Water Industry Journal 1

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Water

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

INDUSTRY JOURNAL

December 2016

Shaping up to a new landscape

News

Wastewater

Pipeline Technology

Retail Competition

Cyber Security

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

WELCOME z

Welcome

Shaping up to a new landscape

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ello and welcome to an exciting new publication for the water industry. The Water Industry Journal contains a wide range of news and views and we are certainly not short of things to write about because the magazine comes out at a time of great change for the industry.

Of course, that is nothing new. The water industry has always existed in a world of change with increasing regulation, stricter environment rules and ever sharper scrutiny of how it operates bringing about a constant stream of challenges.

However, the Water Industry Journal comes out at a time which is unprecedented and the key reason are two words that mean a massive amount of change and uncertainty - Brexit and competition.

John Dean The Referendum vote in June sent shockwaves

Editor in chief

through every industrial sector and the water industry is no exception.

As Tony Williams, Chairman of British Water, says in his thought-provoking piece in this edition of the magazine ‘although the decision to leave the European Union caused a certain amount of shock in the UK water industry this was quickly followed by the realisation it is important to work with the result and there is a great amount of work to be done’.

Much does need to be done and all against a backdrop of uncertainty. As Tony makes clear, the situation is changing week on week and there is still considerable uncertainty about what Brexit will mean in terms of water regulation, agricultural policy, environmental standards and business overseas.

Tony points out that the vote could also herald opportunities for the water industry. British water industry expertise is respected the world over and the trade negotiations which the UK Government will lead in the years to come could well open up new opportunities for our companies.

Competition is also going to change things, as Nick Baker, managing director at specialist

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outsourcer Echo Managed Services, points out in another thought-provoking piece in this edition of the magazine.

He warns that ‘evolving and uncertain times in the water sector mean companies may soon face an uphill battle to maintain customer loyalty, retention and trust. Many water companies are already working hard to put processes in place to ensure they stay ahead of the competition as non-household market opening draws ever closer.’

Nick points out that companies will have a close eye on the possibility of household competition, maybe as early as 2020, and will be starting to think about ways to a gain that all important competitive advantage. As his article points out, getting the billing process right in this new-look world will go a long way to ensuring a bright future for our water companies in this competitive landscape.

Amid all the talk of regulation, reform and political change, we also pause for thought to contemplate the raw material that drives us all – water.

Water is crucial to life but it can be easy to take it for granted. We turn on the tap and there it is. However, it is not like that for everyone so we take a look at the work of Water Aid, which works worldwide to bring safe water to communities, supported by hundreds of non-governmental organisations, government agencies, academic institutions and private companies, including in the water sector.

Now, for the first time ever, nine out of ten people in the world have safe water to drink and use for cooking, washing, and growing food.

And every year, 78 million people turn on a tap or use a pump for the first time. That is something of which we can all be proud but there is still work to be done and our piece reminds us that, as in industry, we can play a crucial role improving lives. john.dean@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL OCTOBER 2016

CONTENTS

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL OCTOBER 2016

CONTENTS z

Contents

4-5

Contents

6-19

News

22-27 Wastewater 30-31 Brexit 32-35 Pipeline Technology 36-37 Resilience 38-43 Non-household Retail Competition 44-47 Cyber Security

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52-53 Legal 54-55 Education and Training

Editor

John Dean john.dean@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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Design

Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2385 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Contributors

John Dean & Francis Griss john.dean@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Advertising

Distinctive Publishing, Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House, Dean Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1LE Tel: 0845 884 2385 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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Distinctive Publishing or Water Industry Journal cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Water Industry Journal.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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Accolade for water company boss Northumbrian Water’s Chief Executive Heidi Mottram has received a major award recognising her contribution to business in the North East of England.

“We have achieved a lot in the six years I have been at Northumbrian Water and it is important to acknowledge the contribution that the team around me have made to putting the business at the forefront of innovation and excellence in customer service.”

Lead judge Lucy Winskell, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Business and Engagement at Northumbria University, said: “We were looking for outstanding and dynamic individuals who have reshaped and grown their businesses and contributed to the region’s social wellbeing. With one of the strongest and most diverse fields that I have ever known in my four years on the judging panel it was an incredibly difficult and humbling task. In Heidi, however, we saw a leader who has engaged with her employees, raised ambitions and reinforced confidence in an industry facing the challenges of deregulation. Beyond this, her support for North East business and the wider community has been immeasurable. She is a worthy winner.”

Heidi was named North East Business Executive of the Year at the North East Business Awards, organised by NCJ Media, publishers of four of the region’s leading newspapers, The Journal, The Chronicle, The Gazette and the Sunday Sun. The accolade, presented at a ceremony at the Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel, Newcastle, comes after Heidi was earlier crowned Durham and Wearside Business Executive of the Year.

Heidi has been chief executive at Northumbrian Water Group for six years.

Under her leadership, the company has achieved the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of Sustainable Development in 2014 and been named as the only water company on the World’s Most Ethical Companies list six years in a row.

The award not only recognises Heidi’s work with Northumbrian Water, but also her wider community work, in a year where she was also selected to be the Prince of Wales’ Business Ambassador to the North East, in conjunction with Business In The Community.

Heidi Mottram Heidi is also a Board Member of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the CBI North East.

She said: “I feel honoured to have been selected for this award from among a business community that has so many superb individuals, leading a broad spectrum of excellent companies.

Northumbrian Water Limited supplies 2.7 million customer in the North East with both water and sewerage services, trading as Northumbrian Water, and 1.8 million customers in the South East with water services, trading as Essex & Suffolk Water.

In the most recent survey by the Consumer Council for Water, Northumbrian Water was named the UK’s most trusted water company by its customers. 2016 also saw Northumbrian Water named the world’s most ethical water company for the sixth successive year.

Water WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL

Get involved with your Water Industry Journal We hope you enjoy the first edition of Water Industry Journal.

If you would like to get involved in any way we would like to hear from you.

Please contact David Lancaster at david.lancaster@distinctivegroup.co.uk or by telephone on 0845 8873829 for further information.

We look forward to hearing your views.

DECEMBER 2016

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INDUSTRY JOURNAL

December 2016

Topics for the next edition which will come out in March 2017 are:

Shaping up to a new landscape

• Water competition & improving customer experience • Smart Metering • Sludge technology & treatment • Pipeline installation, monitoring & repair • Dams, levees and reservoirs • Water Quality Monitoring News

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Wastewater

Pipeline Technology

Retail Competition

Cyber Security

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

NEWS z

Intelligencia Training Limited intelligence course is a UK first Intelligence analysis specialists Intelligencia Training Limited have recorded a national first with a unique training programme carried out with Northumbrian Water Group (NWG).

Nineteen staff from Northumbrian Water Group became the first from any UK-based utilities company to successfully complete the Higher Diploma in Intelligence Operations, which is delivered by Intelligencia Training Limited.

The specialist qualification was designed specifically for Military and Government intelligence analysts to help increase the effectiveness of operational analysis and decision-making. NWG decided to work with Intelligencia Training Limited after realising the potential of the qualification for its own operational analysis and decision-making with a specific emphasis on customer service.

Personnel from areas of the business including Asset Planning, Forecasting, Operations Support, Business Intelligence, HR and Project Management came together for the six month course, which concluded with a presentation of findings from the programme.

Barry Searle, who led delivery of the programme for Intelligencia Training Limited, said: “We have delivered this programme many times in the public sector and we were very interested

to see how it would be beneficial in the water sector. The cross-departmental sharing of ideas, processes and specific data requirements was invaluable to all parties. We have already seen some very subtle, yet effective, changes to working practices that will have a beneficial impact to operations moving forward. This was one of the most rewarding sectors in which we have delivered this particular qualification and we’re looking forward to future deliveries.”

Fiona Forster, Business Support Analyst for NWG, said: “The course was interesting and relevant to my role. It was important to me that this was a formal qualification that was nationally recognised, which gives it more recognition.”

Janet Ayre, Asset Planner, said: “The course used useful and thought-provoking techniques and processes which the business could utilise when looking at specific problems to be addressed.”

Philip Kilvington, Asset Planner, said: “For the water industry as a whole, I feel that this course does provide benefits, particularly in the areas of customer feedback and research and also in the analysis of data from technical sources on water

and wastewater assets. I believe this course would definitely work best for those involved in the analysis of customer and technical data, to drive initiatives to improve customer service or better target investment in their assets.”

Tracey Greener, NWG Training Contracts Manager, said: “NWG are delighted to have been the first water utility company in the country to recognise the opportunity that this Intelligence Analysis training offers.

“Our business is already seeing significant advantages from the of cross departmental sharing of data and analysis and from the change in individuals approach to, and understanding of, their roles and the impact they can make, never mind that 19 of our senior managers have also achieved a very specialist Level 4 qualification. We are now looking at other staff and management who would benefit from this Level 4 programme.”

You can find out more about Intelligencia Training Limited and its products at www.intelligenciatraining.com

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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Report examines drought risks Southern Water was among organisations heavily involved in a new report commissioned

by Water UK at the request of the Government to examine the risk of drought.

The report looks at the long-term resilience of water resources in England and Wales and considers a number of future scenarios - including the impact of climate change, population growth and environmental issues.

The research was carried out by independent consultants and peer reviewed by leading experts in water resources, climate change and environmental management.

It uses an innovative new technique pioneered

by Southern Water that projects what droughts of the future will look like across the next 50 years.

The key findings of the report are: • The South East is particularly at risk from longer more frequent droughts.

• Failing to take action could have a significant impact on the economy - the cost per day of a severe drought is an estimated £1.3billion per day.

• Water companies need to work together to adopt a consistent, national level of resilience.

Southern Water’s water strategy manager Meyrick Gough, who helped develop the modelling techniques used in the report, said: “We were heavily involved in this important project and welcome its findings which clearly set out the case for increased resilience in water resources to meet future growth and protect the environment.

“We are the only water company to have based our current water resources management plan on the potential droughts of the future and we strongly believe that the water industry needs to act now - and work together - in order to protect our customers.

“An extra £4 per year, the cost of a lunchtime sandwich, will be enough to meet water resource needs for the future.”

The report warns that if the country does not have a more effective solution to tackling droughts, hosepipe bans, limited availability of water and even standpipes could become a reality.

Southern Water said that steps are already being taken to try and minimise the impact of drought in the future, including:

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• Working with building developers to offer incentives to introduce water-reuse methods into new homes • Introducing water metering programme across the region - which is already helping to save over 27million litres per day.

• Proactively tackling leakage. Southern Water has the lowest leakage levels in the industry.

• Using water-based ‘catchment schemes’ integrating all the elements of the water cycle including water resources, water use and consumption across domestic, agricultural and commercial environments.

• Planning its first water desalination plant for 2028 • Working to find ways of transferring water from different areas of the country and different water providers in times of water shortage.

To read the report, please go to: www.water. org.uk/news-water-uk/latest-news/researchshows-more-action-needed-protect-againstgrowing-drought-risk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

NEWS z

FT Pipeline Systems launches new product FTPS has launched the latest innovation of dual containment hose PF DetectTM. The unique product has been developed specifically for the chemical dosing market and offers a number of important benefits.

It does away with the need for expensive catchpots and reduces the risk of environmental damage with minimal chemical leakage as the system can also be wired to switch off the pump in the unlikely event of a leak. This will enable the user to connect a reserve line (if present) within seconds.

The fear of aggressive chemicals getting out into the environment, due to undetected leaks, was the reason behind the development of dual containment hose.

With PF-DetectTM this fear can be almost eradicated. The leak detection system only requires a minimal amount of liquid to trigger the alarm and shut off procedure, with the leaked liquid contained by the versatile polyurethane jacket.

The hose is already approved by major water and wastewater treatment companies.

Leading pipe supplier, FT Pipeline Systems, has been providing steel water pipes, field joint protection sleeves (Canusa) and stoptap replacement locking lids to the UK water industry for more than 25 years.

pipes, fittings and valves for this sector.

FTPS can supply you with a complete pipeline solution including plastic, flexible and rigid dual containment hose for chemical dosing, valves, fittings and flanges to all recognised standards of material in the Water Treatment market.

It has recently expanded into the water treatment market offering a range of specialist

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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Sewage treatment works - back from the abyss!

Market Drayton Sewage Treatment Works serves a population of 18,400 and discharges into the river Tern, a breeding ground for Brown Trout. Market Drayton STW had a UT failure and 8 action limit breaches for ammonia and BOD in 2010 and was the tenth most vulnerable works in Severn Trent’s West region.

The problem The performance of the oxidation ditches and final settlement tanks was being affected by mixer and blower failures. These problems were exacerbated by diffuser blinding and blockage of Final Settlement Tank bell mouths. Due to these issues, there was poor Dissolved Oxygen control in the ditches resulting in filamentous bacteria growth and associated solids in the final effluent leading to compliance risks.

Market Drayton STW also has a 2mg/l Phosphorus consent which is met by chemical dosing. The Ferric dosing rate was double the template standard and this attributed to poor mixing in the oxidation ditches. It was believed that the P limit could be met through Biological nutrient removal if the aeration and mixing were working as designed. BNR Biological Nutrient Removal - a process used for nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater before it is discharged into surface or ground water - was occurring in the ditches prior to the above issues arising.

To maintain dissolved oxygen levels, a hired blower and generator have been deployed with an annual cost of £162,000 in hire and fuel costs. Furthermore, local neighbours had complained due to the noise from the constant running of the generator. The power required

by the existing mixers and blower was also very close to exceeding the available power to the works, creating further risks.

The solution The main contractor JN Bentley asked Suprafilt - specialists in the design, installation and commissioning of both fixed and lift-out fine-bubble diffused aeration systems for municipal and industrial sewage treatment plants, to come up with a solution. Upon evaluation it was clear that the existing mixers and aeration system were not designed to work together and were “fighting against each other”. This was resulting in poor treatment and wasting of power. Suprafilt took an holistic approach and selected appropriate mixers and aeration diffusers and produced a computational fluid dynamics analysis to model the process and ensure that both mixers and aeration were designed to work together.

This resulted in huge savings in power, optimised treatment and elimination of the power and consent risks whilst improving operability, treatment and Phosphorous removal.

The Suprafilt 9” diameter membrane disc diffusers not only increased oxygen transfer efficiency but also had Teflon PTFE coating to prevent the blinding of diffusers. Wilo mixers were selected to not only give high efficiency

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and reliability, but were also fitted with back curved blades to eliminate rag build-up. The speed of the blades was also optimised to give the required tank velocity when working with the aeration system and not against it.

The Wilo mixers are Wilo-EMU TR316.774/16 – two per ditch. They are slow running submersible mixers reduced by a two-stage planetary gear. They provide energetically optimized mixing and circulation of activated sludges and the generation of flow rates in circulation channels. The planetary gear enables transmission of high torque to the propeller with an aerodynamic design. It features a replaceable planetary gear for adjusting the propeller speed and comes with a self-cleaning propeller with backwardcurved blades to avoid tressing.

The first feedback following the new installations has been extremely positive. This shows a typically 45% reduction in energy usage following the installation. At 10p/kw this equates to an annual saving of £68,975 and provides a return on investment in 2.4 years.

A highly successful outcome courtesy of Superafilt and Wilo – converting a problem into an opportunity, courtesy of the project team on the job.

Challenge convention: visit advancedgritmanagement.com or search advanced grit management online.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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Consultation held into drought plan Water bosses have been seeking views on their plans to tackle future droughts in the North West.

United Utilities launched a consultation on its new Drought Plan to give local people an opportunity to have their say.

All water companies have a legal duty to update their drought plans regularly. The plans set out in comprehensive detail the measures they will take, and when, to safeguard vital water supplies while minimising the effect on the environment.

Depending on how bad the situation was, that could potentially include things like hosepipe bans, drought orders or even water restrictions.

The last drought in the North West was in 2010, when the company imposed a six-week hosepipe ban in parts of the region to help preserve water. It was the first ban the region had seen in 14 years. No further actions were needed.

Dr Richard Blackwell, United Utilities’ Head of Water Resources said that with seven million customers and some of the most precious and protected habitats in the UK, the North West had its own unique issues.

He said: “Despite having a reputation for wet weather, the North West is not immune to the risk of drought. Droughts can happen at any time of year and they’re all different. We have to be able to cope with anything.

“We are quite unique in that 90% of all our drinking water in the North West comes from reservoirs and rivers, rather than groundwater sources. The rest of the UK only gets an

average of 60% of its water from reservoirs and rivers.”

United Utilities has already spoken to a large number of specialist groups and stakeholders in writing its plan.

A number of workshops were held across the region for key partners.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

NEWS z

Competition ‘could be good for customers’

Company joins joint venture Black & Veatch has joined Thames Water’s eight2O alliance by combining forces with Costain and Atkins (CABV) in design-build joint ventures.

A new report suggests that introducing competition to the residential retail water market could be worth almost £3bn and prevent water customers being left behind in a retail revolution.

The assessment comes as Ofwat published its report on the costs and benefits of introducing competition to the residential retail water market in England, as requested by the government.

Cathryn Ross, Chief Executive of Ofwat, said: “We are living in an age of retail revolution, but water customers are being left behind.

In its assessment, Ofwat stressed the uncertainty in predicting the outcome of opening the market, but has identified a range of potential financial and service benefits.

“The service offers from water companies can feel behind the curve compared to the innovation customers benefit from when buying other goods. The uncomfortable truth is that, when it comes to retail offers, water companies provide an analogue service in a digital age.

The financial benefits from opening the market to competition could be worth £2.9bn over 30 years, which amounts to £8 per customer, per year.

“Customers tell us they think they should have the freedom to choose and don’t understand why water is the only retail market in which there isn’t some form of competition.

Ofwat’s report suggests that reductions in customer bills are possible but likely to be small, especially in the short term. However, it says it could lead to innovation, improved customer service, new offers – including bundling of products such as energy and telecoms with water – and, crucially, give customers the freedom to choose their supplier – ending the final retail monopoly.

Customer research suggests that 56% think having choice would be a good thing.

“But, of course, this isn’t a one-way street.

There are significant costs to be considered, and it will be important to ensure that customers are treated fairly in a competitive market and that vulnerable customers are protected.”

During the review, Ofwat heard from a number of potential new entrants, who can see the opportunity from a new market to provide retail services more efficiently, to offer new products and services, and make customers’ lives easier.

Ofwat’s modelling of potential costs and benefits also identifies possible improvements in water efficiency and in reducing bad debt costs, as retailers get better information about customers and their water use.

* UK water regulator Ofwat has produced a report about introducing competition to the residential retail water market.

Water UK said: “Customer satisfaction with the value for money of water services has risen in recent years. Water companies remain intensely focused on delivering continued improvements and are working hard to prepare for next April’s start of retail competition for 1.2 million business customers in England.

“Extending retail competition to over 20 million households could secure potential benefits for domestic customers, but would also be a major undertaking and so deserves to be given very careful consideration.”

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The CABV joint venture is involved in the design, construction and commissioning of new water and wastewater treatment and carriage technologies.

Black & Veatch will support the activities with real-time data analysis achieved using the company’s ASSET360™ tool.

Scott Aitken, managing director, Black & Veatch Europe, said: “By providing expertise and tools for gathering and analysing data in real time, we help support data and insight-driven service improvements that benefit Thames Water’s customers.

“Efficiency, affordability, customer service and competition are among UK water companies’ greatest challenges. Data is the common thread in meeting these challenges: more data, better data and, most importantly, better data analysis to allow better informed decisions.”

CABV will execute projects across Thames Water’s region in London and the Thames Valley and complement the joint venture’s support for the other eight2O partners.

Alongside Thames Water, these include the Skanska, MWH and Balfour Beatty design-build joint venture.

Most of the initial investment has been targeted at schemes with the greatest impact on leakage reduction, flooding and energy efficiency. The latter includes a large-scale combined heat and power programme at wastewater treatment works.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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Water company announces change ahead of opening up of the market

Thames Water has announced that Castle Water is to provide billing and associated services for its business customers, including charities and public sector organisations.

Castle Water started to take on retail activities for business customers on behalf of Thames Water from autumn 2016, with responsibility transferring across in stages.

Mr Baggs said: “The Government is fully opening the national retail market for business customers in order to increase competition, welcome new entrants, inject new ideas and create a more diverse range of services tailored for business needs.

“Our decision will help to deliver those aspirations and we fully believe it is in the best interests of all our customers – both households and businesses.

“Responsibility for the water, pipes and underground infrastructure will stay with us – and we will continue to deliver a safe, reliable operational service to all our customers in the Thames Water supply region.

Castle Water will then acquire the business retail operation when the competitive market opens nationally from April 2017.

“Billing and cash collection for business customers is a highly specialised area and we expect it to become more so as the competitive market develops.

Thames Water chief executive Martin Baggs said the agreement will allow the company to concentrate on its core regional household business, allowing business retail specialist Castle Water to handle billing and cash collection for 250,000 business customers in the open market, including those in Scotland.

“Transferring this discrete element of our operations to Castle Water will allow us to focus all our energy on delivering excellent operational water and wastewater services to all our customers and retail services to household customers, who continue to see improvements in the service we deliver.

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“In turn, it allows Castle Water to play to their greatest strength, which is in providing retail services tailored for business customers on a national platform.”

Thames Water will continue to provide retail services to household customers, which make up more than 95 per cent of its customer base.

The company will also continue to invest heavily in this area over the five-year regulatory period, including a significant investment in a new customer relationship and billing system for the household retail business.

It will also continue to supply water and wastewater services to all its existing customers, across London and the Thames Valley, retaining full responsibility for treatment and network operations – including 20,000 miles of water pipes and 68,000 miles of sewers – and operational customer enquiries.

John Reynolds, CEO of Castle Water,said: “We are excited about the opportunity to provide retail services to business customers in the Thames Water area, building on our experience as one of the fastest growing water suppliers in the UK.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

NEWS z

Closer partnership is announced Southern Water has announced a closer working partnership with water suppliers Wight Crystal to improve community services following a significant burst main in Ryde in August.

The partnership includes a commitment to exploring the possibility of using Wight Crystal for alternative supplies in the event of an emergency to reach people faster in times of need.

Keith Herbert, Southern Water’s operational manager on the Isle of Wight said: “We are thrilled to be working alongside Wight Crystal as well as supporting The Way Forward programme, and look forward to working even more closely together in the future.

“We understand the loss of water in Ryde and surrounding areas had a significant impact on a large number of residents and we have taken on board comments from our customers around alternative water supplies during emergencies.

“As a result of this event, we have put our emergency response plans under close

scrutiny in order to make improvements where possible to ensure the best service for our customers.”

which provides activities supporting people with physical and learning disabilities, autism and long term conditions.

Wight Crystal’s spring water is extracted by Southern Water from Knighton and the charity pays towards this service.

Southern Water have donated £2,500 to the Way Forward and will be providing volunteers to help refurbish a kitchen as well as fitting new water efficiency devices to help the save charity water, energy and money.

As a registered charity Wight Crystal work alongside The Way Forward Programme,

Portsmouth Water announces partnership with Castle Water

Portsmouth Water has selected Castle Water as its partner to provide billing and associated services for its business customers.

The move has been announced ahead of the introduction in 2017 of competition in water retail services for business customers in England, castle Water, a specialist business retailer, will bill, handle calls and undertake other retail activities for business customers, initially on behalf of Portsmouth Water, but in their own right from April 20171 when the competitive market is expected to open. At that point Portsmouth Water intends to exit the business customer retail market. This change only impacts water retail services for business customers.

Portsmouth Water will continue to provide retail services to household customers, which represent 95% of its customer base.

It will also continue to supply water to all of its existing customers, and will remain responsible for water abstraction, treatment and maintaining its network of pipes. There will be no changes to the cost of services as a result of this change or to the quality and reliability of the water supply.

Neville Smith, Managing Director of Portsmouth Water, said: “From April 2017 business customers in our region and elsewhere will be able to choose their water retailer. We have considered whether to set up a separate business to compete in this national market or to pass our customers to a specialist provider. We decided that working with a specialist provider represents the most sensible and cost effective solution for a company of Portsmouth Water’s size and for

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our customers. This will enable us to focus on our core activity of the reliable supply of high quality water.

“Castle Water stands out as a company that, like Portsmouth Water, prides itself on offering high levels of service at a low price and is therefore ideally placed to satisfy the retail needs of our business customers.”

John Reynolds, CEO of Castle Water, said “Castle Water was founded to participate in both the English and Scottish markets for business water supplies. We have become one of the leading independent suppliers to business water customers in Scotland, and we are excited about the opportunity to work with Portsmouth Water going forwards.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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New filtration configuration cuts energy costs

A newly-patented submerged aerated filtration (SAF) configuration for wastewater treatment, which has been developed by Hampshire-based WPL, can cut energy use by 40% and be retrofitted into full-scale sewage works.

By altering the specific gravity, using a higher surface area biomedia and undertaking a hydraulic redesign of the SAF, WPL engineers have ensured that the media now moves slowly, removing the need for scouring. This also enables a reduction in process air as oxygen transfer is improved.

The latest research and development initiative is part of the company’s drive to look for ways to improve energy use, which could make it possible for WPL to halve the overall amount of energy used by its plants and bring throughlife costs in line with those for rotating biological contactors (RBC). This is one of the first steps of a three-year programme to reduce power consumption.

WPL technical director Andrew Baird said: “Over the past three years the company has been looking at the way the media works inside the tank and the way this can be made more efficient. Implementing this latest research has enabled us to cut the energy

taken to run our plants by between 35 and 40 %, which is a huge benefit for our customers.”

Due to the hydraulic redesign and alteration of the specific gravity of the media when coated with biomass, the media sinks to the bottom of the SAF tank, where the process air is introduced. The air cleans off the biomass enabling the media to rise again, carrying sloughed off sludge with it.

Trials at Cranfield University and with a major UK utility suggest that application of the new media, combined with the hydraulic design of the SAF, removes the need for regular scouring by preventing sludge build-up in the tank.

The self-cleaning media has a much larger specific surface area. This means the physical footprint of a traditionally configured biozone can be reduced by 33% – impacting on power consumption by the same percentage.

Andrew, who is also Convenor of British Water’s Package Treatment Plant Forum, said:

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“The key to the new process design is ensuring that the media moves slowly around the tank without the need for energy. When the media becomes coated with biomass it is naturally heavier so falls to the bottom of the tank where the process air from the diffusers clean off the biomass making the media float.

“The circulation within the tank prevents sludge build-up both in the tank and on the media, allowing a higher specific area to be used in highly BOD-loaded applications. This significantly reduces design parameters and directly reduces energy use.

“Unlike other technologies using submerged media, WPL’s SAF plant can be filled in varying ratios for specific applications up to 90% of the available volume whilst still maintaining performance. The system uses gravity rather than electrical energy to scour the media and bring solids that would normally settle in the biozone to the surface where a cross-current carries it forward in the process.”

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Yorkshire Water takes ownership of more than 350 sewage pumping stations New government legislation was introduced on 1st July 2011 which determined that by 1st October 2016 all water and sewerage companies should take over the responsibility for privately owned sewerage pumping stations.

Since 2014, a dedicated Yorkshire Water team has been trying to find hundreds of private sewage pumping stations hidden throughout the region. To date, more than 350 have been found

Approximately 70 new jobs will be created within Wood Group under the five-year contract, which took effect on October 1, 2016.

Seqwater CEO Peter Dennis said: “The people in our maintenance team are experts in their fields. We wanted to extend that team by joining forces with an organisation we could work together with to build on our strengths and capabilities and help us to further improve our systems and processes.

Dave Wilson, Transfer Manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “Sewage pumping stations can be situated anywhere; in gardens, on public land next to houses or businesses, or just on the side of the road. Many are located in private gardens and land that we don’t normally have authority to enter which is why we’ve needed help from customers to find them. We’ve been working on this project since early in 2014 but we believe there are still more pumping stations to be found.

Eligible pumping stations are those which serve more than one property and connect to the existing public sewer network. If a pumping station serves a single property but sits outside the property boundary it will also be eligible.

Seqwater has selected the Scottishbased Wood Group as its partner in a collaborative contract to maintain the South East Queensland (SEQ) Water Grid in Australia.

The innovative partnership will see the formation of a single maintenance team which provides leverages expertise and capabilities across the two companies.

Sewage pumping stations pump sewage from homes along underground sewers to the nearest waste water treatment plant where it is treated.

“It’s not too late for customers to ask us to visit and a survey a pumping station free of charge to check it’s eligible for transfer to Yorkshire Water ownership. Customers need to look out for steel access covers and/or a kiosk, usually green, which contains the electrical control equipment for the pumps.”

Wood Group teams up for Australian venture

Once the transfer has been completed Yorkshire Water will take on responsibility for all maintenance, repair and energy costs for each pumping station. The transfer could also result in savings to customers of up to £1,200 per year in shared energy and maintenance costs.

Customers wishing to understand more about private sewage pumping stations and what they look like can find information here or call 0345 1 24 24 24 to report one.

Sewage pumping stations can be situated anywhere; in gardens, on public land next to houses or businesses, or just on the side of the road. Many are located in private gardens and land that we don’t normally have authority to enter which is why we’ve needed help from customers to find them. We’ve been working on this project since early in 2014 but we believe there are still more pumping stations to be found.

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“Under this new arrangement Wood Group is our partner, not just a service provider. Our people will work as one team to keep the water flowing and maintain South East Queensland’s extensive network of bulk water assets.”

Robin Watson, Wood Group’s chief executive, said: “Wood Group has 19 years’ experience delivering maintenance services to the water industry in Australia.

“This new collaborative contract is testament to our strong knowledge and broad capabilities, which will enable us to work with Seqwater to enhance value, efficiency and productivity.

“We will leverage our expertise in electrical, instrumentation, mechanical, pipeline and civil maintenance to support Seqwater’s diverse portfolio of assets, including dams, water treatment plants, pumping stations, bore fields and bulk water pipelines.

“Our commitment to developing local content where we operate will be reflected, with a focus on providing employment opportunities across South East Queensland.”

The five-year collaborative contract is valued at around US $30 million.

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Flooding risk initiative underway

North East children helped to kick off a new community initiative aimed at reducing the risk of flooding.

Pupils from Mickley First School have become the first to take part in a scheme by Northumbrian Water which will address potential future flood risk and help build resilience to climate change.

The scheme will involve working more closely with communities across the region to reduce the amount of surface water that enters the sewer network. This will help to increase its capacity, which is particularly important during heavy rainfall.

The new initiative, which is part of the company’s wider surface water management programme, Rainwise, is industry-leading in progressing proactive community-led flood reduction solutions in locations that have not suffered flooding in the past, while providing additional benefit to those that have.

It also seeks to raise awareness about how people of the North East can get involved by managing surface water around their home and reduce the risk of flooding in their community as a whole.

Working in partnership with contractors Esh-MWH, Northumbrian Water has created a sustainable drainage system at the school near Prudhoe, by installing planters and a water butt.

Rainwater from the roof will also be diverted via a swale (grassy ditch) into a wildlife pond.

These measures will help to prevent surface water from entering the sewer network.

At the launch of the initiative, pupils learnt about the causes of flooding, how to manage surface water, and the differences and impact of permeable and impermeable surfaces.

Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director at Northumbrian Water, said: “We need to be prepared for the future as population growth, an increase in the amount of impermeable surfaces and more rainfall means that our sewerage network is under increasing pressure.

“By taking a proactive approach and working with communities, we hope to better understand local surface water issues and will work to identify the right solutions to minimise flood risk.

“Partnership working is also vital to tackle flooding in a holistic and cost effective way and we will work with local authorities’ and organisations like the Environment Agency whenever we can.”

As well as installing new pipes to transfer surface water away from the sewer network and new tanks to store storm water, Northumbrian Water will use sustainable drainage solutions where possible.

These may include rainwater gardens, ponds or grassed-detention basins and have wider

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social and environmental benefits, including providing a green space in urban areas and creating valuable wildlife habitats.

Mr Warneford added: “We are encouraging people to get involved with this initiative, accessing our online community portal and providing us with the local knowledge in the areas we’re working in.

“The scheme will also help provide understanding of how small changes around the home can make a positive difference to managing surface water.”

Head teacher of Mickley First School, Andy Hudson, said: “With the support of Northumbrian Water employees our pupils made rain gauges, explored permeability of materials and planted flowers in our new planters.

“As a result the children understand they can have an impact, however small, on their local area and we hope that through being involved in this project it will perhaps encourage others to take their own actions to help reduce the impact of flooding.”

For more information about Rainwise, see www.nwl.co.uk/rainwise

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Pollution reports fall A report from the Environment Agency shows that pollution incidents involving water companies are falling.

Regional group is created A new regional group has been launched aimed at improving gender balance and promoting diversity in science and engineering in the North East.

The WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) campaign’s new North East Hub held its first meeting at Northumbrian Water’s Boldon House, in Pity Me, Durham.

People from across the North East’s science and engineering sector, as well as others responsible for promoting diversity within businesses in the industry, attended the event.

Speakers included Northumbrian Water’s Chief Executive, Heidi Mottram OBE, as well as Suzy Firkin, Membership Director of the national WISE campaign.

Heidi said: “As a company, we recognise the value and importance of diversity and inclusion in our workforce and are actively working to improve. It’s great that

Northumbrian Water is helping to take this new group forward, as we look to promote the work and messages of WISE in the North East.

“The creation of the new group gives a forum to engage with other forward-thinking organisations, to share our individual successes and best practice, so that we can help others across the region to embrace diversity and inclusion.”

Heidi was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Hull, acknowledging her achievements in business.

She has also been appointed as HRH The Prince of Wales’ Ambassador to the North East by Business In The Community and was listed in the Telegraph newspaper’s Top 50 Women in Engineering list.

Suzy Firkin, Membership Director at WISE, said: “It is always a pleasure to see the energy and enthusiasm of our members when they come together to share experiences and support each other in ensuring more women than ever before are an active part of the STEM workforce.”

For further information contact WISE at info@wisecampaign.org.uk

Water quality project under way Yorkshire Water has invested £1.3 million on a project to improve drinking water quality for Whitby.

The water company’s partners Morrison Utility Services have been replacing old water pipes to improve water quality.

Thirteen kilometres of water mains in more than 40 streets will be improved, and the team will be working in Whitby until the

end of March 2017, with a break over the Christmas period.

Dave Standish, Yorkshire Water Project Manager said; “We hope the local community can bear with us whilst we carry out these improvements and we’ll do our best to minimise any disruption. We have written to local residents already and will continue to keep the local community informed of our progress.”

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The figures come as the water industry continues to show that it is committed to improving the quality of waters around the UK. Between 1990 and 2020, the industry will have invested £25 billion in environmental work.

This dedication has led to significant reductions in pollution incidents, with the Environment Agency reporting a 50% fall in phosphorus load discharged, and 23% decrease in biological oxygen demand load from sewage treatment works since 2000.

Such improvements have seen protection or improvements to 15,000km of rivers in the UK since 1995. The most recent EA results on bathing waters also show that 95.4% of UK waters met the required standard, while 60% met the excellent standard.

Satisfaction on the up Satisfaction with value for money among water customers has increased to a five year high according to CCWater’s annual ‘Water Matters’ survey.

More than three-quarters of customers are now reporting satisfaction for both water and sewerage services, an improvement of 5% since 2011.

The survey also found that customer satisfaction with the quality of their tap water and sewerage services remains very high, at 93% and 91% respectively.

Average bills for water and wastewater customers are set to fall by around 5% in real terms between 2015 and 2020 and water companies are allocating millions of pounds of funding each year to help customers struggling to pay their bills.

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Stonbury holds its 5th Annual Water Industry Asset & Quality Conference Stonbury are a specialist contractor to the water industry, holding framework contracts for the refurbishment of water towers, reservoirs and associated assets throughout the clean and waste water sectors.

Stonbury’s objective has been to bring together representatives from all the UK’s Water Companies to share their latest innovations and best practice. The conference allows delegates to share not only their current challenges, but also their most successful strategies and methodologies to date, improving water quality and asset maintenance across the UK. The conference was first held in 2012 and has experienced year on year growth. This year, the event held on Tuesday 22nd November 2016 introduced a new ‘Innovation Lounge’ for suppliers to display their products and services. Exhibitors were invited on stage for a two-minute speed showcase to attract the relevant delegates to their stands. The introduction of the Innovation Lounge and organic growth in attendees has meant the conference was held centrally at a larger venue of the New Hall, Sutton Coldfield.

Each year, the conference reports on practice improvements throughout the industry, presented directly by water authorities and

industry professionals. This year speakers included presentations by: Severn Trent Water, Thames Water, The Fluid Group and Mott MacDonald. Stonbury were pleased to welcome back yearly support from the Drinking Water Inspectorate. Dr Guy Franklin, DWI Inspector and Reg 31 Scientist who presented on case studies from across the industry and remained for the duration of the conference to answer questions throughout the day.

Amber Telford, Mott McDonald presented on the Provision of Industry Guidance on Management of Clean Water Storage Assets, discussing the best practice for design, installation, operation and management of treated water storage assets. The topic derived from the ongoing UKWIR commissioned research project, utilising a collaboration of knowledge from industry professionals, with a goal to set a common standard of practice throughout the UK industry. Stonbury have also been a part of this project, assisting on advice from their specialised area of asset refurbishment.

Ian Hope, Dams and Reservoirs Manager, Severn Trent Water: “I found the day both stimulating and rewarding. Each presentation was to a high standard and the presenter’s experts in their fields. The conference was well attended by industry professionals from across the country, which provided fertile ground for informed discussion and debate. Thank you for organising such a useful event” Jon Featherstone, Commercial Director: “This year’s conference appeared to be well received by everyone in attendance. The wide range of topics and issues discussed ensured that concentration levels were maintained throughout the day, the quality of the speakers complemented this. The messages communicated provided all listening with some serious food for thought and further discussion

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when they return to their own environments.”

James Stonor: “Our 2016 Conference brought together over 70 representatives from almost every water company in the UK. Whilst continuing to address the challenge of combating bacteriological failures in service reservoirs this year also saw us expand the subject matter to consider asset management and best practice particularly under the new industry theme of Totex.

The conference was a phenomenal success with some brilliant presentations sharing information and best practise. As with previous years we were delighted to welcome back the DWI who also presented. It wasn’t just the quality of the presentations that ensured the conferences success but the attitude of all who attended. Delegates were there to share and communicate with each other taking full advantage of the opportunity to be amongst others from the industry facing similar challenges.

This year we also introduced an innovation lounge where suppliers to the water industry could showcase their latest innovations and this was also a great success and will definitely feature and be expanded in future conferences.

I would like to thank all who came and look forward to welcoming guests back again as well as many new faces” Next year Stonbury aims to continue growing the conference by bringing more concepts of innovation and methodology to water delegates.

For further information and to express your interest in attending or contributing, please email laura@stonbury.co.uk.

clean water

waste water

steel

concrete

civil engineering

INDUSTRY LEADERS IN THE REFURBISHMENT OF WATER RETAINING STRUCTURES AND ASSOCIATED ASSETS

REFURBISHMENT: RESERVOIRS - WATER TOWERS - CONCRETE/STEEL TANKS & VESSELS - DAMS - SPILLWAYS AQUEDUCTS - PIPE BRIDGES - PIPEWORK - CLEAN WATER & SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS NEW BUILD: CONCRETE/ STEEL TANKS & VESSELS WORKS: INSPECTION SURVEY - RELINING SPECIALIST COATINGS - CORROSION PROTECTION WATERPROOFING - CONCRETE REPAIR - CLEANING & CHLORINATION DESIGN/INSTALL: SECURITY WORKS INC LPC4 ACCESS COVERS - ACCESS LADDERS, HANDRAILS & WALKWAYS - SURGE VESSELS - SUPPLY/INSTALLATION M&E WORKS CIVIL ENGINEERING: DEEP EXCAVATION - STREETWORKS - DEMOLITION - INTERNAL, EXTERNAL & UNDERGROUND PIPEWORK - VALVES - DRAINAGE - RETAINING WALLS - ACCESS ROADS, HARD STANDING & PARKING AREAS CABINETS - SMALL BUILDING INSTALLATION - DEMOLITION - FLOOR SLABS & SCREEDS

Head Office: 187c High Street, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0JB t 01234 750924 e enquiries@stonbury.co.uk www.stonbury.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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Wastewater grit sampling underway with Hydro International’s HeadCell UK pilot unit

When it comes to grit, do you know what you are missing?

When it comes to grit, do UK Water Companies know what they are missing? Wastewater treatment plant operators have lived with a compromise, “one size fits all” approach to keeping their grit nuisance at bay at the inlet works. By accepting this norm, many may simply not know how much grit they are missing.

Keith Hutchings

Senior Market Development Engineer with Hydro International

Our research shows, on average, 60% of all grit is being missed by existing conventional solutions - a major source of avoidable process inefficiency, operating, maintenance and replacement costs.

Too often, the costs are borne as part of ongoing plant operation - almost without question. Now, water companies are striving to achieve progress towards Totex objectives in AMP6 and beyond and becoming more open to innovative approaches.

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Why grit matters The effects of grit on a wastewater treatment plant are often underestimated. Grit threatens effective treatment through abrasion and accumulation; poor grit removal leads to process inefficiencies and increases electricity costs.

Too often, the costs are borne as part of ongoing plant operation - almost without question. Whether a primary tank or digester

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needs cleaning out, a sludge pump stripping down, or aerators need unclogging, it is just something that has to be done.

As a consequence, maintenance budgets are burdened with excessive plant and personnel costs to periodically remove grit build-up in tanks and basins. In the meantime, clogged aeration basins diffusers lead to wasted energy use and greater carbon footprint.

Draining down and cleaning out a primary tank can cost as much as £100,000 and may need to be repeated every five to seven years.

It is calculated for every 1% increase in grit downstream, there is a 1% increase in wasted energy.

Grit filled aeration basin

The Grit Shake-Up There is also a growing realisation that the standard model of grit we have taken for granted more or less since the 1940s is wrong. Conventional approaches that target 95% removal of grit particles of 200 micron or greater are based on outdated industry guidance going back more than 70 years. In addition, false assumptions about the behavior of grit mean many systems are falling well short even of this target.

False Assumptions Our current industry standards (WIMES standard no. 2.02 Grit Removal and Treatment Equipment 2008) make assumptions about the nature and form of grit. Similar to the current USA standards (Water Environment Federation Method of Practice 8 and Metcalf and Eddy) they make some key assumptions for ‘convenience’: • Grit is a clean silicate sand particle of above 200 microns in size • The particle has a uniform, smooth spherical shape • The specific gravity (SG) is 2.65.

Based on these assumptions, the standards have established an all-purpose particle settling-out rate depending on flow rate, which defines conventional treatment and equipment design parameters. Conventional grit removal equipment is designed to remove up to 95% of this size and shape of grit. That is if working at peak design efficiency.

Digital particle analysis helps to demonstrate (above) typical wastewater grit with accumulated fats and organics and (below) typical silicate sand particles in the 106 micron to 75 micron range, or even smaller. Grit shapes are seldom spherical and shape significantly affects the particle settling rate. Actual particles are frequently rough in texture, which allows even smaller particles and organics to bind to them.

The particles frequently carry organics, such as soaps, fats, oils and grease, which expand the surface area or clump together, and thus significantly affect the settling rate.

Change of Approach Hydro International is introducing a radical change of approach to grit removal in wastewater treatment plants to the UK which could be fundamental to achieving progress towards water company Totex objectives in AMP6 and beyond.

Following extensive sampling, experience and observation of more than 400 installations, Advanced Grit ManagementTM offers a robust approach that closely reflects realistic grit particle behavior.

Are we looking at the wrong grit?

The sampling we are conducting in the UK is showing that this cosy picture of grit is wrong.

Overall, we are finding that around 60% of grit is smaller than 200 microns and in some places an even greater proportion than that. The indication is that most grit removal systems may actually be removing as little as 20% to 30% of the incoming total grit load.

From our experience working with more than 200 installations in North America we know that, in fact, the majority of particles can be

The HeadCell with GritCup and SpiraSnail from Hydro International

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HeadCell pilot unit showing stacked tray system The opportunity has come about through the technology transfer of a high-performance grit removal system to the UK from the USA. The HeadCell® grit separation system is combined with the rigorous AGM approach to achieve optimum grit removal for each wastewater treatment plant.

Hydro International is seeking water company partners to conduct pilot trials at wastewater plants in the UK, as well as to set up a full operating trial site. The trials will study the potential for AGM to establish new standards based on removing more, finer grit particles at the inlet works than has conventionally been accepted as standard. Already sampling studies underway with several water companies are showing promising results.

For more information about Advanced Grit Management technologies from Hydro International, email enquiries@hydro-int.com or visit www.advancedgritmanagement.com

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Sykes Pumps launches new rapid response unit Sykes Pumps is set to revolutionise the way that utility companies, contractors and local authorities manage their emergency pumping requirements with the launch of its compact Rapid Response Pump, which can be fully-operational immediately upon delivery.

Capable of pumping up to 130,000 litres per hour, the new Rapid Response unit from Sykes Pumps features a 35 litre capacity integral fuel tank that enables up to 24 hours’ continuous use. It is so lightweight that it can be towed by a van, and be pushed into position, connected and switched on by a single operative within seconds.

Fully automatic with a simple key ignition and swift release couplings for faster installation, the self-priming pump can be transported to site and set up without any specialist equipment, training or commissioning, ensuring localised flooding can be brought under control faster than ever before.

Explains Sykes Pumps’ sales director, Chris Graham: “Transport legislation has been tightened to restrict the weights that can be towed by vans and non-tachographed vehicles, which can delay transportation of larger pumps to site.

“Those delays can be costly in terms of programme interruption, remediation, manpower and knock on effects. With the launch of the lightweight and compact Rapid Response unit, Sykes Pumps is resolving that issue, ensuring that an effective emergency solution can be deployed within minutes, without any additional transport or manpower requirements.”

Sykes Pumps has created a video to demonstrate just how quickly and easily the Rapid Response units can be deployed, which

is available to view on the company’s website www.andrews-sykes.com.

The company has invested in significant numbers of the new model to add to its extensive fleet and anticipates that customers will hire the units to store as emergency standby equipment in their yards and depots for instant deployment as and when required.

Chris continues: “Despite its compact size and lightweight assembly, our new Rapid Response Pump delivers impressive performance, with high flow rates, solids handling to 40mm and high discharge pressures for incidents where extensive hose lengths are required.”

The Rapid Response units are also extremely fuel efficient, with fuel consumption of just 1.4 litres/hour @1500rpm to enable continuous

operation for up to 24 hours. They have been fitted with Tier 4 compliant silenced engines for use in built-up areas, making them ideal for management of burst water mains and pipes in residential and commercial locations.

Chris adds: “We believe that the Rapid Response Pump is a game changer for utility companies, contractors, local authorities and the Environment Agency, helping them to tackle emergency pumping requirements quicker and easier than ever before.

“The design and functionality has been developed specifically to address customers’ requirements based on extensive research and this launch provides another example of Sykes Pumps’ focus on investing in solutions-driven product development.”

We believe that the Rapid Response Pump is a game changer for utility companies, contractors, local authorities and the Environment Agency, helping them to tackle emergency pumping requirements quicker and easier than ever before.

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The new HUBER Q-Press Sludge Dewaterers The re-branding of HUBER’s RoS3Q units to the Q-Press range arrives in tandem with a number of additional optional design features.

Energy efficiency and performance: All Q-Press units now come with an IE4 motor fitted, giving an energy saving of up to 10% and the potential to run at slower speeds where this may be beneficial for maximizing the cake dryness. There is also the option to have a longer thickening zone and larger drainage area on the larger units in order to enhance performance.

Cleaning efficiency: Larger units can now have a double helix on the auger that improves cleaning in the thickening zone. A new patented, selfadjusting wiper design that is more readily changed may now be used to clean the inner

face of the wedge-wire drum more effectively.

An alternative spray bar design to clean the outer face of the wedge-wire on the 620 and 800 size units that is similar to that of the S-Press is now available, such that washing takes place while sludge is still being processed. Additionally, separate washing of the thickening and dewatering zones is now possible.

Ease of maintenance: As larger, longer units would need a significant space requirement to fully withdraw the entire auger, they may now come with split wedge-wire basket sections and more-readily removable upper shells so that wiper sections can be replaced in-situ and the auger can be lifted out from directly above, if required. The lower shell casings also now have a patented design option that facilitates ease of lowering, if required.

• Efficient & reliable operation

Key benefits:

For more information please contact Rachael Harvey on Tel. 01249 765000

• Low polymer requirements • Reduces transport costs

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• Minimum operator attendance • Low power

• 50+ UK reference sites

• Offsite build packages available

Email rh@huber.co.uk or visit our website www.huber.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z WASTEWATER

Supply chain feels first

ripples of Brexit The earliest rumblings of Brexit’s impact on the water market are being felt by the UK supply chain. Gareth Jones, Managing Director of wastewater treatment specialist WPL, reveals how his company is responding.

The result of the EU referendum has triggered a degree of uncertainty unknown in the UK water sector since the privatisation of utilities in England and Wales over 25 years ago. It is natural, when there is uncertainty, for people to wait before they take major decisions, which we have already seen emerging in the construction sector.

plant for a small town, financed from combined EU cohesion funds and investment from the municipality. In Slovenia, we are providing technical assistance and equipment to a long-standing water company client to assist with a problematic wastewater treatment plant installed by another provider only eight years ago.

The products we supply are a fairly substantial purchase, so caution about investment is to be expected. It may be too early to determine the long-term trend, but reflecting the national picture, we have already seen a bit of bounce-back from the immediate post-referendum slowdown.

Technical expertise

Contract wins We had our best month ever in August 2016.

At WPL we are celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary and securing significant orders from Central Europe is a major breakthrough.

As an export business, with networks across the continent, I am happy to report we have not seen any reluctance from our European client-base to engage with a UK partner.

We are proud of having invested in our European distributor network for the long-term, and these orders show that it has paid off.

Access to the European labour market has been invaluable, and we support efforts to keep freedom of movement in place. Our representative in Central Europe came to WPL as an intern through Portsmouth University on a European exchange scheme.

After 12 months, he saw the opportunity for WPL in Central Europe, which is at a similar stage to the UK 10-15 years ago in terms of centralising wastewater treatment. We supported him as he carried-out a sales and marketing function over two years, which is now paying dividends. We knew we needed local knowledge and contacts and we knew that we had to be patient.

An order from Czech Republic was the largest, comprising a first-time wastewater treatment

The technical expertise of a company like WPL is valued by our European clients, and it is a market where a high amount of technical input is required, a need which is unlikely to diminish post-Brexit. For the more complicated schemes WPL has been involved with, we can add value and there is a clear opportunity.

Our package treatment plants are well suited to the way our European partners want to work. They are much easier and cheaper to install than traditional plant, saving on civil engineering works and requiring a much shorter lead-time.

Environmental risk The biggest threat to the UK water market from Brexit is dilution of European legislation like the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Urban Waste Water Directive (UWWD).

European environmental policy has been a huge legislative driver for UK utilities and cabinet minister David Davis, who is leading the negotiations for Brexit, has said that EU law will initially be transposed into domestic law.

WPL has responded to this very important legislation by developing secondary wastewater systems that meet the most stringent consent standards imposed by the Environment Agency, including phosphorus removal. It is important that the environment and water resources are protected, especially in eastern and south-east England, where population growth and climate change pose the greatest challenge.

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Hipaf: Installation of two HiPAF units in Slovenia – WPL equipment is well suited to the way European utilities and contractors want to work Most water companies in the UK are run as commercial companies and may push for a relaxing of standards in the longer-term to drive down costs, which in turn may lead to projects being postponed. WPL is a member of British Water and supports them in lobbying to keep existing European legislation in place and continuing and advancing improvements.

Future outlook We do not know how attitudes in Europe will change as Brexit progresses, but we do not anticipate a hardening of the positions of our partners. Other nations are questioning their place in the EU, so the UK Is not unique and the uncertainty is likely to continue for the forseeable future.

We have put a lot of effort into sourcing partners in Europe and finding our niche. Our products and technical services are highly valued, and there is no reason why that should come down to price alone post-Brexit.

If tariffs are imposed, we will deal with that; it is too important a market to ignore.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

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AVK Pentomech 25mm Stop Tap & AVK Pentomech Universal Fitting & AVK Pentotap 63mm x 25mm PE Self-Tapping Saddle

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AVK Stand at the No Dig exhibition

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AVK Pentobox Grade B 8 Tonne Loading Surface Box, Sealed, Telescopic Height Adjustment, and 25mm Push-fit Outlets

4 AVK Stand at the No Dig exhibition

AVK Pentoflow mains-to-meter range is the solution to a number of problems

By Kieran Fitzpatrick Head of UK Marketing

AVK, the leading supplier of valves, hydrants, pipe-fittings and accessories, is seeing unprecedented interest from the utilities sector following the No Dig Live launch of its new water mains-to-meter range, AVK Pentoflow. AVK head of UK marketing, Kieran Fitzpatrick, says the success proves “AVK Pentoflow is the solution to a number of problems that utilities and developers have put up with for too long: Through-life cost, resistance to damage on-site and durability when installed. Addressing all these issues shows AVK to be the one stop shop for the entire mains-to-meter range.”

The AVK Pentoflow range of five products is constructed of durable materials, delivering leading edge boundary boxes, PE mechanical and push-fit connections, stop taps and ferrules.

Developed with Totex in mind By aligning itself with utility companies’ and contractors’ growing focus on Totex driven requirements for a mains-to-meter range, the design has reduced installation time, maintenance and operation well below that of existing ranges. AVK is now running trials for key utility customers and discussing considerable advantages and value incentives available to largescale developments and projects.

“The launch at No Dig Live prompted a huge reaction from utilities, contractors and self-lay companies concerned with Totex in every aspect of their businesses. Our products have been designed to address that,” explains Fitzpatrick. “By delivering what we believe is

the most durable range on the market we’re told we’ve struck the right note, because a higher standard of product will deliver greater through-life value.”

Developed for durability AVK believe that the durability of the AVK Pentoflow range is key to the products’ success.

Investment has been made in design and materials to deliver better made, longer-lasting and easier to install products.

As Kieran Fitzpatrick says: “Seeing contractors get their hands on the products and understanding how AVK Pentoflow range really takes mains-to-meter a giant leap forward is very gratifying.”

The range includes the class-leading AVK Pentobox, a meter boundary box with a composite Grade B Surface box tested to fully withstand an 8 tonne load, whether installed in the driveway, on the crossover or wherever there is the risk of damage; it will still allow AMR signals to pass uninterrupted.

The AVK Pentopush push-fit connection design has stronger but smaller construction and so will readily marry with existing and old pipework, reducing the cost of retrofit and expansion of pipe works.

On-site robustness means no more contingency/ replacement budgets The cost-saving advantage begins as soon as the AVK Pentoflow range is delivered to site because the AVK Pentoflow range is not susceptible to the damage other less long-lasting products suffer. This means the

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contractor no longer has to replace boundary boxes and fittings even before they have been fully installed.

For example, the guard pipe is polypropylene, not a brittle material such as fibre glass seen in other pipes, so it can withstand the rigours of the construction site for prolonged periods.

One contractor has reported to AVK that up to 50% of its installed mains-to-meter products were being replaced even before the development was finished, due to inferior products being unable to withstand everyday wear on-site.

This, plus the fact the AVK Pentoflow range is designed for ease of installation, results in major savings. Fitzpatrick calls AVK Pentoflow a ‘real world’ solution. “It is vitally important that key mains-to-meter products are built to withstand the wear and tear of the building site.

This means we can say goodbye to contingency budgets needed to replace damaged products even before they’re fully installed.

“The knock-on benefit of that is contractors can put in more competitive bids.”

On testing the products, one self-lay company predicted they could save around £50,000 in the coming year by adopting the AVK Pentoflow range.

With the AVK Pentoflow range, AVK has genuinely asserted itself as a ‘one stop shop’ for every mains-to-meter product.

See www.avkuk.co.uk

NEW AVK PrOduCT rANGE FrOm AVK uK

AVK’s Pentoflow range: all the fittings needed to go from the water main to beyond the meter.

Durable solutions reducing total installation costs of water meters, boundary boxes and related products.

AVK

• • • • •

8 Tonne rating, suitable for footpaths and driveways with regular traffic.

Composite lid allows, if required, AMR technology.

Available as a fully sealed Class 1 or unsealed Class 2.

Telescopic with a height adjustment from 555-850mm.

Patented Push-fit connections - no need to twist.

AVK

• • • • •

Innovative seal – ensures a water tight solution.

Seal design – Improves connections to undersize pipe, pipe showing wear and ovality.

Seal design – reduces effort to insert pipe in sizes > d50mm.

Dedicated fittings means dedicated seals, no long term joint stresses.

All fittings are rated PN16 including Stop taps.

AVK • • • • •

Push-fit solution where space is tight, no tightening required.

Slim-line design minimises excavation and space above ground.

High tech composite materials used gives it a class leading strength, especially with threaded connections.

Universal range offers complete coverage in pipe sizes from 15-63mm OD. Fittings are rated PN16.

AVK

• • • • •

AVK PENTOVALVE plastic Stop taps are available ex-stock.

AVK PENTOMECH joints – Innovative seal design.

AVK PENTOVALVE Stop taps are PN16.

Female gunmetal Stop taps offer flexibility of connection.

BS 5433 gunmetal Stop taps are a proven material and design with 40 years of reliability.

AVK • • • • •

James Pick Business Manager Water Mains to Meter M: +44 (0) 7568 429327 E: japi@avkuk.co.uk

AVK PENTOTAP ferrules and self tapping saddles are available ex-stock.

Live connections on to PE, PVC and AC pipe without specialist equipment.

Pentotap fittings are available up to a pressure rating of PN16.

360° rotational banjo outlets with full flexibility of connection.

Saddles are available up 32” PVCU, d1000mm PE, 28” AC, d800mm Steel and d842mm K9 ductile.

Sales: T: +44 (0) 1604 601188 E: customerservice@avkuk.co.uk

EXPECT... LASTING INNOVATIONS

www.avkuk.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z BREXIT

Challenges but also

opportunities

in the post-Brexit landscape

“Although the decision to leave the European Union caused a certain amount of shock in the UK water industry this was quickly followed by the realisation it is important to work with the result and there is a great amount of work to be done.”

British Water has already been involved in discussions with other trade organisations, with Water UK, and the Government departments for International Trade (DIT) and Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) about how the industry can move forward.

Although the landscape is changing from week to week, it has been very encouraging to see how DIT has been reshaping itself to tackle the challenges ahead.

As the leading membership organisation for the water industry, British Water is well placed to ensure the concerns of the industry are heard, that the regulatory implications are clarified and that opportunities for international trade are not lost.

Uncertainty In the aftermath of the vote there is still considerable uncertainty about what Brexit will mean, in terms of water regulation, agricultural policy, environmental standards and business overseas. British Water asked its 185 members how the decision to leave the UK was likely to affect future business.

An encouraging 42 per cent of those who responded said they were highly optimistic about the likely effect of Brexit on their company’s business, only 20 per cent were pessimistic, while 28 per cent said they felt uncertain.

Asked what the decision might mean to the water industry as a whole, the picture was less clear. Only 25 per cent said they felt highly optimistic, 25 per cent said they were pessimistic and 50 per cent said they felt uncertain.

Environmental standards

Climate of change

Membership of the European Union has had an enormous impact on the water industry.

Over the last 25 years our members have helped bring about enormous improvements in areas such as environmental standards and water quality, improvements have largely been driven by European environmental legislation.

Brexit is just one aspect of a changing landscape for the UK water industry. Ofwat is currently looking forward to AMP7, the next regulatory asset management period (2020-2025). The indications are it will take up the issue of bio-resources as well as the opportunities for bulk water supply and water trading.

Some of us can remember clogged-up canals, dirty beaches and poor water quality before Britain joined the EU and it is important to remember a great deal has been achieved.

There is a suggestion water companies could work more closely with municipal waste disposal operators and look for opportunities for renewable energy generation from biomethane from sewage sludge and municipal household waste.

As the UK moves towards triggering Article 50 it is necessary to understand how legislation will adapt to ensure areas such as water quality and environmental standards are protected in a post-EU UK. The continuing legitimacy of existing environmental legislation needs to be made clear.

British Water is doing all it can to keep its members informed of all the latest developments. By participating in the discussions, the association can ensure government departments are up to speed with the latest thinking and expertise from within the water industry.

Another important consideration will be the effect of leaving the Common Agricultural Policy. The Conservative Government has pledged to maintain support for farmers – but has not yet laid out the conditions it will impose in terms of land management, pollution control and flood prevention.

In the past, conditions stipulated by the Common Agricultural Policy have not always been best suited to the UK economy, landscape and environment. Post-Brexit, the UK may have more freedom to introduce more effective measures to combat issues such as pollution, water management and flooding in rural areas of the UK.

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Co-generation of sewage and household waste for biofuel is highly complicated under current environmental legislation, but innovations in transportation of sludge and energy production could produce value through operating efficiencies and increased asset values. Ofwat has already identified a potential £800m of efficiency savings for customers in England and Wales as this approach is developed.

A more imminent change is the introduction of competition of water retail for business and industrial users, which will come into effect in 2017. This will bring great opportunities to agile, innovative companies and will see a huge boost in demand for smart meters and monitoring technology and added value services.

This focus on the reuse of energy, recycling of water and the growth of smart meters is not just happening in the UK but is part of a global rethink about the way water and waste are treated. The UK has some excellent technologies and British Water is keen to identify the best ways these can be exported to a global market.

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BREXIT z

Stronger future British Water is working to strengthen its links with academia, working closely with Sheffield University, Cranfield University and the STREAM water group to ensure technology being developed in the UK is given every possible support.

Trade missions, which help UK companies create contacts within overseas markets, are one of the practical ways British Water promotes overseas trade and this will become even more important once the UK leaves the European Union.

About Tony Williams

As reflected by the survey results received from British Water members, the UK water industry faces a complex set of circumstances post Brexit. However there are opportunities, as well as challenges, ahead.

Trained as a civil engineer Tony Williams spent 27 years at water and wastewater engineering company Biwater, where he was Proposals Director and Head of Sales, working on major construction projects in the UK, USA, Europe and Asia. He spent three years as European Strategy Director for Water for US consultancy AECOM before setting up his own business AVW Strategic Consulting.

It is more important than ever that the views of water industry experts are considered as the UK makes important decisions about future regulation, environmental legislation and trade. In such challenging and changing circumstances British Water is determined to do its best to ensure that the voice of the water industry is clearly heard.

Tony Williams has been the Chairman of British Water since June 2015.

About British Water British Water is the lead representative and business development organisation for the UK water industry supply chain.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

Flint crisis prompts lead pipe report revisit Manchester, UK: A landmark paper on lead pipe rehabilitation and replacement techniques, based on a project sponsored by the Water Research Foundation (WRF) 15 years ago, has been revisited by a member of the original project advisory committee.

In 2001 the WRF (formerly AWWARF) and the American Water Works Association co-published Lead Pipe Rehabilitation and Replacement Techniques, which was based on a portfolio of research and technology projects undertaken in the UK by North West Water (now United Utilities). Since its publication there have been significant changes to global and national regulatory limits for lead in drinking water as scientists have become better informed about the risk posed to public health, especially in young children’s brain development.

The issue has risen swiftly up the news agenda in recent months following revelations of exposure to lead in drinking water by people living in the US city of Flint, Michigan. Nick Preston, a member of the WRF Project Advisory Committee for the original report and an expert on lead pipe replacement techniques, has authored an update, commissioned by pipeline infrastructure specialist Aquam.

Renewed interest Nick Preston says, “Quite rightly there is a renewed interest in the risks posed by lead in drinking water. Importantly for utilities wanting and needing to take action, there has also been significant development and commercialisation of viable technologies for pipeline rehabilitation, which have yet to be widely adopted by utilities and their supply chain contractors.”

Happily no city in the UK is facing a drinking water crisis. According to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), in 2014, there were just 84 failures at the tighter standard (10μg/l) introduced in 2015 in England, with 70 of these confirmed as being due to customer-owned

whole-life-cost solutions, that meet customer need, remains the objective.

“Utilities, along with owners and occupiers of public buildings recognise their Duty of Care towards their users. They should also be made aware of highly efficient and effective techniques to reduce lead exposure.”

Method selection He advises, “The method selection table shown in this paper has been updated to incorporate the latest technological developments and provides a basis from which those concerned can approach their supply chain or specialist advisors to determine the least cost alternatives available to them.”

pipes and plumbing in older housing. However there are an estimated 10 million homes across 22 utilities which are connected to the mains network by lead supply pipes.

Rule revision In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water has committed to issue a proposed lead and copper rule in 2017, reflecting national issues brought to light by the crisis in Flint, including a reassessment of the sampling regime and lead service line replacement requirements.

Preston says, “Since these early research projects took place, patents on many technologies for lining and replacing lead service and communication pipes have expired. However, the selection of lowest

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Richard Coffey, managing director of Aquam said, “This is a very worrying time for people in Flint, Michigan and other cities affected by the risks posed by lead in drinking water. It is important that those tasked with making supplies safe have access to the full range of options available to them so that any issues can be resolved as quickly as possible.

“It is often assumed that lead pipes have to be ripped out and replaced, but this is no longer the case. Advanced technologies like Aquam’s Nu Line and Serline systems offer a safer, lower cost alternative that minimise disruption to the customer.”

The white paper, Lead Pipe Rehabilitation and Replacement Techniques – an update, can be downloaded at www.aquamcorp.co.uk/ register.

The original paper can be viewed at www.waterrf.org/PublicReportLibrary/ RFR90789_2000_465.pdf

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

ControlPoint and eight2O set the standard for quality Polyethylene (PE) has been the water industry’s material of choice since it was adopted for use across the UK’s pipeline network in 1980. Today’s PE pipes are are extremely sophisticated and capable of achieving a 200-year operating lifetime. But to deliver that level of performance, correct installation is vital. data from ControlPoint which told us the percentage of electrofusion welds that achieved red, amber, green and blue status.

There appeared to be no strategy within eight2O for acting on it other than gradual improvement based on each organisation’s desire to do better, improve their scores and secure the ControlPoint guarantee for joints that achieve “Blue” status. The cutting out of joints that were flagged as red did not appear to be properly managed or controlled.

The data we were receiving showed improvements but we needed assurance that every joint in the ground would give us 200 years life expectancy with documented evidence that the joint was good.

Once the management team were able to clearly see the quality control issue, they were 100% committed to tackling it, and Project Zero Leakage was born.’

Poor jointing, inadequate preparation and contamination put the pipeline at risk of leaks and breakages. In fact, research shows that over 90% of joint failures are caused by poor pipe preparation before welding, with common errors including: • Not scraping the weld zones properly • Introducing contamination into the weld zone • Not clamping the pipes properly Over the last 25 years, improvements to working practices have reduced the likelihood of electrofusion joint failures. However, the fact that they still occur is a major industry challenge.

The UK water industry took steps to rise to that challenge this year, by revising the standard relating to both electrofusion and butt fusion jointing.

So what does the new WIS 4-32-08 standard mean for the water industry? For eight2O working for Thames Water at least, it presented an opportunity to lead the field.

Malcolm Gilks is Head of Quality Management for eight2O, an alliance of 8 organisations delivering AMP 6 for Thames Water. Along with his colleague John Cooper, Malcolm is the driving force behind eight2O’s commitment to deliver a rehabilitated water supply service to Thames Water’s customers, via an initiative called “Project Zero Leakage”.

Malcolm describes some of the key drivers behind the project: ‘The initial requirement as defined by the standard was to provide the relevant electronic data to the project manager.

However this data is virtually meaningless as, for electrofusion in particular, the operative must follow the correct procedures in order to maintain the integrity of the weld.

These procedures were not being effectively monitored, a realisation which led eight2O to move all its contractors to “Bluebox” enabled welding machines, which is when we first encountered ControlPoint.

‘At this point we were in the same place as other framework organisations delivering AMPs to water authorities. We were getting

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That commitment signaled the appointment of ControlPoint as eight2O’s Assurance Partner to provide training and technology to drive up quality and improve installation across the whole network. Malcolm describes the 2-prong approach they’ve adopted: ‘Firstly, we’re using ControlPoint to deliver on-site training to all operators, as well as a quick response, on-site coaching service. This has been well received in the field, as our operators are keen to make improvements to their own working practices.

‘Secondly, using ControlPoint’s quality control system for both electrofusion and butt fusion, we’ve implemented clear pass/fail criteria. If a joint falls below an agreed standard it is cut out, quarantined and sent to ControlPoint for testing and analysis, so that we can capture and benefit from as much data as possible.

Of course, the rejected quarantined joints are not incorporated in the works.

‘We’re raising the agreed standard in incremental steps every 3 months, working towards all joints achieving “Blue” status as standard.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY z

We’re raising the agreed standard in incremental steps every 3 months, working towards all joints achieving “Blue” status as standard.

Malcolm Gilks

Head of Quality Management for eight2O

The new standard – what you need to know The new WIS 4-32-08 standard contains the following key points: • On each site where pipes and fittings are to be jointed in accordance with the requirements of this specification, a control system shall be established to supervise work affecting quality.

• The installer shall establish and maintain procedures to show evidence of analysing work practices, capturing jointing records, jointing practice, installer identification, quality records, service reports and customer complaints.

• Electronic records from the electrofusion control box data logging function, together with jointing quality evaluation, shall be recorded and delivered to the client with site records in a format that provides full traceability, identification and location of each fittings installed.

• In butt fusion jointing, the full length of the bead must be tested at intervals no greater than 100mm.

The ‘bend-back’ test This last point represents a significant challenge for the industry. The most commonly used procedure for testing the integrity of a butt fusion bead is the manual bend-back test. However, testing at 100mm intervals, as specified by the new standard, is virtually impossible to achieve by hand.

ControlPoint’s BDI tool offers a quick, easy and reliable solution which fulfills all the testing, reporting and data capture requirements of the standard.

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In fact, it’s fair to say that through their unique combination of mobile technology, data capture, joint inspection, testing, training, reporting and on-site support, ControlPoint offer their water industry clients all the tools they need, not only to meet the requirements of the new standard, but to take quality to the next level.

ControlPoint Director Nick Mark offers his thoughts on the latest industry developments: ‘We welcome the requirements put in place by the new standard. By partnering with like-minded innovators such as eight2O, ControlPoint will continue to develop new products and services to help drive improvements across the whole industry, delivering safer, stronger networks and value for money for the end user.’

Malcolm concludes: ‘The introduction of WIS 4-32-08 has been a real catalyst for change in our organisation, but it’s just the start. We’re active participants in the continuous improvement process, and we’re constantly challenging ControlPoint to see where we can take this partnership next.’

For more information about ControlPoint, visit www.controlpoint.co.uk To find out about eight2O and Project Zero Leakage, visit www.thameswater.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z RESILIENCE

Four key questions to answer the resilience challenge Ensuring the resilience of water and wastewater services is emerging as a key issue for the water sector.

It is not the only industry to experience this.

The theme of resilience is focussing the minds of many involved in the planning and delivery of vital public services. The focus reflects underlying concerns in many developed economies that essential services may be vulnerable to significant disruption caused by a sudden shock or long term stress that systems are unable to absorb.

Since the 2014 Water Act, resilience has gained prominence the agenda in the water sector, as the Act introduced a statutory resilience duty for Ofwat. The aim of the regulator is to ensure resilience of water and wastewater services in the face of the ongoing issues of population growth, shifts in customer behaviour, climate

change and other environmental concerns.

Ofwat will expect greater insight into current levels of service resilience as well as assurances that companies’ long-term plans and performance commitments embed service resilience for the future.

What do we mean by resilience?

Resilience is a broad concept encompassing qualities of strength, flexibility and responsiveness to a range of external shocks and stresses. Achieving a common understanding within the water sector is an important first step in addressing the challenge.

Ofwat supports the definition which emerged from the 2015 Task and Finish Group, chaired

by Jacob Tomkins which defined resilience as “the ability to cope with, and recover from, disruption, and anticipate trends and variability in order to maintain services for people and protect the natural environment, now and in the future”

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There are two important points which emerge from this definition. Firstly, the emphasis on “trends and variability” reflects the need for service providers to cope with insidious, longterm changes not simply recover from sudden catastrophic events. Secondly, the focus on maintaining services, prompts us to adopt a broader perspective that considers the wider mechanisms and interactions that enable services to be delivered rather than focus narrowly on the resilience of individual assets.

Even with a common industry wide definition there is much work for companies to do to understand the implications of that definition for their business and crucially for their customers. A key consideration in this regard is ‘what do services need to be resilient to?’ Services in some communities may be highly resilient to population growth and the impacts of flooding or extreme weather but extremely vulnerable to critical asset failure or failure of 3rd party systems such as power or communications. The supplydemand resilience of water supply services

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

may be diminished if production capacity is constrained due to deterioration or variability in raw water quality The cornerstone of an individual water company’s approach to service resilience must be having full sight of how the services it provides can be impacted by these myriad pressures. Consideration has to be given to the complicated interconnection of assets, catchments and organisations (people, systems and processes) which collectively maintain service delivery, resisting and reacting to the threats and pressures to which those services are exposed. This is not a simple undertaking; it demands input from right across the water company, working across the siloes which inevitably exist within such complex organisations.

Where are we now?

It is no accident that significant service failures in the water industry are rare and catastrophes rarer still. It is testament to the operational and engineering skills in the sector and its ability to manage incidents and protect customer service. Nevertheless there is plenty of anecdotal evidence of near-misses, those events that could have tipped over into a major service failure if they had happened at a different time of day or the year. In some areas ‘incident management mode’ is becoming the norm rather than the exception. There is therefore no cause for complacency and the industry needs to ensure and demonstrate that its ability to maintain service is not under threat.

As such, companies should be able to answer the following key questions with an unequivocal ‘yes’.

• Do we have clear visibility and understanding of every significant pressure which have the ability to impact on our services?

• Do we understand the level of vulnerability of services across our ‘value chain’, to the impacts of such pressures?

• Are we confident in our capability to maintain or restore service in response to those impacts, in a way which our customers would consider to be acceptable?

The reality for most companies is more likely to be a qualified ‘yes’ with answers informed more by assumptions than thorough investigation and insight. Given that the regulatory environment is shifting towards a sharper focus on resilience, water companies must take steps to ensure that if they cannot answer the three questions with a definitive ‘yes’ they must at the very least be able to know where the gaps are and be able to demonstrate that they have plans in place to reach the levels of resilience demanded by stakeholders.

How do we build resilience?

One of the tools that can help to bring some structure and focus to the challenge of assessing and building resilience is the BSI

RESILIENCE z

publication, Guidance on Organisational Resilience (BS 65000 2014), which sets out six key steps required to build resilience.

Interpreting those key steps in light of the water industry resilience challenge would raise the following considerations; • Direction – has the business identified the pressures which are likely to impact on service now or in the future and defined service resilience objectives?

• Awareness – are pressures monitored and reported at an appropriate frequency and granularity?

• Alignment – are resilience objectives cascaded thorough the organisation with appropriate policies and targets for all functions and disciplines?

• Learning – learning from incidents is important but equally important is ensuring time and space to think about what might happen; think the unthinkable; capture near misses; listen to experts and learn from other sectors • Strengthening – learning isn’t beneficial if it doesn’t lead to action; there must be robust processes in place which allow resilience improvements to be evaluated; promoted and adopted by the business, creating a business-wide culture of resilience thinking • Assuring – the business should openly test and challenge whether existing risk mitigations such as contingency plans are robust and reliable

How do we create a culture of resilience?

Water companies don’t wilfully ignore known or evident risks to service but inevitably choices have to be made about where and when to invest and in an increasingly customer outcomes focussed industry. Cases which represent an imminent threat to service will tend to make the greatest claims on available funding. The low probability but high impact events that often characterise resilience risks may struggle to gain attention, particularly if the investment needed to address them is significant.

How then, can this new resilience culture be embedded into an organisation and put into practice? There are several ways to do this: • Create the processes and forums within the business that enable stakeholders to flag up resilience issues • Ensure that these learning opportunities are put to use, enabling changes in planning and operating processes to follow • Encourage staff to think of resilience issues in the way they do health and safety – capturing ‘near misses’ and looking to build the behaviours which will enhance resilience and reduce vulnerability • Channel this information to build a complete multi-stakeholder view of the range of pressures and vulnerabilities to which water and wastewater services are exposed If companies adopt a framework like this, they will be in a good position to identify strategic resilience objectives and develop robust solutions.

Conclusions The focus on resilience provides the water industry with challenges and opportunities.

The challenge will include how to demonstrate to the regulator what existing levels of resilience are and to make the compelling case, supported by customers, for enhancing resilience. The opportunities though, are significant, not least embedding long-term planning and operational policies which harness the knowledge and expertise of the sector to secure exceptional levels of service reliability for the future.

As an industry, we want to be proactive, in building service resilience as part of long-term plans. The resilience agenda will not diminish the inevitable tensions between performance expectations and affordability – but that should not be a barrier to tackling the issue head on.

It may therefore seem to go against the prevailing culture to proactively identify such cases if the expectation is that they will tend to be deferred to some unspecified future date for investment.

However, responding to the resilience challenge requires a more transparent approach to such risks, separating the issue of risk identification and reporting from the issue of how they will be addressed. The leadership team in a water company should have full visibility of such risks and can then initiate long-term plans to address them whilst identifying how those risks can be mitigated in the interim. This insight can underpin a much richer dialogue with customers and it is clear that informed customers are generally supportive of improving the resilience of their services.

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Brendan McAndrew is a Principal Consultant at MWH, now part of Stantec. MWH is supporting clients across the UK to develop practical approaches to building resilient services, enabling them to meet the regulatory challenge and secure the trust of their customers now and into the future.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z NON-HOUSEHOLD RETAIL COMPETITION

Perfecting better bills key to success in new competitive market Nigel Baker

Managing Director at specialist outsourcer Echo Managed Services

Evolving and uncertain times in the water sector mean companies may soon face an uphill battle to maintain customer loyalty, retention and trust. Many water companies are already working hard to put processes in place to ensure they stay ahead of the competition as non-household market opening draws ever closer; including streamlined products and services, providing added value, and great customer service. And, of course companies will have a close eye on the possibility of household competition,

38

maybe as early as 2020, and will be starting to think about ways to a gain that all important competitive advantage.

One important customer service element which will need attention is the quality of the customer billing experience – something we see as a key opportunity in maintaining successful customer relationships and achieving sustainable success. The importance of billing in the water sector hit the headlines in September this year, when a report by the

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

NON-HOUSEHOLD RETAIL COMPETITION z

Whilst there is a notable sway towards online billing, it can’t be ignored that a significant minority of people would still rather receive a paper bill and it’s worth noting that the preference for paper billing is greater from lower income households – 31% of people in the less than £10,000 pay bracket prefer paper bills, compared to 19% in the over £40,000 pay bracket.

Water companies therefore need to be aware that by introducing charges for paper bills, or completely removing the option of paper bills, they risk frustrating almost a quarter of their customer base, the impact of which will only worsen as the market opens.

Direct debit is not right for everyone 65% of consumers favour direct debit as their regular method of payment – and it’s clear to see why given the easy set-up, convenience and security. However, some clearly still like the feeling of control they get through manual payment.

Trying to push customers, regardless of their circumstances, onto direct debit arrangements when it’s not entirely right for them can actually serve to undermine trust and damage relationships – particularly since such arrangements have hit the headlines in recent years for being seen by customers as an ‘invitation for service providers to help themselves’, regardless of the amount due.

Therefore, it’s important to give customers choice, and for the ones that do select direct debit; ensure they’re on the best tariff for their needs; that fixed monthly payment amounts are fully explained; that you invite them to communicate and make it easy to query payments, in order to maintain customer trust.

2. The prevalence of good and bad practice

Consumer Council for Water revealed that written complaints had increased for over half of water companies in England and Wales, with billing and charges accounting for over three in five of the complaints.

Concerning statistics, considering that recent research we conducted with 1,000 UK consumers revealed that one in seven customers would definitely switch supplier if they encountered bad billing, while almost half would at least consider it. In this same research, respondents put water companies below other service providers including mobile phone, credit card, and telephone companies when it comes to billing. So, with this in mind, what should water companies consider when it comes to this crucial aspect of customer service?

an impact since they’d moved online, one in three said they are less aware of what they pay each month – a stark warning to service providers to find better ways of engaging with online bill payers, or risk escalating problems being stored up for the future and potentially becoming invisible to customers.

1. How customers want to receive bills and pay Unsurprisingly, our research revealed that over half (57%) of people prefer online billing.

But worryingly, for bill payers who noticed

39

Our research uncovered common occurrences of both good and bad billing practices.

Where there is good practice, it is clear that both the customer and the service provider benefit. Often reducing the likelihood that a payment is missed, or helping a customer feel better about the deal they are getting for services. It can also help sell additional products or services, with 19% of households appreciating having such items of interest brought to their attention. Bad practices flag

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z NON-HOUSEHOLD RETAIL COMPETITION

up the recurring themes most mentioned by customers – inaccurate billing, poor support with managing finances, and a lack of clear and transparent communication.

Correcting some of these most common issues should be straightforward, with investment in the right systems and skills. However, the balance can be harder to get right when it comes to keeping lines of communication open. Unwanted communications are both irritating for customers and expensive for service providers. Knowing when to communicate proactively, for example with warning of a higher than expected bill, comes down to knowing your customer.

Identifying the patterns that indicate where such communication will be wanted, or giving customers the ability to tailor the alerts received. Adapting systems in this way, grouping customers, and altering the thresholds that trigger automated communications, can help get the service levels exactly right.

3. Baffling bills – the number one improvement customers want is better clarity One in four consumers said the biggest change to billing they’d want is greater clarity. For 30% of customers, bills have become easier to understand over the past few years, but 70% of people said they had stayed the same or become harder to understand. Worryingly, despite considered efforts from regulators, schemes, and service providers to make bills easier to understand, consumers are still regularly confused by some of the most common terms used on bills. Chargeable value is one of the worst offenders, with almost three quarters of respondents unclear what this term means, while simpler terms such as ‘account balance’ baffle almost one in three.

Here, it’s important not to assume that customers understand common billing terms, and instead consider simplifying terminology and explaining clearly what each term means.

Many water companies already have website areas which attempt to explain water bills in more detail, but our research report clearly indicates that more needs to be done.

Signposting to more in-depth online resources and well-trained contact centre staff can add in the extra level of detail and support that consumers may need. Getting this right will be especially important if plans for the water

“Ultimately, it’s a case of really knowing your customers, offering choice and adapting billing practices in line with each individual.”

household market to open up to competition come into fruition in 2020 with water bills likely to become even more complex with additional unclear terms such as tariff information label, tariff comparison rate and exit fees being added into the mix.

4. The impacts of perks and benefits It’s also interesting to reflect on how impacted consumers are by perks (such as priority tickets, discounted meal deals and travel discounts), which are most common in more competitive sectors such as telecoms. Around a quarter of people we asked said they are significantly affected by perks, with 21% of these saying they’d remain loyal to a service provider offering perks; one in five saying they would decide between similar providers based solely on their perks package; and 4% even saying they’re only with a service provider because of the perks they offer.

However, it’s also important to remember that 17% of respondents said they find perks annoying and would rather they weren’t offered at all. Again, here it really comes down to knowing customers, using each and every interaction to build data, listen and gain a deeper understanding, and tailoring benefits accordingly – offering the right benefits to the right people in order to add real value.

5. Billing in competitive vs non-competitive markets Water companies can learn a lot from service providers operating in competitive markets, such as mobile and credit card companies, who scored highest with customers. In these sectors where there is the most intense competition for customers, one in three customers scored billing as eight out of ten or above. Here, service excellence can act as a key differentiator, and companies are therefore often more customer-centric.

So, with water companies looking to be the best in time for the retail opening next year, and possible household opening in 2020, will

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we soon be seeing perks offered as standard, in order to retain and gain new customers?

Whatever happens over the coming months and years, the relatively low scores for energy companies within our research should act as a warning for water providers: not to repeat the mistakes of energy deregulation when it comes to billing.

What the water sector can take from this in light of changing times Clearly, there’s a lot of thinking to be done by water companies, particularly when it comes to the quality of their billing practices.

Despite the convenience of online billing and direct debit, water companies must recognise that not all customers respond well to these methods. Likewise, not all customers will want paper billing pushed upon them.

Ultimately, it’s a case of really knowing your customers, offering choice and adapting billing practices in line with each individual. Billing is a key touch point in the customer journey and getting it right will increase retention, loyalty and trust. It’s worth remembering that 14% of customers will not give you a second chance if you get it wrong. Those that take a customercentric, proactive and open approach will be the most likely to succeed in what will become an increasingly competitive water market.

About Echo Managed Services Echo Managed Services is a specialist outsourced provider of complex multi-channel customer contact services, comprehensive debt recovery solutions and the developer of the market leading water customer care and billing system, RapidXtra. Echo combines best practice technology and processes with highly skilled and knowledgeable people to provide public and private sector organisations with end-to-end customer contact capabilities. For more information, visit www.echo-ms.com or follow Echo Managed Services on Twitter at @Echo_MS

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

Qualification proves a great success as students excel A new qualification specifically developed for the water industry by the specialist training provider Watertrain is proving a great success and is set to be expanded.

Watertrain has been delivering the Level 4 Diploma in Water Industry Operations and Management since August 2014 for professionals working within the industry.

The Diploma offers a choice of pathways and modules for managers and team leaders who want to learn more about the discipline within which they are working, as well as covering the practical skills needed to become a successful manager.

The programme, which is open to both individual learners and those already working in the industry, covers subjects including the structure and organisation of the water industry, leadership and management, managing finance, research projects and managing wastewater facilities.

Almost 200 students have been enrolled on programmes across the country to date with the first cohorts now approaching completion.

Southern Water were the first company to enrol staff on the new Diploma. Their Chief Executive and Chairman of the Board were among senior executives attending a recent event organised by Watertrain, where the first cohort were giving presentations on their Research Project unit.

One of the projects has already been implemented by Southern Water because

of the business cost savings and other risk management benefits it identified. Early indications are that those savings will more than recover the cost of the whole Diploma programme. Southern Water have just confirmed that they are now proceeding with three more cohorts on this Level 4 Diploma with attendees from right across the business.

Glenn Jackson, Director of Learning and Development for Watertrain, said: “The qualification gives people working in the wider water industry a broader understanding of the sector and enables candidates to tailor the qualification to their specific needs to enhance their knowledge and skills to enable further personal development. The Diploma has been very well received and levels of retention and achievement are exceptionally high. The course has become the new standard for the water sector.

“It is particularly encouraging that many students are now looking to further their studies beyond Level 4 as they develop their careers. Watertrain is now in discussion with Aston University, an academic partner, to develop a Level 5 and possibly a Level 6 pathway.

“Due to the success of this Diploma, Watertrain are looking to widen the appeal and access by offering regionally-based programmes to

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give candidates the opportunity to attend as individuals or from smaller companies.”

You can find out more about the Diploma at www.level4water.com or contact info@watertrain.co.uk.

With the advent of the Apprenticeship Levy payable from next April there is a strong demand from employers for a Level 4 Apprenticeship Standard for use across their businesses.

To support a number of their clients, Watertrain are co-ordinating the creation of an Employer Group who will then put an Expression of Interest into the Department of Education for approval to develop a new Standard that would then be able to attract Levy and mainstream apprenticeship funding.

The Level 4 Diploma could be the starting point for a Standard covering a number of potential pathways under a Water Operations Manager role description. If a Level 4 Standard could be of interest to your business or if you would like to contribute to the development Employer Group then please contact info@watertrain.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z NON-HOUSEHOLD RETAIL COMPETITION

Retail separation has the potential to give companies greater strategic flexibility

With non-household retail competition in England in only a few months’ time, water companies are looking carefully at how they are structured. Retail separation has the potential to give companies greater strategic flexibility.

So what is actually meant by retail separation?

Separation can range from basic accounting separation through to full ownership separation, with many steps in between (such as establishing separate business units within an overall structure, with varying degrees of autonomy).

New opportunities in the market could range from forming new partnerships, targeting particular customer segments, through to full divestment. Furthermore, the greater the degree of separation between a water company’s contestable and non-contestable functions, the easier it will be to avoid falling foul of competition law.

Competition law requires that dominant companies do not abuse their privileged positions. Such abuses could include price and/ or non-price discrimination. With the former, if wholesale prices are set too high and/or retail prices are set too low, such that it is not possible for another company to pay the wholesale price and compete effectively, then competition authorities may deem this to be a ‘margin squeeze’.

One notable example of margin squeeze is where the European Commission ruled that Deutsche Telekom was in breach of the law.1 In this case, the precedent was set that a company is not exempt from competition law merely because the regulatory body had approved its charges; a point that Ofwat has made repeatedly.2 When undertaking margin squeeze analysis, two approaches are commonly used: the

‘equally efficient competitor’ test and the ‘reasonably efficient competitor’ test. The former considers whether the incumbent would be able to provide the retail service to the customer in question were the incumbent not receiving wholesale revenues. The latter considers a notional competitor (i.e. a hypothetical ‘efficient’ company according to the regulator’s measures), which is a more stringent cost benchmark.

Ofwat has indicated that it favours the former approach. This is broadly in line with established precedent.3 As well as the end prices offered, equal consideration needs to be applied to how the underlying costs are treated. Essential for ensuring a level playing field are fair allocation of costs between the services provided by the companies, and making sure that interactions between the retail functions and the parent companies (such as the provision of working capital) are at arm’s length.

Non-price discrimination can refer to the incumbent’s wholesale function offering a competing retailer a different level of service to that provided to the incumbent’s retail function. This can be one of the most difficult potential abuses for management to guard against. Staff right across the company may be used to particular ways of working – for example, simply sharing information with people operating in the same business.

The extent of retail separation may help to mitigate this (sitting functions in different locations could help), as could cultural training.

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Ofwat has already sought commitments from Bristol Water, which proposed structural separation of its wholesale business from its retail business for the provision of the already contestable developer services.4 This was intended to help ensure equivalence in both price and non-price terms for equivalent transactions.

In summary, with the non-household retail market opening in only a few months’ time, water companies in England will be considering how, or whether, they will want to compete in the market, and, if they do, how they should structure their businesses for success. Separation is not a binary concept; different degrees exist. But as long as ownership integration remains, companies will need to think carefully how to stick within competition law.

1 EU (2010), ‘C-280/08 P - Deutsche Telekom v Commission’.

2 Ofwat (2014), ‘Final price control determination notice: policy chapter A6 – non-household retail costs and revenues’, p. 15.

3 Oxera (2015), ‘In a fluid state? Competition policy in the water sector’, Agenda, http://www.oxera.com/Latest-Thinking/ Agenda/2015/In-a-fluid-state-Competition-policy-in-thewater-s.aspx.

4 Ofwat (2014), ‘Notice of intention to accept binding commitments from Bristol Water plc in relation to the market for services for new water connections’.

Focus on Water Since the privatisation of the UK water industry in 1989, Oxera has become the leading source of independent advice in the sector.

In an industry dominated by questions about public and private ownership, regulated and unregulated companies, and strategy, finance and policy that go far beyond the regulatory, economics consultancy has a crucial role to play.

Government agencies, regulators and water companies (both public and private, and increasingly outside the UK) have sought our innovative thinking to help them argue their case convincingly.

We provide independent, rigorous insights in an accessible way.

Our services • Efficiency measurement and performance assessment • Competition strategy and implementation • Incentive design • Transactions advice • Tariff design and pricing decisions • Risk and scenario analysis • Impact assessments of environmental policy and regulation • Strategic and regulatory advice • Cost of capital advice

Oxera's experience, expert insight and analysis, and evidence at the hearings, and staff meetings, was invaluable in helping to steer the case as well as the final outcome. The CC officially cleared the merger unconditionally.

Oxera produced very clear advice which could easily be understood by non-economists. As always with Oxera, we found the balance between clear and useful outputs and a thorough technical approach to be just right.

South Staffordshire Water

South West Water

For more information, visit: www.oxera.com/Sectors-Skills/Sectors/Water.aspx

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z CYBER SECURITY

The opportunities, pitfa dangers that the water faces in cyber security Whilst we could argue which of the UK water companies is the largest – it’s very much dependent upon how you perform the measurement – what can be agreed upon is that companies such as United Utilities and Thames Water have large physical footprints question with a question: ‘what qualifications does industry require of the people, both staff and contractors, who work on their control networks?’

By Nick McLauchlan Head of Technology and Innovation, Z-Tech

The number of telemetry nodes is proportional to the size of the estate; Thames Water has 100 water treatment works, 288 clean water pumping stations, 30 raw water reservoirs and 235 underground service reservoirs, 348 sewage treatment works and more than 2,530 managed sewage pumping stations, giving a count of more than 3,500 potential telemetry nodes, with United Utilities having a similar number.

Assuming the use of ADSL or 3G/4G as the communication medium and they connect via the Internet, every one of those telemetry nodes is a weak point in the security defence between cyber-criminals and the control system that supplies your drinking water and disposes of your sewage.

At a recent Institute of Water Knowledge Exchange Visit where I was presenting on Cyber Security and its importance in industry, I was asked if I thought a lack of competence on the part of the maintainer was a risk to business.

This is an awkward question that I believe industry is unwilling to answer and I certainly am not going to put my neck on the block and cite any experiences I have in this area. What I am going to do is answer a

Looking at the Water Industry Mechanical and Electrical Specifications (WIMES) we see that in specification 3.02(A) Profibus Networks section 2.2 specifies the contractor competence, it is reasonable to assume that the industry demands the same for its own staff who are responsible for the maintenance of the Profibus networks installed by its contractors.

There is no equivalent for the Ethernet networks which are becoming more prevalent in the industry, though some individual water companies may require the installer of a fibre-optic network to be trained to terminate and test the fibre-optic cable.

At the time of writing (1st September 2016) I noted vacancies with numerous UK water companies in the Instrumentation, Control and Automation (ICA) field that require the successful candidate to carry out defect maintenance including fault diagnosis and repair of electrical, control system and instrument equipment, and carry out ICA installation work and commissioning of plant and equipment.

These roles specified City and Guilds Electrical installation (or equivalent), as well as having passed 17th Edition electrical regulations, and made passing mention that the work involves use of SCADA and PLC control systems, IP Networking and Instrument communications equipment.

These ICA technicians will be expected to add nodes to networks, configure routers, switches and firewalls, without any requirement for formal training in this

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field. Compare this to adverts for network administrators in the field of IT, who will also be required to add nodes to networks, configure routers, switches and firewalls, but are required to hold certification on the hardware being used such as Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) as a minimum and a degree in a computing subject as the norm.

Reviewing the specifications for network hardware from four OEMs who supply the industry – Siemens, Rockwell, Westermo and Hirschmann – all support a veritable Smörgåsbord of features and protocols some of which if not properly configured or disabled severely reduce security of the network to which they are connected.

Everyone likes a web interface for making configuring a switch or router a click-clickgo operation, but unless it is disabled, or only made accessible from the LAN ports it could be visible from the Internet, which is a weakness even the most basic ‘script kiddie’ can take advantage of via the power of Metasploit.

Whilst at this point I must take pains to stress that it is not the fault of the OEM that networks are penetrated due to configuration errors, I must also take this opportunity to ask them ‘why do you allow people to change and save the configuration of a device without forcing them to change the password of the administrator account from the default?’.

Some may wonder how big the problem of leaving the default username and password enabled is, after all unless the attacker has access to the documentation and has trawled it for this information they won’t know it – the World Wide Web is a powerful tool, with websites such as SCADAStrangelove

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CYBER SECURITY z

alls and r industry

Having previously demonstrated live on stage how easy it is to compromise the security of an industrial control system, I know that the UK water industry is vulnerable and the attendees of these demonstrations also know this to be true. When opening the floor up for questions during my presentations one I am always asked is ‘what can we do?’ it sounds like a cliché but the help is there for you – Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has a section on its website specifically focusing on Security for Industrial Control Systems.

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z CYBER SECURITY

publishing password lists, documenting how to identify and exploit weaknesses and generally naming and shaming operators with poor security, the problem is greater than some may like to acknowledge.

With an installed base of circa 3,500 telemetry nodes this equates to thousands of PLC’s, HMI’s and site SCADA servers – how are all of these managed?

Normal practice for a distributed system, in the IT realm, is to use domain management, this provides user validation and verification with the added benefit of auditable logs.

In the OT realm, this is not so simple, remote sites may not be connected via ‘always on’ links such as ADSL – PSTN dial up on exception is still the only option when your site is a long way from the exchange and in the middle of no-where with no cellular signal.

This forces the responsibility for the backups, patch management, anti-virus and firmware updates onto the site operators, it also opens up the possibility that change management may not be quite how the company procedures demand it.

For the site operators who are expected to keep on top of the patch management for their automation hardware there are excellent resources available from the OEM’s, such as Siemens who publish security advisories and, failing that, the US government helpfully publish all known Industrial Control System security weakness in a central location[, which coupled with their similar repository for IT security weaknesses provide a way for companies to easily keep up-to-date with the threats to their infrastructure.

This is a double-edged sword though, as a cyber-criminal now has a single source of

information on the weaknesses associated with an asset, and ICS-CERT gives an overview of how to capitalise on the vulnerability.

Also, with a massive number of installed assets, how does the industry ensure they are all supported – WindowsXP ceased to be supported by Microsoft on April 8, 2014. That is more than two years ago yet there remains a large installed asset base within the industry, predominantly in the form of HMIs; these will not have received a security update for a minimum of two years. The savvy cybercriminal will look to capitalise on this and if it has not already happened it is just a matter of time before an industrial asset falls foul of ransomware.

Assuming the patches and firmware updates are available, the operator is faced with the challenge of applying them as the world of OT is a very different one from that of IT:

Looking below at row two – OT is event driven and real-time – taking a PLC off-line to apply a patch or firmware update has a huge overhead associated with it and has a high level of risk for the business.

For example, the latest firmware upgrades from some OEMs are one way only, that is once they have been applied should there be unforeseen issues with other elements of the system it is not possible to roll-back.

This poses a problem for the industry, no company has the ability to run redundant control systems across the board so they are forced to either work on the theory of ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ and take the risk that their control systems are potentially vulnerable as they are not patched against known vulnerabilities, or take the risk associated with applying patches to deal with the vulnerabilities and hope that they have fully

Information Technology (IT)

Operational Technology (OT)

Purpose

Transaction Systems; business systems, information systems, IT security standards

Control Systems; control or monitor physical processes or equipment, regulatory security standards

Architecture

Enterprise wide infrastructure and applications (business)

Event-driven, real-time, embedded software (industrial)

Interfaces

Operating systems and applications, Unix, GUI, Web browser, terminal and keyboard

Electromechanical, sensors, Windows, actuators, coded displays – PLC, SCADA, DCS

Ownership

CIO, finance and admin. departments

Engineers, technicians, operators and managers

Connectivity

Corporate network, Internet, IPbased

Control networks, hard wired twisted pair and IP-based

Role

Supports business applications and office personnel

Support controls processes and plant personnel safety

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CYBER SECURITY z

worked out the compatibility matrix to ensure they will not be left with an incompatible system.

The patching approach also assumes that sites, streams or processes can be taken off line to carry out the work, though in theory the control systems are designed to be resilient and it should be possible to take a single processor off line for an hour, experience from the hot seat indicates that in a lot of instances this is a once or twice a year process at best associated with project work that takes a lot of pre-planning and is not something Process Controllers are comfortable with happening regularly. The same is the case for the operating system the SCADAs and Historians are running on, normally a Windows product.

Microsoft issue security bulletins on the second Tuesday of each month, patch Tuesday, these should then be verified as compatible with their product by the OEM’s, and the compatibility of the security and critical patches published, examples being Siemens and Rockwell Automation.

Again, the requirement for restarting the server after applying the patches impacts on plant availability and this should be scheduled in on a monthly basis, with roll back and contingency planning taking place on a caseby-case basis.

Looking again at the above table at row six it is important to note that OT is key in delivering process and plant safety, which allows me to pose my favourite question when talking to senior management ‘how can you be safe if you are not secure?’.

Compromised control systems have the potential to cause damage to plant, the environment, injure or kill, examples being the now infamous Stuxnet threat, the nearly as famous German steel mill incident, and the little known tilting oil rig episode.

Whilst none of these injured or killed anyone they all had the potential to, and although none of them is related to our industry we are not immune – in March this year a WTW was targeted and the dosing levels changed to dangerous levels, in November 2011 pumps were shutdown at a WTW, the 2000 Maroochy Shire cyber event provides a lot of lessons that should be considered and the 2013 Trend Micro research experiment findings seal the deal, we are a vulnerable target.

When discussing process safety, everyone quite rightly quotes BS EN 61508, ‘Functional Safety of Electrical/ Electronic/ Programmable Electronic Safety-related Systems’. What people tend to miss is that this standard was updated in 2010 to consider the prevalence of networked safety systems. As a result, Cyber Security is now included in the revised standard and requires that in the case where the hazard analysis identifies that malevolent or unauthorized action, constituting a security threat, is reasonably foreseeable, a security threat analysis should be carried out.

Even when a security threat assessment is carried out, what tends to be overlooked is

considering this in the safety lifecycle and as a result these one-time assessments become irrelevant as technology, vulnerabilities and threats move on.

The headline of this piece is ‘The Opportunities, Pitfalls and Dangers that the Water Industry Faces in Terms of Cyber Security’, so having covered a number of pitfalls and dangers we are left looking for the opportunities, which in reality are many Unless you are passionate about the subject the adoption of ‘The Directive on security of network and information systems’ (the NIS Directive) by the European Parliament on 6 July 2016 may have passed you by. However, it has major implications on the way the industry, and its suppliers, will operate when it is passed into UK law, which will happen before May 2018.

This legislation requires operators of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) to report all cyber security breaches to the UK Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT), this will require all networks, both IT and OT, to implement intruder detection amongst other technologies which are still in their infancy. This will be an expensive and time consuming challenge and one that will push the boundaries of the capabilities of the people currently employed within the industry – it’s just a fact of life that this is new technology and the number of qualified people are limited.

Early adopters and companies that embrace the challenge of raising the standard of cyber security within the industry will benefit but it is highly likely that it will take a full blown incident that compromises the supply of wholesome water or results in damage to the environment before the requisite level of investment is reached.

Having previously demonstrated live on stage how easy it is to compromise the security of an industrial control system, I know that

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the UK water industry is vulnerable and the attendees of these demonstrations also know this to be true. When opening the floor up for questions during my presentations one I am always asked is ‘what can we do?’ it sounds like a cliché but the help is there for you – Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has a section on its website specifically focusing on Security for Industrial Control Systems.

There are a number of companies who specialise in this area, OEMs such as Siemens and Rockwell have departments and personnel who will advise on how to secure industrial networks. The one take away tip I always give is employee engagement: • teach your employees e-mail attachment security so they don’t fall for the phishing scams – I have conducted a scam for a PhD thesis, you will be amazed at the naivety of people • explain to them why the policy is to disable the USB ports so they don’t find a way to enable them and open the network up to the threat from auto running USB files – an airgap is no protection when the USB ports are enabled with malware like AirHopper • make it easy for your site staff to purchase new hardware so they don’t go to PCWorld and install an unmanaged home grade device on the industrial network – I have many photos of this, and there does seem to be a love of wireless when installing rogue devices • invest in training staff to increase their competency in the world of network management, even the basics – if I had a pound for the number of times I have found duplicate IP addresses on a network I would be a rich man. www.z-tech.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z RESEARCH

Innovative new research will help better our understanding of waves An international research project led by the University of Bath is investigating the impact of waves on coastlines using novel laser measurement devices.

This innovative equipment is similar to laser measurement devices used in construction, except it is able to measure 37,500 points a second. This capability means these ‘Lidar’ devices are able to scan each individual wave as it breaks and measure the changing elevation of the water surface.

This technology is mounted above the water level to structures such as piers and can produce an animation of the breaking waves as well as calculating the amount of sand being displaced from the waves.

Dr Chris Blenkinsopp from the University of Bath’s Water Innovation & Research Centre (WIRC @ Bath) is leading the project team

which includes international colleagues from The University of Newcastle, Australia, and the University of Delaware, USA. The Waves in Shallow Water (WASH) project has been funded by a £100,000 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant in which the research team are measuring the effect of breaking waves in in two very different locations – in Saltburn in Northwest England and Valparaiso in Chile.

The findings of this research will benefit environment agencies, coastal engineers and local councils of coastal towns as well as local residents who live on the coast. The results and insight will help better understand the

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behaviour and power of waves and in turn allow more accurate estimations of the wave force on coastal defence structures; predict erosion rates on beaches, cliffs and dunes; and forecast coastal flooding.

In recent years the UK has experienced the negative effects of wave power, most notably the destruction of the coastal railway line through Dawlish in Devon in 2014 and North Sea tidal surge in 2013. In Devon, the power from waves during the winter storms washed away the track and took two months to rebuild courtesy of a 300-strong Network Rail team at a cost of £35m.

It is hoped that the results of the project will

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enable relevant authorities to better predict any future risks from wave power and improve the resilience of coastal management, as well as ensuring the maintenance of beaches is informed and effective.

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering and project lead, Dr Blenkinsopp said: “This is a really exciting project that will enable us to better understand not only the individual and cumulative force of waves over time, but also their impact on coastal defences, beaches and cliffs, and erosion rates.

“We have seen the damage the power of waves can cause and it is hoped that the results of this research will inform the models used by coastal engineers in the future allowing them to more effectively design coastal structures and plan coastal defences.”

This is a really exciting project that will enable us to better understand not only the individual and cumulative force of waves over time, but also their impact on coastal defences, beaches and cliffs, and erosion rates.

We can help you reimagine your water R&D

Water Innovation & Research Centre

Through the Water Innovation and Research Centre at the University of Bath our experts work with industry, academia, and other stakeholders to tackle the fundamental issues surrounding sustainable water. Through WISE, our Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Informatics: Science and Engineering, we work with collaborative partners to train the next generation of skilled water scientists and engineers.

To explore a partnership with water research experts and students at the University of Bath for your organisation, contact water-research@bath.ac.uk.

go.bath.ac.uk/water-research

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

Utility firms reinforcing critical infrastructure in light of flood ‘epidemic’ and storm forecasts Those alarming aerial images of towns and villages across the UK being engulfed by murky water might be fading from our memories, but we are heading into another winter beset by frequent storms, according to many forecasters.

These long-term forecasts are likely to make many of us who live in coastal or riverside locations nervous, since for some UK towns and villages rebuilding operations are still ongoing after Storms Eva, Frank and Desmond took their toll.

And since our flood defences and town planning have been caught out over the past 6 or 7 years by unprecedented weather events, utility firms are putting their minds to finding more robust solutions and prevention strategies in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

Utility companies bear the brunt of flooding when water comes up through over-burdened sewer systems, and recent floods have affected wastewater treatment plants and pumping stations, cutting water services across the UK, including in Cumbria and Lancashire during Christmas 2015 and New Year 2016.

The impact of Storms Eva, Frank and Desmond, which hit the UK in quick succession, saw utility companies gather together for resilience meetings, putting non-urgent work on hold to respond to urgent issues in sewers, and sharing manpower and equipment once floods hit.

And with winter upon us minds are focussed ever more sharply on prevention.

Sue Paton, Sales and Commercial Director at Morgan Marine, a leading specialist in GRP and steel housing solutions, says all utility firms should think carefully about girding infrastructure now, in preparation for further severe weather events.

“We have been approached by Natural Resources Wales and by a number of the water companies we supply, about protecting their own critical equipment in the event of flood disaster.

“All of the utility companies across the UK house some of their critical infrastructure in kiosks and housings, which are typically fabricated from GRP, brick or steel. We have developed systems of raising the housings above the flood risk zone effectively mounting the housing on load bearing steel legs, we also provide the access stairways and landings to gain access to the raised housing.

“We have also just added the new Trojan LPCB SR3 and 4 single and multi leaf access covers to our range. This product will be particularly valuable to our clients in the water sectors by helping to secure chambers. Our highly skilled engineering and manufacturing team has designed the Trojan access cover range after pressure from several clients to add this product to our already comprehensive range of LPCB products.

“Typically, and for the past 50 years, our products have been used to safeguard against criminal damage, tampering and latterly terrorist attack, but flood defence has, in recent years, become one of the most pressing issues for our clients.

“In response to this we are carrying out further testing to meet our client’s changing demands. Morgan Marine has invested heavily over the past 5 years in developing its range of LPCB security rated products

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and carry security level ratings of SR2, 3 and 4, they go through very vigorous attack simulations using tools from sledge hammers to angle grinders. We are now directing our focus to further flood prevention methods.

“Our housings are all designed, engineered and manufactured by us and they are bespoke according to the needs of our clients so we are able to make modifications according to shifting circumstances.”

Combating flooding is not the responsibility of any one organisation - the Highways Authority, local authorities, the police and insurance companies all play their part in a range of recovery activities.

The Environment Agency is responsible for managing flooding from rivers in England and for most flood defences in the UK. But if floods overwhelm sewers, causing back up or overflow, then wastewater companies have to put it right.

Water and sewerage companies must clear up any spills from public sewers, and pumping stations and they are responsible for getting drinking water back on line.

And, of course, they also have a duty to protect critical assets, such as pumping stations, from floods.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

Hydrok becomes part of Eliquo Water Group

ELIQUO WATER GROUP GmbH and Hydrok (UK) Limited have announced that they have signed an agreement for Hydrok to become a 100% subsidiary of ELIQUO WATER GROUP. The acquisition of Hydrok by ELIQUO will give Hydrok access to the technology portfolio of ELIQUO and allow ELIQUO to establish a presence in the UK municipal water and wastewater technology market. Following completion of the transaction, Hydrok will be renamed ELIQUO HYDROK. Hydrok and ELIQUO have already been collaborating on a project by project basis to bring ELIQUO’s proprietary biosolids and nutrient management technologies such as LysoTherm® thermal hydrolysis technology, EloPhos® P recovery solution and EloDry® low-temperature drying equipment to the UK market. These products will be a good addition to Hydrok’s strong technology portfolio that includes solutions for water management, waste water treatment, clean water treatment and surface water management with technologies such as CSO Screens, flow controls, Hydrok-Mecana tertiary filtration, Aerostrip high-efficiency aeration technology, IFAS Fixed Bed Media, MBR Bio Reactors and UV disinfection to mention just a few.

Dr. Reinhard Hübner, CEO of ELIQUO WATER GROUP: “While we have been active in business development in the UK for quite a while, so far we have lacked a local presence in this important market. With the acquisition of Hydrok, we can provide a superior service

strong values and ethics which are reflected within ELIQUO making this a perfect match for our future.“ ELIQUO WATER GROUP GmbH is part of the water portfolio of German entrepreneur Susanne Klatten’s investment company SKion GmbH.

to those customers that are interested in our biosolids and nutrient management solutions and our proprietary technologies. Hydrok will of course continue to operate its current business and can now also leverage the wider ELIQUO network to bring the best solutions available to its customers. We look forward to growing the business in the UK together with the excellent team at Hydrok who will all continue to work for the company.”

Dave Armstrong, Managing Director of Eliquo Hydrok: “We are delighted to now be within the ELIQUO group of companies and look forward to the expansion of the portfolio of solutions we are able to offer our UK customers. This new chapter in the history of our business shall bring growth and expansion enabling our business to attract larger and more complex projects with the strong financial support from within the group.

Hydrok have always approached business with

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Eliquo Hydrok has extensive experience and track record of working with all the major Water Utility companies throughout the UK and Eire. They provide solutions to all manner of complex and simple problems.

The experienced in-house design teams are available to help identify and discuss the requirement and, should any of our standard products not be the perfect solution, our inhouse manufacturing facility enables us to produce bespoke designs to suit a particular need.

The head office and main manufacturing base is located in Cornwall, Eliquo Hydrok take pride in their approach to delivering environmentally considerate, cost effective and practical solutions with a progressive workforce within the factory and throughout the design office.

For further information contact Dave Armstrong, Managing Director 01726 861900 dave.armstrong@eliquohydrok.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z LEGAL

Beyond 2017 – looking ahead, the industry is set for a fundamental shift Industry minds are racing towards April 2017, when the Secretary of State flicks the proverbial switch, unleashing expanded retail competition on the non-household sector for water.

However, beyond this, much lies ahead that will fundamentally reshape the industry.

“This is only the start of what could be a seismic shift in how the industry looks, as companies start to grapple with the practicalities of this new competitive market,” said Liz McRobb, Partner at leading law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn, whose team developed the market codes as part of the Open Water Programme. “We’ve already seen big shifts like joint ventures, mergers and exits. This is likely to continue as competition develops and embeds into the industry culture.

Fundamentally though we will have to see how this market and regulatory framework, a product of many years of design and development, will function in the real world. It will be an exciting few years.”

As market participants begin to unlock the different possibilities that competition

will bring, regulators too will be learning and adapting their approach as the new world brings unknown challenges to the forefront. Retailer strategies will be tested and adapted. Regulatory activity will flow depending on the success or otherwise of competition. All the preparation, training and investment for market opening will finally be tested. Eventually, over the coming years as these strategies adapt and shift, the market landscape could look significantly different.

“There is certainly scope in the industry for greater innovation in terms of business structures, particularly with multi-utility offerings,” says George Boyle, Corporate Partner at Shepherd and Wedderburn, who acted for Albion Water Group in their recent Joint Venture transaction with Wessex Water.

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“These can be quite novel and therefore risky, so when devising these arrangements, detail and expertise is essential. Get it right however, and the rewards can be greater competitive advantage and a better service for customers.”

With domestic competition now looking like a near- certainty, market activity over the next few years is likely to be critical for those in the retail market looking to establish themselves as a ‘retailer of choice.’

Beyond retail and up into the stream With Ofwat driving competition across different areas of the market, there will no doubt be many different opportunities for both companies and those operating in

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

LEGAL z

the supply chain for both water resources and sludge. Specialists that can unlock the potential in the circular economy, or reduce the cost to serve customers outside of populated centres have the potential to reap rewards.

Gareth Parry, Partner in Infrastructure at Shepherd and Wedderburn comments that “regulatory barriers and an uncertain industry support regime have arguably built barriers to wider investment in this sector, for example in AAD (Advanced Anaerobic Digestion).

There will need to be an element of certainty and stability in trading conditions before we see big investments in this area from new entrants.”

Managing risk and change A key element in successfully implementing upstream competition will be careful development of the agreements that underpin these activities between incumbents and new service providers. While the industry is no stranger to significant procurement activities with the wider supply chain, upstream markets could cut much deeper into what are currently vertically integrated businesses. The appropriate allocation of risk and reward is important, as well as a good understanding of the technical aspects of the technology and services being deployed. The challenges will be both technical and cultural.

and litigation specialist at Shepherd and Wedderburn. “It is critical that the technical details are right in any agreement. But there also needs to be scope for flexibility where appropriate to reflect the nature of the product that is being dealt with – I think all water companies can agree that waste water treatment can be a bit of a dark art.”

For many incumbents in the industry, breaking up the value chain in this way will be a great leap. Others already have experience in service provision under PFI- type arrangements. These differing levels of experience and approaches may well be a key driver in the future evolution of sludge markets.

Then of course, there is the issue of Brexit and whatever regulatory change this brings in the future. Ofwat have been pretty clear that it is business as usual for now, to an extent – which is of course correct. However, come 2020, the policy environment might look quite different. As an industry so driven by environmental regulation and with big, long terms investments at stake, policy makers will need to ensure a level of certainty in market conditions if innovation in the value chain is to truly take off.

One thing however is certain – for many reasons, the long term future for the industry is unlikely to be business as usual.

“Through various litigations, we have seen some very technically difficult and protracted disputes on the waste water side of the industry,” comments David Anderson, Partner

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Training the next generation of catchment managers The water environment faces diverse and increasing pressures arising from a combination of factors including climate-driven changes in hydrological extremes, population growth and floodplain development, changes to carbon and nutrient cycles, and the legacy of long-term physical modification of water bodies.

Bringing the field into the laboratory: the River Lab at QMUL is unique among London institutions These pressures generate threats to people, property, infrastructure, wildlife and key ecosystem services in river catchments. An integrated approach to catchment management, traversing traditional disciplinary boundaries and recognising the importance of interactions between hydrological, geomorphological, biogeochemical and ecological systems is crucial for the development of sustainable solutions to water resource issues. Despite this, there remains a lack of experts with broad interdisciplinary training. Our degree programme is designed to produce the next generation of specialists in integrated catchment management.

The Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc programme is run by the School of Geography at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Our students study river science, policy and management and prepare for a career in the water and environment sector.

Students benefit from research-led teaching in one of the UK’s top geography departments (ranked 5th for the quality of research outputs in REF2014) with state-of-the-art laboratory and computing facilities. The River Laboratory, for example, offers unparalleled facilities in London for research into river behaviour. Digital camera equipment and supporting software enables river morphology to be captured in 3D using photogrammetry. Two flumes – a sediment transport demonstration channel and a river simulator – enable scaled experimental modelling of river processes to support the development of sustainable river management and restoration solutions.

A core understanding of freshwater environmental systems and the key policy and legal frameworks that underpin their management is essential for successful catchment management. Our students gain this through classroom teaching by academic staff

QMUL students undertaking fish and macroinvertebrate surveys on the River Mimram with thr local Environment Agency team

and external experts from the water industry combined with fieldwork, laboratory analysis, numerical modelling and independent research.

In addition to developing fundamental scientific understanding across geomorphology, hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology, our students receive hands-on training in key methods relevant to catchment management including river assessment methods, river restoration design, flood estimation and inundation modelling using industry standard software, monitoring of carbon, nutrients and pollutants in aquatic environments, and working with remotely sensed data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Fieldwork is a key component of the programme, from our field trip to the highly dynamic, near-natural Fiume Tagliamento in Italy – one of Europe’s last remaining ‘wild’ rivers, to the heavily modified rivers in London and South East England.

Our aim is to produce outstanding scientists capable of developing interdisciplinary solutions to priority water resource and catchment issues.

To help achieve this, we work closely with an Advisory Board comprising representatives from government, private and third sector organisations in the water industry to ensure that our programme is up-to-date in meeting key industry needs. Networking and industry experience is built into our programme from the beginning, and students are encouraged to take advantage of the vast opportunities for engaging with seminars, debates and other events across London during their studies. We also work with local Environment Agency teams to provide opportunities for students to gain experience in key operational procedures in catchment monitoring and management. Students have the opportunity to conduct their dissertation research in collaboration with an external partner organisation, producing research that directly addresses key questions in catchment management. This has created, for example, four

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years research and development work on the use of wood in river restoration in collaboration with the Environment Agency, which fed into the Thames River Basin Management Plans and led to the development of a UK-Brazil Learning Partnership on River Restoration in 2015 initiated by one of our alumni.

Our graduates have secured jobs across the water and environmental sector in organisations including: Affinity Water, CH2M, Environment Agency, Jacobs, JBA Consulting, Rivers Trusts, Thames Water and environmental consultancies in the USA and Brazil. Increasingly we are seeing demand for our part-time variant from colleagues already in the water sector (water companies, environmental consultancies and the Environment Agency) who require further professional training. Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate options are also available.

Vinicius Delboni completed the MSc programme in 2015. His thesis was completed in collaboration with the Environment Agency, and used a 1D hydraulic model to explore the hydraulic effects of large wood features installed for habitat improvement on the River Blackwater, Hampshire. Vinicius then went on to secure a job with the makers of the software he used for his modelling project, CH2M. He says “I was looking for a masters programme where I could develop flood risk management skills and, at the same time, prepare myself for a career in consultancy.

QMUL Geography could offer exactly that. The variety of coursework throughout the programme helped me to prepare myself for delivering consultancy style reports to very strict deadlines, as well as providing me with hands on experience using cutting edge industry software, such as ArcGIS and Flood Modeller. I received help and important feedback from my academic supervisor when job hunting and after three months I was able to secure the job I wanted.”

Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc

Looking for a career in the water and environment sector or to develop new skills? Our diverse masters programme brings together our expertise in geomorphology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, environmental modelling and remote sensing to train students in catchment management, river assessment and restoration, water policy, and flood risk management and modelling.

Contact us for more information: School of Geography Queen Mary University of London Mile End Road, London E1 4NS 020 7882 8165 geog-pgadmin@qmul.ac.uk www.qmul.ac.uk/msc-imfe Picture: The Fiume Tagliamento in Italy is one of Europe’s last remaining “wild” rivers and the location for this programme’s field trip.

• Flexible study options: Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and part-time MSc options for those who want to combine work and study.

• Employability: networking with environmental agencies, water companies and environmental engineering consultancies through guest lectures, events and student research projects maximizes your employability. Alumni employers include: Jacobs, Halcrow Group, JBA Consulting, River Trusts, Thames Water and Environment Agency.

• Funding: postgraduate loans of up to £10,000 and bursaries of up £4,000 available. @QMULGeography youtube.com/QMULGeography

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

z WATERAID

Clean water is like medicine

WaterAid employs about 1,000 people in 38 countries to provide safe water and toilets to communities. Its work is carried out in partnership with hundreds of non-governmental organisations, government agencies, academic institutions and private companies, including those in the UK water sector. Here, we look at what a difference that is making.

Chandaka, in the Salima district of Malawi, has mustard leaves and rape seed growing along the river banks leading up to the village.

Sickness was common and every day women and children spent hours collecting water and carrying it up the steep slope.

weight of the water, which meant she had to make several trips to collect enough for her family to use.

Water from the stream, once the community’s main water source, is now used solely for watering the village crops. A new borehole, built in 2015 by WaterAid and partner organisation ELDS, means the 34 households in the village now have a regular supply of safe water just steps away from their homes.

Now life in the village is very different. Every house has a toilet, a bathing area and a cooking hut. The community makes money from selling agricultural produce and some of that money is used to keep the borehole and water pump working. There is a nursery school for under-fives and the community has seen a huge improvement in their overall health.

She lost sleep at night because of the pregnancy pain which made collecting water even more difficult during the day.

Before the borehole, the community relied on the river at the bottom of a steep slope for water to drink, cook and wash with and for watering their crops.

In the dry season, the river would almost completely dry up, and in the rainy season it would swell and become dirty and polluted.

Zione Petulo, 22, now feels optimistic that her two year-old daughter Flora will grow up healthy and get a good education. When she was pregnant, Zione had to walk down the steep slope to the river to fetch water. She could only carry a small basin because of the

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She said: “When the borehole was put in, it was a very happy moment for us and we celebrated the whole night. We had to make sure the borehole was here to stay.”

Zione’s grandmother Kestina describes the clean water as medicine. Water from the river often had snails and other creatures in it. But since the community have been using water from the borehole, people are much healthier and the village has seen a dramatic fall in the number of cases of cholera and diarrhoea.

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WATERAID z

Helix Phiri is a teacher in the nursery school as well as the secretary of the village water and sanitation committee. He loves being a teacher and was delighted when the borehole brought clean water to the village as it meant it was finally feasible to have a fully functioning nursery. Helix was born and brought up in Chandaka and is hopeful about its future. He wants it to become an exemplary village and its children to achieve good education results.

WaterAid has been working in villages like Chandaka since 1981 when the charity was set up by a group of visionary leaders from the UK water industry. For 35 years the industry has shared WaterAid’s vision of safe water and toilets for everyone everywhere. The work in Chandaka is just one example of the progress being made towards this ambitious goal.

For the first time ever, nine out of ten people in the world have safe water to drink and use for cooking, washing, and growing food.

And every year, 78 million people turn on a tap or use a pump for the first time. But there is still work to be done. With the ongoing commitment of partners and supporters, WaterAid believes everyone everywhere can have access to safe water and a decent toilet by 2030.

Find out more about WaterAid at www.wateraid.org Think you could drop all drinks except water in January? Join WaterAid’s Just Water challenge and help to get safe water to everyone everywhere: www.wateraid.org/justwater

Picture credit WaterAid/Alexia Webster

SHOW US WHAT YOU’RE

MADE OF One drink, one month. Could you drink nothing but water this January?

Sign up to drink Just Water for two or four weeks and help WaterAid reach everyone everywhere with safe water and sanitation by 2030.

T: 020 7793 4594 E: justwater@wateraid.org www.wateraid.org/just-water WA_JW17_advertAW_180x115_WIJ.indd 1

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2016

BACTEST Launches Speedy Breedy SeaSure® to determine if treated ballast water complies with the IMO D2, VGP and other standards

November 22 2016 Cambridge UK based BACTEST, inventor and manufacturer of Speedy Breedy, the world’s most sensitive, versatile and portable contamination test has announced a new product variant specifically designed for the maritime market Speedy Breedy SeaSure®.

Speedy Breedy SeaSure® is a patent pending integrated ballast water testing solution suitable to be used on-board ship that gathers test results on microbial, phytoplankton and chemical contamination reporting on whether treated ballast water is compliant to the IMO-D2, VGP and other standards. This data is automatically input into a secure report called Ballast Log that is suitable for transmission to interested parties such as ballast water treatment systems manufacturers, ship owners and Port State control providing a secure audit trail.

“The Convention will require all ships to implement a ballast water management plan.

All ships will have to carry a Ballast Water Record Book and will be required to carry out ballast water management procedures to a given standard.” (Source IMO) “Using Speedy Breedy SeaSure® as part of a ship’s ballast water management procedure would make the process much simpler and

provide a secure digital solution for ship owners” said Bactest CEO Prof. Annie Brooking.

integrated ballast water testing solution suitable to go on-board ship.

“Our research into the ballast water testing market told us that ships sending samples to a land based lab for testing was just not feasible.

Ship owners and port state control want a one-stop shop to buy a completely integrated solution, which is easy to use, and provides an automated transmittable Ballast log report, that would tell them if they were compliant with various standards so they would not risk being delayed in port. Speedy Breedy SeaSure® ticks all of these boxes”.

Bactest has also partnered with leading US Ballast Water Treatment Company Hyde Marine whose customers have the option to buy Speedy Breedy SeaSure® alongside their Ballast Water treatment system Guardian Gold®. Speaking on the relationship Mark Riggio, Senior Market Manager for Hyde Marine said “Now the IMO ballast water convention regulation has been ratified, it will be important for ship owners to understand how to comply with ballast water requirements. With the addition of the Bactest Speedy Breedy SeaSure® to our portfolio, we will be able to provide owners with a rapid tool to validate ballast water treatment.”

In order to bring Speedy Breedy SeaSure® to market Bactest has partnered with Chelsea Technologies Group Ltd. to test for Phytoplankton and international water testing company Palintest Ltd. to measure chemical contamination, meaning that SpeedyBreedy SeaSure® is a one-stop shop to determine if treated ballast water is compliant to IMO D2, VGP and other standards and the only

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Early adopters of Speedy Breedy SeaSure® also include the Chinese Port State Control in Shandong Province, and Distributors P General also in China and Korean Distributor IBS.

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