution is developed in tandem with design amendments under the planning process. On receipt of an application, the SAB will liaise with the relevant statutory bodies such as the Environment Agency, sewerage undertakers, internal drainage boards, the Canal and Rivers Trust and the Highways Authority. No development with a drainage element can proceed without SAB approval. Once a scheme has been approved as complying with the National Standard it will be adopted automatically by the SAB on completion of the development. This will put the authority in charge of a substantial and growing asset base. It will also result in the SAB authority having ultimate responsibility for the SuDS’ effective operation and to provide appropriate maintenance over the life of the development. With this in mind, it is important that the long term implications for both soft and hard features are considered. I predict that SuDS adoption will be comparable to the current situation with sewers adopted by water utilities where, for example, Defra calculated in their Water for Life While Paper (December 2011) that the average service life requirement for an adopted sewer, is 800 years, based on current levels of sewer renovation and replacement. On this basis, it would not be unreasonable to expect the service life requirement of a SuDS feature to be many hundreds of years. Of course, this figure is significantly longer than the “design life” that is usually applied to construction projects, although it is normal to
expect developments to exist far beyond their notional design life and in reality, it is the asset’s service life that really matters, particularly in the context of SuDS and their need to provide “effective performance over the life of the development”. For hard SuDS features, one way of providing assurance to approval bodies is to use a traditional solution, such as precast concrete, because there is a vast amount of experience in the use of this material and evidence relating its long term performance. Environmental impacts are also important when considering SuDS in a broader sustainability context. The Concrete Pipeline Systems Association (CPSA) has invested in independently certified research to assess the carbon footprint of precast concrete components. The resulting report demonstrates that concrete components can have up to 35% lower embodied carbon when compared to plastic on a like-for-like basis. Until recently Defra’s intention has been to make Schedule 3 compulsory for developments in England and Wales from April this year. However, the secondary legislation in support of Schedule 3 is not yet in force following reports in the media
that the cost to developers of implementing SuDS have not been properly assessed and that the proposed National Standard, which has yet to be published in their final form, should be more technically robust. As a result of the continuing debate, the Government’s assurance of providing six months’ notice ahead of implementation has recently been withdrawn. It now looks increasingly unlikely that the legislation will be introduced this April as planned. However, Defra has committed the Government to implementation of all remaining provisions by the end of this year. Its website states: “We’ll implement all the provisions of the act by December 2014”. In advance of the Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act coming into force, the CPSA has put together a CPD presentation entitled Surface Water Management using Proprietary Precast Concrete SuDS systems. The presentation, which covers the principles of SuDS and provides an overview of the changing legislative environment, is aimed at all those involved in the design, construction and adoption of a SuDS solution. To book a presentation email@concretepipes.co.uk
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Camargue flood prevention with KSB
The new pumping station at La Capette
In 2013 a €9m environmental engineering programme involving more than doubling the total capacity of seven pumping stations in the Petit Camargue, France, was completed. The flood prevention strategy, which had started back in 2003, involved the pump engineering and construction resources of KSB SAS. Bryan Orchard reports from Languedoc-Roussillon The Petit Camargue lies in the LanguedocRoussillon Region of southern France between the Mediterranean Sea and the right side of the Petit Rhone, one of the two arms of the Rhône River Delta. Covering an area of 55,000ha, of which 38,000ha comprise wetlands, the Petite Camargue is largely given over to agriculture and fisheries, whilst its very special flora and fauna make it a haven for wildlife and tourism. With large areas of the Petite Camargue lying some two meters below sea level, it is prone to regular flooding resulting from the rising levels of the rivers Vistre, Vidourle and Rhône, and sometimes by breaks in the dykes. The earth of the wetlands is naturally saturated so in the event of great floods, when water courses rise above river and drainage channel banks, some 300km² of the Petite Camargue can be transformed into a massive overflow area. Basically, this means that the water gathers here until it flows or drains off again, a process that can take a considerable amount of time and at a considerable cost to the local communities.
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As land reclaimed from the sea, the Petite Camargue has been drained, both manually and by drainage structures for several centuries. In the more recent past, pumping stations have eased the burden, with the flood water being initially pumped from the flooded areas and then fed into the Rhȏne where it flows into the sea. However, in the past 20 years, these pumping stations have proved to be inadequate when put to the ultimate test. Intense flooding occurred in 1993 and 1994, and as a result a special body, Syndicat Mixte de la Camargue Gardoise (SMCG) was established with the eight communities affected to address the problem. Eventually in 1998 a further public body was created to thoroughly investigate how to reduce the risks of flooding, with the results expected by 2003. However, in September 2002, flooding of the Rhône upstream occurred and this had a serious affect on the region. This was followed in December 2003 when flooding on the Rhône and its main tributaries took on considerable, even historical, dimensions.
In the lower course of the Rhône, which runs in part along the Petite Camargue, 2003 was the third-largest known flood, even greater that the two floods of 1840 and 1856 which had massive effects on the region. In Beaucaire, which is situated several kilometres north of the Petite Camargue, floods peaked at 11,500 m³/s. In the lower course of the Rhône it took several days, in some parts even several weeks, before the water flowed into the sea. Some residential areas were four meters underwater and, on both sides of the river, 32,000 people had to be evacuated. The floods covered 30,000ha, caused damage worth an estimated €300 million and took more than three months to pump clear.
Action plan As a result of this human and environmental catastrophe, a project – ‘Camargue Gaudoise’ was initiated in 2005 which, although not being able to completely prevent flooding, would limit damage to land and property. The main objective of the project was to shorten the time in which the
KSB At the la Cave/ Le Mole station, a special ‘tulip’shaped cone was designed and constructed at the end of the tube in which the pump was installed in order to give greater suction
Engineering work being undertaken at Sylvéréal
area from Saint-Gilles to Le Grau du Roi remains underwater. That plan involved the construction of 11 hydraulic stations, five reinforced pumping stations and one completely new pumping station (Fig.1), in effect doubling pumping to 45.3m³/ sec. This infrastructure investment considerably increases the volume of water that can be drained and significantly reduces the length of time that water remains in overflow areas by draining the land more quickly. Due to the complexity of the project and the number of organisations and suppliers involved, work did not commence on the construction until 2011. Whilst there were many engineering and environmental assessments to be made, the central issue to the success of the project was the hydraulics and their infrastructure. It was here that pump manufacturer KSB S.A.S. took a lead role, having earlier extended the pump station at La Souteyranne/Liviers in 2006 with additional pumps from its Amacan range, and then securing the project contract in 2010. KSB’s Amacan P series submersible motor pump is used extensively around the world for industrial and agricultural water supply, stormwater and flood prevention stations and the water and wastewater treatment industries. The Amacan P is a close-coupled, wet-installed single entry axial open impeller pump where the impeller is located in a tubular casing immersed in the water. Explosion protected to ATEX II G2 T3, the pump
has a maximum flow capacity of up to 7,000l/ sec and a maximum head of 12m. Low vibration hydraulics and a vortex-free flow due to the inlet ribs and wide bellmouth ensure that the pump is hydraulically optimised. Operating efficiency is provided by the slim motor that minimises discharge tube flow losses. From the outset of its involvement in the project, KSB S.A.S. recognised that its responsibilities would go far beyond merely supply and installing the required number of pumps. Technical adaptations to the various pumping stations would be necessary in order to provide optimum performance for the pumps (Fig.2). Examples of this include extending the La Fosse pumping station to increase drainage by a further 3m³/s; planning and equipping a new pumping station at the end of the Canal de Capette to increase drainage by a further 9m³/sec and refurbishing the pumping stations at Souteyranne/Mas Livers, La Cave/Le Mole, Sylvéréal and Bourgidou/ Aigues-Mortes in order to adapt to their new drainage volumes. Each pumping station had its own special requirements, which in certain cases required KSB S.A.S. to simulate flow conditions to evaluate and test its civil engineering structures in order to ensure that the pumps would fulfil their duties. At Sylvéréal, it was necessary to construct special inlet chambers in the feed basin in which the pumps were installed to counter
the vortex effects on the water surface which could damage the pumps. At the la Cave/Le Mole station, a special ‘tulip’- shaped cone was designed and constructed at the end of the tube in which the pump was installed in order to give greater suction (Fig.3). Coupled with all these engineering works was the need to equip each pumping station with secure control panels for the remote operation of the pumps. At the completion of the engineering and construction programme, KSB engineers had installed and commissioned 13 Amacan pumps with flows ranging from 0.5m³/sec to 4m³/sec, increasing the drainage pumping capability of the Petit Camargue from 19.8m³/sec to 45.3m³/sec. For KSB S.A.S., this project proved to an exacting examination not just of its pumps, but also its hydraulic and civil engineering capabilities. As a result of this major investment, which was jointly financed by Europe, the French State, the region of Languedoc-Roussillon, the Department Garde and the ‘Syndicat Mixte Départmental des Milieux Aquatiques’, the SMCG now has a robust flood prevention scheme that is capable of handling the flood levels encountered in 2003. Further information: E: Sales@ksb.com www.ksb.co.uk
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PUMP HIRE, SALES & SERVICE No1 UK’s
ire Pump H ist Special
Pumps From 50mm To 300mm Auto Self-Priming Pumps Super Silent From 58db(A) Hydraulic Submersibles Electric Submersibles 24/7 Callout Branches Nationwide Selwood has been manufacturing, hiring and selling pumps for over 60 years. Please call for expert advice on all pumping applications.
08450 733835
www.selwoodpumps.co.uk
SELWOOD GROUP
Selwood offers full installation service Selwood recognises that the pump hire industry is changing and that it is necessary to adapt in order for it to remain the UK’s number one pump hirer. What differentiates Selwood from its competitors is the ability to adapt, respond and provide bespoke solutions to its customers pumping requirements quickly, safely and efficiently. Selwood is able to offer a professional, specialist installation service on a national basis backed up with a 24 hour, 7 days a week service. The Selwood team provides full site management of its installations and also has agreements in place with a number of contractors that can supply fully qualified and trained personnel to complement its own teams as and when required. Selwood offers tailor made solutions for any pumping application along with free site surveys and recommend the best and most cost effective and environmentally friendly solution. Selwood is able to utilise its cutting edge hire fleet technology with fully trained technical sales, operational and installations teams, whose qualifications range from NVQ Level 3 supervisor to slinger banksmen and NICEIC approved electricians. An example of this was when two canister pumps failed at one of Anglian Water’s main sewage works. These pumps were situated in a pumping chamber pushing settled sewage out into aeration lanes. Whilst these were being repaired an overpumping operation needed to be put in place and, in an ideal situation, an electric submersible
pump would be craned in and discharge hose run inside the cartridge. Unfortunately the cartridge measured less than a metre in diameter and a very slim pump that could fit would not have given the flow required of 800 litres per second. Selwood decided, as an alternative, to place two 12” super silent S300 pumps at ground level, with a further one on standby, and use 12” flanged hoses running vertically up the end of the building and across the roof section. Selwood undertook the whole of the installation providing a team that had the necessary engineering and supervisory qualifications. Selwood also has to be flexible in its approach to recommending installation solutions and has to decide on the types of pumps that would be most appropriate and cost effective in each instance. To illustrate, Fugro Seacore is a specialist off shore piling and drilling contractor, based in Falmouth, Cornwall but operating globally. Its applications tend to demand pumps that can operate in challenging conditions and require minimal maintenance. Having supplied Fugro Seacore with three of its 8” S200 solids handling pumps for the works package on the re-floating of the Costa Concordia,
(the pumps handled the drilling slurries from the operation to install piles into the seabed under the vessel), Selwood has since supplied various large submersible pumps on several off shore new wind turbine sites. Fugro’s purpose built drilling platform is currently excavating deep piles in the Irish Sea, forming the foundations for a number of these large wind turbines. With a commitment to quality, safety and the environment, Selwood is one of the very few companies within the UK that holds all three internationally recognized quality standards, ISO 9001, BS OHSAS18001 and ISO 14001. Selwood is registered with the Achilles Utilities Vendor database (UVDB) and has been for many years. The UVDB verify and assessment service, used by the UK utility industry to source suppliers of major products and services, focuses on risk critical issues associated with Safety, Health, Environment and Quality requirements. Selwood has been designing, manufacturing, hiring and selling pumps for 60 years and is the leading Pump Hirer in the UK. Around 75% of Selwood’s pump units are now exported from the UK and sold through a worldwide distributor network.
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A community based approach for surface water removal – RainScape One of our RainScape schemes in Llanelli – Queen Mary’s Walk swale
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s (Dwr Cymru) Director of Environment, Tony Harrington outlines how Dwr Cymru, being owned for and on behalf of its customers is using innovation, science and better evidence gathering to improve the decisions made for customers and the environment. Tony explains how Dwr Cymru is going to reduce the risks its assets present in terms of flooding.
We know climate change is going to impact on us in a number of ways, one of which may well be to increase the risk of flooding of our customers homes. To that end, one of our key priorities is adapting our activities to deal with the potential effects of climate change – particularly in relation to the way that we capture and deal with surface water so that our sewers and overflows do not adversely affect our customers and the environment. We cannot continue to expect our aging infrastructure to drain all the foul and surface water from our growing urban areas in the face of climate change and urban creep, and despite significant investment, the amount of water entering our sewer network during heavy rainfall can overwhelm our network leading to pollution of water courses and flooding of our customers’ homes.
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We have taken the view that the problem of overloaded sewers cannot be resolved simply by building bigger sewers, storage tanks and extending our network – this would be unaffordable for our customers and would not tackle the fundamental problem of too much surface water getting into our network. We believe we are at the forefront of the industry in developing and using innovative, sustainable and cost-efficient schemes at a catchment level that will redirect and slow down the speed at which surface water enters the sewer network. We have called this approach RainScape and have committed to spending around £80 million on RainScape schemes from 2015 to 2020. Putting our money where our mouth is, I hope emphasises to all our customers and stakeholders our confidence in this approach to
tackle the problem at source of our overloaded sewers. RainScape uses a range of community based techniques including Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and Water Sensitive Urban Design. These techniques have been developed with inspiration from SuDS schemes in Malmo, Sweden and Portland, USA. They include attenuation/infiltration basins, planters, permeable paving, and swales, all of which can be used alongside more traditional solutions to segregate rainwater from foul sewage. Whilst we are leading the design process for our RainScape schemes, where possible we have worked collaboratively with Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and local authorities to develop a partnership approach, particularly as our
FEATURE:FLOOD MANAGEMENT
Stebonheath Primary School – Swale that has been constructed by Welsh Water in the playground
schemes achieve benefits that extend beyond our own key drivers. We could not deliver this without their support and the support of the communities in which we are retrofitting this infrastructure. I would very much like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and those customers affected by what can be quite disruptive engineering works for their support and patience. The benefits are far ranging and include improving the local landscape; protecting the environment; creating new habitats; helping to keep customer bills low (as these methods are often cheaper than traditional alternatives, if you cost also the benefits to reduce sewage treatment); benefits to the environment etc. These solutions also help our customers to understand the value of the work we do - after all we are owned on behalf of our customers. Our biggest scheme to date is in Llanelli, which has an average of 1049mm of rain a year and which sees almost as much storm water in its network as Swansea - despite the fact that Swansea serves three times the number of properties, and three times the area compared with Llanelli. We are spending £15 million on RainScape schemes in Llanelli and Gowerton between now and 2015 and these schemes use a variety of RainScape initiatives. We are projecting that in total the Llanelli schemes will cost £40 million and will involve over 70 schemes (up to 2020) - this is much more affordable and sustainable than the £600 million it would have cost to build alternative traditional solutions. One of our flagship projects is Stebonheath Primary School in Llanelli where we have spent almost £500,000 in a surface water removal scheme, which was constructed during the summer holidays in 2013 and followed design input from both the school children and the teachers. The work has transformed the primary school’s playground as it now incorporates a pond, a swale, planters, permeable paving, water butts and an outdoor educational area – features that will help absorb and redirect the surface water which currently runs straight off the
playground into the sewer network. This scheme is now helping to remove 3,000m3 a year from the sewer network – that is equivalent to 6 million bottles of drinking water. Our scheme in Llanelli also includes a large swale in a playing field (called Queen Mary’s Walk). The project which cost £850,000 captures the water before releasing it into the sewer network. This delays the time it takes for the water to get into the network, therefore helping to prevent the network becoming overloaded and spilling into local water courses. We have also developed a RainScape scheme in our drinking water laboratory in Newport. Our £10.4 million state of the art water testing laboratory showcases a RainScape scheme by redirecting rainwater from the 25,000sq ft roof into a series of planters designed to clean the water before discharging it into a landscaped pond for attenuation and infiltration. Other schemes have included Trelawney Avenue in Cardiff, which included installing an alternative surface water system to intercept water from the roads, redirecting it into an existing surface water network in a nearby street, and disconnecting a number of properties. This project also included installing water butts for local customers, enabling them to be part of the project and to learn about the importance of reusing water. But building new infrastructure alone is not the whole story here. In an effort to share learning and exchange best practice, we held a seminar in March 2013 featuring world renowned environmentalist, Tony Wong (Chief Executive Officer of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities in Melbourne). This was held jointly with the former Environment Agency Wales, Cardiff Council and CIRIA. The high level, invite only event was very well attended – standing room only. This was an opportunity to launch a feasibility project ‘Greener Grangetown’, which is a jointly funded project between ourselves and Cardiff Council and will look at creating a number of community focused green streets which feature ‘pocket
parks’ in the Grangetown area of Cardiff. This will drastically reduce the surface water runoff from the area whilst also enhancing the aesthetic, and we hope property value of the area for our customers. The removal of this water will reduce our pumping and energy cost overheads as well as creating headroom for tens of thousands of new properties and commercial premises to support the growth of the Welsh capital. Developing these sorts of schemes has not been easy, particularly as this is the first time that a UK water company has embarked on this type of work at this scale. Breaking down the boundaries between stakeholders can be an obstacle to progressing schemes. Due to the complex way that assets and land are owned and managed, we have had to ensure that we work closely with stakeholders and build up a good working relationship based on trust. This has taken time and effort on all sides. The legal implications are particularly complex as statutory powers do not extend to Rainscape solutions, except where they can be defined as a public sewer. In the case of Llanelli, to ensure that this process has been as straight forward as possible, we have set up a ‘facilitation group’ with Carmarthenshire County Council, which has helped us deal with the process of developing and rolling out the schemes in the most efficient and transparent manner. As Director of Environment, I couldn’t be more proud of the company’s commitment to trialling such groundbreaking initiatives at this scale. We now feel that we have the confidence, and increasingly data to support the view that this type of work makes good business sense – by helping to drive down customer bills. Also, we firmly believe that these schemes will create a huge range of other benefits for our customers. One that will help to create an environment that we are proud to hand to future generations. Tony Harrington Director of Environment Dwr Cymru Welsh Water
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ISO22301-2012
HYDROK UK
THE HYDROK HYDROSLIDE SOLUTION NOW AVAILABLE IN MICRO DRAINAGE 2014 The Hydrok SUDS portfolio provides solutions to the growing flooding and storm water management problems in the UK. Hydrok's SUDS solutions have been given a boost with the Hydrok HydroSlide flow control units now included within Micro Drainage 2014 software from XPSolutions. This software allows users to model existing drainage networks and identify areas at most risk of flooding. The latest Micro Drainage 2014 release is focused on productivity, communication with third party software and affordability. The new software permits the export of drainage network designs into modelling software, and includes Hydrok HydroSlide flow controls within the QuOST module. David Fortune of XPSolutions said, “Micro Drainage 2014 contains significant improvements including a redesign of the 3D navigation, shape file import and rainwater harvesting tools, as well as the incorporation of new flow controls, including Hydrok’s Hydroslide. We hope that hard-working engineers will welcome the productivity improvements available with this release.”
and Flood Alleviation portfolio. The HydroSlide flow regulator provides a proven cost effective technique for regulating flows from upwards of two litres per second. The float activated mechanism of the HydroSlide is designed to maintain a constant discharge without the use of external energy sources and reduce the cost of storm water storage. The family of HydroSlide flow regulators accurately controls discharge flows to +/- 5% throughout the impounding head range enabling, optimum discharge of the storage system. This reduces the volume of storage over most other types of control. It also reduces the footprint of the required storage to a minimum, so saving on land and construction costs. HydroSlides can be configured to provide varying 'stepped' flow rates to cater for discharge from increasing storm return flow outputs, further optimising tank design. The HydroSlide Rivers range of flow regulators is frequently used in the control of flows from rivers, streams and attenuation dam structures. As a variable orifice control, it will control flows to the desired pass forward flow rate (PFF) throughout
The inclusion of the Hydrok HydroSlide within this advanced engineering software has further enhanced the existing Flood Control IoW Vol 181 1_2 pg Ad:IoW Half pg 16/01/2014 14:28 Page 1
the head range. This optimises downstream capacity and minimises upstream attenuation volumes. The use of HydroSlide controls also helps simplify dam wall structures reducing cost of construction. HydroSlide units are available in orifice sizes of 100 mm to 2500 mm diameter, controlling flows from 2 l/s to 10,000 l/s. For further information on the Hydrok HydroSlides visit www.hydrok.co.uk or call Tony Simister on 01726 861900, email tony.simister@hydrok.co.uk
HydroSlide Flow Control Regulators
Now available in the new
Micro Drainage 2014 The family of HydroSlide flow regulators accurately control discharge flows to +/5% throughout the impounding head range enabling, optimum discharge of the storage system. This reduces the footprint of the required storage to a minimum and saving on land and construction costs. HydroSlides can be configured to provide varying ‘stepped’ flow rates to cater for discharge from increasing storm return flow outputs, further optimising tank design.
• • • • •
HydroSlide Rivers
Maximises permissible downstream flows Adjustable to + 30% from design flow Minimises upstream storage through constant discharge Simplifying design and construction of dam structures Non-powered mechanical control
HydroSlides - Proven cost effective techniques for controlling flows and alleviating flooding
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01726 861900
sales@hydrok.co.uk
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1
MANAGING URBAN FLOODING – ENCOURAGING DESIGNING FOR EXCEEDANCE In recent years, we have seen increased flooding from a range of sources. One of the main challenges (and opportunities) is to better manage rainfall and surface water in our urban areas. This is where our drainage systems normally convey and or store surface water runoff before releasing it to watercourses and treat a proportion of it. However, our drainage systems have a finite capacity and at some point, their capacity will be exceeded. So is our only option to keep increasing the size of our below ground drainage infrastructure to cope with bigger and longer rainfall events?
By Dr Chris Digman Integrated urban drainage expert and Senior Principal Engineer, MWH
I believe we have choices: 1. We can invest heavily in below ground drainage systems making them bigger and in some places, this will be necessary to provide a drainage system that can take most rainfall. We typically design sewers to manage rainfall that has a chance of occurring once every 30 years to solve existing flooding. However, going beyond this design standard is unsustainable both financially and practicably. 2. We can ‘let it happen’ allowing water that escapes from drainage or cannot enter into systems in the first place to find its own pathways and ponds in natural depressions. We can then manage the final consequences once people’s homes are flooded or transport
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disrupted. There will always come a point when this may happen when the rainfall is extreme. However, there is an alternative to manage rainfall that exceeds the capacity of the drainage but is not what we may call “extreme”. 3. We can manage the excess water the drainage cannot cope with on the surface within the existing urban environment; designing flood pathways; making changes to create multi-functional, shared spaces. We call this “designing for exceedance”. Designing for exceedance helps to manage the excess flow that may occasionally occur and so reduce its impact on vulnerable assets such as homes and infrastructure. It’s about making the most of shared surfaces and areas so they have more than one function or use. For example, we can use roads to channel and convey exceedance by strategically increasing the height of kerbs to direct it. In the urban area, it is often the minor changes that can have greatest impact such as changing the profile of a footpath, creating or removing a drop kerb. We can store water in car parks or open green space. We can build permanent flood walls around properties and
install property protection measures such as flood gates and air brick covers. CIRIA (Construction Industry Research & Information Association) supported by the Environment Agency has recently completed a project with MWH to encourage the uptake of designing for exceedance. The project investigated why uptake of the concept has been slow since the publication of guidance in 2006: C635 Designing for exceedance in urban drainage systems – good practice, despite many documents referencing the guidance both in the UK and internationally. The aim of the project is to help encourage those responsible (decision makers) for managing water and the relevant practitioners (including a wider range of disciplines such as planners, drainage and highway engineers, architects) to design for exceedance. It has identified critical success factors, learning from good designing for exceedance examples that have been built. We collated a series of case studies to help promote and give confidence to practitioners, that designing for exceedance is possible and effective. To be successful in applying this approach, we have to work together. This was a key recommendation
MWH
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4 In Aston, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council lowered the local playing field to store excess surface water when the drainage reaches capacity and reduce the chance of homes flooding A drop kerb built in Aston near Rotherham to divert surface water that collects on the highway and floods properties
from Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the 2007 flooding which was legislated for in the Flood and Water Management Act of 2010 placing a duty on risk management authorities to work together. Key players will include Lead Local Flood Authorities, Water and Sewerage Companies and the Environment Agency. AMP6, the next planning cycle for water companies may help facilitate more joint working, especially as they move from pre-defined outputs to an outcomes approach, establishing and working together in partnerships. It is not just risk management authorities, the community also play a vital role, especially when retrofitting to solve existing problems. When engaged, they can help practitioners understand the extent of the problem and help develop and implement solutions. This may involve channelling water across the highway temporarily and agreeing how to do this safely. We have seen examples of this on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less. In one example in Oxfordshire, community representatives work to an agreed procedure for when they need to close and divert a road. By working together (including with the community), we can assess the different risks posed to different people and design appropriately to mitigate those risks. Designing
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In Witney, Oxfordshire, high kerbs help to channel water along the highway when a culvert reaches its capacity and floods on to the surface
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Witney, Oxfordshire where a new wall, flood gate, flood proof door and air brick cover prevents the house from flooding when a culvert flood. This forms part of a scheme to manage the flooding and channel it along the highway
for exceedance is a step change. It means we are deciding to manage risk better, rather than letting flooding take its own course and managing the consequences during or after the event. We can also ‘design for exceedance’ when we build new development. Managing exceedance is a requirement, referred to in the National Planning Policy Framework for England, Sewers for Adoption (7th edition) and the draft national standards for sustainable drainage. However, despite the requirements, we are not yet seeing exceedance being assessed consistently and designed for in new development. This is a missed opportunity to make new development more resilient. Using measures to convey and store water is easier to accommodate in new development. If we consider drainage and exceedance from the outset of the development process, as part of the Masterplanning process you can make the most of shared space. A simple example of this is a swale that drains rainfall alongside a cycle path. The cycle path acts as an exceedance channel, and is easy for a user to see when its purpose changes. This approach applies equally to relatively simple or complex problems. Where small changes to
topography can be made with limited analysis, there are examples of practitioners ‘getting on with it’ by understanding the surface topography and creating pathways and storage, such as in Aston, Rotherham. Many of the examples are affordable because they make best use of available space above ground. Problems that are more complex may often require a computer model of the drainage system to simulate its performance with the surface topography added into the model. This allows more detailed analysis and solution development, with the performance of the solution being understood. A key question is how frequently we use such approaches? The answer depends upon many factors. An important one is the source of the flooding. We are more likely to accept water from a surface water system than from a combined sewer (carrying surface water and sewage). For complex problems, where there are many sources of flooding, we may decide to design for exceedance as part of a phased approach, it being a first step that can be completed more quickly while a larger solution is developed and funded. Designing for exceedance may not be the whole answer to managing flooding, but it provides a realistic, affordable and practical response to managing the results of persistent and heavy rainfall that our urban drainage systems may not cope with. This can help with heavy rainfall now and help us adapt to be more resilient in the future. Whilst such designs may themselves become overwhelmed by extreme rainfall, designing for exceedance and its components should now form part of the practitioners ‘tool box’ to manage the impacts of flooding and potential future impacts on new development. We can and should ‘design for exceedance’.
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ENVIREP
INNOVATIVE GROUNDWATER CONSULTANCY LAUNCHES FIXED-PRICE REPORT The UK’s leading independent scientific environmental report specialists have launched a brand new groundwater flooding report which provides an authoritative map of the actual flood risk at a site. Envirep has launched the UK’s first-ever Groundwater Flood Risk Report which has been produced using information from sister company ESI Ltd’s ground-breaking Groundwater Flood Risk Map to support insurance applications, property transactions, mortgage lending, and due diligence, by providing accurate data relating to the risks posed by groundwater flooding. The report provides in-depth analyses and assessments for sites across England and Wales which may be at risk from groundwater flooding, and has been made readily available for organisations involved or associated with land development and insurance on a fixed-price basis for just £25 plus VAT. Unlike any other product currently on the market, the Groundwater Flood Risk Report can eliminate the need for unnecessary and often expensive initial Flood Risk Assessments and investigations.
Lisa Davies, Senior Consultant and Business Manager of Envirep, explained: “Because our new report indicates risk of groundwater flooding across England and Wales for the first time, it presents an important, more accessible tool for industries as varied as insurance, banking, and lending, through to house building and development, planning and land agents. With recent news headlines reporting the devastating impacts of flooding in the UK, it’s more pressing than ever that appropriate information is at hand, and we’ve worked hard to bring this product to the market. Use of new data and technologies have also enabled us to do so at very low cost.” Until now, and compared to other causes of flooding, groundwater flooding mechanisms and the prevalence of flooding caused by groundwater have been poorly defined. ESI’s Groundwater Flood Risk Model incorporates algorithms combining the best available data on groundwater systems and records of previous groundwater flood events to produce the most accurate map available representing flood risk on a national scale.
The report is available at just £25 plus VAT, and two further tiers of more detailed assessment are also available for situations where more detail is required. Sent in electronic format as a pdf file, hard copies are available on request. Those wanting to know more about the Groundwater Flood Risk Report can contact 0845 6066650 or email info@envirep.co.uk. Alternatively, please visit www.envirep.co.uk, where you can find further information on the range of Envirep products, and place an enquiry via an easy-to-use ordering system. Envirep was launched by ESI in November 2013 for clients who need interpretative environmental desk study reports. Their reports are focused on understanding site specific issues raised by local authorities and through the conveyancing process, and addressing them through clear and informative reports on a fixed-cost basis. For more complex assessments Envirep also has the benefit of being able to access the dedicated consultants and specialists from sister company ESI with ease. Together, they form a perfect fit for any environmental risk assessment need.
CONTAIN • PROTECT • SECURE LPCB Security Rated GRP and Steel Enclosures and Door sets tested to LPS 1175 SR2, SR3 and SR4 Morgan Marine Llandybïe, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire SA18 3GY T: 01269 850437 E: sales@morgan-marine.com
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D etect A larm M itigate
RDN
Remote Asset Monitoring, Radio Telemetry & Control for the Water & Environment Sectors
Using Our Secure Licenced Radio: p Monitor and/or Control Pumps
DAM an innovation in real-time pollution mitigation The public, regulators, media and politicians alike are constantly mounting pressure on our industry to keep costs down, yet at the same time change our stance from “reactive” to “proactive” when it comes to the way that we deal with pollution incidents, in particular from our sewers and CSOs.
p Measure & Optimise Energy Usage p Read Water Meters & Identify Leakage p Report Surface & Sewer Flooding p Operate Without Access to Mains p Interface Directly with Existing Telemetry p Provide 5-minute Network Health Checks p We can Operate in all Areas of the UK & CI p No SIM Cards Required
A very tall order indeed when you have an ageing infrastructure and no additional money of any significance to invest. Hence our traditionally rather conservative industry has recently been forced to become more receptive to new ideas and innovations one of which includes DAM. Traditionally sewer and CSO monitoring has been conducted in a rather disjointed way with data logged and delivered via the cellular networks usually through a third party data handling centre. Lift any manhole cover at a known network trouble spot or CSO and you will often see the remnants of failed and abandoned instruments of various vintages with one thing in common, they all did nothing more than log data and deliver autopsy reports. If there has ever been any attempt of intervention this has generally been manual with respondents being called out, perhaps arriving at site many hours or days after the incident was first detected, by which time the incident may well have grown into a disaster. DAM is fundamentally different and stands for Detect, Alarm and Mitigate. It is an innovative technique by which real-time sewer and CSO levels are delivered direct to the field location, where they are made available for real-time control/mitigation. Simultaneously the same data is sent back to the central SCADA permitting the selective deployment of teams of respondents.
See us at IWEX Stand D2 Radio Data Networks Limited
sales@radio-data-networks.com Sales & Support +44(0)1279 600 440 6-lines
www.radio-data-networks.com
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If fully implemented, DAM offers our industry the ability to implement real-time local control/mitigation, can slash reporting times, can eliminate the dependence on third party data handlers, can cut cost and remove dependency from the cellular networks. The latter at present is of considerable importance due to numerous reports of contracting rural coverage, the imminent scrapping of 2G, the threat to 3G and the ultimate forced migration to 4G and 5G. So where do we start if you wish to implement DAM? The first stage is to re-visit the way we monitor our sewers and CSOs. In the majority of cases we find that levels are still derived from relatively high power, battery draining ultrasonic level transducers or microwave radars. These technologies necessitate industry to employ power saving strategies and consequentially introduces measurement delays of typical 15-minutes, much too slow for DAM. Secondly, it is virtually impossible and unaffordable in both financial terms and battery drain to use the cellular networks to deliver constant
D etect A larm M itigate
RDN
From Public to Private Sewers, Pumping Stations to CSOs we offer Real-Time Detection, Alarming and Pollution Mitigation
Using Our Secure Licenced Radio: p Control Pollution Containment Valves p Hold off Pumps to Prevent Flooding p Monitor CSOs - Spot & Contain Dry Spills Sensor in the sewer, the signal comes out of the manhole, to the repeater mounted on the lamp post them back to the receiver at the pumping station
p Exploit Sewer Storage Capacity p Operate Without Access to Mains p Interface Directly with Existing Telemetry
real-time data streams. Finally, there is no standard direct interface between cellular and field controllers, etc. Instead DAM requires the deployment what the industry terms “simple sensors” with integrated real-time wireless communications and regular health checks. Communications needs to go direct from the manhole back to the local infrastructure at either single or multiple locations. Finally, most importantly the data needs to be “open standard” ready to use and in a format that can interface with any legacy device irrespective of its vintage, model or manufacturer. Hence the interface standard of choice is the volt-free contact delivered by a universal Gateway Receiver. With sewer statuses delivered in real-time as volt-free contacts we are ready to implement DAM. Straight away the relay contacts can be used for numerous real-time sewer monitoring strategies. These can include: reducing sewer flooding by holding off pumps; increasing peak hydraulic capacity or modulating the duty-cycle of pumps; or used for operating valves for flow attenuation of containing dry spills as CSOs. Finally, the same relay contacts can be wired into un-used inputs at the existing telemetry outstations, permitting the relaying of the data instantly back into the utilities existing SCADA system at no additional cost and without the need for new software or staff training, etc.
p Provide 5-minute Network Health Checks p Can Operate in all Areas of the UK & CI p No SIM Cards Required
See us at IWEX Stand D2 Radio Data Networks Limited
Tel: +44 (0)1279 600 440 sales@radio-data-networks.com
sales@radio-data-networks.com Sales & Support +44(0)1279 600 440 6-lines
www.radio-data-networks.com
www.radio-data-networks.com
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Fastflow Pipeline Services Limited A new direction in water networks
R
When it comes to water infrastructure, your ducks may be in a row but are they heading in the right direction? Over 22 years ago, Fastflow was launched to provide innovative, efficient, customer focused water infrastructure services to the UK water sector. We took to the challenge like a duck to water. Since then the sector has witnessed increased consolidation and rationalisation but we have maintained our independence and by providing specialised, leading-edge services, given clients an alternative direction. Every day we deliver excellent infrastructure services through the use of trenchless technology. Our work management system incorporates mobile field technology that provides real time electronic data interchange with clients’ systems. Then there’s our award winning trunk mains cleaning process, which requires fewer excavations and uses just a fraction of the water consumed by conventional spray cleaning methods – saving time and money while reducing risk and environmental impact. Services include:
• Investigation
• Mains cleaning and rehabilitation
• Planning
• Leakage control
• Design
• Reinstatement
• Installation
• New connections
• Infrastructure maintenance
• Metering and repairs
To find out more about a new direction for water networks, visit
www.fastflow.co.uk or call us on +44 (0) 191 415 7744
RPS
RPS WINS HEALTH & SAFETY AWARD FROM SOCIETY OF BRITISH WATER AND WASTEWATER INDUSTRIES RPS is pleased to announce that it has received the Society of British Water and Wastewater Industries (SBWWI) award for Health and Safety at the recent 2013 Awards Lunch held at the Hilton Hotel, Warwick on 19th November. The award recognises the effective demonstration of RPS’ clear commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for staff, contractors, visitors and all affected site users throughout the project lifecycle – from inception through delivery to completion and handover. This commitment is evidenced through a consistently robust and high quality management system implementing excellent best practice at all levels of health and safety. RPS holds internationally recognised accreditations; OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety Management System, ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and ISO 9001 Quality Management System: These are underpinned by a PAS 99 accredited Integrated Management System. Trevor Hoyle, Chairman of the RPS Water Division explains “We maintain a clear focus on Health & Safety, Quality and Environment across RPS, buoyed by positive employee engagement at all levels. It is this strong employee involvement, supported by clear Director level commitment, that enables us to achieve the highest levels of health and safety performance. We are extremely proud that this has been recognised by the prestigious SBWWI award.”
Martin Kane, Severn Trent Water (left) and Mark Smith RPS Business Development Director
PIPE PULLER FREE DEMO *consumable pack purchase required
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Seized Valve Release Service l An Alternative to Valve Replacement l Improvements to Customer Service l Less Job and Project Cancellations
l Contingency
Planning & Emergency Response l Significant Reduction to Health and Safety Risks l Water and Sewerage Networks
Hydrosave’s seized valve release equipment has been designed in-house and tested in several UK water utilities using the extensive knowledge of our engineers, industry and university technical specialists.
VALVE RELEASE
Seized valves are sometimes released by subjecting the internal components of a fitting to high levels of impact and torque. However, these options do not provide full control of the input nor do they monitor the output and how this is affecting the asset. l HydroV ascertains the ‘free movement’ of an asset and has the ability to apply a controlled release process l Monitoring of variable and controlled levels of resonant frequency l High Powered and controlled hydraulic actuation l Utilised to release all diameters of seized valves l No Release No Payment options l Available for planned work, contingency plans and as emergency call out
VALVE ASSESSMENT
As a complimentary service or standalone project our specialist assessment and diagnostics process assists with the proactive management of the valve network. The specialist equipment we use measures and logs the torque pressure required to actuate a valve. Typical outputs from a survey will include: l A maintained valve to operate l Graphical certification of PPM l The correct direction of travel l Valve report and graph showing the minimum and peak torques required to cycle the valve – to assess future lone working, two person operation or mechanical operation l GPS location l Size and number of turns to operate
Call us today on 01536 515110 www.hydrosave.co.uk enquiries@hydrosave.co.uk
NIVUS Pipe Sensor for potable water Fully integrated data The NivuSonic transmitter fully integrates analog and digital outputs to SCADA, via 4-20mA, modBus or profibus as preferred, with local flash card storage too. Remote maintenance, data transfer and diagnostics available using NIVUS state of the art telemetry options.
The innovation behind the product
Does your EMF meter need replacing but you cannot shut down the flow? The NIVUS Pipe Sensor was designed specifically to provide highly accurate flow measurement for potable water mains. At NIVUS we understand the often prohibitive high cost and days of disruption replacing an existing Electro Magnetic Flow Meter can present. We offer a much greener, cost effective solution that works.
The Pipe Sensor (insertion flow meter) is compact by design, with a one size sensor for full pipe applications from DN 200, designed and manufactured to deliver a low carbon footprint throughout the lifecycle cost. The standard push in Pipe Sensor designed for up to 16 bar, and the screw-in sensor for up to 80 bar. Developed to meet Health & Safety standards is our unique extraction tool designed for the controlled removal of the Pipe Sensor for pipes under pressure. When cost and time savings
Quick & Easy installation Using a standard BSP fitting and ball valve, live tapping the pipe under pressure will see sensors installed and fully operational in hours not days. Using sensors set in a diagonal or V shape measurement path, the NIVUS ultrasonic transit time, or ‘time of flight’ measurement technique delivers accuracy comparable with the EMF. NIVUS provide a comprehensive DN range of robust stainless steel pipe sensor mounting systems that provide a high pressure seal around the entire pipe circumference.
Fitted live under pressure n No interruption to water supply n No turbidity issues n Accuracy ±1 % n Installed in under 3 hours n Removable for easy servicing n Robust n Reliable
are paramount as is accuracy of data, the Pipe Sensor is increasingly the preferred choice for the validation and/or replacement of Mag Meters.
n 75 % TOTEX savings n 80 % Carbon savings
Independent Evaluation
Highly accurate The NivuSonic measurement principle is based on detecting the transit time or ‘Time of Flight’ of ultrasonic signals between two sensors. Simply the transit time in the flow direction is shorter than it is against the flow. The calculated flow is indicated directly on the large LED display.
Working closely with Severn Trent on a large scale project to use this technology for 900 proposed Mag Meter replacements across the drinking water network for 2015 sparked an independent evaluation of our equipment at TUV NEL, the National Test facility in Glasgow. Proven results are now forging a partnership between NIVUS, Morrisons and the Water Utility for a roll out programme. Contact: Alison Southwood Regional Sales & Innovation Manager 01926 632470 / 07976 930 014 alison.southwood@nivus.com
No Need to Shut Down the Flow
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HWM
CHANGING THE ECONOMICS OF LEAKAGE LOCATION WITH PERMANENT MONITORING The new, next-generation version of HWM’s PermaNet leak detection and monitoring system represents a more compact, more efficient and more cost-effective way to combat water leakage. Permanently-deployed Permalog+ leak noise loggers listen for the noise made by water leaking from pipes all day, every day, transmitting their data wirelessly back to a web server. It is an infinitely scalable system that saves time, manhours and fuel – and enables a faster response to reduce leakage runtime and minimise water loss volume. Working with ALMOS LEAK software, GPS and GPRS data telemetry lets leakage teams constantly monitor their network status for instant response to incidents: logger location and data is overlaid on Google mapping, with leak alerts and data showing live onscreen in addition to being sent by email or SMS.
Historical data is always available for more thorough analysis of current or potential issues, allowing for easier, better and more economical control of problem areas. The effectiveness of Permalog® technology has been proven all around the world – from Las Vegas to Beijing – and recent advances including reduced GPRS data cost and a more compact unit housing make remote network monitoring more cost-efficient than ever before.
Systems
ProFuse Pipe Changes from White to Black Core Radius Systems’ innovative peelable skinned pipe, ProFuse, will be changing from white to black core. The change is part of our continuous product development programme to ensure security of pipe supply to our customers. • • • • • • •
Direct replacement to ProFuse pipe with no additional tooling requirements, no change in jointing and installation methods (*) Seamless and cost neutral transition to our customers Can be joined to existing ProFuse pipe Radius Systems electrofusion fittings compatible with ProFuse pipe Full pipe range approved for the conveyance of drinking water BSI Kitemark approved to BS EN 12201 2:2011 up to 560mm Pipe range covering 75 to 560mm, SDRs available in 11, 17 and 21
(*) Please visit our website www.radius-systems.com for more product information and installation guidance
For more information, please contact Radius Systems t: +44 (0)1773 811112, e: sales@radius-systems.com Visit our website: www.radius-systems.com
ProFuse, a Leading Innovation in Skinned Pipe Technology Radius Systems Ltd Radius House, Berristow Lane South Normanton, Alfreton Derbyshire, DE55 2JJ, UK IWO-Feb 14-ProFuse BK core A5 advert.indd 1
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E H T Y L P M I S
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BARRIER PIPE AND FITTINGS SYSTEM
Specially developed for drinking water transportation through contaminated land, Protecta-Line has been the UK’s leading barrier system for over 15 years. And there are definite reasons why: Proven defence against all recognised brownfield contaminants Second-to-none approval status and Kitemark to WIS 4-32-19 for the entire system The most complete range of fully integrated pipes and fittings IWEX Innovation Award winner Suitable for corrosive conditions – avoid expensive soil reports
Find out more at: www.gpsuk.com/protecta-line
FASTFLOW
Compliments not Complaints For 22 years Fastflow Pipeline Services has worked on UK and European utility infrastructure contracts, predominantly on potable water network activities, using award-winning trenchless technology. Operating for clients such as Northumbrian Water (NWL), Scottish Water and Anglian Water has provided invaluable experience of the challenges at the sharp end of the UK water industry. One of these – improving customer satisfaction – was given a much higher priority with the introduction of Ofwat’s Service Incentive Mechanism (SIM) at the beginning of AMP5 in 2010.
influencing perception and achieving a positive customer experience.” To address this, a Good Neighbour campaign was launched, which used analysis of customer contacts to discover the root cause of issues leading to complaints. From this, an enhanced customer communication and site protocols policy was developed. It included:
n Improved operational protocols to reduce the number of interruptions to supply including: Temporary overland supplies
n
n
Split shifts on minor works to ensure thorough preparation and contingency planning
Neil Armstrong, Fastflow CEO says: “During the maintenance and repair of water distribution networks there is always a risk of disruption to customers. All water companies and their supply chain partners endeavour to reduce this.
n Special training and team briefings directed at site teams to develop positive behaviour patterns and interpersonal skills
n
n
n A Customer Satisfaction Code of Conduct
n
“Taking a lead from Northumbrian Water, we have developed an approach which is delivering significant improvements in customer feedback and will be a yardstick for the delivery of AMP6 network programmes.”
n Good Neighbour hint cards issued to all site employees
The Fastflow customer satisfaction policy is designed to win the hearts and minds of the teams working out in the community. The ‘Four A’ concept focuses on ability, awareness, application and attitude.
n Customer advice cards for use when people are not at home during works. This reduces the need to call for information when no one is on site
Armstrong added: “The first two are physical attributes that are achieved through skills training and information. The second two are softer skills, which we believe are the key to
n Issuing ACE (Achievement of Corporate Excellence) awards and incentive payments for positive customer feedback
n Using the company’s mobile field technology (PDA’s) to coordinate activities and provide instant access to information The common theme of training and awareness was ‘How would I like to be treated?’ The result has been a sustained improvement in customer service performance and increasingly positive feedback, with comments such as: “Never seen such good work carried out and how the area was finally left is fantastic.” “I want to say how impressed we were at the way the men worked. They kept the mess to a minimum, worked quickly and were also very polite and helpful.” “These three men are tremendous ambassadors for your company; I cannot praise them enough.” Such plaudits helped the company secure a Northumbrian Water ‘GEM’ (going the extra mile) award for customer focus. Acutely aware of the need to further improve customer satisfaction, Fastflow is striving to work as one team with its clients to provide services that achieve excellent Ofwat SIM scores. So, additional measures being introduced include: n Expansion of Fastflow’s ‘Same day’ service where multi-skilled teams undertake shortcycle infrastructure tasks such as external meter fits and leakage repairs in hours rather than days
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n Twenty four hour customer support which, although not contractually required, enables a more rapid response
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Under pressure working Increased use of line stops Increased use of ‘squeeze-offs’
Recent feedback included: “...the two lads are a credit to you... They constantly explain to everyone what they will be doing... I wish I had employees working for me who had their attitude to work.” “They explained the procedures and how it would effect the access to my home and have been truly professional. In my opinion they are a credit to your organisation. I am sure you will agree good communication is the key to successful projects and I can confidently say they excelled in every aspect.” With compliments such as these Fastflow will be handing out more ACE awards which, as a further incentive to staff, are accompanied by a donation to the charity WaterAid. “We live in a society where customer expectations have never been higher and as our clients’ representative on site, we have to provide people with a service to match that expectation,” says Armstrong: “We can prevent customer dissatisfaction through avoidable disruption, by taking a little extra care but it is when we go the extra mile to communicate effectively that compliments replace complaints.”
Water Industry Products & Services
Comprehensive service including:
Improving Water Quality through:
Protective coatings & structural waterproofing Reservoir inspection, cleaning & repairs Joint replacement & overbanding Valve & ladder replacement ROV inspection & robotic cleaning Pipeline pressure testing & disinfection
n Online Robotic Inspection & Cleaning n Repair & Refurbishment n Pipeline Cleaning & Commissioning n Reservoir Cleaning & Disinfection n Asset Condition Surveys n Dead Spot SamplingTM
Made to measure Asset refurbishment tailored to your needs
Water Quality Engineering
Tel: 01896 663 330 repairs@pantonmcleod.co.uk www.pantonmcleod.co.uk Asset management tailored to your needs.
Tel : 01896 663 330 info@pantonmcleod.co.uk www.pantonmcleod.co.uk
nton mcleod final.indd 1
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ABB
ABB LAUNCHES UK’S LARGEST TECHNICAL CHANNEL NETWORK FOR DRIVES AND MOTORS ABB has amalgamated its UK variable-speed drives and electric motors networks into a single brand identity, to create a new benchmark for technical advice, delivery, life cycle services and overall customer satisfaction. The former ABB Drives Alliance and ABB Motor Service Partner networks are now part of the Authorised Value Provider programme, a global initiative that over time will encompass more third party companies selling other products from the ABB portfolio. The Authorised Value Provider network raises the bar in sales, support and services for drives and motors across the UK, providing technical expertise, product and service availability all under one recognisable, local branch structure. It extends across the entire life cycle of both products by providing services such as energy & productivity appraisals, installation, start-up and preventive maintenance. “Industry is evolving at a fast pace and the demands of customers are changing quicker than ever,” says Neil Ritchie, Local Business Unit Manager for ABB’s drives and controls business. “The Authorised Value Provider programme marks the growth of the already successful ABB channel network into a bigger, better, stronger one; a network that is designed to meet the rapidly changing requirements of global business by providing consistent access to ABB products and services.” ABB has identified several reasons why its network needs to evolve including greater customer demand for outsourcing, increased interest in packaged solutions, widening legislations, regulations and directives, expanding array of engineering tools, advanced product technology and a broader range of life cycle services (see Note to Editors below). A distinctive logo symbolises the public face of the Authorised Value Provider network. Third party companies, authorised to display the logo, have signed an agreement with ABB to stock, distribute and provide local value-added support. “The network is a new brand policy, streamlining the use of the ABB logo for our channels to market, creating value for them and for our customers. Wherever customers see the symbol, they have the confidence in the ABB brand that sets clear standards for quality and service,” says Ian Allan, Local Business Unit Manager for ABB’s low voltage electric motors. “For drives and motors this delivers an assurance that a local supplier is capable of providing the products and services competently, consistently and professionally.”
Tough entrance exams Companies joining the network need to have a viable business that has been involved with
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Back row – Chris Fletcher, EMR Silverthorn; Peter Wilson, CovElec (Leics); Darren Beeby, Halcyon Drives; Andrew Brown, Beta Power Engineering; Brian Dick, Sentridge Control Middle row – John Bennett, IDrives; Steve Bootes, MKE Engineering Group; Shaun Sutton, Central Group; Alan Roberts, Gibbons Engineering Group; Alan Jones, APDS; Daniel Fitzsimons, Quantum Controls; Eoin Garrigan, JJ Loughran; Front row – Nick Brown, EDC(Scotland); Blaise Ford, Inverter Drive System; Michael Carroll, Campbell Electric Motors; Seamus Butler, ACS Drives & Control Systems motor driven systems for several years. The company then needs to invest in dedicated internal engineers, sales personnel and service engineers; have suitable premises with a training facility and workshop; and agree stock levels and a joint business plan. They then complete a series of rigorous training courses and exams and are given direct access to ABB engineers with expert knowledge in different areas. This training ensures that the high quality of technical support and product back-up, required by ABB customers, is consistent throughout Authorised Value Provider operations.
Growth through packages The network takes ABB one step closer to growing its business around the “packages” concept. The idea is that customers can benefit from all the components used throughout a drive train or automation system. As such, the Authorised Value Providers act as the eyes and ears for customers in need of other products from ABB’s diverse portfolio and can facilitate contact to the relevant product division. They have in-depth knowledge of local markets and are conversant with the defined ABB products and processes. Each of them brings its own set of skills and services and collectively they can tackle the entire diverse ABB product portfolio and service customer needs. The drives and motors networks are joined by the robotic automation business, making a total of 23 individual companies initially forming the Authorised Value Provider network in the UK.
Global and local reach Ian Allan adds: “The launch of the Authorised Value Provider brand signifies the evolution of the existing partner networks into a single standardised network that is altogether stronger; giving customers a consistent level of support and service regardless of where in the world they deal with a provider. This will particularly benefit original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and exporters who will have access to a recognised network for sales, support and services delivered in a professional and consistent manner.”
Faster, efficient and seamless Neil Ritchie continues: “The Authorised Value Provider brand demonstrates the way business has changed over the years to meet the new challenges of the global and technology driven economy. An Authorised Value Provider has access to a huge array of engineering and business software tools, comprehensive training programmes and the most advanced logistics networks for getting products and support to customers on time; most of which were not available when the original networks were created. It is now time to harness these tools to harmonise and streamline our business to ensure we operate faster, more efficiently and seamlessly.” ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 150,000 people.
Does Lost Production Cost you £1,000s? Drive breakdown is a disastrous situation – lost production costs on average £12,000 per hour. That means you need a back up plan. Thankfully, Quantum Controls has the largest stock of variable speed drives for hire in Europe – our team of engineers are available 24/7, 365 days a year to get you back up and running quickly and efficiently if you suffer a drive breakdown. • Quick and easy installation within hours • Huge stock of VSDs for hire up to 1.5MW • ABB Drive, Line Contractor, E Stop, and Harmonic filters and coolers in IP54 Floor Standing Cubicles • Local service from national depots • Repair service also available for all types of VSD’s Here’s why engineers from across the UK rely on hire drives from Quantum Controls: One call at 2am to Quantum and they arrived on site with a 800kW hire drive and temporary power cables, installed and commissioned in 4 hours we were back up and running by 8am. – Stewart Smith, Engineering Manager When our drive failed we were looking at days to get the spares to repair, Quantum supplied, installed and commissioned temporary hire drive within hours, a great service. – Dave Timlin, Chief Electrical Engineer I have to keep our plant up and running for maximum production.Downtime is just not an option – that’s why I rely on Quantum hire drives. – Peter Cattermole, Maintenance Engineer IN THE EVENT OF A DRIVE BREAKDOWN CALL OUR 24-HOUR HIRE DRIVE EMERGENCY HOTLINE
0330 9000 247 “Immediate Response Guaranteed” Find out more
www.quantum-controls.co.uk/hire.html
PART OF:
www.iwex.co.uk
@Suslive
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facebook.com/Sustainabilitylive
THE LEADING EVENT FOR WATER & WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT
SHOW FEATURES INCLUDE:
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New for 2014! Top level sessions on the keynote stage including: - The Water industry: 25 years since privatisation, with contributions from Ofwat and DEFRA - Delivering innovation through alliances and partnerships in AMP6 - What does the opening up of retail competition mean for the UK water industry? Practical case-study and discussion led seminars –the latest advice, updates and best practice that you can use in your working environment New for 2014! Technology Pitch product showcases – your chance to see the most innovative new products More than 250 exhibiting companies offering the latest range of sustainable and resource efficient solutions – find the products and services to help drive your organisation forward Networking opportunities – with thousands of industry professionals all in one place, take the opportunity to meet your peers and make new business contacts
WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY ● WATER MANAGEMENT ● INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENT ●
Pre-register for FREE entry now at www.sustainabilitylive.com SUPPORTING ASSOCIATIONS:
OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNERS:
ORGANISED BY:
For more information on exhibiting or sponsorship contact Rachel Lyon +44 (0)1342 332097, rachael.lyon@fav-house.com
SEVERN TRENT SERVICES
SEVERN TRENT SERVICES TO PROVIDE WORLD’S LARGEST FIXED-FILM DENITRIFICATION SYSTEM Severn Trent Services, a leading global supplier of water and wastewater treatment solutions, was awarded a contract from Archer Western Contractors, LLC., to provide its TETRA® Denite® denitrification filter technology to the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Baltimore, Md. The TETRA Denite fixed-film biological denitrification process will be used to reduce high levels of nutrients discharged into the Chesapeake Bay from the Back River WWTP. Upon completion, the installation will be the largest fixed-film denitrification system in the world. The project is the second of two very large project bids won for Denite deep bed gravity filters in the Chesapeake Bay area, the first being the Patapsco WWTP, which currently ranks as the largest in the world. The $24-million project’s unique design will consist of 52 filters — four sets of 13, 11’- 8” x 100’- 0” filters (3.6m X 30.5m). Each set will operate independently of the others with its own controls and operation programming. All 13 systems will share the same backwash and chemical feed system. The filters were designed to operate independently due to varying flows,
allowing the filter sets to be backwashed at once. This design eliminates down time for backwashing and provides greater operational flexibility in meeting stringent Total Maximum Daily Load limits set forth by the Maryland Department Of Environment and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The new facility will handle the plant’s permitted flow of 180 million gallons per day (818,296 cubic meters per day). The design engineer for the Back River WWTP project is Whitman, Requardt and Associates, LLP, of Baltimore. After project completion, Back River WWTP’s effluent quality will be less than 5mg/l Total Suspended Solids, less than 1.0 mg/l NitrateNitrogen, less than 4.0 mg/l Total Nitrogen and less than 10 mg/l Chemical Biological Oxygen Demand. “Back River WWTP plays an important role in the success of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program by providing efficient, reliable wastewater systems to enhance and sustain a healthy quality of life for every citizen in the region. The TETRA Denite process is not new to
the program. In recent years, the technology has helped dramatically improve wastewater quality at another treatment plant in the Chesapeake Bay area, helping the plant meet the stringent Class IA effluent discharge standards through the simultaneous removal of TN, TP and SS,” said Severn Trent Services’ project manager of the contract Ed Kuchtjak. “TETRA Denite with deep bed gravity filters was the only biological filter technology considered for this project because of its 100% proven track record and experience.” “We look forward to working on this exciting project. Establishing a strong business relationship and delivering state-of-the-art technology to the City of Baltimore Bureau of Water and Wastewater over the last 20 years are key parts of our strategy to address our customers’ unique water issues,” said Marwan Nesicolaci, vice president of global sales and marketing at Severn Trent Services. “With more than 40 years of experience, our biological filter technology is recognized by our customers to deliver advanced wastewater treatment plant effluent that is safe and cost effective.”
IChemE Forms of Contract PDF editions now available www.icheme.org/shop Fully editable annual licences also available. Contact htreanor@icheme.org for more details
0902_14
ADVANCING CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WORLDWIDE
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Retail competition – what happens now? It has been a while in the making but the Water Bill is in the House of Lords and expected to become law in the spring. It will change many aspects of the regulation industry, from flood insurance to mergers. It will also enable a new retail market, catalysing competition for nonhousehold customers (businesses, the public sector and non-for-profit organisations). The theory behind the reform is familiar: there will be more suppliers, they will compete with each other to win customers, prices will fall and standards will rise. That theory has been borne out, with a twist, by the Scottish experience. It is nearly six years since market opening and competition is ramping up. The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) reports that more than a third of customer switches took place in the second half of 2013 and over 60% of business customers are now getting better service, paying less or both. The twist is that the market for environmental services and water efficiency advice has also blossomed. In Scotland, it seems, water and sewerage competition is more about service than about price. The practical reality is perhaps less familiar: what actually happens now? How does a new Water Act change the day job of people working in the industry and what impact will it really have on their businesses? Our experience suggests that the Bill will be followed by a period of intense preparation. Before April 2017 (the ambitious, but feasible, date for market opening), project teams and company boards will have much to do to agree the rules of the game and to get business ready to play by them. We would then expect a steady revolution in customer experiences and customer identity. Business customers will start to think about what matters to them e.g. simpler billing, lower price and/or demand management. Water and sewerage businesses will also start to think about what they do and why they do it, what are they best at, who are their customers? Some will actively compete for others’ customers; some will sit back and slowly lose customers (and income). Now is the time for company boards, would-be suppliers and business customers to start thinking about those questions. To help do that we’ve set out our thoughts about what actually happens now below. First, a recap:
What is retail competition? We already know a number of things about what water and sewerage retail competition in England will be and how it might be similar to that in Scotland. Ofwat and WICS have recently published this diagram summarising the parts of the industry that will be competitive and those that will remain monopolies:
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Retail activities: ie managing direct contact with customers
Wholesale activities: all asset ownership, asset management and operational activities – Resource, treatment and distribution of water and collection, treatment and disposal of treated waste water Reproduced with permission of WICS & Ofwat
Ofwat has created a relatively detailed list of ‘customer facing’ retail services. Notably it includes all non-household vulnerable customer schemes, handling both network and non-network complaints and decision making and administration of disconnections and reconnections. That scope may change over time but in the early stages competition will probably focus on those services. Retailers will offer those services to customers; buying the wholesale services they need e.g. use of a network and a supply of water, from Water only Companies (WoCs) or Water and Sewerage Companies (WaSCs). Ofwat will be
FEATURE:RETAIL COMPETITION making new codes that govern the terms of that supply. These may drive some standardisation in operational processes (e.g. for reading meters) across different regions in England and between England and Scotland. Unless they choose to switch, a customer will remain with its existing WoC and WaSC. However, the customer facing, retail, parts of those companies will probably start to be run as separate businesses. Ofwat is likely to require the retail units to deal with the remaining, wholesale, parts of the company on arms-length terms, e.g., by following the same process to make a new connection as their competitors or developers. They may also be required to, at least nominally, pay the same charges for their wholesale inputs. It seems likely that a new market operator will create a large database of all business customers and keep a central record of who is responsible for supplying each customer. That market operator is also likely to be responsible for calculating the services each customer has used and so working out how much their retailer owes to which wholesale businesses (known as ‘settlement’). A company called Open Water Market Limited has already been created to be the vehicle through which the market reform project is managed. In time, it could become that market operator. Again, Ofwat and WICS explained its central role in the market through the following diagram:
Customers
n Standardised operational processes: covering all aspects of customer facing operation. For example, managing emergency situations, reporting supply failures, giving notice of planned interruptions, requesting new connections, or reading or installing meters. It is likely that documenting these processes will highlight duplications and result in changes to the way jobs are performed. n Market and governance arrangements: setting out national rules for managing the customer database, calculating wholesale charges and how future changes to the market rules will be agreed. The energy markets have been particularly badly served by their governance arrangements so we would expect close and early scrutiny to committee structures and voting rights. n We would also expect there to be a testing period, which will allow all the new systems to be tested before the market ‘goes live’ in 2017. This ‘go active’ period could run for about a year, meaning that the various rules and codes will be agreed and implemented over the next 18 months.
So what really happens now?
Incumbent retailers and new entrants Ofwat/WICS: market policy and policing
n Default retail tariffs: New suppliers will be free to agree charges with their customers but WoC and WaSC retail businesses will be limited to charging default retail tariffs. Ofwat has confirmed these will be expressed as gross margins per customer. Work will be required during and after this year’s Price Control determinations to decide them and how they will be applied onto the wholesale charges.
Open Water Market Ltd (OWM)
Wholesale business of appointed undertakers Reproduced with permission of WICS & Ofwat.
So what happens now? We expect there to be a period of intense design and build activity. If they haven’t already done so, many companies will be establishing board committees or project teams that will agree and implement: n Wholesale charging rules and schemes: setting advance limits on the amounts that WoCs or WaSCs can charge for each of the services they offer. These charges will have to be cost-reflective i.e. can’t simply be based on regional averages. They may also have to require WoCs or WaSCs to absorb a loss on any existing special deals and only allow efficiently incurred costs to be passed through. Calculating and justifying wholesale charges will therefore be a large and important job and Ofwat has already begun to consult on how they are going to do it.
Setting up that market framework should be the beginning of the story. Only once the market is live will we really know what will change. However, experience suggests some combination of the following is likely: n Customers will take a long hard look at what they are paying for and increase their demand for ‘add-ons’ like environmental and water efficiency advice. n Retail and wholesale businesses will take a long hard look at what their business is and who their customers really are. Wholesale businesses may refocus on serving retailers rather than on customers and some retail businesses will target specific sectors, e.g. universities or SMEs. n Some customers, especially national multi-site organisations may switch to a single supplier. Other more specialist customers may switch to organisations that provide more bespoke services. n The public sector in particular may try to emulate Scottish savings (estimated at £20m over three years). They will issue large tenders and retailers will have to fight hard to supply them. n Some companies will lose customers and either have to cut costs or sell additional services to their remaining customer base. It is likely that some retail businesses will fail. Above all, attentions will focus on what happens for customers. The energy experience suggests that if customers are not better off, there will be further legislative and regulatory intervention. We hope that this summary provokes some thoughts about the opportunities and challenges that retail market reform will bring. The Water Bill is nearly a Water Act and work to design the rules of the game has begun. Now is the time to think about how you are going to engage with the reforms and with the market. Gordon Downie Head of Energy and Natural Resources and Fiona Parker Senior Solicitor, Regulation and Markets
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A COMPETITIVE MARKET MAKES SENSE: HERE’S HOW WE MAKE IT HAPPEN It’s going to be a big year for the water industry in England. The Water Bill has had its third reading in the House of Commons and second reading in the House of Lords, while the Open Water Programme also published its blueprint for market reform. Although the competitive nondomestic market might yet be three years away, reform is underway and it’s gathering pace. By Hazel Baxter, Head of Regulation and Compliance, Business Stream
As the vast majority of readers will be aware, the Water Bill has many aspects to it; ranging from abstraction and flooding to insurance and competitive markets. For the purposes of this article though, we’re going to take a look at this last aspect of the Bill. Why only look at this particular piece of the proposed policy framework? Much of the debate so far has centred on affordability, abstraction and flooding, which are all particular hot topics at the moment. However, the proposition of a competitive non-domestic market has big consequences for businesses, public sector bodies and third sector organisations. The Water Bill makes a number of proposals for the non-domestic water market in England. The overarching idea is the introduction of competition to the sector, i.e. all non-household customers will be in a position to choose their supplier of water, waste water and trade effluent services. Under the current market arrangements, only a limited number of organisations based in England can switch their provider. As things stand, this is limited to sites that use five megalitres of water or more per year. In practice it means an estimated 27,000 sites across the country, out of around one million in total, are able to change supplier and they can only switch their water services. The Water Bill is proposing that this threshold be removed and that the market is expanded to include waste water and trade effluent. So what are the expected benefits and how is it going to be done? England has the distinct advantage of being able to look to somewhere else as it considers how its market will take form. There are lessons which can be learned from Scotland, where a similar competitive market is in its sixth year. Competition in Scotland was designed to deliver improved customer service, innovation and better value for money for customers.
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On the fifth anniversary of competition in Scotland, it was estimated that the non-domestic water market had made £35 million in water efficiency savings, reduced water use by 16 billion litres and saved 28,000 tonnes of carbon. In total, £65 million of savings have been achieved for businesses and public sector organisations while customer satisfaction increased by over 26 per cent.
introduction of the following set of measures will be key.
Given the size of the Scottish market in comparison to England, it’s reasonable to expect that the efficiencies that have been achieved north of the border could well be eclipsed by what is possible in England.
Establishing a system of regulated access for new entrants, including a more streamlined switching process, would inject much-needed verve into the market.
But 2017 seems far away and for many businesses and public sector organisations it is too long to wait for these benefits. They want access to the savings that their peers are seeing in Scotland. Whilst it will take time to create a fully functioning market and put in place all the necessary switching and pricing mechanisms, much can be done prior to 2017 to enable English customers to access benefits sooner. Firstly, to promote competition there needs to be an attractive market that participants can freely enter and in which they can grow. Under the current arrangements there is too little opportunity for new entrants and there is no data on contestable sites. Even if a challenger company can identify a site, it must negotiate a wholesale price with the incumbent, which doesn’t tend to produce a commercially viable margin for the new retailer. Secondly, market facilitation costs need to be low. At the moment, customer switching is a laborious and expensive process. Time and money could easily be cut out of this if all concerned were pulling in the same direction. Thirdly, customers need to know what’s on offer and that offering must deliver value. Customers must be aware they have a choice. A key driver for reform is that existing provisions don’t create the conditions for these things to happen. In order to change this, we believe the
Creating the conditions for a proper commercial margin will provide greater incentive for retailers to get involved in the market. This would require the cost principle to be abolished and a regulated pricing structure to be put in place.
To overcome the problems of market visibility, creating and publishing a market dataset with customer information would make it easier, cheaper and quicker for retailers to sharpen up their service offerings with a clearer view of their preferred customers. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, market structures must provide a level playing field. As it stands, everything is weighted in favour of the incumbent, from negotiated market access to poor visibility of customer data and a lengthy switching process. That doesn’t create fertile ground for competition. These are just a few examples of the steps that could be taken in advance of April 2017. But it would also have the added benefit of allowing customers to take advantage of efficiency measures and let them see what will become available when competition does eventually come about. It has taken some time to get to this point in Scotland and undoubtedly it will be the same in England. It’s fairly clear that, as far as competition goes, there is still plenty to be done. The parliamentary process is setting the right direction of travel, but it will be up to everyone involved to create a market that delivers for business.
FEATURE:RETAIL COMPETITION
How will the the upcoming changes affect the retail market? South East Area Rising Star Emma Norris, left, has taken the opportunity to interview Piers Clark, Commercial Director at Thames Water and MD of Thames Water Commercial Services about 2017 and the competitive retail market. Thames Water Commercial Services (TWCS) is a member of the Kemble Water group of companies, and holds the water retail licences for the Scottish and English markets.
TWCS is already active in the non-household retail market in Scotland, but what do you think of the competitive water market for nonhousehold customers in England from 2017? We welcome and embrace the changes that are coming in the English market. I think it’s good for customers, and offers a lot of exciting opportunities for innovation, both in terms of the services which retailers can offer customers, and the way we will be able to tailor these services to suit an individual customer’s needs. Can you summarise the Thames Water Commercial Services approach in one sentence? A: It’s about getting the basics right, which means making sure the customer receives a reliable supply, billing them on accurate bills based on real data in real time, and delivering what customers want. Ok, so what does this mean for customers? We know that customers expect us to bill them accurately for the water and services they use, so getting this right first time, and being able to provide consolidated billing and supporting management information to help customers understand what they are using is key. What each business customer wants varies depending on their particular sector so we need to engage with our customers and understand whether it is something as basic as billing frequency that is important to them, or they need a wider range of services. It’s not just offering cheaper water that is important, but successful retailers must offer a
broad suite of services. Water efficiency work and water audits can be the start of a journey with a customer to help them understand and manage, their water usage. It’s important to ‘walk’ with the customer on what can often be a long journey of managing their water use, and help them to reap the benefits of lower bills. An in depth knowledge of different sectors is vital if you are going to successfully deliver a credible water service across a wide base of business customers. How do you think water compares to other utilities for business customers? Water is vitally important to business customers. It’s perhaps not the most exciting commodity, but it is an essential one. For many businesses water is actually more important than electricity, gas or telecoms. If the water supply to a brewery, for example, is disrupted, this has a huge effect on the business. We need to understand the needs of our different business customers, and the importance of water to their businesses. What challenges do you think the industry faces in the lead up to 2017? The industry faces some challenging timeframes to work towards for the English market to be active in 2017. We are pleased to see the Market Blueprint from the Open Water programme, and will be working to help strengthen and deliver this plan. We have learnt a lot from our experience in Scotland, and recognise that some things will work straight away, and there will be other things that we will need to work on once the market is open. We are pleased to see that Ofwat and the other regulators are looking to other utility
markets to learn from experiences there to help build this market. Getting all the water wholesalers and retailers to agree on what is ultimately a radical reform to the market is undoubtedly a massive challenge. Ofwat and the UK Government have already committed significant resources to thinking through the challenges and opportunities, but it will require a great deal of focus from all stakeholders to deliver this successfully by 2017. With all of this activity, do you see Thames Water expanding in to international markets again? I admire your enthusiasm (that’s exactly what I would expect from a Rising Star!), but I think Thames Water should focus on making our mark in the UK market first before we venture overseas again (we withdrew from our international activities in 2007). It’s good to see the UK being the first country to deregulate its business customer water retail market, with Scotland paving the way for the changes we are now preparing to introduce in England. It will be interesting to see which countries follow our lead in the future.
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CPD and does it really help? The last edition of the journal saw an article covering CPD asking the question: “Why should do we do it?” The quote used to answer that question was: “Helping the individual maintain ‘engagement’ so the organisation and individual have a greater chance to mutually grow.” (CIPD) By Ian Limb HR Manager, Portsmouth Water and Institute of Water CPD Champion Ashley Moule
But does CPD actually make a difference and how do members actually feel about CPD? To try and help members understand the value of CPD and how it can help them in their careers we have asked two previous winners of the CPD Award about their personal experience and how they feel it has helped them in their career; Ashley Moule and Jason Ryall.
CPD Award Winner 2012
3. Can you give an example where this has helped you?
Ashley is employed by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water as a Lead Wastewater Asset Engineer and received the CPD Award for 2012 at the Institute of Water's National Conference in Edinburgh. CPD is something that has played an important part in his career to date and he regularly assists Welsh Area members by holding CPD workshops as part of their area events programme.
AM During performance reviews, actions and measures are agreed and I update my CPD plan to document how I am going to achieve these. I regularly review and update my CPD plan which provides the necessary flexibility to accommodate ever changing priorities.
Jason Ryall
CPD Award winner 2004 Jason is currently employed by the PA Consulting Group based in Central London. Jason was previously employed by Severn Trent Water and sat on the Institute of Water Midlands Area committee. He is now part of the South East Area committee and was the winner of our CPD Award in 2004.
1. What do you understand by Continuing Professional Development (CPD) AM I consider CPD to be ‘a means of acquiring, maintaining & evaluating the essential knowledge and skills necessary to remain competent.’ JR It’s in the name really! For me it’s about expanding and enhancing my knowledge in my current role while having an eye on where I want to be in the future. I then use CPD as a framework to increase my knowledge, expertise and network to achieve my goals.
2. In your career to date how has an approach to CPD helped you? AM It has provided me with a structured approach to ensuring that I can take responsibility for my development needs, by providing me with an individual plan that goes into a further level of detail than what is recorded during company performance reviews. This helps me as I can cross reference, thus making performance reviews a more efficient and productive process. JR CPD has proven to be a valuable tool not only by keeping ahead with the latest industry news, innovations and technology, but also to help me understand the direction I wish to take my career.
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The above is taken from the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development as the key purpose for CPD in terms for both the individual and the organisation. It is hoped that this statement would be hard for anyone to disagree with!
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JR I was very fortunate to have had a varied career at Severn Trent spanning almost 15 years, including returning after a career break. However, with the vast and varied knowledge I had acquired, I felt it was time to try something new. CPD helped me to evaluate possible avenues and prompted me to make the move into consultancy with PA Consulting Group in Central London. PA are also very passionate about CPD so I have been able to continue where I left off.
4. CPD has four principles (see below). What is your approach to fulfilling these principles? a. Identifying and prioritising development needs and opportunities b. Setting goals and target dates c. Recording learning outcomes d. Evaluating achievements and reviewing against needs AM I use two documents to manage my CPD – a CPD plan and a CPD log. I identify my needs and also record why this need exists along with what I can do to meet this need in a CPD plan. I then prioritise into short (have to do), medium (might have to do) and long-term (would like to do) needs. I set timescales, rather than dates, against each as I find that it isn’t always realistic to set exact dates beyond a few months. Following all CPD activities, I evaluate and record what I have learnt in a CPD log. Every few months I review these activities and update my CPD plan to reflect any new or outstanding needs. I find that by regularly reviewing my CPD, it takes less effort and has now become a habit which takes little time to maintain. JR I use a combination of these approaches depending on what I am trying to achieve and the way in which I will achieve it. Setting realistic goals and target dates is key as this shouldn’t be an arduous chore, it should be a tool
CPD to enhance your knowledge and experience. I personally set dates in line with my ‘day job’, monthly 1-2-1’s, 6 monthly review and end of year appraisal. It’s important to record learning outcomes as you’ve already done the hard work so this is the easy bit and then evaluating what you have achieved against what you originally wanted to be is a great way to either sign it off or identify further activities to expand into.
5. What advice would you give to anyone wishing to use CPD to help them in their career AM CPD can be recorded in many different ways. The most important message is that one size doesn’t fit all. Wherever you are in your career, and whatever you want to achieve, your CPD should be exactly that - ‘yours.’ There is no right or wrong way to do CPD, but the most important thing is that you plan and evaluate your learning in a format you are comfortable with. JR Use a framework or structure which you comfortable with and keep it up to date. There are numerous options available, however, it would be worthwhile taking a look at the Institute of Water Website. One of the Core Values of IoW is to provide opportunities for personal development and growth through sharing knowledge and experience and by networking with other members so this CPD framework encompasses all of the above, is ready to go and easy to use. Furthermore, attend a broad range of events as this is a great way to not only meet people, but learn something new which may steer you into an unexpected career path!
6. What would you say to anyone that feels they do not have the time to for CPD AM CPD is an essential component in helping you achieve your career goals but doesn’t have to be a time consuming exercise. You probably already apply many principles of CPD and just do not realise it. Just by setting aside an hour each month to structure your CPD will definitely prove beneficial at some stage of your career. JR It’s your loss. Aside from the knowledge bank, events always provide opportunities to network, meet new clients and potentially new employees/ employers. Capturing this and recording it is quite simple to do and demonstrates your learning potential and capability to expand through your career. CPD also assists me in drawing conclusions that both guide and focus my ongoing personal development.
2014 CPD AWARD Proud of your career so far? Proud of how you have managed your career? Proud of the way you have used the principles of CPD to help you in your career? If you can say yes to all three then why not apply for the prestigious CPD Award. Just send in evidence of how you have recorded your CPD over the past 18 months and how it has helped you in your career to date. Your application should look to demonstrate the following four principles of CPD
a. Identifying and prioritising development needs and opportunities b. Setting goals and target dates c. Recording learning outcomes d. Evaluating achievements and reviewing against needs Send in your entries to: Francesca Madden via francesca@instituteofwater.org.uk A panel of experts will then shortlist the best three applicants who will all be invited to the awards ceremony which will be held at the Institute of Water President’s Dinner at Bristol Royal Marriott Hotel on Friday 6th June.
2013 winner Ashley Moule
Now it can be done On-line so no excuses … All this can now be done securely on our On-Line CPD facility Our Online approach mirrors our CPD principles with the facility allowing you to set your goals (either short, long term or both), record your activities, attaching evidence and then evaluate what you have learnt and how you intend to put this into practice. And as Ashley states ‘by setting aside an hour each month to structure your CPD will definitely prove beneficial at some stage of your career’. So there should be no more excuses and members are urged to visit the website and start planning your career! Sign up and start recording your CPD on-line and start making you career work for you. Also as its part of your membership subscription it’s completely free and only requires your time to make it work for you …
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SCOTTISHAREANEWS
“I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER!!” – THE SCOTTISH AREA AUTUMN SEMINAR
By Richard Anderson
The Scottish Area Autumn Seminar took place at the Howden Arts Centre in Livingston, West Lothian on Friday 1 November 2013. The theme for the seminar was “COLLABORATION: Working Together to build the A-Team.” Richard Anderson, Scottish Area President, hosted the event in a new single day format and, in a break from tradition, hosted in a new venue.
and further afield. External speakers from Thames Water’s eight2O alliance, Network Rail, Glasgow City Council and the winner of the Scottish area 2013 Innovation Award, Z-Tech, all provided their views and collaboration perspectives. Richard Barton, our National Chair was able to use the seminar as a platform to discuss how the Institute of Water is supporting CPD and is ‘collaborating with you’.
The seminar, presented in 4 sessions, explored how collaborative strategies and linking interested stakeholders presents both challenges and opportunities for the future of the Scottish Water Industry and its customers. This was deliberated through sessions covering Collaborative Strategies, Operations, Research, Partnership Development, Catchment and Flood Management Planning as well as Procurement and the Delivery of Capital Investment.
Young speakers, including the local outgoing Rising Star, continued to dazzle the audience with their energetic and professional talks that gave the audience a real sense of optimism for the emerging talent and potential to come from our Young Members within the industry.
These sessions included inspiring insights from a range of speakers from the industry in Scotland
The seminar was rounded off by the Chair of Scottish Water, Ronnie Mercer CBE, who spoke about how Scottish Water is using collaborative approaches to maintain high levels of performance and deliver positive outcomes for customers.
LUNCH AND LEARNS - 2013 By Craig Jackson The last quarter of 2013 we saw a broad selection of ''lunch & learn'' sessions delivered across Scotland. With each of our three Scottish Water speakers kindly agreeing to deliver their session in multiple locations. The varied set of topics covered:Delivering Scottish Water's Energy Efficiency programme, Chris Toop Energy Programme General Manager Water - the wholesale market, Jessie McLeman Head of Wholesale Management Frontier & Beyond - the delivery of a new operating and contracting model, Donald Milne General Manager of Managed Delivery. The sessions were held across Dundee,
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Edinburgh and Glasgow and all generated interesting question and answer sessions. The presentations were well attended by both Scottish Water and external IWater members who enjoyed both interesting presentations and the obligatory sandwiches and snacks provided. Institute of Water would like to thank the presenters and all attendees and look forward to the next session in 2014. On a final note, this year also saw a L&L session on the Mileage Management software presented by Luke Stanbridge from Z Tech, this was the winning entry from the Innovation awards in 2013, so get your applications in for the 2014 awards by 17th February, and get a chance to host your own Lunch & Learn session.
From Modern Apprentice to company directors, the event was attended by more than 100 delegates from all corners of the water industry in Scotland and beyond, including AVK UK, Alfa Laval Ashbrook Simon, Brammer UK, CD Enviro, Clark-Drain, Eden Scott, Excel First, GA Valves, Innovative Utilities, Jacobs UK, Laing O’Rourke, Mackenzie Construction, Morrow Contracts, MWH Treatment, Nivus UK, Panton McLeod, RPS Group, RSKW, RWE npower, Savills, Scottish Water, Scottish Water Solutions, Shepperd and Wedderburn, Thames Water, Trimble, Veolia, and WGM Engineering. Exhibitors supporting the event were Panton McLeod, Clark Drain, Class One, E-Com, Netzch, Alfa Laval Z-Tech and CD Enviro. As ever, the Autumn Seminar provided an excellent opportunity for all delegates to hear from a senior water industry speakers and young speakers about the current best practices and future of our industry. As anticipated in advance, this was a very well attended event and made an excellent opportunity for members to network with and meet other members and colleagues from across the Scottish water industry. Speaking after the seminar, Richard Anderson, Scottish Area President, remarked “I really enjoyed the event, the speakers were superb and the feedback has been amazing. Over 95% of feedback received has been either very good or excellent”. Encouragement for the Scottish area Committee to consider similar events in the future – watch this space!
EASTERNAREANEWS
EASTERN AREA WORLD RIVERS DAY POSTPONED The Eastern Area Institute of Water was due to hold a day in celebration of World Rivers Day (which this year was Sunday 29th September) in early October. The aim of the event was for institute members as well as employees of the water industry to come together to achieve that described by the World Rivers Day founders below:
run by Keep Britain Tidy and followed by talks from those who work with and protect our local rivers, including a tour around a local wildlife reserve.
‘World Rivers Day is a celebration of the world’s waterways. It highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world. Rivers in virtually every country face an array of threats, and only through our active involvement can we ensure their health in the years ahead.’ (World Rivers Day, www. worldriversday.com/about, 2012).
Unfortunately the event had to be cancelled at late notice due to an issue that went completely against what we were trying to achieve ‘Rivercare is thriving in Peterborough where it has linked up with Peterborough Environment City Trust to create strong local volunteer groups carrying out regular litter picking and conservation tasks in the city centre. Unfortunately, the woods alongside the river in the city centre are also occasionally used by rough sleepers to set up encampments. Such a camp had recently been set up on the site where we had hoped to carry out
The day was to be held on the banks of the River Nene in Peterborough, starting with a litter pick
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE EVENT
James Bell and Katie Buckland
Tony Hubbard, Nick Humphreys and Paul Valleley
“In the summer of 2008, an analyst at Anglian Water’s Central Laboratory identified a positive test result for cryptosporidium. The IoW Eastern Area ‘Under the Microscope’ event, hosted at Anglian Water’s Laboratory earlier this year, told the story of what happened next from the perspectives of the analyst who read the first positive sample result, the Director of Water Services to whom the incident was rapidly escalated and, the Tactical Operations Manager who led the incident recovery response.
challenges it can present to the water industry.
In an honest and open account, the speakers gave their professional and personal insights on being part of a significant event involving water quality. Nick Humphries, Senior Parasitologist at the Laboratory, also introduced the audience to the technical details of Cryptosporidium and the
The afternoon featured presentations from the Laboratories current graduates; James Bell and Katie Buckland. James gave a presentation on invasive species and the work that Anglian Water does to monitor its surface water reservoirs to ensure that animals such as ‘Killer Shrimps’ don’t enter our rivers. Katie focussed upon the quality assurance systems used in water laboratories, how they work and why they are vital in terms of providing trusted analytical data. The day closed with a tour of the laboratory’s analytical facilities where visitors were given a series of brief presentations ‘at the bench’ from the teams responsible for microbiological, chemical and biological analysis.
Part of a project with the charity Buglife, Rivercare has recently supported local young people to creating a vibrant new mural along the riverside in the city centre.
the IoW litter pick. Some of the waste left behind by the encampment made it unsafe for us to work there and hence the event had to be cancelled. A rescheduled event is planned for the New Year’ Andrew Walters, RiverCare Project Manager Keep Britain Tidy. We hope to confirm the new venue and date as soon as possible in the New Year. Eastern Area Committee
FELLOWSHIP AWARDED
Steve Leigh (right) from the Institute of Water Eastern Area (Area Treasurer) and Managing Director of Groundbreaker Systems receives his fellowship from Paul Gibbs, Eastern Area President and Director of Water Recycling Services, Anglian Water.
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Planning for the future Planning for the Future was the title of an event held at the offices of South Staffs Water in Walsall, West Midlands on 13th November 2013. Caroline Cooper and Gary Pearson gave an interesting presentation to approximately 40 IWater members and guests about the way in which South Staffs Water deliver outcomes through mains renewal, the way in which they forecast the performance of infrastructure assets, embed good customer service within risk based asset management, the efficiency of scheme selection – hotspots versus larger schemes and the delivery of these schemes whilst maintaining good customer service. During the presentation the presenters talked about how they gathered data about the number of bursts per kilometre and the condition of the pipes and estimated future life of the pipes. By modelling the deterioration of these pipes it was possible to produce results which showed the water mains which were the most likely candidates for renewal. This selection then allows South Staffs to undertake targeted renewal based on if there are a number of mains which are poor condition in similar ground conditions then an area of renewal can be designed and handed over to the contract partner. But, given there are a number of pipes which may qualify for renewal or renovation, the
By Clive Ingram
deterioration modelling helps South Staffs to target valuable funding at the very worst performing assets and will include those assets which are also most likely to fail in the near future. As deterioration modelling was explained further, it became apparent that there were not only issues with respect to the age, condition and ground conditions but also with respect to the material that the pipes were made of. South Staffs began using uPVC in the 70’s and this material may prove to be problematic as it becomes 40 years old. Some of the modelling tools were discussed, these tools included Linear Regression, Curve Fitting and Decision Trees. Validation of the data also has to be undertaken to check that the outcomes of the modelling aligned with the observed data. South Staffs is also developing a method of automatically generating potential schemes based on the outputs of these modelling tools, ensuring that the operational programme of work is linked to strategic models. However, this does not complete the picture as the effects of the asset failures also have to be ‘scored’ in some way. Asset failure in some areas could result in a large number of properties suffering loss of supply, poor pressure, and discolouration or there could be severe structural
damage to highways or the built environment. So, in addition to the risks already modelled based on condition and performance, additional risk and consequence has to be analysed to take account of the effects. South Staffs uses these risk scores to undertake optimisation of proposed schemes, which helps to ensure best value for money for its customers. Depending on the size and impact of the scheme then customers expectations have to be managed accordingly. This customer management can range from leafleting to on-site exhibitions and permanent Customer Liaison Managers.
COMMUNICATING WITH THE FUTURE – A CHANGE OF MINDSET By David Jarvis
The evening session which took place at Severn Trent Centre focused on how we can utilise social media, getting the most from this exciting platform and its tools both on a personal and professional level.
Some amazing facts were shared by Caroline with the group including: n One thousand three hundred and thirty years in time are spent on Facebook everyday!
Caroline Maddox of South Staffs Water was our guide through the exciting world of social media. Caroline led the group through the fundamentals of online communication, its different platforms and how it is used by both individuals and businesses. During the presentation we gained an insight into the human brand, and the importance of warmth and competence in a brand’s ability to build successful relationships with its consumers, in a bid to develop customer loyalty. This led into how this can be achieved by businesses through various social media platforms including twitter, Facebook and YouTube to name just a few!
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n 80% of companies use social media for recruitment n Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears have more twitter followers than the entire populations of Sweden, Israel, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway, and Panama! Caroline also discussed the power of social media, its benefits and associated pitfalls, now that we all have the ability to communicate with millions of people at the click of a button – If you have enough friends, followers, and subscribers!
The session was both fun and informative, and by the end of the evening we had an understanding of widgets, micro blogs, podcasts and everything in between. We gained insight into how to get the most out of these tools in a safe and effective manner to interact with our customers, friends and families.
MIDLANDSAREANEWS
Innovations showcase success
The annual Innovations Showcase event jointly held by the Institute Of Water and CIWEM Midlands Area branches took place on a cold December evening. This event, where the audience decides on the winners, continues to be incredibly popular and always offers a high profile host; this year it was Simon Cocks, Director of Waste Water Services at Severn Trent Water. By Sarah Williams After an exhibition comprised of both those innovations which had been shortlisted to present on the evening, and other interesting new ideas, the finalists had just five minutes to persuade the audience that theirs was the most innovative product of the evening. The winner was to be decided by audience vote. The evening saw a wide variety of presentations, and the speakers didn’t have a second to waste as the giant timer screen counted down and the pressure mounted. Audience votes were cast, before indulging in nibbles and networking. The evening had three category winners, with the winner of the “Best Innovation Overall” category progressing to the National Innovation awards. This year’s overall winner was Kata suto nagy from Organica with her bio reactors; “Organica represents a truly innovative approach to wastewater treatment, providing substantial economic benefits over conventional approaches,
and a truly unique solution for refurbishment of ageing wastewater treatment works” The Organica FCR solution is a type of Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge (IFAS) system which is based on the same Activated Sludge process that has been used to treat wastewater for nearly a century, whereby micro-organisms and bacteria (collectively referred to as biomass) consume the contaminants in wastewater. Organica FCR drastically improves this process by leveraging a fixed-bed biofilm that grows on both natural (plant) and artificial (patented biofibre media) root structures in a cascading reactor design, allowing a much greater quantity and diversity of organisms to thrive in the same space. In basic terms, it uses a variety of trees growing in a greenhouse like structure to help treat wastewater – imagine the positive engagement opportunity that allowing your customers to visit this site would create. The benefits of this technology include:
n Up to 60% Smaller Physical Footprint n 30% or Greater Reduction in Operating Expense (OPEX) n Resilient and Stable System n Unique Look and Feel The winner for Best value was Caroline Hepburn from Cranfield University. She is working with Severn Trent to improve processes for the removal of siloxanes from biogas, in particular looking at the novel application of FTIR spectroscopy to measure siloxanes online. The winner for best process was; Julie Hart with STW leak detection on plastic pipes. This evening left us with a feeling that the current challenging economic climate has not eroded, but rather increased the industry’s desire to find new, innovative ways to manage our business.
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Northern Area Family Day
The Northern Area returned to Stockeld Park near Wetherby for their family day in December to enjoy the experience of a winter wonderland. Around thirty people, ranging from babes in arms to those who have a few Christmases under their belt, braved the windy weather to get in to the Christmas spirit and make the most of this magical attraction. By Helen Edwards The maze got the little grey cells working: backwards and forwards along twisting and turning paths we went, only to find another dead end. Looking over the side of a bridge we could see where we wanted to go - but how to get there? Along the way we saw magical trees and musical instruments and met the same people many times. A tip from a fellow traveller to look at the iron gates helped us to make it out. Next it was on to the Nordic skiing, although some people went skating. The track took us around the
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park and through the enchanted forest, which we decided to re- visit when it was completely dark. Once we got in to our stride we were gliding like experts and decided that this would definitely be the way to get around if we had snow like last winter. The only problem was that you found yourself with aches in strange places the next day! As darkness fell we returned to the enchanted forest, which was a truly magical experience. Not only were the trees illuminated, we saw woodland animals in LEDs, fairy tale characters, owls,
talking trees and the homes of pixies and fairies. At the centre of the forest we found the lake, which was beautifully lit in changing colours and home to bright swans, flamingos and penguins. The afternoon finished with the highlight of meeting Father Christmas, who despite this being his busiest time of the year, made time to talk to all of our younger members of our party and made sure that they went home with really happy memories of the day.
NORTHERNAREANEWS
NORTHERN AREA COMMITTEE AND RECENT NORTHUMBRIAN RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
By Simon Cyhanko
Northumbrian Water Limited (NWL) has always played an active role in supporting the Institute of Water (IoW) at a regional and national level. Indeed this will be the case in 2013-14 when Chief Executive Officer Heidi Mottram takes on the role of National President. At a regional level NWL has recently looked to see how it could strengthen its contribution to the Northern Area committee in order to further support the development and delivery of a valuable and meaningful events programme for its members. Having expressed an interest in joining the committee, a number of employees were recently approached by longer standing committee members Simon Cyhanko and Alastair Tawn with a view to them joining the northern area committee. After little persuasion it was great to have Darren Brown, Instrument Technician; Robert Chin-See, Project Acceptance
Engineer and Suzy Tanrikuli, Distribution Support Team Leader join the team. After just three months our new committee members have already began to make a difference through making a valuable contribution to committee meetings and helping organise the recent Operational Innovation seminar in Durham. The future is looking bright for Northern area and I am sure our new Northumbrian recruits will help us make large strides forward.
Pictured from left to right: Robert Chin-See, Alastair Tawn, Suzy Tanrikuli and Simon Cyhanko.
UNITED UTILITIES EVENING SEMINAR PRESENTATION – A RISK BASED APPROACH TO MANAGING ASSETS n Non pressure system safety regulation inspections These all feed into their ageing management system where the risks are classified and risk scored in order to be prioritised. From this exercise, the asset can be benchmarked and give an indication where maintenance should be focussed. The result is a risk reduction, which would ultimately increase the productivity of the plant.
By Robert Chin-See On 14th November, 2013, United Utilities played host to John Mills (CEng, FIMechE) at their Lingley Mere Headquarters. He is the Pressure Systems Centre of Excellence Leader for the UK nuclear re-processing facility, Sellafield. The presentation gave an interesting insight into the risk based approach taken at Sellafield with respect to the running and maintenance of an aging asset base, which was built in the 1940s within the tightly controlled nuclear legislation framework. It was interesting to note that in
the 2.6 square kilometres of the site, it contains an estimated 30000 vessels and some 306km of pipework. Their asset management follows four phases: n A long term periodic safety review n Asset care program – benchmarking asset conditions n Technical basis of maintenance (TBoM) n Applicable failure mechanics n Inspection periodicity
A key factor is the realisation the asset base is an aging one and having an effective and robust maintenance scheme to manage it. They benchmark conditions such as the original design life, operating environment and current plant condition then monitor any changes, unscheduled maintenance, necessary modifications etc. and arrange for the necessary repairs to be performed and apply lessons learnt along the way. Whilst the assets in Sellafield are predominantly contained on one site, it was uncanny the parallels drawn to the water industry. Asset management is recognised as a growth industry in the future and the ethos of safety (and to a degree the criteria of the operating license) drives the risk management process at Sellafield. There are lessons the water industry can take from their approach and apply some of the asset management principles within its organisations.
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SOUTHEASTAREANEWS
South East Area Young Speakers Forum By Holly Banham
The Young Speakers Forum, Monday 9th December 2013, is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the South East Area calendar and this year’s speakers once again raised the bar even higher. This annual event provides the perfect opportunity for young speakers to showcase their talents, gain valuable skills in public speaking and meet other young professionals within the industry. The event also comes with a guarantee of the audience learning something new! The quality of the presentations was excellent; the range of topics considerable and the speakers confidence and poise commendable.
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Presentations began with Claire McCullough, a Technical Analyst at Southern Water, discussing the Drinking Water Safety Plan process in the UK. This was followed by Jamie Jones, a Regulation Analyst at Portsmouth Water, presenting on the delivery of Portsmouth Water’s Water Resources Management Plan. Lauren Smith, a Communications Co-ordinator at South East Water, opened the second session by discussing the steps she’s taken to forge a career in Public
Relations and the event was closed by Emma Wenham, Highways Co-ordinator at South East Water, speaking about the changing face of Highway Legislation. The South East Area would once again like to congratulate the speakers and thank Primayer for hosting the event. We look forward to seeing a new set of speakers later this year.
SOUTHWESTAREANEWS
Safety in numbers – can technology provide intake protection? Held on Thursday 23rd January 2014 at WRc, Swindon By Jörgen Jönsson, SW Area Committee Member All water companies have some monitoring in place to provide an early warning if something is amiss with the raw water. Issues can occur from natural contamination, e.g. taste and odour events from geosmin being released from cyanobacteria, accidental spills of harmful chemicals and deliberate contamination by deranged individuals and groups. We managed to bring together some knowledgeable and experienced experts in the field of monitoring on a bleak Thursday afternoon in Swindon with an audience of just over 20 people. We learned about where the water companies want to head in terms of monitoring, with some success stories from South West Water and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. A couple of instrument suppliers presented interesting information on some of the instruments that are available to provide an early warning and thereby protect the water supply. Finally, we also had a display of interesting and innovative technologies from Hach-Lange, ATi, Envitech, Modern Water and Chelsea Technologies.
Our Speakers were: Leo Carswell, Principal Consultant, WRc setting the scene by talking about the history of intake protection, the challenges the water industry is facing in terms of intake protection, what
currently is monitored and what water companies would like to monitor on-line.
monitoring. This set-up is now being rolled out at other water companies in the UK as well.
Robin Lennox, ICA Specialist, South West Water (SWW) gave an excellent presentation on how SWW has developed a trough with dip probes to reduce maintenance and to ensure continuous
Joanna Matthews, PhD student, Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University gave a very interesting talk entitled “Understanding sub-catchment raw water quality: Development of an early Warning system”. This covered the work Joanna has carried out at Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s Cantref Reservoir and the “red events” encountered with high turbidity. Hopefully Joanna will see one of these events live at some stage of her project. Roger Powell, Sales Director, Process Measurement & Analysis Ltd, talked about the s::can instrument, which is now being used by a number of UK water companies, and recent developments. Stuart Jones, Sales Manager, Envitech presented information on the algae monitoring instruments supplied from bbe-Moldaenke, from the on-line AlgaeGuard to the popular handheld AlgaeTorch and Benthotorch. Finally we ended with a tour of WRc’s facilities with pilot scale work on both clean and wastewater. I give thanks to the speakers for very interesting and informative presentations, to the suppliers who came and displayed their instruments and the staff at WRc in helping with the organisation of the event.
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WELSHAREANEWS
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP WORKSHOP The Welsh Area Committee, like all others, are always looking for ways to ensure that members get the most out of their membership. It has been identified previously that the ability to apply for professional qualifications is one of the reasons why members join a professional body such as The Institute of Water. In November, the Area organised a workshop for members who are considering applying for professional review as either Incorporated Engineers (IEng), Chartered Engineers (CEng) Chartered Environmentalists (CEnv) or Chartered Scientist (CSci). The aim was to get a group of members together to discuss the routes to professional membership and offer an opportunity to discuss the application process in finer detail, with someone familiar with the professional review process.
What followed was an informal session, tailored to meet the needs of those attending, and hopefully inspire them to pursue professional registration. Leading the event was Ashley Moule, the membership and professional development chair of the Welsh Area. He gave a presentation on the application process and reiterated that the process requires a lot of work and commitment. However registration enhances your professional status, demonstrates your competence and your commitment to continuing professional development.
James Williams, right, CPD Winner 2013
Future workshops shall be publicised in due course. In the meantime should any member wish to discuss any aspect of the application process, please feel free to contact Ashley.moule@dwrcymru.com
Neil Smith, right, awarded Fellowship Award 2013
Institute of Water CPD Award (Wales Area)
The Fellowship Award
What is the CPD Award?
Winner
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the term used to describe the commitment to lifelong learning, a skill that is invaluable to all professionals wishing to enhance and maintain their professional competence. It is a means of planning and evaluating the necessary learning activities through which professionals develop their abilities and ensure they remain effective.
The winner of the first area CPD award was James Williams, who is an Automation Engineer in Capital Delivery for Welsh Water based in Brecon.
The Fellowship Award is awarded to Institute of Water members for dedicated service to the Institute or to prominent people in the water industry. Fellow Membership is only available through nomination.
The Institute of Water promote the benefits of CPD to all their members with a range of initiatives, including CPD workshops, to support members with their CPD. To encourage this, CPD Awards are presented annually at both a local and national level. The local award is open to all Welsh Area members and requires them to submit a written report detailing their CPD records for the previous year as well as a CPD plan detailing future CPD needs. All submissions are subsequently judged by the Welsh Area Membership & Professional Development sub-committee.
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This was the second time the Area has held such an event but following the amount of interest, and the feedback received from those in attendance, this is something that the events committee will continue.
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What particularly made James’ entry stand out was the level of detail and planning that had been put into his submission. His submission demonstrated a clear strategy that considered both strengths and areas to improve, and identified his future training needs along with a thorough plan that detailed how he intended to achieve these goals. It was clear that James values professional development and embraces the principles of CPD to maximise potential development opportunities.
Awarded to Neil Smith Neil has been a corporate member of the Institute of Water in its various forms since July 1991. He is a Chartered Engineer and has taken a key role in mentoring and developing other engineers through the registration process helping them gain Engineering Chartership. (CEng) He has served on the assessor panels for the Institute and more recently has taken on the role of assessor for the registration for Chartered Environmentalist. He is one of the few Welsh area members who are able and appropriately qualified to undertake this role. Neil is the CDM co-ordinator for Swansea City Council and has been employed by them for a significant number of years.
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