Water Industry Journal 5 by Distinctive Media Group Ltd

Water WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

INDUSTRY JOURNAL

december 2017

Making business continuity a priority

Wastewater Treatment & Technology | Water Framework Directive

Incident Management | Water Utility Customer Experience | Pipeline Technology

Wij

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

WELCOME z

Welcome

We can’t avoid the public ownership debate in these turbulent times Welcome to the latest edition of the Water Industry Journal, which once again outlines the many advances being made in an industry that has undergone massive changes in recent years. From increased competition to tougher environmental regulations, ageing infrastructure to new technologies, the water industry is no stranger to challenge and has, for the most part, met that challenge head-on.

John Dean

Editor in chief

However, the industry perhaps now faces its biggest challenge to date with Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn recently returning to the idea of taking utilities, including water companies, back into public ownership. The Labour leader argued in speeches and media interviews that they would be much better run if publicly-owned, a belief he has held throughout his political career. The response from the industry was swift. Water UK Chief Executive Michael Roberts said: “Mr Corbyn painted a badly distorted picture of the water industry, saying that infrastructure was crumbling and the service was deteriorating. He’s wrong, because water companies have invested around £150 billion in the industry since privatisation, and customer satisfaction levels have been rising – they’re now around 90% according to the independent water consumer watchdog. We’re always happy to discuss our industry’s record, but let’s do it on the basis of facts.” It is not for the Water Industry Journal to take sides in what is essentially a political argument about privatisation but it is nevertheless something that everyone in the industry needs to bear in mind. As the gap between Labour and the Tories closes and the turbulent political landscape makes it difficult to predict when the next

General Election will take place, let alone who will win it, the ideas voiced by Jeremy Corbyn are unlikely to go away. There are many who argue that there is justification for a public debate on the issues of privatisation. They believe that the utilities and the private sector do not mix and point to the problems experienced by the energy and rail sectors to support their case. However, if there is to be a debate, it needs to be properly conducted with balanced arguments being given due consideration. I listened to one of the interviews that Jeremy Corbyn gave on the subject and, as ever, he marshalled his thoughts in a cogent and reasoned way. The water industry needs to do the same and, as Michael Roberts says, the industry is always prepared to discuss its record. And it’s a decent record. Yes, we all know that there are problems – ageing infrastructure will not be replaced overnight, there are still too many cases when failings lead to unacceptable pollution incidents – but the industry is nevertheless making great strides. Just look at the stories and features on the pages of this edition of the Water Industry Journal. Technical innovation, scientific advances, bold investment decisions, improved customer service, these are all happening wherever you look in the water industry. And it is that record that will come under scrutiny if, and probably when, the public ownership debate rears its head for real.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z CONTENTS

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16 4

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

CONTENTS z

Contents

4-5

Contents

6-16

News

18-19 Big Interview 22-27 Wastewater Treatment and Technology 32-37 Water Framework Directive 42-45 Incident Management 48-51 Water Utility Customer Experience

52-55 Pipeline Technology

52 42

Editor

John Dean john.dean@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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 2017

z NEWS

MP finds out how Severn Trent generates green power in Nottingham A Nottingham MP visited Severn Trent’s Stoke Bardolph site to find out more about the innovative work taking place to generate renewable energy. Alex Norris, MP for Nottingham North, was given a tour of the site to find out how the company uses anaerobic digestion to turn both waste and crops into biogas that is then used to generate electricity or to go into the national gas grid for homes and businesses to use. He also had an opportunity to take a closer look at the company’s wind turbine that generates clean energy every day. Mr Norris said: “Building a sustainable future is really important and sewage treatment is something that most people take for granted.It’s excellent to see these innovative techniques turning waste into clean energy that can be used by local people and businesses here in Nottingham.”

L-R Neil Liddell-Young, Alex Norris MP, Martin Dent, John Jackson

Experian partnership benefits British Water members British Water has agreed a partnership with data company Experian, which provides access to products and reports to help manage and negate credit risk. Members of the trade association will benefit from services specifically designed to help small to mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) protect and grow their businesses. British Water members will have discounted access to three core services: Marketing data from a database of over 5.3m records delivered through the Experian B2B prospector tools, which can help identify new business leads

British Water international director Lila Thompson says the partnership with Experian is a major coup for members who will benefit from a range of products and services

is a major coup for our members who will benefit from a range of products and services created specifically with SMEs in mind. Experian is a market leader and will provide British Water members with the peace of mind they need to make informed and confident business decisions. “This is just the latest effort to provide members with access to expert professional services, therefore we are delighted to have Experian on board.”

Credit risk reports and on-going monitoring of individual clients’ credit profiles in the UK and internationally, providing protection from lossmaking decisions and high-risk companies

Experian’s Jamie Allan said: “Cash flow is an important issue for SMEs because one unpaid invoice can have great consequences for their company’s financial health. Equally, as a provider of a quality service you want to know that your suppliers are in a position to provide a reliable service to you, so you retain a strong reputation with your customers.

Experian’s My Business Profile service, which can help companies improve their own credit ratings, delivering improved tendering outcomes and other benefits

“We are working with British Water to help make those key decisions easier and more informed for members, so they can continue to thrive and take their businesses forward.”

Lila Thompson, British Water international director, said: “This partnership with Experian

British Water members should visit https://engage.experian.co.uk/britishwater/

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

NEWS z

BlueTech Research and WEF collaborate on innovation

Paul O’Callaghan, chief executive, BlueTech Research with Eileen O’Neill, executive director, Water Environment Federation (l) and Erin Partlan, research analyst, BlueTech Research

Radar sensor £460*

· MoU signed by BlueTech and WEF · Visiting scientist fellowship programme under development · Organisations will work closely on technology and market trends

Low-cost radar sensor for water level measurement

Two leading water sector organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration around innovation and market trends. Technology market intelligence company BlueTech Research and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) aim to identify multiple opportunities to combine expertise and meet shared goals for the water industry.

One sensor, all round capability - Reliable level control

A key component of this initiative will be a visiting scientist fellowship programme which will see BlueTech water technology market analysts working closely with WEF team members on a number of specific joint initiatives. It is expected that this will drive a cross-pollination of knowledge and sharing of information.

for water and sewage treatment facilities, pumping stations and rain overflow basins. Level sensing for sludge processing and AD units. Open channel flow measurement, open water and flood level monitoring.

BlueTech recently supported WEF’s Intensification of Resource Recovery (IR2) Forum and is partnering the technical organisation in the Innovation Pavilion at WEFTEC. The company expects to work closely with WEF to develop innovation-related programming at other global events and help disseminate findings to WEF members and BlueTech clients.

VEGAPULS WL S 61 ▪ Measuring range up to 8 m

▪ Use outdoors without restriction

BlueTech’s expertise in market analysis could be leveraged into an initiative undertaken by Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WERF) and WEF. The Leaders Innovation Forum for Technology (LIFT) helps bring new water technology to the field quickly and efficiently.

▪ Flood-proof IP68 housing

▪ Operation via Bluetooth with Smartphone, Tablet or PC

Paul O’Callaghan, chief executive of BlueTech Research said, “BlueTech has a long history of working closely with the Water Environment Federation and I am delighted to be able to strengthen this relationship with a formal Memorandum of Understanding relating to the visiting fellowship programme.

* Scaled pricing: 1 to 3 units £460 | 4 to 9 units 10% discount | 10+ units, price on request

“There are many synergies in our expertise and the goals we share for the global water industry. Collaboration between BlueTech and WEF on initiatives such as LIFT link and the IR2 Forum will enhance analysis of the data and intelligence provided to all stakeholders.

Further information: www.vega.com/wls61

Call +44 1444 870055

“We will also be using our data analytics capability to identify key industry trends by analysing conference papers and proceedings. We may also identify opportunities to collaborate on specific technical projects that will advance the missions of both organisations.” www.bluetechresearch.com.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

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Young People’s Panel gets to work Students have been helping to shape the future of Wessex Water by joining its Young People’s Panel. A total of 23 sixth form students were recruited to the panel, which was set up last year and is a first for the water industry. The panelists spent a day at Wessex Water’s operations centre in Bath, learning about the company and spending time with directors and senior managers before being set real-life tasks. They returned in November to pitch their ideas in Apprentice-style presentations. Andy Pymer, managing director of Wessex Water Services, said: “The Young People’s Panel is a great way for us to gain valuable input from younger generations on the way we work and opportunities for the future. “The experience is also mutually beneficial for the young people, who can take away valuable experience of presenting to a panel of senior managers and add some really credible achievements to their CVs.” The focus of this year’s Young People’s Panel was community engagement, and tasks included coming up with ideas to address sewer misuse and how to encourage all customers to treat water as a precious resource. Young people taking part receive a formal reference for use in UCAS or apprenticeship applications and a £100 reward.

Water company supports services personnel Scottish Water has pledged its commitment to supporting serving and former military personnel and their families. Director for People Shirley Campbell signed the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of the organisation with Lt Col Andrew Muddieman of the Royal Marines at Castle House, Dunfermline. The Covenant is a promise by the nation to those who serve or who have served their country that they will be treated fairly. To date more than 1,500 organisations in the UK have signed it. By signing the Covenant, Scottish Water commits to being an armed forces-friendly

employer, ranging from supporting former military personnel who are seeking careers in the water industry in Scotland to working with staff who are reservists. Scottish Water will also offer flexible support to those staff whose spouses serve in the military before, during and after a deployment. Shirley said: “We recognise the value that serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. “As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we have a network of support groups internally in Scottish Water and that includes one specifically for people who have a military link either past or present. “Scottish Water takes seriously its commitment to being an employer of choice for those leaving armed service and providing tailored support to those who find themselves seeking a new career pathway. That support

extends to families of military personnel and staff who are part-time reservists. We recognise that the training and experience gained in these roles can significantly enhance learning and development within the workplace.” Lt Col Muddieman said: “Companies can benefit greatly from the transferable skills of those who have been in service. The types of vocational and leadership skills taught in the armed forces can be sought after in the civilian workplace. “Service people serve their country and there are many demands put upon them to move around and for their spouses this can mean disrupted employment patterns. Anything that companies can do to assist with that is very welcome.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

NEWS z

Metering solution recognised with award Portsmouth Water was named the 2017 winner of the Home Builders Federation Utility Company of the Year (HBF) Award. The award was given to the company because of its approach to a new connections policy which dispenses with street meter chambers in favour of meters that are above ground. The HBF believes that it is a fundamental right that all customers, including the elderly and those with disabilities, must be able to easily read their water meters so they can better monitor their water usage,

detect leaks, and take appropriate action were necessary. Portsmouth Water’s meters allow this to happen and Rod Porteous, Engineering Director, said: “We pride ourselves on providing the best service we can and continually look at innovative approaches throughout our business to further improve our services especially to those that are considered the most vulnerable.”

ONE STEP AHEAD

A safe bet Bookmaker Betfred has decided to build on water efficiencies that have saved it £120,000 by switching all its water and wastewater requirements to Anglian Water Business with a three-year UK-wide contract. Betfred decided to consolidate all its water and wastewater contracts with a single supplier following the opening of the competitive English water market in April. The new contract covers 1,600 sites and continues a long-standing relationship between Anglian Water Business and the company which started in 2013. Already an Anglian Water Business (AWB) customer in Scotland and the Anglian region, Betfred has saved £120,000 thanks to AWB’s Active Water Management service, which monitors consumption and finds opportunities for efficiency improvements.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z NEWS

Patrick Cullen, Managing Director of SDS Limited collecting the Lloyds Bank Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year

Sustainable drainage firm judged best SME with second national award Sustainable water industry leader SDS Limited has been judged the nation’s best Small to Medium Sized Business for the second time in two weeks, after the Somerset-based manufacturer won at the prestigious UK Business Awards. Following an exacting day of presentations at the awards event - known as “The Dons” - at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday (22 November), a judging panel of business leaders confirmed SDS as winner in the ‘SME incorporated for more than 10 years’ category. SDS was named National Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year in the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards at an awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor Hotel on Tuesday last week. In September, SDS was also an SME winner at South West Business Leader awards. The three awards all recognise the outstanding business growth that has seen SDS’s turnover increase every year since its foundation 20 years ago. The company now employs more than 100 staff with a turnover last year of over £20 million.

Now firmly established as a market leader in water infrastructure systems, the company’s success is underpinned by a unique fullservice turnkey offering in which SDS designs, engineers, manufactures, installs and maintains Sustainable Drainage Systems for customers in the construction and water industries. Building on the enduring success of its GEOlight® geocellular storage system, manufactured at its facility in Highbridge, Somerset, SDS has also expanded its product range to incorporate treatment products for surface water pollution control. SDS was founded on the simple idea of GEOlight®, an underground stormwater storage tank to meet a previously-unfulfilled need of the construction industry to manage excess surface water at source. Patrick Cullen, the founder and still sole owner of SDS,

demonstrated a single-minded commitment to commercialise his solution and to educate the industry on the environmental, social and economic benefits of water storage systems made from recycled plastic, rather than concrete. Managing Director Patrick Cullen said: “We are overwhelmed to have been judged winners of these prestigious awards. Above all, they are recognition of the winning team we have at SDS who have all played a part in our growth, and for the area of Biddisham where we are based. “SDS has been privileged to enjoy outstanding loyalty from our customers over many years, for which we are very grateful. We hope to continue to reward them in future as we innovate sustainable and practical ways for contractors and designers to deliver bestpractice surface water drainage.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

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Leading Software & Analytics firm launches new Advisory service Daniel Scott

Head of Asset Management Transformation at SEAMS A leading Sheffield-based software & Analytics company has launched a new service for clients based on Advice, Training and Mentoring. SEAMS , based on Napier Street off Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, has launched the new service in response to being regularly asked for help and support by asset rich organisations, in embedding analytics and decision support techniques into a business and landing the benefits. Often, simply introducing the tools and software into an organisation (even with training) is rarely enough to see the benefits fully materialise. Usually this is because an organisation’s processes and thinking need to evolve too, in order to incorporate the new technology and tools and realise their full potential.

SEAMS have seen this problem across all of the asset management sectors and have been advising various clients in finding solutions. In response, they have now created SEAMS Advisory. This new service provides the support organisations need to fully embed analytics and decision support into business as usual (BAU), and crucially, realise the full benefits that they can bring. Daniel Scott, Head of Asset Management Transformation at SEAMS, and formerly Head of Track Systems & Civils Asset Management at Transport for London will be heading up the service. He says: “After over 15 years of working in the Decision Support Tools/software market, we were finding more and more that many asset rich organisations were implementing software, or looking to introduce analytics strategically within a business, but finding that it wasn’t delivering the outcomes desired and coming to us for help. The complexity of many organisations, and the different levels of maturity on the asset management journey presented many different issues from lack of qualified resource internally to needing to

gain stakeholder buy in to the whole process. We feel passionately about the benefits that analytics can deliver to an organisation, and felt that we should share our wealth of knowledge with others so they can land these benefits in a very real way. So SEAMS Advisory was born! To ensure it really empowers and “advises” our clients, SEAMS Advisory is completely agnostic of any software solution that’s implemented in a client organisation. Think of us as sharing knowledge and mentoring where necessary, or as a virtual team, aimed at helping organisations land the many benefits of analytics.” Daniel went on to say “We’re already working on projects for global clients in this capacity and are looking forward to this new development in our business.” SEAMS was founded in Sheffield in 2002 and has since grown to become one of the UK’s leading asset management software providers, working with organisations across the globe to help reduce costs and improve service. For more information about SEAMS and SEAMS Advisory, visit www.seamsltd.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

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Bad debt a focus for regulator Water companies are lagging behind other sectors where it comes to dealing with customers who are struggling to pay their bills, according to water industry economic regulator Ofwat. It is estimated that bad debt currently adds approximately £21 annually to each customer’s bill and tackling the problem now says Ofwat, will help reduce water companies’ costs, making bills more affordable for all customers. Ofwat is calling on companies to do more for those struggling to pay their bills and to identify customers having difficulties before the debt becomes too big. The water regulator also says that companies must also do more to deal with those who can afford to pay, but simply won’t pay their bills.

• Making better use of the customer data so they can anticipate where bad debt issues might occur then deal with them early before debts build

To address the issue of customer bad debt, Ofwat is asking water companies to take a number of steps which include:

• Moving to more frequent billing to avoid the difficulty of having to pay one large bill each year

• Making affordability schemes more available and encouraging more customers to take them up

• Improving customer communication and making customers aware of the help that is available if they need it

• Ensuring that customers are on the most appropriate tariff and payment method • Looking to other sectors for new ideas on ways to deal with customer debt • Ensuring there are real consequences for those customers who can afford to pay, but choose not to do so

Campaign aims to reduce blockages Wessex Water has urged residents and businesses in Swanage to keep cooking fat out of drains after a spate of blockages in the seaside town. blockages we attend in Swanage are caused by food and cooking waste.

• Use a strainer in your sink plughole and empty any contents into the food waste bin.

“Fats, oils and greases in liquid form might not appear harmful but they congeal to form blockages in pipes, drains and sewers. This can lead to flooding and pollution.

• Keep oily or fatty pots and pans out of the dishwasher.

“Blockages can also mean that what you flush comes back up through your toilet, sink or manhole and flood your home or a neighbour’s. The company deals with more than 33,000 blockages every year and estimate that a third of these are caused by fats, oils and greases. In Swanage it is a particular problem, and sewerage crews cleared more than twice as many kitchen-related blockages in the town in 2016 than the previous year. Divisional waste manager Luke Beattie said: “We’re finding that an alarming number of

“By following a few simple steps you can protect your home from flooding, avoid expensive clean-up bills and look after the environment.” The company has put together six tips for avoiding blockages in the kitchen. They are: • Avoid pouring cooking oil, fat or grease down your sink or drain. • Wipe and scrape any leftovers off plates into the food waste bin before washing up.

• Wrap coffee grounds in newspaper and place them in the bin. • Don’t pour boiling water down the sink to try to dissolve fat and grease. This doesn’t work and is wasteful. As well as tackling blockages caused by kitchen waste, the company is calling for clearer labelling on wet wipes and other bathroom products that can clog up toilets, drains and sewers. Luke said: “Most of the other blockages we deal with can be traced back to the bathroom, where wet wipes and sanitary products are wrongly flushed down the loo. We always urge customers to only flush the three Ps - paper, poo and pee - down the toilet.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

An age-old problem Windmill insight solutions is here to help you understand and address the big issues affecting your business. Arguably issues don’t come any bigger than the water industry turning over around 60% of its workforce in the next three to five years. The Problem

Post privatisation the gas, electricity and water industries all scaled back their recruitment to reduce costs. The result was the average age of utility employees increasing and a shortage of technically competent people to replace them when they retire. Evidence from EU Skills shows that the water industry intends to fill 87% of its vacancies by external recruitment. That’s intending to bring nearly 35,000 new people into the industry from a diminishing talent pool in the face of competition from the gas and electricity industries. A diminishing talent pool? Evidence from the Office of national Statistics shows that the number of 18-year olds in the population is falling while evidence from the ROSE project,

a 20 country 5-year study, shows that young people in the more developed countries are less engaged with science and, by implication STEM. Not a good combination

The solution

The water industry needs to maximise the potential of its existing staff and become more attractive to new candidates. Apprenticeships will be a key route, offering potential candidates a route to degree qualifications without the burden of massive student debts. Our principal, Bob Windmill, has just completed a management succession planning project for a major utility company. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques, key real-world skills and skills gaps were identified and an apprenticeship based solutions developed.

Might something like that work for you? Contact details

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z NEWS

Landlords urged to act to avoid costs of regulation change

Landlords of properties in Wales have been warned that they risk falling foul of a rule change which means they need to keep their tenants’ details up-to-date or face becoming liable for their charges. Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, which serves more than 1.4 million households and businesses across much of Wales, Herefordshire and parts of Deeside, has been running the campaign as part of an initiative to raise awareness of the change, brought in by the Welsh Government. Welsh Water estimates that it serves more than 350,000 rental properties and the Welsh Government estimates that there are 100,000 private landlords in the country, as well as more than Residential Social Landlords, so the change affects a large number of people and organisations. The company said that work it had done on cases of ongoing non-payment revealed that 15% of these customers were no longer living at the property but remained registered for charges. These inaccuracies make it difficult to recover its charges, and can also affect the credit rating of unsuspecting past tenants so Welsh Water wants landlords to register themselves and their properties with them. All landlords are required by Welsh Government regulations to let the water company know of a change in tenants within 21 days of the change.

If they don’t have this information landlords can be held liable for the service charges for the property. Julia Cherrett, Managing Director of Retail Services at Welsh Water, said: “It is really important that we have accurate and up to date information about who is responsible for paying our charges. Some landlords may not be aware of this important change in regulations, which can lead to months of charges falling to them, rather than the tenant. “Unrecovered charges lead to a reduction in the amount of investment we are able to make as per our not-for-profit status. This is

something we want to put right. We want to maximise our collections performance so we can invest more in supporting those who genuinely struggle to pay, and in improving our network. Douglas Haig, Residential Landlords Association Vice-Chair and Director for Wales said: “We welcome Welsh Water’s willingness to work with both landlords who may not be aware of the requirements, as well as with tenants who struggle to keep up with their payments. Collaborative working is necessary to the success of any regulatory measure, and we are happy to work in partnership with Welsh Water to raise awareness.”

Energy storage technology is trialled Technology to store energy is being trialled at Anglian Water’s Cambridge Water Recycling Centre. The systems use batteries from electric vehicles to collect and store energy with the stored electricity then used to power the site at times when demand is highest, taking pressure off the electricity grid as well as saving money. Much of the site’s power needs are already met using renewable energy; its Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engines run on gases produced by the sewage treatment process. The batteries themselves are British designed and developed. The E-STOR technology uses second life Renault electric vehicle batteries to provide a smarter, affordable and more flexible approach to grid load management. Operating software allows users to maximise efficiencies and savings by storing excess energy when it is needed most, such as times of peak demand or when energy tariffs are high.

Matt Pluke, Anglian Water’s Energy Manager, said: “Energy, in the form of grid electricity, is an important part of Anglian Water’s cost and carbon footprint. It’s not just about how much energy we use but also about when we use it. By using the batteries in this way we put less strain on the National Grid at peak times and also save money by avoiding high energy tariffs. “This kind of technology is a great example of how we can reuse items as part of a wider circular economy. Reducing the amount of grid energy we use by maximising our use of renewables as well as embracing new technologies is good for the business and great for the environment, too. “This is the start of an exciting journey for battery storage in Anglian Water. This trial will provide the detailed data we need to prepare for a wider roll out across the region.” Jason Cox, from Connected Energy Limited, which has developed the E-STOR energy

storage technology, said: “The energy landscape in the UK has shifted. The debate isn’t just about how much energy we use, it’s also about when we use it. Anglian Water and Connected Energy have worked together on this energy storage trial to help maximise the potential of renewable energy projects and offer grid services support for the future.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

NEWS z

Water company awarded national accolade One of Anglian Water’s largest ever water supply schemes – the Grafham Water Resilience project – was crowned Carbon Reduction Project of the Year at the British Construction Industry awards. The company fought off tough competition from the South Bank Tower, the Kirkthorpe Hydropower Scheme and the University of Cambridge to claim the award.

in Northamptonshire in the event of an emergency power outage. Chris said: “Grafham is a great example of how a focus on reducing capital carbon can drive innovation, increase efficiency and reduce costs across the business. The easiest thing would have been to lay another main with all the ensuing carbon and cost.

The judges recognised Anglian Water and its partners Mott MacDonald and JN Bentley for delivering the scheme for £32 million less than the initial design and saved 62% of carbon, equating to 26,000 tonnes. Chris Newsome, Anglian Water’s Director of Asset Management, said: “It’s testament to the willingness of our engineers to challenge accepted wisdom and strive for better, less carbon-intensive, more cost-effective solutions that are better for our business and better for the environment.” The Grafham Resilience project began in 2010 when Anglian Water decided to halve the amount of carbon generated by its construction projects by 2015. The original plan was to build a major new pipeline to bring water down to the new service reservoir at Grafham from Wing

Water Treatment Works in Rutland at a cost of £60million, meaning the scheme would have been both carbon heavy and expensive. Driven by the need to halve carbon and reduce cost, the team came up with another idea and a flow reversal trial proved it would be possible to use existing equipment to reverse the direction of flow through one of the company’s biggest water mains linking Grafham Water Treatment Works in Cambridgeshire with Hannington, near Pitsford Water

“This innovative approach to reusing existing equipment enabled a cheaper, lower carbon solution to be proposed. The final scheme came in millions of pounds cheaper, at half the embodied carbon than the initial scheme design, all of which helps to keep bills down for customers and ensure an uninterrupted water supply for them too. “It is successes like this that helped us to beat our 2010-2015 target to cut capital carbon by 50 per cent from the 2010 baseline. We are now going further, with the desire to see a 70 per cent fall by 2030 and to become a carbon neutral company by 2050.”

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z NEWS

Food waste digestion plant starts generating green power

Severn Trent has started operations at its latest green gas plant in Roundhill near Stourbridge. The plant will be able to turn almost 50,000 tonnes of food waste a year into renewable gas for use in homes and businesses. The plant is Severn Trent’s second food waste anaerobic digestion plant, following on from the success of the existing plant in Coleshill which has been operating since 2015.

Chris Jellett, from Severn Trent, said: “We take food that can’t be eaten or used for any other purpose from local businesses and waste management companies and put it into huge vats that effectively digest it, like in your stomach, to produce biomethane which then goes through another process to be converted into gas suitable for injection into the network as a new source of renewable gas. “The process also makes sure that the food waste doesn’t end up going to landfill, with any packaging that we remove at the plant sent for further energy recovery.”

48,500 tonnes of packaged and unpackaged food waste a year. Chris said: “The plant will produce enough renewable gas to heat 2,700 homes for a year and enough renewable electricity to power 1,700 homes. “Renewable energy is a really growing area for us and we currently generate the equivalent of more than a third of the energy we use through renewable sources and have ambitions to increase that to 50% by 2020.”

The new Roundhill site has a permit to recycle

Company looks to the future Anglian Water has launched a project that aims to shape the company’s future.

Named the Smarter Drop, the campaign was launched in Newmarket and has targeted goals including zero leakage and bursts and helping customers reduce their water usage to record lows of 80 litres per person per day. Emma Staples from Anglian Water said: “It’s dry in East Anglia. We get a third less rain here than the rest of the country and

we have a changing climate, which means flooding and drought could all become more common in future. “In a future with more people and fewer raindrops, making sure there’s enough water to go around whatever the weather is essential.”

The Civils and Utilities specialists

KEEPING THE COUNTRY CONNECTED At Burdens our purpose is clear. To keep the country connected. By using our expert knowledge and national reach we supply the essential infrastructure products and services that keep our communities functioning. We understand the importance of keeping projects on schedule. And that means getting the right materials, to the right place, at the right timeâ&#x20AC;Ś Every time. Connect with us to see how we can help you on 0344 292 7090. www.burdens.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z BIG INTERVIEW

Fatberg that became a global sensation Thames Water engineers recently removed a giant 250 metre long fatberg ten times bigger than the famous Kingston monster found in 2013. The Whitechapel fatberg, one of the largest ever found, was blocking a stretch of Victorian sewer. Here, Thames Water media relations manager Stuart White explains the extent of the problem and how the company coped with the worldwide media interest that it created. How was the fatberg discovered and how large was it?

The Whitechapel fatberg in east London is one of the biggest ever found. It was a rock solid mass of wet wipes, nappies, fat and oil weighing a whopping 130 tonnes – the same as eleven double decker buses. It was blocking a stretch of Victorian sewer more than twice the length of two Wembley football pitches. It’s become a global celebrity and a great example to promote the problems Thames Water and other water companies are facing from sewer abuse. It has captured imaginations, shocked and disgusted, and got people all over the world talking about what happens next to their waste.

What was it made up of?

It was a congealed lump of fat, oil and grease, mixed with all the usual unflushables, wet wipes, condoms, nappies, cotton buds, underwear. There is something repulsively human about this modern-day monster we help create. It’s there lurking, congealing and growing fast under our feet. Why did it grow so huge?

We have a major problem with fatbergs, both in sewer networks and at our sewage treatment works. We check our sewers routinely but these things can build up really quickly and cause flooding, as the pipe plugs shut and the waste gets blocked. Once the sewer clogs, the perfect combination of wet

wipes, sanitary products and fat, oil and grease quickly builds up behind. There’s your fatberg. How have you set about removing it?

It was a total monster and took a lot of manpower and machinery to get out. We were using high-powered jet hoses to break up the mass before sucking it out with tankers at first, but damage it caused to the sewer meant we also had to do a lot of the work by hand, using shovels. The sewer is just over 1200mm high and 700mm wide, and nearly four metres below the road. It’s very challenging conditions for the team clearing it and I fully respect the work they do down there. It is cramped, hot and the smell can be completely overpowering.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

BIG INTERVIEW z

Stuart White being interviewed by Duitch Radio What happens next to it?

It may have been a monster, our worst enemy, but we all agreed the Whitechapel fatberg deserved a second chance. We, therefore, teamed up with a leading waste to power firm to transform what was once an evil, gutwrenching, rancid blob into 10,000 litres of pure green fuel. It’s the perfect solution for the environment and our customers and helps towards our target to self-generate 33 per cent of the electricity we use by 2020 – last year we produced enough electricity to power more than 86,000 homes. Therefore, you will please to know, the Whitechapel fatberg will get a new lease of life as renewable, biodegradable fuel powering an engine instead of causing the misery of sewer flooding. Tell us about your campaign surrounding the problem?

Often people don’t realise the consequences of putting things other than human waste and toilet paper down their toilets and drains. Having sewage flood your property or business as a result of a blockage is hugely distressing and, in many cases, avoidable. The ‘Bin it – don’t block it’ campaign is designed to help our 15 million customers understand that the sewers are not an abyss for household rubbish. The concerning reality, however, is that eight times every hour a Thames Water customer suffers a blockage caused by items being flushed away or put down the drain which shouldn’t be. There is obviously a huge cost involved in this, too, and we spend about £1m a month clearing blockages from our 68,000 mile sewer network.

Check out our web pages and new videos on the campaign, including the ‘myth of the flushable wipe’ for more information: www. thameswater.co.uk/binit. How have you handled the global media interest in the story?

The story was ‘most read’ on the BBC News website on the day (September 12) we released it and still in the world news five weeks later. It has reached more than one billion people from more than 115 countries. It was the top worldwide Twitter Entertainment Moments story following the Greg James Radio 1 Show from the fatberg at the beginning of October, and was on page three of the New York Times. We kept the story moving with new angles to keep up with the interest throughout, including how it’s being converted into biodiesel and our work with food establishments to prevent fat getting into the sewer in the first place. We’ve answered so many questions, sent so much information and done so many interviews, including with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, plus American and Canadian media, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden.

Greg James The list goes on and on, and the coverage has been phenomenal. We’re a small team of four so it was a total whirlwind month, but a fantastic and rewarding experience. We had set the press office up as a Newsroom at the start of the year, introduced video and a far more proactive approach to telling our story, and all our hard work has paid off – I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved. The real hope and expectation now, of course, is that all the noise in the media will lead to a change in consumer behaviour, and a sharp reduction in blockages. Most people should now know wet wipes go in the bin. And where did the word fatberg come from?

Everybody is talking about fatbergs – the word was even used recently on Have I Got News For You, The Chase and Mock The Week. Fatberg is actually a word invented by Thames Water, and it has really caught on. It is known around the world and is in the dictionary – Donald Trump was even called one at the Labour Party conference by a famous author. We’ve created a monster, something to fear, something to talk about, and it has really brought the problem to life. Please remember, don’t feed the fatberg.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

Green Bonds, Wood & the UK Water Sector The Green Bond Market celebrated its 10th anniversary a few months ago; a major milestone in a rapidly growing wellestablished market.

Green Bonds raise funds for new and existing projects that have positive environmental and/ or climate benefits. They are an important financial instrument in project finance and can be verified and reported upon to sustainably improve the environment and build climate resilience. The demand for green bonds is increasing exponentially and from the first Green Bond in 2007 issuance has risen to almost $100 billion for 2017 alone and is projected to grow to $1 trillion pa. by 2020. Example categories of eligible green projects include renewable energy, water and wastewater management, energy efficiency, sustainable waste management, sustainable land use, biodiversity, conservation, clean transportation, climate change adaptation and resilience, and eco-efficient products and technologies. Wood is working with clients and partners in the water sector to enhance assets, projects and resilience through innovative finance and green bonds to address challenges and develop opportunities in water services. Water-related Green Bond projects focus on promoting more efficient use of water resources and networks, increasing levels of water recycling, energy efficiency and improving water treatment compared to baseline scenarios. Water eligible projects financed by Green Bonds are becoming more relevant as hydrologic cycles change due to increases in temperature and precipitation. Some projects also aim to address water scarcity and pollution at a local or watershed level. Key environmental benefits from water Green Bond projects include: n Water collection, such as water pipes and facilities to capture rain water n Construction, operation and maintenance of water treatment facilities n Water use reduction, such as low-flow equipment and smart metering devices n Water reuse and recycling n Water-related energy efficiency, including water efficient fixtures and efficient irrigation n Investments to deal with rainfall volatility A recent example of a Green Bond for water issued in the UK is the 2017 ÂŁ250M Anglian Water project to partially finance the utilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sustainability strategy1. The Green Bond

will mature in August 2025 with a return to investors of 1.625% (annual yield). Anglian Water is using the proceeds to invest in its Eligible Green Portfolio, as defined by Anglian Water Services Financing Green Bond Framework for green bonds, including innovative water abstraction, drought and flood resilience schemes, energy efficiency projects, and progressive water recycling and water resource management projects. The market and independent verifiers have declared the Anglian Green Bond fits in two eligible categories:

The current scope of water assets eligible for certification under the Climate Bond Standard (phase 1) includes: engineered water infrastructure for the purposes of water collection, storage, treatment or distribution, or for flood protection or drought resilience. These include water assets in the Water Sector plus water infrastructure used in the operation, design, and function of many other industries, such as mining, manufacturing, powergeneration, refinery systems, general cooling uses and irrigation as part of agricultural production.

n Sustainable water management projects with a reduced climate footprint; and

Working with issuers, clients and international partners such the Climate Bonds Initiative and experienced investment banks at discrete gateway points in the process or for the whole Green Bond Life Cycle, Wood combines our financial, environmental and management expertise to listen, act and deliver tailor-made solutions, providing excellence in every aspect. Wood offers water utilities and potential issuers in other sectors a complete suite of services as depicted in our Green Bond Lifecycle Framework, reaching across pre-issuance, post- issuance, EPC, monitoring, evaluation and impact reporting.

n Sustainable water recycling projects with a reduced climate footprint. From the identification of qualifying green projects and assets through to consent, verification, issuance, engineering, construction and reporting on use of proceeds and impacts; the Green Bond Life Cycle service created by Wood includes the key stages and processes that require attention to detail and experience in long-term project delivery, finance, and the management and operation of major projects. Processes also include adherence to the Green Bond Principles, engaging with buy-side and sell-side institutions and regular reporting on the use of proceeds.

1 - Water and Wastewater Treatment 1/8/2017 Anglian Water issues ÂŁ250m Green Bond

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z WASTEWATER TREATMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Severn Trent invests £35m to reduce phosphorous levels Severn Trent is investing £35m to install new technology at its Finham Sewage Treatment Works near Coventry that will help to meet new environmental standards. The company is investing in CoMag, which removes phosphorous from waste water before it is returned to the environment. Peter Sugden, from Severn Trent, said: “We’re committed to doing everything we can to improve our local environment and with the Water Framework Directive requiring us to meet much tighter phosphorus limits than we have in the past, now is the right time to start installing new technology to meet these targets. “At Finham we process more than 1,500 litres of waste water every second and we’re aware that, with growing populations and the possibility of increases in industrial sewage in the future, we need to take advantage of innovative solutions to make sure the water we return to the environment is of the highest quality.” Phosphorus is a normal part of domestic sewage but conventional treatment processes

only remove part of it. Too much phosphorous in the local environment can result in poor river ecosystems which is why the Water Framework Directive has reduced phosphorous limits to 0.22 mg/l for treated effluent returned to the environment from the Finham site. Severn Trent has been trialling several new phosphorous removal technologies at its site in Packington, Leicestershire in recent years, and the work at Finham is amongst the first phase of the roll out of these. The CoMag system uses magnetite – fully inert, iron ore particles – to remove phosphorous from water that is then returned to the River Sowe. Peter said: “In total, we’re investing around £120m in phosphorus removal technology up until 2020, an investment that will see around 100 sewage treatment works upgraded.

“At Finham, work is now under way to install the CoMag solution and we hope to see it fully operational by autumn 2019.” The CoMag process was developed by Evoqua on the east coast of the USA and is a three step process. The first step uses a coagulant, such as iron, to precipitate the soluble phosphorus, a magnetite ballast is then added to the water which acts as a seed for the precipitate and also to add weight to the solids. In the last step a polymer coagulant is added to help bind the precipitate and ballast together before flows enter a settlement tank where the solids settle quickly and efficiently. The sludge is removed from the base of the settlement tank but before the sludge is sent off for further treatment it is pumped through a magnetic drum. The magnetic drum recovers the magnetite from the sludge and from here it drops back into the process to be reused.

At Finham we process more than 1,500 litres of waste water every second and we’re aware that, with growing populations and the possibility of increases in industrial sewage in the future, we need to take advantage of innovative solutions to make sure the water we return to the environment is of the highest quality.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

WASTEWATER TREATMENT & TECHNOLOGY z

Report shows scale of challenge faced by Irish Water

Another utility company meeting the challenges associated with wastewater is Irish Water, which is investing heavily to address problems associated with decades of under-investment in infrastructure. When Irish Water took over responsibility for water and wastewater in 2014, it prioritised the health of customers by focusing on improving drinking water, and also addressed leaks and the frequency of bursts.

has shown that progress is being made. Currently, the company has more than 1,400 active projects at a value of €2.2billion. In 2014 the company took over a portfolio of projects from the local authorities that were all at different stages of development. In many cases the projects needed to be re-scoped, or the necessary planning and environmental statutory processes were not yet in place and in some cases sites had not yet been required.

But between 2014 and 2015, Irish Water also increased the investment in wastewater to €166m, an increase of 22% on the average expenditure between 2011-2013. From 2016 – 2021, the remaining period of the Irish Water Business Plan, the utility is increasing investment to spend an average of €326m per year on wastewater infrastructure.

Head of Asset Management Seán Laffey said “As with drinking water, Irish Water as a single utility can for the first time have an over-arching strategy on wastewater. “This planned approach will in time deliver sustained benefits in terms of improved

The new EPA Urban Wastewater Report

compliance in wastewater treatment. The EPA report correctly reflects the size and scale of the challenge facing Irish Water as we work to meet the needs of homes and businesses around the country and facilitate future growth. “The lead in time for building or upgrading a wastewater treatment plant can be up to three years to ensure that all planning, regulatory, environmental and statutory obligations are met. Site selection, public consultation and site purchase are also vital parts of the process. A substantial amount of this preparatory work is underway and people will see the outcome of this work over the coming years as construction begins on more and more sites.”

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z WASTEWATER TREATMENT & TECHNOLOGY

C. G. Godfrey Ltd VacuflowÂŽ Vacuum Sewer System Salford Priors S101A first time sewerage scheme

Under section S101A of the Water Industries Act 1991 Severn Trent Water had a requirement to service the settlements of Iron Cross, Rushford and Pitchill west of Salford Priors, Warwickshire with a public sewer as a result of 28 polluting properties. Upon completion of the scheme a further 29 non-duty properties were also provided with a point of connection to the new sewerage infrastructure (enabled). 24

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

WASTEWATER TREATMENT & TECHNOLOGY z

Initial project solutions included the utilisation of conventional gravity sewers at depths of up to 7 metres and 4 No. sewerage pumping stations, necessary as a result of the areas undulating terrain. Due to the many significant disadvantages identified with the use of a gravity sewerage system for this application a vacuum sewerage system was proposed as the most effective alternative solution.

The Solution

C G Godfrey Ltd (CGG) are the UK’s sole distributor of Qua-vac BV’s Vacuflow® technology and were appointed by Principle Contractor, NMC to design and build a vacuum drainage System to service the villages complex requirements by using this Vacuflow® technology to provide an eco-innovative alternative to the gravity sewer option. The projects specific design encompassed approximately 3km of vacuum main, a central vacuum collection and discharge pumping station, 750m of rising main and 640m of gravity sewer capable of serving 50+ properties. Effluent is discharged at a rate of 5-6l/s into Severn Trent Waters wastewater network along School Road, Salford Priors. Vacuflow® Technology was installed to service all properties within the catchment areas. Waste water from each property, or where possible groups of properties drains by gravity to a vacuum collection chamber sited either in the adjacent highway verge or within the property boundary, no chambers are positioned in the highway. Collection chambers are constructed from either polyethylene or Precast Concrete and are fitted with Hermelock B125 or D400 composite covers and are similar in size to a standard manhole. Vacuflow® systems are a mechanised method of waste water transport that utilise differential air pressures to transport waste water (atmospheric pressure in the collection chambers and negative, reaching -0.8 bar within the infrastructure pipe work). Collection chambers are the entry points into the vacuum system. Each collection chamber requires a Vacuflow® interface valve to seal the vacuum lines and maintain internal negative pressure. Vacuflow® interface valves work pneumatically: once wastewater within the chamber reaches a predetermined level the interface valve is triggered by a starter valve switch positioned on top of a ball float. Whilst the interface valve is open, the resulting differential in pressure between atmospheric (in the collection chamber) and negative (in the pipeline) becomes the driving force in gathering wastewater in the collection chamber and transporting it towards the central vacuum station. The starter valve will remain open until the ball float trigger switch has dropped back down. No electrical installations are required within the collection chamber. The pipeline network is made up of HDPE SDR17.6 materials. The pipeline is laid to a ‘saw tooth’ profile, whose profile ‘lift pockets’ are used to form a plug in the pipeline network, overcome

obstacles, transport wastewater uphill and ensure shallow pipe work where possible. The vacuum station is the only element requiring an electrical supply. The vacuum station comprises of a station building containing the MCC and 2No vacuum pumps, outside is an underground vacuum tank and pump and valve chambers within which 2No discharge pumps, isolation and non-return valves and flow meter are housed. The systems vacuum pumps run for approximately 2 to 5 minutes per cycle. Once wastewater reaches the vacuum station it’s deposited into the vacuum tank where it’s temporarily stored until the tank reaches a predetermined level when the discharge pumps are activated and the wastewater is conveyed through a rising main and gravity sewer to the nearby sewer network on School Road, Salford Priors.

Innovation

CGG continually seek to challenge project efficiencies by employing innovative technologies. At Salford Priors efficiencies were made to meet budget and programme constraints. To achieve these efficiencies emphasis was placed in “offsite” prefabrication. Prefabrication facilitated the opportunities for reductions in cost and programme duration, whilst also achieving greater control of product quality and eliminated elements of risk to health and safety on the project. Numerous prefabricated components, including the fully fitted vacuum station building and foundation slab, pumping station and valve chamber were efficiently programmed for ‘just in time’ delivery to ensure only one crane visit was necessary to site the various elements.

Hermelock composite covers, either D400 or B125 rated were installed on all collection chambers, made of a polyurethane composite material reinforced with fibre glass these covers offer the following advantages; • Light weight

• Not susceptible to corrosion • Watertight seal • Bolting system to lock covers • Maintenance free • Resistant to loading (EN-124 standards) • Zero scrap value • 25 year guarantee CGG’s preferred method for vacuum main installation is via directional drilling, however ground conditions on site did not permit this option therefore all vacuum mains were, where feasible, installed by the use of a road trencher which facilitated the excavation of narrow trenches, the recycling of road surfacing materials and reduced areas of highway reinstatement. A trencher is a rapid method of excavation, with levels controlled by laser, typically achieving 150-200m of trench per day. Pipes were pre-welded and laid alongside the trench then carefully lowered in onto a sand bed, thus eliminating the need to enter the trench. A sand surround and traceable marker tape were then laid over the pipe prior to backfilling. Foamed concrete was used to backfill trenches. Foamed concrete is a highly workable, low density material. Incorporating up to 75% of air foam concrete is generally self levelling and self compacting thus eliminating the need for compaction and vibration. Permanent asphalt reinstatements were then undertaken. www.cggodfrey.co.uk

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WASTEWATER TREATMENT & TECHNOLOGY z

Green-friendly electric pumps and teamwork solve demanding overpumping job Leading pump rental specialist Selwood provided the ideal solution to a complex overpumping application at a major city sewage treatment works (STW). A challenge was presented when Wessex Water needed to carry out a programme of improvements to its STW in Salisbury but needed to keep the site live and minimise any disruption. Temporary overpumping was required to deal with all incoming flows to Petersfinger STW from the surrounding area of up to 900 litres per second. The site serves a population of around 60,000 people. The pumping system also had to be capable of handling night-time low flows of 200 litres per second. Selwood, the UK’s number one pump rental solutions provider, was able to provide a tailored solution for this complex operation, which also required environmentally-robust technology given the STW’s proximity to the River Avon. Selwood’s expert team worked in close cooperation with Wessex Water’s site team to devise a bespoke solution for the demands of the application. The solution also had to take into account the lack of space available because the overpumping regime had to be placed alongside the main haul road into the works and utilise a very narrow lay-by. A temporary ramp was then needed to cover the discharge pipes going across the haul road and discharge into the storm tank. The constraints of the site ruled out the use of traditional end suction diesel pumps and traditional electric submersible pumps. Following a full-site inspection, it was agreed for Selwood to provide four NZ electric hybrid

end suction pumps – each capable to up to 300 litres per second. Unscreened sewage was being taken from a temporary riser pipe constructed by Wessex Water in advance of starting on-site. Selwood’s installation team used a manifold connected to this pipe to create four separate suction lines to Selwood’s NZ end suction electric pumps, which are renowned for their solids handling capabilities and ease of operation. Discharge pipework was then laid across the road and covered with the temporary ramp. Selwood’s electricians also worked closely with the senior commissioning engineer to install intelligent pump technology, including setting up the ultrasonic and variable speed control panels. Phil Ingleheart, Framework Manager for Selwood, said: “Wessex Water benefitted from an environmentally-friendly and very compact end suction, auto prime electric pumping regime within the very restricted space available. “Our installation team integrated with Wessex Water’s own site team to complete a difficult and challenging project by working together. “Selwood’s installation supervisor kept the site management informed of progress on an ongoing basis.” Throughout the operation, Wessex Water had the peace of mind of Selwood’s genuine 24/7, 365 days-a-year emergency callout system, backed by a comprehensive network of pump rental branches across the UK that means spares can be supplied very quickly. He added: “Through the overpumping of flows, Wessex Water was able to isolate the

inlet works from transferring flows which enhanced its health and safety performance and productivity. “The client was also pleased as flows were able to continuously enter the STW even though a major process had been taken off line.” As demonstrated in this application, the use of electric pumps is becoming increasingly popular in the water and wastewater sector and Selwood is leading the way to pioneer new models to meet the demands of the market. As part of an ongoing programme of product development, Selwood has introduced this year the S150 Super Silent 30kW Electric – setting a new benchmark in solids handling excellence. Representing a technological evolution from the best-selling S150 diesel pump, it is capable of enhanced performance over the 1600rpm diesel model. Providing 100mm solids handling, 310m3/h capacity and 27m total head, it is an environmentally-friendly pump that is ideal for a range of water and wastewater applications. Chris Garrett, CEO of Selwood, said: “The addition of new products builds on our commitment to ensuring that our specialists can find the perfect pump for all rental and sales requirements. “We have seen very positive feedback to the S150 electric, with major clients across the water industry renting now they know the units are readily available.” For more information visit: www.selwood.co.uk

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

Foundations to securing 21st century water assets

Clients are demanding even greater functionality, adaptability and speed of installation from security enclosures, access covers and associated products for protecting vital process, storage and distribution assets.

Quick, easy, safe installation of a large Technocover LPCB certificated drop-over kiosk, built offsite and craned into position Applications are becoming more specialised as the drive for greater cost efficiency is being seen in upgrades and refurbishment of older assets to extend service life. Meanwhile, security performance remains paramount; unauthorised entry, criminal attack or terrorist activity can have serious impacts on operational efficiency, customer service and, not least, people’s safety. The following sets out the five modern foundations to implementing robust, costefficient physical protection essential to the long-term resilience of UK water assets and supply. 1. Combining security & operational needs to maximise TOTEX cost-efficiencies Many projects are focused on the hardening of existing infrastructure and its adaptation for new process technologies, invariably demanding a bespoke approach. Physical resilience is not just about meeting a security rating, but also delivering a fully evolved operational response - from fast installation of equipment to minimise downtime of live assets, to supporting ongoing operational efficiency. With the ‘whole life’ cost efficiencies of TOTEX in mind, the best value solutions typically take the form of fully integrated access and housing systems. As well as being built offsite, they offer scope to ‘design in’ exhaustive functionality which clients are often unaware they should or can demand, though is crucial to providing lowest whole life cost. Technocover’s Total Service approach aims to provide the lowest cost solution by addressing every possible aspect of the product’s life cycle to ensure the best return on investment. This goes from maximising the buildability and operational advantages of the design, to ensuring a high quality system finish for long, low maintenance service.

Through early consultation, this complex cover assembly was value engineered by Technocover to provide a more cost-effective solution 2. Offsite solutions for reduced programme time Demand is growing in particular for large, modular enclosures to upgrade the protection of installations such as water treatment plant, telemetry, chlorine dosing, valves, switchgear and power supplies. With the emphasis on keeping assets live, clients and contractors increasingly want ‘plug and play’ solutions. Typically, these are built and kitted offsite with full M&E, then craned in and hooked up to services, sometimes all in one day. Carefully planned pre-builds can shave days, even weeks, off site build time, helping to keep construction programmes on track or even ahead of deadline. The management and certification of complex fit-outs is transferred to the quality-controlled environment of the factory, under the responsibility of one supplier. 3. Early involvement allowing supply chain to innovate and problem-solve Through early consultation with project partners, Technocover collaborates and uses value engineering to realise cost savings and ensure solutions respond to needs across the whole product life cycle. This allows timely consideration of vital aspects, from logistics and installation to health and safety, and in-service operation. Will the system be easy to install, operate and maintain? How can it be constructed to overcome access constraints on site, or reduce construction time? Is the design configured in every aspect for site compatibility and functions such as water-shedding, installation of site alarms and client locking suites? Can components be hoisted to give access for inspection and replacement equipment where it is needed? Can bespoke interfaces between security enclosures and impinging cover frames be resolved within the certification parameters, or does the assembly need modifying?

A Technocover LPCB certified twin-leaf door, with a primary door leaf, entry and exit ironmongery, and arched head blanking plate 4. Identify supply partners competent in delivering bigger, more complex solutions within LPCB parameters Having the manufacturing resources and skills to produce the new generation of super-size security solutions is only part of the challenge. They must also be achieved within the scope of LPCB third party approval. Now more than ever, the industry is looking to LPCB specialists like Technocover to execute intelligent and complex solutions that fully exploit, but do not over-reach, the envelope of their security certification. Technocover’s success in delivering solutions that achieve the full continuum of functional needs within the LPCB performance envelope provides the only truly robust foundation for total cost accountability in this TOTEX era. We firmly believe it can help water companies and their design/construction partners to better control ‘whole life’ cost in the pursuit of lower prices for customers. 5. Materials engineered for long life structural durability A potentially life-critical piece of engineering warrants a high quality finish, which means a galvanised zinc coating to properly corrosionproof steel. Clients should always scrutinise the system protection of a product as it may not meet service life expectations, or the supplier could be offering a lower specification in order to reduce price. The outcome can be a product that may meet the security specification but needs replacing after, say, as little as three or five years. Despite technical advancements in the performance of modern paint systems, few if any will give much more than 10 years complete protection. Technocover uses high quality steel, galvanising and paint processes to provide 25 years minimum service life of products. www.technocover.co.uk

Stonbury are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Kingcombe Aquacare Limited. Kingcombe Aquacare, based in Crewkerne, Somerset, have been in business for over 30 years and specialise in all aspects of water maintenance, construction, restoration and management. The company operates throughout the South-west and also further afield throughout the UK.

Environmental Solutions – Protective species surveys, ecological and waste permits, river habitat surveys, soft and hard engineering, asset maintenance.

The acquisition fits ideally with Stonbury’s long-term business

River and Waterways upkeep – Environmental Agency framework works, bank revetment, flood alleviation, de-silting, fish and eel passes, weirs, water retaining civil structures, aquatic weed control.

strategy, as leading water industry specialist contractors. The move also allows Stonbury’s existing services to be expanded into the South West of England, providing an excellent geographical base, experienced resource and new skill sets, complimenting our existing capabilities. Through our acquisition of Kingcombe Aquacare, we are pleased to offer a new range of services:

Fabrication – Fully equipped in-house steel fabrication, producing a wide range of water control structures, including penstocks, hatches, sluice gates and weed racks, working in hardwoods and mild steel. We also weld stainless steel for special applications, including bespoke stilling tubes and other water monitoring equipment. Consultancy – Water quality investigation, environmental surveys planning approvals, aquatic planting schemes.

Maintenance – Pumps and filtration, planned and preventative maintenance, liner repairs. Fisheries – Registered livestock transportation, fisheries management, netting and electrofishing, aquatic weed harvesting.

Kingcombe Stonbury Ltd - The Cropmead Estate, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 7HQ t 01460 279 200 e info@kingcombe.com www.kingcombe.com

clean water

waste water

water courses

civils

INDUSTRY LEADERS IN THE REFURBISHMENT OF WATER RETAINING STRUCTURES AND ASSOCIATED ASSETS REFURB/MAINTENANCE: IMPOUNDING & SERVICE RESERVOIRS - WATER TOWERS - CLEAN & SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS DAMS - SPILLWAYS - AQUEDUCTS - PIPE BRIDGES - PIPEWORK - BUNDS - TANKS & VESSELS - WATER COURSES SERVICES: INSPECTION/SURVEY - RELINING - SPECIALIST COATINGS - CORROSION PROTECTION - WATERPROOFING CONCRETE & STEEL REPAIRS - CLEANING & CHLORINATION - FLOOD ALLEVIATION DESIGN/INSTALL: STEEL WATER CONTROL STRUCTURES - SECURITY WORKS INC LPC4 ACCESS COVERS - ACCESS LADDERS, HANDRAILS & WALKWAYS SURGE VESSELS - M&E CIVILS: NEW BUILD RESERVOIRS & TANKS - LAGOONS - DEEP EXCAVATION - STREETWORKS INTERNAL, EXTERNAL & UNDERGROUND PIPEWORK - VALVES - DRAINAGE - RETAINING WALLS - ACCESS ROADS, HARD STANDING & PARKING AREAS - CABINETS - SMALL BUILDING INSTALLATION - DEMOLITION - FLOOR SLABS & SCREEDS Head Office: Chawston House, Chawston Lane, Chawston, Bedfordshire, MK44 3BH t 01234 750924 e enquiries@stonbury.co.uk www.stonbury.com

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Bidding to improve the

environment The Water Framework Directive has prompted water companies to invest in a range of initiatives to improve water quality. The Water Industry Journal looked at a couple of examples. Pioneering online auction service EnTrade, devised and trialled by Wessex Water in Poole harbour, is helping farmers improve the quality of groundwater on their land.

otherwise be bare during winter. EnTrade then automatically delivers an estimate of the nitrogen saved, based on the crop type and sowing date.

Farmers can now bid to grow winter cover crops on their fields, reducing the amount of nitrates that can leach into the ground and reach groundwater boreholes.

David Elliott, Wessex Water’s director of strategy and new markets, said: “Through the efforts of farmers and growers, nitrogen levels will dramatically reduce.

Wessex Water’s strategy and new markets team came up with EnTrade as an alternative to building a new treatment plant at its sewage treatment works, which would have cost £6 million and have a high carbon impact.

“Cover crops work over winter to intercept and reduce the impact of intensive rainfall events, while at the same time accumulating and ‘storing’ nitrates from the soils which would otherwise be leached and reach watercourses.

Following two successful trials in Poole, which saw nitrogen outputs significantly reduced, farmers have also been bidding for the cost of growing crops in an EnTrade auction run in partnership with United Utilities.

“We saw it as a win, win, win situation at Poole. Farmers reported improved soil quality and structure, aquatic wildlife was protected and customers’ bills didn’t need to rise to pay for an expensive new treatment plant.”

Cover crops such as barley, oats, oil radish and turnip rape are grown on fields that would

EnTrade calculates the price of saving, not the implementation cost. The combination of

crop type and sowing date means the most successful bids aren’t necessarily the lowest pound-per-hectare bids. Natural England have contributed to the funding of the auctions, which build on Wessex Water’s previous catchment management work in Poole and elsewhere in its region. David said: “EnTrade allows us to find the market price for environmental improvements by farmers. This price is then compared with the alternative, asset-based solutions, and we’ve discovered that nitrate reductions contracted via EnTrade can be achieved for a quarter of the cost. “EnTrade has a proven track record for improving the environment and I am sure this innovative approach has been welcomed by farmers.”

EnTrade allows us to find the market price for environmental improvements by farmers. This price is then compared with alternative, asset-based solutions, and we’ve discovered that nitrate reductions contracted via EnTrade can be achieved for a quarter of the cost.

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Dwr Cymru Welsh Water is to invest £1.5million on a project to improve the bathing water quality in Saundersfoot The work by the not-for-profit water company will see a new long sea pipe installed which will improve the performance of the network, especially during stormy weather. This, in, turn will reduce the risk of flooding and pollution entering Saundersfoot Bay which will help to further improve bathing water quality. Paris Koronias, Welsh Water’s Capital Delivery Project Manager, said: “At Welsh Water, we understand the importance of good bathing water quality to our customers and to the Welsh tourism

economy. We are, therefore, committed to ensuring we play a central role in protecting this valuable resource. “As a company, our priority is to ensure profits are reinvested both to improve services to customers, and to enhance the local environment – which includes bathing waters and our investment in Saundersfoot reflects this.”

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You’ve been frame(work)ed Barry Hopton of atg UV Technology gets to grip with the EU Directive

Barry Hopton ATG UV Technology

“Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.” Hence Directive 2000/60/EC, more colloquially known as the Water Framework Directive or WFD. It has the rather grandiose objective of “establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy.” Nobody can deny this goal: of course protecting our water resources to ensure the wellbeing of our delicate ecosystem and our own public health is a matter that must come above all commercial considerations. The logic behind managing water on the basis of catchment areas is unassailable. The best model for a single system of water management has to be by the natural geographical and hydrological boundaries rather than according to administrative or political boundaries. But how will this be implemented in practice? What will happen after Brexit? In fact, what is the future for the water industry? The concept of organising water management into regions based on river catchments is far from new: the Duke of Richmond introduced an Act of Parliament in 1878 promoting the idea. Then the 1973 Water Act created the ten Regional Water Authorities (RWAs), each responsible for drinking water treatment and supply, sewerage, sewage treatment and disposal, land drainage, river pollution and fisheries. Of course, one of the worst – if not

the worst – polluters of rivers is the sewage treatment works and the RWAs failed signally to perform both as poacher and gamekeeper. That was one of the reasons for their demise in 1989 under Margaret Thatcher’s privatisation. Another reason was a lack of investment due to central government’s tight fiscal controls and the high levels of debt inherited by the RWAs. The purpose of any privately owned company is to make a profit for its shareholders but, even with Ofwat’s regulation, it still rankles with the average water consumer that the water companies do just that. Jeremy Corbyn has promised to re-nationalise the industry, which sounds like a return to the failed RWA model. Existing legislation such as the IPPC Directive, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and the Nitrates Directive have already gone a long way to improve river water quality, but many groundwater sources suffer from a legacy of contamination. Ensuring that water quality is protected means monitoring and the EU defied the “Watch List” of 17 substances to be sampled at least annually across the EU. The Watch List includes insecticides, herbicides, antibiotics and natural and synthetic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The UK’s Chemicals Investigation Programme has been set up to identify sources of these chemicals in sewers, assess the contribution to surface water concentrations of trace substances made by sewage works discharges and determine the effectiveness of treatment processes in removing them. Phase 1 of the programme identified a number of priority substances including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), plasticisers and heavy metals. Undoubtedly more “emerging contaminants” will be added to this list as awareness and analytical techniques improve.

Water treatment technologies have, for many years, been developed in response to the ability of analytical chemists to identify, and then reduce the level of detection of, trace contaminants. Already there are many sorption processes capable of removing trace heavy metals and pesticides, and membrane processes also have a part to play, however these effectively only concentrate the contaminant into a waste stream that can have its own disposal problems. Trace organics like EDCs and PAH can be completely destroyed by oxidation using a combination of ozone or hydrogen peroxide with UV radiation, then again these techniques are expensive to operate. If oxidation is incomplete it is possible to form by-products which may be as toxic as the original contaminant but remain unlooked for and, consequently, undetected. No single technology is going to be a universal panacea and, whilst it represents a major opportunity for technology providers, we must not lose sight of the fact that implementation at waterworks or sewage works scale will be extremely costly. Whilst “water is not a commercial product like any other” it must not become too expensive for consumers or public health will suffer. It therefore fitting for us to try to minimise the presence of these emerging contaminants in our sewers but this will prove difficult if not impossible. What is, perhaps, of most concern is whether Brexit will herald the abandonment of a programme which will, inevitably, be expensive nevertheless ultimately essential for a sustainable future. The WFD is undoubtedly full of good intentions, but we must beware that it does not become the road to Hell. atg UV Technology, Genesis House, Richmond Hill, Pemberton, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 8AA +44 (0)1942 216161 www.atguv.com

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A PASSION FOR QUALITY AND A FLEXIBLE APPROACH TO DESIGN has placed atg UV Technology as the clear market leader for cost effective, bespoke design.

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New Water Framework Directive guidance – keeping our estuaries healthy

Water is a significant and undervalued resource. It is important for many reasons including human health, farming and food, healthy wildlife and habitats, bathing, fishing and other leisure activities. We use rivers and estuaries to transport goods and for recreation. Ensuring that these areas are protected yet developed to meet the needs of society is the aim of the Water Framework Directive. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is one of the most talked about pieces of EU legislation protecting the ecological health of rivers and watercourses. The Directive transposed into UK legislation underpins the majority of water protection legislation and is unlikely to change even after Brexit. The WFD requires all waterbodies to achieve good ecological and chemical status as defined by a number of quantifiable elements: n Biological – fish, invertebrates, macrophytes, etc n Hydromorphological – channel morphology, connectivity, etc n Physio-chemical – phosphates, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, etc n Chemical – pollutants, heavy metals etc. For developers and construction companies that operate in estuary areas, the Water Framework Directive applies to any work carried out in or near a waterbody that is likely to affect the waterbody’s Water Framework Directive status. An assessment will need to be carried out by the relevant regulator to ensure that the work is compliant and that any risks can be mitigated. This could be required on river and coastal housing developments, rail networks, port and jetty construction and marine dredging to name but a few. The Environment Agency want to achieve ‘good’ status in at least 75% of waters by 2021, and as many as possible by 2027.

One vehicle for ensuring that the UK’s waters meets this target is the Clearing the Waters for All guidance. This is an update to the previous ‘Clearing the Waters’ guidance which only provided advice for dredging activities. The new guidance is applicable to any development which may have an impact on a waterbody. The guidance ensures the key aspects of impacts on the aquatic environment that are monitored through the WFD are considered in a manner similar to an Environmental Impact Assessment – screening, scoping and assessment, and mitigation. Key receptors are hydromorphology, biology (habitats), biology (fish), water quality and protected areas. A new receptor for consideration and assessment is whether a project could introduce or spread Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS). The previous iteration of this guidance for works in estuarine and marine waters only provided guidance on dredging, of which one of the main impacts is the release of heavy metals, tributyltin compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In large estuaries, such as the Thames and the Humber, this pollution came from decades of industrial activity during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Thames was once declared ‘dead’ in the 1950s due to the high levels of industrial pollution and sewage entering the waters, preventing any biological life remaining there. This pollution is still present in the estuary sediments and dredging

re-suspends these within the water column which can have a negative effect on estuarine ecology up and downstream of the dredge. As the new guidance provides advice on assessing the impacts of a wide range of activities, the need to assess whether INNS could be introduced or spread is an important consideration. With climate change the negative impact of INNS is spreading as species from warmer climates are increasingly able to tolerate living in UK waters. Limiting the spread of INNS is a worldwide issue as is evident by the ratification of the Ballast Water Convention (BWC) of which the UK is a signatory. The BWC is a key international measure for environmental protection that aims to stop the spread of potentially invasive aquatic species in ships’ ballast water and came into force on the 8th September 2017. Assessing these two elements is what sets the WFD apart from other directives and ensures that the whole ecosystem is considered and protected. Estuaries are complex systems and require appropriate assessment to ensure that our current and future activities either maintain the current status or improve them. Through this we can ensure that all developments are monitored and encouraged to adopt mitigation measures which will help towards achieving Good status for waterbodies in the UK. For more information visit: www.thomsonecology.com

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For all your Water Framework Directive, Habitat Regulation Assessment, intertidal and sub tidal surveys, Marine Management Organisation (MMO) licences and permissions. Delivered by our world class consultants and laboratory facilities. With offices in Guildford, Cardiff, Leeds and Glasgow we are never far away – contact us at enquiries@thomsonecology.com www.thomsonecology.com

British Water boosts international business mentor team Industry association British Water has strengthened its team of International Business Mentors with the appointment of Shaun Stevens, business development manager, EPS Water. Stevens is making his experience of the markets in Ireland, Jordan and Oman available to other British Water members. British Water international director Lila Thompson said, “Our International Business Mentors are a fantastic resource, making exporters with experience of particular regions directly available to our members. We are the only association offering this service in the UK water sector and I’m delighted to welcome Shaun Stevens to this expert team.” Shaun Stevens said, “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to provide advice and assistance to British Water members looking to grow their businesses in the markets of Ireland, Jordan and Oman. The first-hand experience that I and the other mentors can offer is

invaluable to companies exploring new markets and seeking to grow their exports.”

British Water’s International Business Mentors are:

International Business Mentors can help companies navigate regulations, logistics and trading tariffs. They can also help with networking, including identifying suitable local contacts and signposting projects and opportunities.

Australia - Phil Tomlinson, sales and marketing director, Metasphere

Thompson added, “With Brexit there is a renewed desire to explore international markets and the Government is keen to look at new trade deals. This presents important opportunities for the water industry supply chain, especially SMEs. “Smaller companies are not always comfortable taking advantage of the full range of opportunities, often because of the perceived risk involved. By meeting others, who have been there before, the route to new markets becomes clearer and they can learn more about achieving success and the pitfalls to avoid.”

Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia & UAE - Bill Mitcheson, director, Export Assist China - David Wilson, sales manager, Partech Instruments Europe - Anna Whittaker, regional sales manager, Modern Water Ireland, Jordan & Oman - Shaun Stevens, business development manager, EPS Water Middle East, Africa & India - Ian Barrett, commercial director, Black & Veatch USA - Tom Williams, managing director, Enebio Please email lila.thompson@britishwater. co.uk if you would like to get in touch with a mentor.

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£7 million NI Water Renewable Energy Scheme gets underway in Antrim NI Water has commenced work on developing a solar farm to supply electricity to its Dunore Water Treatment works in South Antrim. The £7 million project will involve work on a 33 acre site on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh and when completed will produce a peak output of 4.99 megawatts and is expected to save over £0.5m annually in energy costs to the company. As well as meeting the energy needs of the Dunore WTW the project will also enable the company to contribute spare capacity to the grid. NI Water is the provinces largest user of electricity and Dunore is its third largest site in terms of energy consumption accounting for 7% of the company’s annual usage. Commenting on the announcement the company’s CEO Sara Venning said:- “As the largest user of electricity in N. Ireland, we are committed to limiting our impact on the environment. NI Water expects to increase our electricity consumption from renewable sources from currently around 13% to 40% in 2020/21. This project will make a significant contribution towards our ability to achieve that stretching goal.” Approximately 30 people will be employed from local firm GRAHAM Construction throughout the contract, providing a welcome

Sara Venning Chief Executive of NI Water pictured with Leo Martin, Managing Director of Civils GRAHAM Construction at the launch of NI Water’s new £7 million solar farm boost to the local construction sector. It is expected that all work will be completed by March 2018. Ms Venning went on to say:- “NI Water recognises the opportunity that recent and future change in the electricity market and associated technologies represent. The Dunore Solar Farm is an important element in our strategy to deliver benefit for our customers and environment.”

NI Water has reduced its annual expenditure on electricity by £5 million over the last three years and it is expected that electricity from a renewable source at the Dunore site will contribute to their efforts to keep expenditure on energy at the lowest levels possible. At the same time it will assist the company in achieving the strategy outlined in its PC15 business plan which aims to see it reduce the production of greenhouse gases from operations and become more energy efficient.

£1.5 million pumped into Newpoint Wastewater Pumping Station! NI Water has “pumped” £1.5 million into an essential programme of improvements that has just been completed at Newpoint Wastewater Pumping Station, Warrenpoint Road Newry. The project got underway in February 2017 and involved upgrading the station by installing new pumps, screens and other essential equipment to increase capacity and improve services for customers. Most of the improvement work took place on the Newpoint Site, with the installation of new screens, pumps and controls. The pumps at the Newpoint station transfer flows directly to Newry Wastewater

Treatment Works which was also provided with new inlet screens as part of the work. Peter Ferguson, NI Water’s Senior Project Manager said: “The new upgraded Pumping Station is good news for customers in the local area, it will reduce the likelihood of out of sewer flooding and bring about environmental benefits in the area, such as improving water quality in the Newry River. “NI Water and our project team including Dawson WAM and McAdam Design worked well together to deliver this project on schedule and welcomed the opportunity

to work with other local companies in the supply chain, including Newry-based company Murphy Process Engineering who installed and commissioned the new plant.” Chair of Newry Mourne and Down District Council, Councillor Roisin Mulgrew added: “The Council welcomes this £1.5 million investment in the local area, which will improve the sewerage infrastructure and wastewater services for customers. The scheme will also ensure that NI Water continues to meet Northern Ireland Environment Agency standards.”

The elephant in the room: pantonmcleod.co.uk/eddie

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Anglian Water: making

business continuity a priority

Keeping taps flowing is a top priority for all water companies, not least because interruptions to customers’ supply are unacceptable. Also, pollutions, leakage and flooding all come with hefty financial penalties from regulators if targets aren’t met. But it’s about more than that. It’s about providing consistent, excellent customer service, building trust and a good reputation for being great at what we do. It’s also about keeping pace with increasing expectations from customers in terms of the service they receive, and the scrutiny of the way in which brands conduct themselves when the spotlight of a crisis is shining down on them. This is why Anglian Water was an early adopter of British Standard BS 25999 and the first UK company to transition to ISO 22301, the International Standard for business continuity management. It’s why it places considerable emphasis on investing time, money and supporting its people on emergency planning and incident management, so when things do go wrong measures are in place to put things right as quickly and seamlessly as possible. And it’s why it’s led the industry on cyber preparedness, sharing its award-winning Cyber Monsters campaign with other water and energy companies across the country to help employees become more cyber safe.

Prevention is better than cure

Amy Southward, Emergency Planning Manager for Anglian Water, said: “Prevention

is very much the ethos across the business when it comes to incident management. Ninety per cent of the work behind the scenes focuses around having resilient systems and technology which monitors the network and alert teams to potential problems before they arise. Resilience is key, and it takes many different forms.” Anglian Water has the largest telemetry system in Europe which acts as the eyes and ears of its operational assets. All monitoring stations pass information to specialised alarm handlers who despatch jobs to local engineers who can investigate and take corrective action when necessary. But it’s not all about data, and the planning doesn’t stop there. The old adage ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail’ was never truer than in the water industry. A plethora of plans are always on the shelf ready and waiting for every eventuality from drought or flooding, to severe weather and water supply alternatives, all with the same goal of continuing to provide service whatever the issue.

Building resilience for the future

Sometimes it’s simply not enough to have plans in place. Anglian Water continually invests to ensure its assets are resilient. With forecast population growth, it more important now than ever that sites are equipped and prepared to

deal major outages should they occur. Anglian Water has recently completed a groundbreaking multi-million pound scheme using existing equipment to reverse the direction of flow through one of the company’s biggest water mains linking Grafham Water Treatment Works in Cambridgeshire with Hannington, near Pitsford Water in Northamptonshire in the event of an emergency power outage.

When the going gets tough…

Whichever way you cut it, the way a company responds to an incident is crucial in terms of quick resolution, business resilience and protection of hard-earned reputation. This is where Anglian Water really excels, and it uses such opportunities as a chance to shine. Restoration of customer supply is always the priority. Steve Lunn, Restoration Manager for Anglian Water, said: “Getting things back to normal for our customers is our focus. We even prioritise getting customers back on water over repair initially. Whether we do this by rezoning the network, using tankers or overland pipes depends on the situation, but it is the most important thing to us.” “Our dedicated restoration team will look at all potential options to restore water supplies and have a suite of different tools in their armoury that they can draw on to get the job done.”

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During an incident, customer needs are at the heart of all we do. Our teams behind the scenes will be working to identify vulnerable customers who need extra assistance. Our Incident Support managers are visible in the local community and on hand to offer updates and advise when needed.

Anglian Water has a fleet of tankers strategically placed around the region ready to deploy whenever they are needed. The company has recently purchased a “supertanker”, which has a 29,000 litre capacity and can be used in areas with a larger population or feed directly into affected storage points like water towers or reservoirs. The dedicated restoration team are specifically trained to be able to drive and operate the tankers as part of their role, as well as deploy fully equipped overland trailers which enable sections of burst pipes to be bypassed while the repairs are made. Anglian Water is the only water company to up-skill their employees in this way. More recently the teams have been trialling specialist encapsulation collars which can be used when a pipe has burst at a join. The collars go around the damaged section of pipe, allowing the water to continue flowing while the repair is made. Equipment like this is all part of the company’s critical supplies structure which keeps key specialist equipment in stock should it be needed.

Behind the scenes

This work on the ground is supported by more than 300 trained incident response staff who put in place effective structures to respond to incidents at all levels through the business. They ensure the

company can respond quickly 24/7, 365 days a year from initial preparedness and escalation of an incident through to response and recovery. Amy continued: “During an incident, customer needs are at the heart of all we do. Our teams behind the scenes will be working to identify vulnerable customers who need extra assistance. Our Incident Support managers are visible in the local community and on hand to offer updates and advise when needed. They play a critical role for us in getting a feel for customer perception and sentiment as well as identifying and solving individual customer issues.” All in all, it’s a team effort. From the operational teams and engineers with ‘boots on the ground’ getting things back to normal as quickly as possible, to the customer facing support staff working to keep people up to date with the latest information, and not forgetting the staff who dedicate their time to preventing incidents from happening in the first place by keeping things running as they should. Everyone has a common aim; to be the best that we can be and continue to provide excellent, trustworthy customer service.

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Water supply interruption; incident management Whilst the UK water infrastructure is among the very best in the world, supply interruptions are inevitable. Effective incident management and business continuity strategies are essential in order to mitigate the consequences of reduced or lost supply. Top water supply interruption causes: • Burst and leaking pipes • Contamination • Flood

• Drought

• Planned and reactive maintenance Top business continuity threats: • Cyber attack / data breach • IT and telecom outages

• Act of terrorism / security incident • Interruption to utility supply • Supply chain disruption

Water wholesalers of course are used to regulatory demands including the Security and Emergency Measures Direction (SEMD) requirements outlining daily provisions per person. They are also becoming increasingly interested in customer service measures such as Ofwat’s Service Incentive Mechanism (SIM), Outcome Delivery Incentives (ODIs) and average lost ‘Property Minutes’. When a piped supply is disrupted, it is essential to restore the service to normal operation as quickly as possible. To ensure this happens and to reduce the interim impact, water wholesalers are advised to engage the services of an experienced partner, through establishment of a framework agreement, who can provide alternative water supply during incidents. Water retailers (established for the water market de-regulation in April 2017) are also concerned with supply interruption incident management as it can assist with customer retention and increased switching by promoting value over price. This can mean offering specialist water contingency services and bespoke solutions for non-household customers that require planned or emergency temporary water services. With this in mind, we have put together the following top 5 supply interruption incident management considerations:

1) Quality Assurance

Water quality is of the utmost importance for any alternative supply provision. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) suggests

that any temporary water supply is (and can be demonstrated as) ‘wholesome’ as defined in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations (WSWQ). Water wholesalers in particular must be able to demonstrate adherence to the WSWQ regulations for all water (including bottled) that is supplied in place of the usual piped supply.

2) Responsive capability

It is impossible to predict when or where an incident will occur so nationwide reactivity, swift response and effective resource management are crucial both in and outside of working hours. Having an incident management partner who provides dedicated drivers and resources available 24/7 is the only way to overcome restrictions surrounding drivers’ working hours (Working Time Directive). This allows for a continuous service around the clock without the concern of losing workable staff during a water supply outage.

3) Appropriate Solutions

Each incident and location will have unique demands from the outset and these can vary greatly as the incident progresses. The management approach and the solutions provided need to be as equally variable with a multitude of options available. Often these can be adapted and used in unison with one another for diverse coverage and can include tanker mobilisation, deployment of static tanks, bowsers and bottled water via distribution points and doorstep deliveries for priority customers. It is recommended to look for a supplier that can provide a flexible service as appropriate. For example: visible ‘drinking water stations’ so that customers can clearly see that the incident is being reactively managed or innovative and less visible solutions where customers experience reduced interruption due to proactive mitigation methods.

4) Effective Communications

Proactive, timely and accurate communications between incident managers, responders and the public through the lifecycle of an incident are a crucial element. For the benefit of the end customer it is vital that all participants collaborate on media messaging,

10,000 and 30,000 litre Water Direct tankers attending a utility incident, June 2017 whilst understanding and supporting the delivery of the public relations message through all avenues. From an incident support point of view, it’s essential to ensure the partner enlisted is upfront and accurate in the delivery of ETAs, the communication of delays and maintains general regular updates.

5) Added Value

Alternative water provision should bring added value to your organisation’s incident management procedures, business continuity plan or customer service mandate. Engaging reliable incident management partners that can be trusted to provide autonomous solutions and proactive support may mean not choosing the cheapest option; rather appointment of partners that bring added value. Information provided by Water Direct: With over 21 years of experience in water supply incident management, Water Direct provides planned and emergency water services, nationwide 24/7 to national water wholesalers, retailers, commercial and private organisations to ensure reduced impact of supply interruptions. www.water-direct.co.uk

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Just a small piece of paper can make water consumption safer A revolutionary microbial-based paper sensor has been developed by researchers at the University of Bath, creating a cheap, sustainable and recyclable device for detecting toxic compounds in water. Access to safe drinking water is one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, since it is a basic human right and is crucial to combating inequalities and reducing poverty. This right is yet to be achieved in the world’s poorest countries, and one of the reasons for this is the lack of easily deployable and affordable water testing tools. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Bath’s Water Innovation &

Research Centre (WIRC @ Bath) and Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT), has published new findings reporting the proof of concept for a device, which in the near future, could supply some of the world’s poorest countries with a low cost, simple and rapid way of testing a water supply. Inspired by the simplicity of litmus paper commonly used for the rapid assessment of acidity in water - this innovative technology

consists of a microbial fuel cell (MFC), obtained by screen printing biodegradable carbon electrodes onto a single piece of paper. An MFC is a device that uses the natural biological processes of ‘electric’ bacteria – attached to the carbon electrodes - to generate an electric signal. When these bacteria are exposed to polluted water, a change in the electric signal occurs, which can be used as a warning message that the water is unsafe to drink.

This work could lead to a revolutionary way of testing water at the point of use, which is not only green, easy to operate and rapid, but also affordable to all. 46

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

The device has the potential not only to make water assessment rapid and cheap - each device is expected to cost no more than £1 but it is also environmentally friendly since the paper sensor is made of biodegradable components. The device is also easy-to-use and transport, weighing less than 1g. The University of Bath researchers are now investigating how to link up the sensor with an electronic device such as a mobile phone, via a wireless transmitter, for a quick and userfriendly way of identifying if a water supply is safe to use. Lead author and Senior Lecturer in the University of Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering, WIRC @ Bath & CSCT, Dr Mirella Di Lorenzo, said: “This work could lead to a revolutionary way of testing water at the point of use, which is not only green, easy to operate and rapid, but also affordable to all. “This type of research will have a significant positive impact, especially benefitting those areas where access to even basic analytic tools is prohibitive. This device is a small step in helping the world realise the United Nations call to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right.” Co-author and Reader in the University of Bath’s Department of Chemistry and CSCT, Dr Janet Scott, added: “This is a great example of how scientists and engineers working closely together can develop useful technologies with the potential to impact positively on the lives of citizens globally - we were able to design the materials that facilitated the production

of these devices and the engineering partners designed the devices.” The multidisciplinary project was led by researchers in the University of Bath’s Water Innovation & Research Centre (WIRC @ Bath) and Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT). It also involved researchers from the University of Bath’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and a partnership with the Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

We can help you reimagine your water R&D

This research received funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The article ‘A screen-printed microbial fuel cell biosensor for detection of toxic compounds in water’ is published in the Biosensors and Bioelectronics Journal and can be fully accessed at www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S0956566317307364

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

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z WATER UTILITY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Southern Water transforms its

customer service

Southern Water is transforming the way it interacts with its customers - and our goal is to make our customer service comparable not just with the best in our industry but right up there with companies like Amazon which are world famous for delivering a great experience for their customers. However, that’s not to underestimate the challenges ahead. it easier to do business with us - whether it’s online, face-to-face or over the phone, including making significant improvements to our website and customer contact centre.

Simon Oates

Chief Customer Officer at Southern Water We have come a long way in a short time and are now one of the fastest improving firms in the sector. According to a recent Consumer Council for Water survey, Southern Water saw the largest drop in customer complaints last year with a 45 per cent reduction. This represents the lowest written complaint levels for the company in ten years and we will deliver a further significant reduction in complaints this year. We were also ranked the ninth most improved company in terms of customer satisfaction out of 244 organisations, according to a survey by the Institute of Customer Service . While we are still towards the bottom of the industry league tables when it comes to customer service, we’re continuing to drive forward further improvements and move up the rankings and are doing this by adopting a more proactive and insight-led approach.

Always Improving

Over the last 12 months we’ve carried out a thorough review to ensure we can make

There is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to customer service and we want to provide a professional, tailored and speedy service for our customers at a time that suits them.

Simpler, Easier, Better service The use of technology is key to our success, allowing for greater responsiveness and more focus on meeting the individual needs of our customers.

We have developed our online services and created a web portal that lets our customers manage their account online. This allows people to submit meter readings, pay bills, check their water usage, tell us they’re moving home and much more. Since its launch, nearly 200,000 customers have already registered for a self-serve account, and close to twenty per cent of transactions are now online.

Proactive Service

It’s important to evaluate what has worked well in the past, and crucially where we can improve in the future. We have found historically the majority of complaints to Southern Water were either about increases to payment plans or higher bills than expected, so in 2016 we set up a brand new proactive customer call team.

We stop bills with significant consumption increases going out to customers automatically and instead this team proactively contacts customers first so we can chat to them about the possible reasons for the increase and explain the charges. By working to identify potential issues before they become a concern, we reduce the need for them to pick up the phone. This team has spoken to more than 100,000 customers this year and helped identify problems before they become a complaint.

Bringing customers in

We can learn a great deal from bringing customers into the company and hearing directly from them what they need. For example, we recently invited customers to our headquarters in Worthing to test our new website. They were able to give us an insight into their unique user experiences - giving us great feedback into what works for them, and what doesn’t.

Event Management

Great customer service is not just about how quickly we answer the telephone or how well we respond to a query or a complaint. It’s also about how well we support customers when things do go wrong during a crisis such as a water outage or burst main event. For example, if we have a burst on our mains network and customers are without supply, we need to support them with timely messages about how long they’ll be without water and

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

where they can secure alternative supplies from our incident teams, updates on what our specialist technicians are doing to put that burst right, notice on how long there may be traffic disruption and advice on how our customers can best avoid that disruption and get on with their daily lives. This has to be across multi-channels to ensure we are speaking to everyone from the techsavvy to the technophobe - from traditional media, face-to-face door knocking, calls, emails and social media to spread important messaging during a crisis. Getting this right every time is what will distinguish us from other companies and ensure that we give our customers great service.

WATER UTILITY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE z

Helping those who need it most

Great customer service is about knowing your customer and asking the right questions to make sure we understand and can meet individual needs. For example, our affordability team do a lot of work around vulnerability and offering the right support to those experiencing financial difficulties. Thanks to this proactive approach there has been increased take up of our range of social tariffs and we have provided more than 217,000 customers with financial help and advice. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also committed to working with wateronly companies in our region to ensure all

customers who need support get the same level of help, regardless of their provider.

The future of water

It is a time of great change, both within the water industry and across wider society. Customer expectation has never been higher and people expect a fast, resilient and affordable service 24/7, every day of the year. We are confident that, building on the progress we have already made, we are in a great position to continue our improvement and deliver the excellent service our customers quite rightly expect. Â Already, 66% of our customers feel our service meets their individual needs and 67% of calls reach first time resolution.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z WATER UTILITY CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Is customer satisfaction enough? Heidi Daniell

Director and Co-founder of Accelerator Solutions

It’s never been more important to consider the customer when planning future strategy. Over the last 10 years, every sector has increased its focus on customers, demonstrated by a wide range of initiatives, often demanding full board involvement. This is a particular challenge in sectors like public services, energy and water, where customers had little choice historically and the product on offer is seen as a ‘commodity’. Whilst the SIM league table has given prominence to customer satisfaction, the challenge will become far more significant in a future world of increased choice and more competition. So how can water companies build a true customer service culture, moving beyond a ‘tick in the box’ approach to satisfaction?

Inspire your team, inspire your customers

The starting point is to create a clear vision that inspires your teams, helping everyone understand the impact of service on business success and, most importantly, their role in delivering great service to customers, regardless of role or job title. Getting that right will make the difference, especially where implementation may involve large-scale change of mindset across the business. The outcome is an inspired team, clearly taking ownership for the customer experience, helping build a sense of trust, confidence and consistency for customers in the process.

Engage everyone

It’s critical for you to understand the overall experience for your customers when interacting through all channels, not just the customer service team. Whether calling to report an issue, raising a query through the website or talking to the crew digging up the street, customers need a consistent approach…a recognisable ‘service style’ that reflects their needs. How your business handles each interaction will shape the overall brand perception and determine whether the customer moves beyond mere ‘satisfaction’ towards becoming a loyal advocate for your business. Achieving cultural change like this requires strong leadership, clear vision and wide engagement. For water companies, this challenge can be even greater when considering the number of external partners and contractors involved in service delivery

to customers. How do you get everyone, regardless of their actual employer, to deliver a service to customers (and each other) that reflects the same approach?

The Gym Group has managed to increase positive customer feedback and significantly reduce staff turnover, whilst almost doubling the size of the business.

The feeling of service

Great expectations

Much of Accelerator’s recent work for clients has centered around the ‘feeling’ of service rather than just the functional delivery. Ten years ago, you talked about Emotional Intelligence (EI) and organisations would shudder at the thought. Now EI is mainstream and every sector is recognising the need to pull their socks up. People just don’t want any old service. They want you to relate to them and understand their needs. In addition, household water customers aren’t usually benchmarking against another water company when it comes to the service experience, so relying on SIM tables for clues isn’t always helpful. Instead, they will have expectations formed by dealing with another provider in their life, for example their bank, local restaurant, garage or gym. One of our recent successful change programmes was for The Gym Group, who operate over 100 low-cost gyms throughout the UK. Whilst that business might appear to have little in common with the water industry, it does rely extensively on freelance contractors to deliver the service and also operates in a low-loyalty sector with increasing competition. Working closely with the senior team, we helped identify five ‘moments of truth’ where the outcome would have a real impact on how customers felt about keeping their membership. Each one was linked to an ‘intended customer feeling’, enabling all staff and contractors to appreciate key behaviours that would help create that feeling… as well as those that would get in the way. Two years on, through a company-wide training rollout and other linked initiatives,

‘I turn on the tap and clean water comes out’. ‘I flush the toilet and everything goes away’. Customers take all this for granted, so their first interaction with water companies is usually about a problem, money, or both. Response expectations will depend on the customer context, but in an era of well-publicised service level guarantees and automatic compensation for rail passengers and broadband customers, one thing is clear. Customer expectations will only increase and today’s ‘good’ will be tomorrow’s ‘average’. So perhaps the single most important opportunity for water companies is not to see customer focus as a project or department. It has to be part of the culture to create long-term service leadership rather than short-term customer satisfaction.

Accelerator Solutions

Founded in 2000, Accelerator offers Training & Development, Consultancy and Research solutions, giving valuable insight, providing crucial decision support and providing your people with the skills they need to take your business forward. Accelerator has experience in a wide range of sectors, including public services, transport, energy and water. For more information see acceleratorsolutions.co.uk

Visit us at the Utility W Water C eek u Conferestomer nc 2018 e

Helping you build an outstanding customer service culture

“

We needed to create a clear stand-out proposition to be able to grow. Accelerator helped us develop and implement a new service style and ‘Moments of Truth’ which we now fully embrace across the business.

”

Jacqueline Regan,

People Director, The Gym Group plc

“

We have partnered with Accelerator to deliver significant improvements across the Group, from developing and embedding new core values through to the rollout of service-focussed training to all our employees and long-term development of our future leaders. Our service reputation is externally recognised and we couldn’t have done this without the trusted team at Accelerator.

”

Andrew Saunders Davies,

Chairman at Berkeley Homes, Oxford, Chiltern & Western

“

We wanted to give our customers an even better experience of Welsh Water, not only from our staff but the partners we use, ensuring the experience was consistently excellent. Accelerator is helping us to deliver this across the business to over 1,000 employees. They listened to our challenges and created an interactive solution that is bespoke to our goals of earning the trust of our customers and achieving more compliments than complaints from our customers.

”

Shaun O’Leary,

Capital Programme Manager, Welsh Water

“

Accelerator delivered fantastic customer service training to the whole organisation as part of our Good To Great transformation programme...delivering our award-winning new complaints process.

”

“

Right from the onset we found Accelerator to be very helpful, especially in understanding how the training could be tailored to our organisation’s requirements. We co-created a course highlighting why emotional intelligence, active listening and using the right language were key to delivering great experiences.

”

Noel Khine,

Customer Service Manager, Shepherds Bush Housing

“

At the end of 2016, we recorded our highest ever satisfaction score – an achievement due in no small part to my team striving to gain a better knowledge and understanding of their customers and suppliers and being able to act accordingly. Accelerator have certainly helped us to build our service reputation.

Avis Rhodes,

Head of Customer Services, East Thames Group

”

Kevin Tribley,

Chief Operating Officer, Angel Trains

Call us on 0845 260 6886 or visit acceleratorsolutions.co.uk

Tr a i n i n g & D e v e l o p m e n t • C o n s u l t a n c y • R e s e a r c h

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

Post Cleaning – Monitoring of Water Quality

Rising to the pipework clearance challenge Faced with a challenging programme of more than 950km of pipework cleaning, Affinity Water sought a collaborative team approach and innovative solution to plan and carry out the works, with minimal disruption and environmental impact. As part of the development of Affinity Water’s Business Plan for 2015-2020, the company asked its customers what was important to them. Two key customer expectations were: supplying high quality water and minimising disruption to them and their community. Meeting these expectations was the responsibility of Affinity Water’s Mains Flushing Team, managing a programme for the removal of manganese and iron deposits from 958kms of mains pipework within the Ickenham, Harlow, and Epping areas in an 18 month period - one of the largest mains cleaning exercises carried out within the water industry in recent years. Manganese and iron are naturally occurring minerals present in some groundwater sources, over time sediment can build up in

pipework, which can lead to discoloured water. A programme was developed to begin the controlled removal of these deposits to ensure the highest water quality standards and improve the usability and resilience of the network, with minimal disruption and environmental impact. At the heart of this strategy was developing a project structure that was based around Risk. A key part of the RISK BASED strategy was to procure the services of specialist contractors directly linked to Affinity Water, rather than through a management contractor. This allowed informed decisions to be made at all stages of the design and execution process, which was especially important when the work was carried out on the live potable water network.

A number of strategies were implemented on this risk based approach: • Ice Pigging was selected as a preferred technique for cleaning the mains • A contract strategy was designed to bring specialist supplier knowledge closer to the client design and planning team • Cleaning/flushing of certain distribution mains areas first, to reduce the risk of discolouration when taking trunk mains out of supply. This was a departure from the source to tap cleaning process that is traditionally adopted. • A detailed risk review of each and every trunk main sequence to be cleaned – involving key internal and external suppliers.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY z

Implementation of Ice Pigging

Ice pigging in operation – all activity planned at night to reduce customer impact and network risks

The team was determined to achieve minimum customer and environmental disruption as they reviewed the available flushing techniques and impacts. Traditional methods involve a high number of large excavations for the insertion and retrieval of foam swabs. An innovative Ice Pigging technique was selected as the method to clean the trunk mains as this offered an effective cleaning solution with minimal environmental impact and disruption to customers and commuters. This was because less excavations would be required as existing hydrants and valves could be used to insert and retrieve the mixture of ice and salt water which formed the ice pig. The pipe network was reconfigured to allow the ice pig to be inserted and then pushed along the main using network pressure behind it. The work was carried out at night which further reduced customer impact. Mains supplying around 100,000 properties were cleaned and customers were notified in advance of the activity. A number of water companies have struggled with the implementation of this technology, as operations are carried out on a live network, the potential network risks involved cannot be underestimated. The highest risk element of the programme was cleaning the cast iron/coal tar lined mains without adversely effecting water quality when the mains are returned to service. Many water companies have adopted the ‘not able to clean’ approach and have chosen to relay or reline these pipes at significant cost. However, Affinity Water worked with Ice Pigging Contractor SUEZ and Programme Manager MACE to develop a number of predictive tools and assessments to enable the Ice Pigging technique to be successfully applied to these mains. The tools that were developed included a PAH calculator, which, in combination with model data, predicts levels of PAHs post cleaning. Using this, a number of strategies could then be adopted to manage these levels post cleaning. Water Quality Samples were taken before and after each cleaning operation and the data was used to refine the tools developed and ensure continual improvement.

True Collaboration between affinity Water and its suppliers was key

The contract strategy was key and was developed using lessons learnt from the previous AMP period, the cleaning programme strategy was based on the principal of bringing the key skills from the various internal and external suppliers together in to one collaborative team, working towards the common goal of achieving the challenging target, whilst continually maintaining water quality throughout flushing operations. With specialist contractor SUEZ working directly with Affinity Water this was a different approach than usual both within Affinity Water and the water industry in general. The benefit to them was that a whole year’s programme was agreed in advance and adhered to - over 100 ice pigging operations have been carried out and significant cost savings have been realised by cutting out the “middle man”. Specialist contractors were able to be involved in the design and planning stage. SUEZ is now advocating this approach with other clients across the water industry. The strategy to work with specialist contractors brought expertise closer and enabled work to be better planned and executed at significantly lower costs.

Health & Safety

Over the course of the Programme between October 2015 and March 2017, no accidents or lost time injuries occurred with more than 60,000 man hours worked, a significant proportion of those at night.

Ice Pigging Process

Affinity Water worked with the supply chain to ensure all activities were risk assessed and safe systems of work implemented. The programme was preceded by a number of workshops involving specialist suppliers. Site based risks were captured during these workshops and appropriate standards implemented to avoid, manage or mitigate the risks as determined.

One such example was the detailed operational method statement for carrying out the Ice pigging, this was overseen by a dedicated Method Statement Administrator who would validate and sign-off that each step had correctly been carried out prior to allowing the site operation to safely move to the next phase. This resulted in more than 100 ice pigging operations being completed without accident, water quality or network incident. During the early stages of the programme, the project team took on feedback from the site operatives and invested in a dedicated mobile welfare unit. This improved the site conditions for operatives and this is something that Affinity Water is looking to implement for other programmes of work.

Environment and customer benefits

The programme of mains cleaning was successfully completed in March 2017 with over 950Kms cleaned overall without incident. Zero complaints were received over the course of the programme and all work was carried out as planned, with no highway overruns occurring, meaning no Section 74 fines. By choosing the Ice Pigging method, the team significantly reduced the impact on the surrounding environment. The ice pig used for flushing the mains is prepared from a food grade product; it is not a synthetic chemical, so use of these and consumables such as foam swabs was avoided. Fewer excavations meant less material and energy used transporting waste, approximately 5,000 tonnes of excavated waste material was prevented from going to land fill. The project has delivered significant cost savings as result of direct contracts with specialist contractors and the contract model will be adopted for similar works going forward.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

Pipeline infrastructure repair Pipeline Infrastructure including pipes, fittings, valves and retaining structures are all coated with protective coatings for anticorrosion, erosion, maintaining quality or legal requirements to maintain life-time asset protection. Such coatings extend the life of the working asset, however, there are occasions when repairs and re-coating are required to maintain performance. Repairs can become apparent throughout the working life of assets due to;

• New legal requirements of water quality or treatment • Premature failure due to unplanned use

• “Hot Spots” developing due to increase flow rates or cavitation problems • Extension in asset life prior to costly replacement

Pipeline Protection have been coating and repairing pipelines and retaining structures for over 40 years and within this time encountered different projects which required in-situ coating application to protect from many issues; these varied from Sulphate Reducing Bacteria (SRBs) to meeting legal requirements of water quality for UK Drinking Water Standards. Different coating systems impart specific aspects of protection and will enhance asset life.

Coating Systems and main attributes:

• Polyurethane - Good anti-corrosion and excellent wear resistance properties

• Epoxy – Excellent anti-corrosion properties providing good chemical resistance

• Polyethylene – Impermeable barrier against water

• Zinc/Aluminium – Excellent anti-corrosion protection acting as anode in protection system • Fusion Bonded Epoxy – Excellent anticorrosion and chemical resistance

• Elastomeric – Rubber linings possess excellent wear and chemical resistance

• Cold Applied Tapes – Butyl Rubber/ Petroleum low cost corrosion prevention • Bitumen – Long established corrosion protection, suitable for non-potable applications

Shutdown and maintenance of operational pipeline infrastructure is both costly and also inconvenient to the end customer. Pipeline Protection (NE) Ltd would assist in planning and effecting repair work to the shortest possible timescale. We work within all sectors of the Pipeline Industry; Water, Oil, Gas & Petrochem to effect repairs on pipeline coatings and linings and employ experienced, trained staff to carry out application of coatings.

Case Study: SeaShield Jackets used on Sea Outfall Pipes Pipeline Protection (NE) Ltd used Denso SeaShield Jackets for the protection of Sea Outfall pipes where the original external coating was deteriorating prematurely. The existing pipeline coating system was undergoing gradual erosion due to an aggressive environment of wind and water borne sand/gravel particles.

Denso SeaShield Jackets were specifically designed for anti-corrosion splash zone protection, but with 40 years knowledge Pipeline Protection (NE) Ltd adapted the technology for this application. Subsequent in-service inspection results indicated that the erosion of the outfall had been checked.

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Call 01670 224012 for more information

www.pipelineprotection.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

z NEWS

Flood protection scheme opens A £50 million flood alleviation scheme has opened in Leeds, using moveable weir technology – a first for flood risk reduction in the UK. Led by Leeds City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency, the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme will provide more than 3,000 homes, 500 businesses and 300 acres of development land with increased protection against flooding from the River Aire and Hol Beck. It comprises three main elements: mechanical weirs, the merging of the river and canal and flood walls and embankments stretching 4.5km through the city centre. Funding for the project has included £35 million of government Grant in Aid funding alongside £10 million of local funding from Leeds City Council and partnership funding from Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and others. Leader of Leeds City Council Judith Blake CBE said: “As could be seen by the devastation at Christmas 2015, providing increased flood protection in Leeds is essential in terms of reassuring our residents and businesses, and this fantastic state-of-the-art scheme provides it for the city centre and downstream at Woodlesford.” Chair of the Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd said: “This ground-breaking scheme will not only benefit hundreds of homes and businesses in the city but it will also safeguard 22,000 jobs over the next ten years due to the increased level of protection it provides.

Knostrop Bridge by Knight Architects “We’re always looking for new ways that we can use technology to reduce flood risk so it’s exciting that this scheme is also a first for flood risk management in the UK thanks to the use of the moveable weirs which can be lowered when river levels are high.” Floods minister Thérèse Coffey said: “No one can forget the devastating flooding residents and businesses in Leeds faced nearly two years ago. We know how distressing flooding is for all those affected and I’m delighted that through this new state-of-the art £50 million scheme thousands more people living and

working in Leeds will be better protected.” The weirs have been installed at Crown Point in the city centre and further downstream at Knostrop, where a new locally manufactured bridge has been installed across the weir connecting the diverted Trans Pennine Trail with the north bank of the river. Weighing approximately 150 tonnes and spanning approximately 70 metres, the bridge has been designed by Knight Architects, ARUP and BMMjv, a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald.

Breakthrough in tunnelling project A major project in midWales reached a major landmark. Severn Trent teams working on a second bypass tunnel on the Elan Valley Aqueduct broke through at Nantmel. The tunnel is more than 3m wide and 25km long. The two new tunnels will cater for the water supply to more than a million residents and businesses in Birmingham.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

Water industry collaboration for electric van trial Highways England are currently funding an electric van trial across the UK: they have highlighted specific geographical areas of interest to assess the potential positive environmental impact of local companies changing to all electric vans. Z-Tech Control Systems were highlighted by the Energy Saving Trust, a partner of Highways England, to help facilitate the introduction of two electric vans to two of their valued customers: Thames Water and United Utilities, utilising Z-Tech’s in-house expertise to install charge points at two sites. Exhaust emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles leads to issues of poor air quality. Urban sections of England’s motorways have been identified as particularly significant due to their high density of traffic and proximity to large numbers of people. Highways England is playing its part in seeking ways to improve this situation by investing significant funds to improve the quality of the air around urban motorways. The 6 month project is designed to explore barriers and opportunities to the adoption of electric vans for motorway users in order to understand the potential for improving poor air quality associated with urban motorways. Thames Water’s electric van will be utilised around the Reading area, with their first

Thames Water charge point at Reading Sewage Treatment Works and the United Utilities electric van is being used by their Operations Technology Team, to undertake work predominantly between Warrington and North of Manchester. Luke Stanbridge, Z-Tech’s Marketing Director said: “This is really at a proof of concept stage as the national infrastructure around Electric Vehicles is improving at a rapid rate. The fantastic support this project has had from all levels at both Thames Water and United Utilities, really shows that given the opportunity, the Water Industry is prepared to lead the way in supporting new initiatives.” Jon Loveday, Group Commercial Director at Thames Water, said: “We’re always looking to find new and innovative ways to help protect the environment, whilst also improving our customer service and this is exactly that. “We’re looking forward to seeing the results of the trial, and making Thames Water a greener, cleaner and more sustainable business.”

Paula Steer, Director of Operational Services at United Utilities said: “The global transport industry has taken phenomenal strides in developing alternative powered vehicles in recent years. Whilst there is still much to do, particularly in building the national infrastructure, EV adoption has arrived. We began our journey to a cleaner powered fleet back in 2015 by installing a number of solar powered charging points across our region, replacing a proportion of our smaller fleet with electric powered vehicles and successfully trialling gas power in our larger fleet. Since then, we have continued to build our EV asset base and have further developed our infrastructure, which Z-Tech have supported with. United Utilities recognises the opportunity a greener fleet presents as we continually minimise our impact on the environment and deliver efficiencies whilst helping life flow smoothly for our customers.”

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z NEWS

Yorkshire Water reduces borrowing

Yorkshire Water has announced that it will reduce borrowing and simplify its finances as part of a long term drive to enhance services customers. The company’s gearing, which currently equates to 76% of its total asset value, is set to fall to 70% by 2020, reducing interest costs and freeing up money for investment. Offshore banking arrangements, which are used in the sector to manage high levels of borrowing, are to be removed. Measures are also being taken to reduce annual interest costs by strengthening our balance sheet. The company is also to use a ‘social bond’ that enables ethical investors to directly finance some of its plans for the next five years.

For example, plans to use natural flood management techniques to reduce flood risk for customers in Hull, Calderdale and the Aire Valley could be financed by these means, according to Yorkshire Water. Liz Barber, group director of finance, regulation & markets, said: “By reducing what we spend on interest costs, it means that we’ll have more money to invest in better service. “Customers expect us to provide safe and reliable services and we have a responsibility to have safe and resilient finances so that we meet their expectations. They want to know that we have the flexibility to cope with

unplanned events like the last major floods in Yorkshire in 2015. By reducing our borrowing we’re better able to cope with this type of event, which on its own cost some £57m.” Speaking about closing the company’s offshore arrangements in the Cayman Islands, she said: “There is a real challenge to the water industry’s legitimacy at the moment and complex financial structures only add to public concern as to the way in which companies are financed. We have some offshore companies in our structure which are no longer necessary or appropriate and we’re taking steps to remove these as soon as possible.”

Affinity Water helps restore river wildlife Affinity Water has been working with the Wild Trout Trust and the Environment Agency to help deliver training days on river restoration. For the fifth year in a row, teams of more than 40 professionals have worked along the River Misbourne and the River Lee to help protect the habitat of local chalk streams. Mike Blackmore, of the Wild Trout Trust, said: “Hertfordshire’s chalk streams are some of the rarest and most vulnerable aquatic habitats in the UK. Historic channel modifications have degraded these precious ecosystems, which has been compounded by other human impacts such as pollution..

Wild Trout “The Wild Trout Trust in partnership with Affinity Water and the Environment Agency are helping to reverse this trend by helping local organisations learn and enjoy using some simple river restoration techniques.”

Anna Jarmolinska-Nowak, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Affinity Water, said: “As a community focused water company, we understand that working in collaboration with various experts and water users is the best way to share knowledge and skills.”

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SELWOOD

Pump Rental & Sales Solutions

Still yellow – but greener than ever Selwood’s success as the UK’s number one pump rental provider is built on our market-leading S range of solids handling pumps. Our pumps, inside their distinctive yellow canopies, are in use in water and wastewater, sewage and sewer bypass and over pumping operations around the world. Our new electric S150 pump is our greenest and most energy-efficient version yet. Driven by a 30kW IE3 motor, it is capable of the same superb performance as our 1800rpm diesel-powered model. Like all Selwood products, it comes with specialist support and outstanding service. It’s enough to make our competitors green with envy.

023 8025 0137 www.selwood.co.uk

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CMYK / .ai

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CMYK / .ai