Institute of Water Magazine - Spring 2018 by Institute of Water

SPRING2018 ISSUE197

IN THIS ISSUE AMP7 PREVIEW LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT WATER QUALITY

INSTITUTE OF WATER MAGAZINE

Personal Identity

01633 273 081 2

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION It’s my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the Spring Edition of the Institute of Water Magazine! The water industry is certainly a fast-moving, volatile but rather exciting place to be at the moment. Water companies and regulators in England and Wales are gearing up for the submission of Business Plans in the summer for the period 2020-2025. All will be seeking to ensure that these plans deliver on Ofwat’s key themes around great customer service, affordable bills, resilience in the round and innovation. It’s great timing that in this issue, Ofwat share their thoughts on the new customer service and customer experience measures (C-Mex and D-Mex) ahead of their pilot of these measures this year. Complementing this perfectly, Tony Smith, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water, asks how water companies will demonstrate that they have truly listened to customers when they present their business plans to Ofwat.

A key part of our policy is the development and review of an action plan, which again is detailed in this edition. Central to this action plan is the collation of further data from organisations within our sector to enable us to benchmark the diversity of our membership against the sector we serve, including gaining an understanding of any regional variations. We will also continue to raise awareness of diversity, equality and inclusion among all Institute Committees and our Board, ensuring that these groups are diverse in their composition.

Barely a week goes by at the moment without mention of issues associated with inequality within society, most recently with highprofile stories around the gender pay gap. As you’re aware, as an Institute we strive to ensure that we understand issues around diversity, equality and inclusion, and we are proud signatories of the Royal Academy of Engineering Diversity Concordat and the Science Council Declaration on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. As Board Diversity Champion, I’m delighted to be able to publish our new Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy in this edition, and to report that we continue to be regarded as leaders within the professional body world for our work on this topic, as evidenced by our recent benchmarking exercise using Royal Academy of Engineering and Science Council Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework.

I’m also delighted that this issue contains interviews with Pauline and Laura from the Scottish Water Drilling and Tapping Team on their experience of the competition, and also an update from Vyvyan, Kirstin, and my Anglian Water colleague Josh, who share their reflections on their recent visit to the International Water Association Young Water Professionals Conference in Cape Town. Hearing their story of the impact of severe drought on the city of Cape Town, and the actions which are having to be taken in order to conserve water really is sobering stuff. Very best wishes,

Robin Price Head of Water Quality, Anglian Water and Vice President Science, Institute of Water

Features 24 AMP7 Preview 52 Leakage Management 68 Water Quality

Regulars

4 Members Update 6 Annual Conference 8 New Registrants 10 Science News 12 Engineering News 14 Rising Stars 16 Mentoring Month 18 Drilling & Tapping 20 Young Water Professionals 22 Environmental News 89 Area News

Institute of Water HQ: 4 Carlton Court, Team Valley, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE11 0AZ Website: www.instituteofwater.org.uk President: Thomas Faulkner Chairperson: Simon Cyhanko Chief Executive: Lynn Cooper PR & Communications Manager: Lee Hansom Tel: 0191 422 0088 Fax: 0191 422 0087 Email: lee@instituteofwater.org.uk Advertising: Martin Jameson Tel: 07342 850 289 Email: martin@jimjammedia.com Designed and produced by: JimJam Media Ltd Email: sales@jimjammedia.com

The Institute of Water is the only professional body solely concerned with the UK water industry. We can support and develop your career whoever you are and whatever you do. We do this by providing a unique learning, developing and networking framework. For details on how to join visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk today.

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NATURAL CEMENT JOINS THE NEW NATIONAL DRINKING WATER SCHEME Natural Cement has signed up to a new national scheme to become a drinking water refill station as part of a campaign that aims to reduce plastic bottle use by tens of millions per year and reduce the amount of plastic waste dumped on land and in the seas. Launched in January, the water industry in conjunction with the Refill campaign want to encourages high street retailers, coffee shops, businesses and local authorities to provide bottle refill stations across every city and town in England by 2021. Vicki Richardson of Natural Cement Distribution explained why their company got involved: “Our company prides itself on its ethical & green

values, we manufacture and supply products that are environmentally friendly and produce no contaminated waste. Our drinking water approved products are also extensively used in the water industry. We noticed after downloading the Refill app that there wasn’t many in our area so far and were very keen to get involved in this project and support any efforts to save the planet.”

The Refill campaign has already more than 1,600 refill stations dotted across the UK which can be located by downloading the Refill app off their website and many water companies including, Anglican Water, Northumbrian Water, South West Water and Bristol Water are taking part in local refill schemes.

FREE ASSET HEALTH CHECK CSC Services are starting 2018 with a special offer for both current and new clients. Claim your free Asset Health check today! Every structure has a service life - the expected years it can be expected to perform its function. Factors such as carbonation, abrasion, atmospheric chlorides or exposure to harmful chemicals can affect this service life, especially in harsh environments such as wastewater treatment plants. Once corrosion takes hold, it often does so quickly and can take an asset out of service or lead to service failure. CSC Services are offering a free Asset Health check. A full examination of the asset will identify and quantify any signs of corrosion, and assess the condition of current protective coatings and/or mortars. Recommendations will be made as to how the service life-span of the asset can be extended by effectively protecting against chemical attacks, joint-leaks, cracks and surface corrosion. This will take into account all relevant factors such as the location of the asset and the environmental factors in which it operates.

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Mark Lemon, Managing Director of CSC Services explains: “With Ofwat’s advocacy of a Totex approach to expenditure, there is far greater focus on refurbishing assets and structures rather than replacing. As CSC Services’ undertake product training with many of the UK leading coatings manufacturers, impartial advice can be offered on the best course of action to protect the service life of the asset. Recommendations for a suitable inspection programme will also be provided.” Structures may include, but are not limited to wet wells, service reservoirs and both water and wastewater tanks. CSC Services are a specialist contractor to the water industry providing refurbishment solutions. Established since 2002, CSC Services are confined space entry specialists. To book your free Asset Health Check visit www.csc-services.co.uk or e-mail enquiries@csc-services.co.uk

Before After

MEMBERSUPDATE

THE INSTITUTE OF WATER DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION POLICY By Robin Price

Vice President Science and Board Level Diversity Champion The subject of diversity, equality and inclusion is of vital importance to our sector, and at the Institute of Water we are proud to be taking a leading role on these subjects particularly within the science and engineering fields. We have recently completed our annual benchmarking exercise, comparing ourselves to other professional bodies using the Royal Academy of Engineering and Science Council Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework. I’m delighted to report that we compare very favourably, and we have continued to proceed at pace through the framework. One of the items which we have strengthened following this benchmarking exercise is our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy, and the associated action plan. Both documents have been approved by the Board, the Area Forum and the Membership & Standards Committee, and as well as publishing these on our website, I’m pleased to be present them to you here. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion will be a standing agenda item at Annual General Meetings moving forward, and we will continue to provide regular updates on progress with our action plan.

Our Policy The Institute of Water is committed to a policy of inclusion and equality for all its staff, members and stakeholders. We recognise the value that a diverse water industry brings to society, and we are committed to promoting these benefits. We aim to be representative of the industry whom we serve, and to ensure that there are no barriers to membership.

We will: ■■

Have a Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Champion from within our Board of Directors.

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Have a Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Action Plan, which is regularly reviewed.

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Ensure that our staff, our Board, all Committees and our volunteer communities have an understanding of their role in ensuring that our membership offering is fully inclusive to all individuals and also to all organisations irrespective of their size, and we will provide training on unconscious bias as necessary.

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Benchmark ourselves at least annually against other professional bodies using the Royal Academy of Engineering and Science Council Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework, and will seek to progress through the Framework.

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Benchmark our membership against employers in the sector.

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Report progress with delivery of our action plan at our Annual General Meeting.

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Deliver initiatives which enable us to promote under-represented groups.

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Encourage diversity among our volunteer communities, in particular our Committees.

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Support the principle of equal opportunities for our staff, by seeking feedback and taking action as needed.

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Keep our policy under regular review.

Our Action Plan ■■

Form a Working Group to review the Science Council & Royal Academy of Engineering Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework, and to develop a plan for progression through the levels.

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Gather further data from organisations within our sector on diversity to benchmark the diversity of our membership against the sector we serve, including gaining an understanding of any regional variations.

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Continue to raise awareness of diversity, equality and inclusion among all Committees and our Board, challenging these groups to ensure that they are diverse in their composition.

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Identify suitable training on unconscious bias for our volunteer community, and develop a delivery plan.

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Gather feedback from our staff, and take any action as necessary.

For more information on this policy and what we have done to meet this, contact info@instituteofwater.org.uk

We are signatories of the Royal Academy of Engineering Diversity Concordat and the Science Council Declaration on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.

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INSTITUTE OF WATER ANNOUNCE SPEAKERS FOR 2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE We are delighted to announce the speaker line up for the 2018 Annual Conference.

As the water industry continues its approach of looking outside for best practices and innovative ideas to take the sector forward, the Institute of Water welcomes speakers from the Institute of Customer Services, global technology giant Tata Consultancy Services and global corporation Nike.

Titled ‘Shaping the Future’, this two-day event, chaired by Douglas Millican, Chief Executive of Scottish Water, will delve into topics such as innovation, the circular economy and digitalisation while presenting the opportunity to look closely at the growing expectations of our customers and society.

The Institute of Water Annual Conference is one of the biggest and most respected events in the water industry calendar and is guaranteed to draw in some familiar faces and also many new ones too. As always, striving to inspire, to provoke debate and get the industry to sit up and think about the changing landscape.

The speaker line-up draws in many influential leaders from across water companies, supply chain and regulators.

The three-day conference takes place on 20th – 22nd June and will be held at the Glasgow Caledonian University, close to the city centre and easily accessed by road, rail or air.

The Conference also incorporates some passionate debates. The new Thames Water Chairman, Ian Marchant, along with Ian McAulay CEO of Southern Water, will debate against the view that public-owned water companies will deliver better services for customers. Dr Kate Bayliss, author of ‘Bring Water into Public Ownership and Jonathan Ford, Chief leader writer at the Financial Times, will certainly be arguing case that they should be.

Douglas Millican, who is also the incoming President of the Institute of Water, said: “This is a time of great debate around our industry and this year’s Annual Conference will be an ideal opportunity for colleagues from all over the UK to look closely at the growing expectations of our customers and society. “I look forward very much to welcoming delegates to Glasgow in June for a series

of innovative and engaging conference events where we can all learn, create and share our ideas for the future.” Lynn Cooper, Institute of Water Chief Executive said: “I’m particularly excited about this year’s Conference. Douglas has persuaded a strong line-up of Regulators to return as well as introducing a range of new speakers from inside and outside the water sector. The debates offer an opportunity for delegates to engage and get closer to the speakers and the subjects and I’m confident that our Conference will again have something to offer anyone with an interest in the water industry. “Glasgow’s slogan is ‘People Make Glasgow’; I’d also say people make our Annual Conference and I’m sure there will be a warm welcome for all who choose to participate.” Bookings are now open and people are encouraged to book early to secure the best deals on travel and accommodation, and to ensure they don’t miss out on any of the specialist sessions or speakers. For further information or to book your place visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS AND SESSIONS Embracing the Circular Economy ■■

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Phil Berry, Former Director Footwear Sustainability, Nike Dr Mark Fletcher, Director/Global Water Leader, Arup

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Richard Flint, Chief Executive, Yorkshire Water

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David Black, Senior Director, Water 2020 Peter Peacock, Chair, Customer Forum in Scotland

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Jo Causon, Chief Executive, Institute of Customer Service Alan Sutherland, Chief Executive, WICS

Water and the Environment ■■

For Motion ■■

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Bob Stear, Head of Innovation, Severn Trent Water

Debate: “Delivering for customers will require companies to be ambitious and innovative” Chair Dr Mark Fletcher, Director/Global Water Leader, Arup

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Against Motion

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Sue Petch, Drinking Water Quality Regulator

For Motion ■■

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Professor Kala Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director, International Water Association

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Ian Marchant, Chair, Thames Water Ian McAulay, Chief Executive, Southern Water

A Digital Future ■■

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Debate: “Does ownership matter in delivering for our customers?” Chair Rae Stewart, Director of Corporate Affairs, Water UK

Jonathan Ford, Financial Times

Against Motion ■■

Marcus Rink, Chief Inspector, Drinking Water Inspectorate Terry A’Hearn, Chief Executive, SEPA

Dr Kate Bayliss, Author of ‘Bring Water into Public Ownership’

Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, Tata Consultancy Services Professor Kala Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director, International Water Association

SHAPING THE

FUTURE

IDEAS DISCUSSION & DEBATE The future of the water industry | Glasgow Caledonian University | 21-22 June 2018 Institute of Water Annual Conference Chaired by Douglas Millican, CEO, Scottish Water

Book Now www.InstituteOfWater.org.uk instituteofwater.org.uk

ENVIRONMENTAL Throughout my career I’ve strived to ensure that operational activities minimise risk and environmental impact, whilst balancing business objectives. Therefore, I was really pleased to hear I had been successful in my application to register as a Chartered Environmentalist. I’m very proud to be recognised as displaying the leadership and commitment needed to deliver sustainable optimisation initiatives and promote change. Achieving this status has helped me to embed great principles, which will continue to benefit me in my career. The whole application process was a great opportunity to reflect on what I had achieved and also enabled me to identify further areas that I would like to develop, explore and experience in the future. In particular I enjoyed the assessor interview. We discussed topics such as the importance of effectively engaging with stakeholders to successfully tackle environmental challenges.

Stuart Calderwood

Supply Manager, Anglian Water Chartered Environmentalist

I truly valued the support from my colleagues at Anglian Water and other Chartered professionals who helped me to accomplish this goal. In the future, I hope I will have the opportunity to assist others looking to achieve their registration.

ENGINEERING I’ve been a practicing Engineer for many years and was already a member of another professional body when I began looking to become professionally registered. The process looked daunting and there was little help and advice from my professional body in completing this. When I started managing the Water Safety Team for the Highland Council, I found out about the Institute of Water and, given my current role, decided it would be beneficial to join. After joining I was inspired to apply for professional registration.

Warren Bradshaw

CDM Management Officer, Highland Council Incorporated Engineer

The Institute of Water was very helpful, especially Sarah Dunn, Professional Registration Coordinator. This support helped spur me on. I submitted my report and within a few weeks I found out that it had been accepted and I was onto the next stage which was the interview. My interview took place in Edinburgh and the assessors were very welcoming and the questions were based on the competencies and my report. After six weeks of anxious waiting, I found out I had passed. Gaining Professional Registration has cemented my position and gives my employer and the people that I work with confidence and trust in my abilities and I am very proud to have the letters after my name. I would encourage anyone to look at becoming professionally registered and move their career forward.

After submitting my application and successfully passing an interview I was recently awarded the status of IEng. This qualification formally recognises my career achievements so far and, hopefully, will also provide a gateway to joining the DEFRA appointed supervising engineers panel for reservoirs.

Kevin Murray

Reservoir Engineer, Scottish Water Incorporated Engineer

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NEWREGISTRANTS SCIENCE Professional registration has always been something that I wanted to have, as I believe that it’s a recognition of what you have achieved in your career and that it demonstrates professionalism and competence in your area of work. I’ve been a member of the Institute of Water since I began my career in Scottish Water in 2011 so, for me, they were the obvious professional body for me to apply for registration through. My colleagues in the laboratories that helped me were members of other professional bodies so I am one of few scientists where I work to choose IWater but I believe that this shows my commitment to the water industry.

Angela Dignan

Laboratory Team Manager, Scottish Water Registered Scientist

I have had a very successful career so far having worked as a scientist whilst gaining my degree in analytical science in Edinburgh through the Open University. I then moved to Inverness and became Team Leader for the Chemistry section and more recently, the Team Manager for the laboratory. I’m very proud of what I have achieved so far and now I am focused on backing this up with professional registration. In 2018, I aim to achieve Chartered Scientist registration. For this I need to gain more experience in the wider water industry so I will have to start looking for my own opportunities which I’m looking forward to. I have also signed up as a mentee on the IWater mentoring programme for the coming year. I would encourage anyone to apply for professional registration. The application process can seem daunting and you may feel you don’t have enough experience. I thought this too. But as it turned out, I had more than enough and I now don’t know why I took so long to complete the application.

I have three years’ experience working in the water industry since joining Anglian Water having completed a degree in Environmental Science in 2014. I applied for Registered Science Technician status as it is a great way to showcase the knowledge and skills that I have gained whilst working in the laboratory. I currently work as a Laboratory Technician in the water recycling team at Anglian Water. I’m extremely pleased with achieving Registered Science Technician status as this professionally recognised qualification demonstrates the level of experience, competency and professionalism that I am able to contribute to the business. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to develop their career in the future to join the Institute of Water and become professionally registered.

Ian Calvert

Laboratory Technician, Anglian Water Registered Science Technician

BECOME PROFESSIONALLY REGISTERED

The Institute of Water is licensed to register Chartered Engineers, Incorporated Engineers, Engineering Technicians, Chartered Environmentalists, Registered Environmental Technicians, Chartered Scientists, Registered Scientists and Science Technicians.

Find out more at WWW.INSTITUTEOFWATER.ORG.UK

Professional registration recognises competence and expertise in a subject

area and demonstrates an understanding and knowledge of this expertise. Having a professional accreditation brings high self-esteem, higher earnings potential and improved career prospects. Becoming professionally registered is a great example of Continuing Professional Development and is often recommended or preferred by certain industry bodies and regulators.

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SCIENCENEWS

INSTITUTE OF WATER ONE DAY SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2018: BOOKINGS NOW OPEN We are delighted to announce that bookings are now open for the second Institute of Water One Day Science Conference on Thursday 3rd May 2018 at the National STEM Centre in York. As with our previous Science, Environment and Engineering conferences, this event is free to Institute of Water members. Titled ‘Application of the Sciences Across the World of Water’ and chaired by our Vice President Science, Robin Price, Head of Water Quality at Anglian Water, this one day Science Conference will gather speakers from many different scientific fields, including senior scientists from water companies and key academic figures in our industry. Robin Price said: “I’m particularly excited about this year’s Science Conference. Throughout the day you’ll hear how the role of scientists will need to change and adapt to future process science challenges and will learn more about the advancements in the world of analytical science. In the Life Science section, you’ll learn more about Cryptosporidium and virus detection and analysis, and the role of micro-organisms in taste and odour formation in reservoirs. Taking the world of science slightly wider, you’ll hear how behavioural science can be used to influence customers’ behaviour, and to change the culture within a company. Delegates will also learn more about, arguably the ‘newest’, science – data science – from data science industry leaders Microsoft. “The choice of conference venue is significant. Understanding more about how we can all work to understand and support those who teach and learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) is absolutely crucial if we are to continue to secure a pipeline of talent into our industry, and we hope that a legacy of the conference will be an increase in the number of STEM Ambassadors from within the Institute of Water.”

Throughout March we’ll be highlighting all that is science within the Institute of Water.

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CONFERENCE SPEAKERS AND SESSIONS INCLUDE: Introduction Frances Dainty, Head of Content and STEM Expertise - ‘STEM Learning: The National STEM Learning Centre, STEM Ambassadors and opportunities to get involved!’ Process Science Professor Elise Cartmell, Chief Scientist, Scottish Water - ‘The role of process scientists in future water and wastewater treatment’. Behavioural Science Ellin Lede, Researcher (Environmental behaviour), Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research - ‘Applying behavioural insights to encourage resilient water behaviour in the residential sector.’ Alan Brown, Scientific Support Manager, Northumbrian Water - ‘Implementing a continuous improvement culture at water treatment works’. Analytical Science Dr Charmian Abbott, Chief Scientist, United Utilities - ‘Innovative methods to enhance water quality’.

Life Science Thomaz Andrade, Catchment Customer Acceptability Scientist, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water - ‘Understanding the production of taste and odour compounds in drinking water reservoirs: underlying causes and management principles.’ Professor Rachel Chalmers, Consultant Clinical Scientist/Honorary Professor and Head, Cryptosporidium Reference Unit, Public Health Wales - ‘Developments in Cryptosporidium detection and analysis.’ Professor John Fawell, Consultant, World Health Organisation and Visiting Professor, Cranfield University - ‘Out of sight, out of mind? The issue of viruses in the managed water cycle’. Data Science Mark Farrow-Smith, Principle Data and AI Lead Manufacturing and Utilities, and Dr Matthew Smith, Director for Business Development, Microsoft - ‘From art to science to service: the era of operationalised predictive insights.’

More speakers are still to be announced, and the final agenda will be published soon. Bookings are now open and people are encouraged to book early to ensure they don’t miss out. Places can be booked online now via the Institute of Water website (www.instituteofwater.org.uk).

SCIENCE MONTH We’ll be sending our members regular emails to highlight the different levels professional registrations across the discipline of science. You’ll also hear from members who have gone through the professional registration process and how they found it - they may even have some tips to help you. We’ll also be giving you some insight into the science partnerships we have, such as STREAM, and the Competent Operator Scheme with a focus on people who work in water quality. You should also keep a check on our social media channels, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

RISINGSTARS

APPLICATION OF THE SCIENCES ACROSS THE WORLD OF WATER

ONE DAY SCIENCE CONFERENCE THURSDAY 3 MAY 2018 NATIONAL STEM CENTRE, YORK BOOK NOW @WWW.INSTITUTEOFWATER.ORG.UK instituteofwater.org.uk

ENGINEERINGNEWS

ENGINEERING THE FUTURE INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY ROUNDTABLE In January, representatives of professional engineering institutions, including Fellow member of the Institute of Water, Jo Parker, and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), met with The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Conservative spokesperson on Industrial Strategy, to discuss the Engineering Professions’ response to the Industrial Strategy white paper, Building a Britain fit for the future. The white paper has been warmly welcomed by the engineering community, who are committed to working with government to support the implementation of the Strategy. At the roundtable event, the engineering profession’s significant contribution to the development of the Industrial Strategy was commended. The Engineering the Future response to the Industrial Strategy green paper, Engineering an economy that works for all, was the result of a collaborative effort between the 38 professional engineering institutions (PEIs), led by the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Academy’s new Engineering Policy Centre, which is in the process of being established, will provide an opportunity for increased collaborative working across the engineering profession on national policy issues. The Industrial Strategy is a long-term strategy that will provide greater confidence and guidance to businesses, investors and decision-makers, particularly in light of Brexit. It was agreed that if it is to endure it must be a partnership between government and business and not just driven by Whitehall. The four Grand Challenges - artificial intelligence and a data-driven economy, clean growth, future of mobility, and ageing society - are focused on global trends that will transform our future and provide an opportunity for the UK to take a leadership role. The roundtable focussed on the following challenges: There was a wide-ranging discussion on the topic of reaching 2.4% of GDP investment in Research and Development.

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Industrial Strategy

Building a Britain fit for

the future

Key points included: ■■

Engineering is a global business with multi-national companies having a choice on where to invest. There is no prize for second place and it is critical that that the UK creates the right conditions to attract and accrue the benefits of investment.

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There is a role for government in encouraging and supporting R&D and innovation through progressive regulatory frameworks and standards. These must be backed up by compliance and enforcement by regulators and the profession to ensure safety and protection for consumers and the environment.

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Large corporates have important roles in driving demand for R&D and innovation, including by pulling innovation through their supply chains and through corporate venture capital investment.

together to explore this. ■■

How the engineering sector can help to deliver the Grand Challenges was discussed. Key points included: ■■

Engineering will be essential to the implementation of all the Grand Challenges. The expertise and experience of the engineering community should be leveraged in the delivery of the Grand Challenges.

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Cross-sectoral collaboration is important for Sector Deals. For example, the chemical and bio-economy together can deliver greater potential wealth creation for the UK.

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There may be cross-cutting issues across the Grand Challenges, which the engineering community will be well placed to address, such as skills.

It was discussed how the UK can ensure it has the technical and engineering skills needed to deliver the Industrial Strategy. Key points included: ■■

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The engineering community will develop a set of proposals on how the engineering community could help to deliver the Industrial Strategy, which will be shared with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. There is an opportunity for government and industry to increase engagement with, and use of, PEIs in areas such as helping devise continuing professional development and progression pathways to ensure employees have access to the latest learning in their field and setting standards. Sector deals may be a way of bringing the relevant parties

A point raised by Jo Parker was agreed by all present as important - that the education and training structure for Engineering should be flexible and encourage entrants of all ages. Whilst a focus on e.g. apprentices is welcome, later starters and older entrants for whom an apprenticeship may not be appropriate should not be overlooked.

The engineering community will develop a set of proposals on how they could help to deliver the Industrial Strategy, which will be shared with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

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RISING STARS VISIT SKANSKA UK

The Institute of Water’s Rising Stars programme for 2018 gets underway as the successful applicants enjoy a visit to Skanska UK to meet with its senior leaders. Hosted by Skanska UK’s Executive Vice President, Thomas Faulkner, the Rising Stars were taken on a leadership ‘masterclass’ where Thomas and the team shared their approach on what it takes to lead their company. Topics covered included sustainability, diversity and inclusion, innovation and how they learn from other sectors. Thomas Faulkner, who is also the current President of the Institute of Water, said: “As President of the Institute of Water, my role is to champion the Rising Stars programme and I’m honoured to kick off their year of development opportunities by hosting them at the Skanska UK headquarters. “I really wanted the Rising Stars to get an understanding of what it takes to lead a company; how we instil our company values throughout our employees and how being inclusive and diverse ensures that we continue to produce high levels of innovation and performance. I hope we have inspired the Rising Stars with some ideas of how they can apply this approach in their professional roles.”

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Here’s what some of our Rising Stars have said about their visit:

Lydia Makin Previously voted ‘greenest company of any sector’, Skanska made a name for itself as a leader in sustainability within, and outside of, the construction industry. The Leadership Master Class with Thomas Falkner and his colleagues taught me a great deal about what is required to lead a company towards this level of commitment to sustainability. As we have seen in the case of Carillion, being a contractor in 2018 means operating with a significantly small profit margin, if at all. Most of the top 10 construction companies operated at a loss in the last financial year, so in such a pressurised environment, it is remarkable that Skanska manages to maintain a 2.3% annual profit at the same time as prioritising ethics over profit.

We met a number of directors on our visit to Skanska who were all leading by example and were now driving hybrid cars and embedding Skanska’s “Deep Green” agenda to all parts of the business: operations, office life, sourcing of materials, innovation, health and safety, etc. We learnt that Skanska divested from countries whose ethical credentials did not match their own agenda, proving the level of commitment required to be a leader amongst your competitors but also to be a trusted and transparent leader within the business. The main thing I took from the day was the unity in direction from all the leaders in the business, all working towards the same Deep Green Skanska identity.

RISINGSTARS Fionn Boyle Within the first three minutes of our introduction from Thomas Faulkner it was clear to me that Skanska are different when it comes to their people. “We invest in our people, not plant.” This was my highlight quote from the visit. What they mean is that Skanska put faith in their people, trusting in their shared purpose and values to ensure they achieve the right outcome for the business, the client and ultimately the world around them. Their purpose and values state that projects must make “a clear contribution to society and the environment”, that Skanska must “foster a working climate where everyone can speak their mind” and “an inclusive culture where we are open and fair, showing trust and respect for each other”.

Tom Swain Our visit to Skanska HQ was a fascinating insight into the world of a construction giant, and not at all what I expected. We were warmly welcomed by Thomas, who gave a fascinating insight into the 125 year history of Skanska, from its Swedish roots to a modern construction giant, as well as Thomas’ personal career journey. What really stood out from Thomas was his passion that he has for Skanska but also his personal journey, working on schemes such as the Olympic Park. It really showed how important technical understanding was alongside leadership. Skanska are champions of diversity and it was fascinating to see how Skanska linked

Through speaking to the staff across the day it was apparent that these aren’t just words on a page, each and every one of them truly believes in the company’s vision and they are proud to work there because of it. Dan Forbes-Pepitone, Talent and Capability Director, spoke to us about Skanska’s drive to be a truly diverse and inclusive organisation. Skanska want their workforce to mirror the societies around them, they see diversity as an opportunity to drive new ways of thinking and inclusivity as the catalyst to bring challenge in the right way to build successful teams. The attitudes and culture around people that Skanska have been able to embed in their organisation is incredibly impressive. I feel fortunate to work at Anglian Water where the same culture exists and is growing constantly…

diversity and openness in the work place with financial and creative results. As a manager, this insight was a powerful lens for me to consider my own future recruitment into my teams, and how diversity, both in terms of gender and ethnicity can help to build a collaborative and innovative high performing team. Overall, Skanska provided a fantastic day and a real insight into a multi-national construction organisation, it was thought provoking and challenging at the same time, giving me ideas and themes to take back to my own organisation. A huge thank you to Thomas and team Skanska for their time and enthusiasm!

Hayley Dyson It was refreshing and exciting to be exposed to Skanska’s success stories, values, digital transformation, and innovative ideas. Rather than keeping their pioneering ventures a secret, Skanska’s open culture and passion to “be better together” is infectious. I learnt that Skanska make the most of being an international company by holding hubs and webinars which allow knowledge sharing to take place between different departments and countries effectively. I learnt first-hand how this approach, “one Skanska”, reduces work overlap, produces consistent outputs and allows more time to be spent reaching goals. I thought that this was a really effective way to excel as a business as a whole, rather than each office or department focusing on their own individual goals. Skanska’s Talent and Capability Director let us in on Skanska’s diversity and inclusion secret, which is that you need both diversity and inclusion for either to be effective. High levels of diversity, without inclusion, leads to low staff morale; conflict; low innovation; and poor performance. Low levels of diversity with high inclusion will result in everyone agreeing, however will produce a narrow brand and outlook. Increase diversity and inclusion, however, and you will achieve better results; wider innovation; low employee turnover; and a strong brand. I will use this knowledge to ensure I am as inclusive as I can be with others, and acknowledge that it is not necessarily a bad thing if people don’t always agree with one another.

The Rising Stars programme will continue throughout the year as they attend a number of events geared towards professional and personal development. These include technical visits, spending time with regulators, attending the Institute of Water Annual Conference and many others.

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MENTORING MONTH: WORKING TOGETHER January was mentoring month at the Institute of Water! Throughout the month we featured perspectives from mentees and mentors as well as case studies of successful partnerships and information on how to sign up to our mentoring platform.

A highlight of the month was hearing about how mentoring can be rewarding to both mentors and mentees from Jo and her two mentees at RPS; Darrell and Ryan. Despite the distance between

MENTOR

MENTEE

Name: Jo Parker Job Title: Director Company: Watershed Associates Years in the industry: For ever!

Name: Darrell Muldoon Job Title: Graduate Engineer Company: RPS Group Years in the industry: 1 year

Name: Ryan Dukes Job Title: Graduate Engineer Company: RPS Group Years in the industry: 1.5 years

In a mentoring partnership with: Darrell Muldoon and Ryan Dukes

In a mentoring partnership with: Jo Parker

Why did you sign up to the Mentoring Platform and what did you hope to achieve from the experience?

I signed up to put something back into an industry I love and to ‘pay it forward’ as a thanks to all the people who helped me in my career.

I signed up to the Mentoring Platform as I was looking for some additional guidance on how to achieve professional status. I am currently aiming to become an Engineering Technician and then ultimately a Chartered Engineer once I have more experience within the industry.

One of my career goals is to become a Chartered Engineer so signing up for the Mentoring Programme was an obvious decision to make. RPS Water are very supportive of employees pursuing professional development and joining the Mentoring Programme was something that they highly recommended. Ultimately, I was hoping to gain guidance and advice from a mentor who has been through the process of professional development themselves, but since joining the Mentoring Programme and starting my mentoring partnership with Jo, I can already see more benefits from having a mentor.

How have you found the process so far? Very interesting. Ryan and Darrell are working hard to become technicians and eventually chartered and have been moving forward steadily. Sadly they are based a long way from me but regular e mails and phone calls are keeping us in touch.

How have you found the process so far? I found the process of signing up and finding a mentor very straight forward. My mentor has been very helpful in order to point me in the right direction in the early stages of my professional career. Regular contact with my mentor has definitely kept me thinking about how I can progress in the future.

To catch up on any articles you missed visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk/news and search ‘mentoring month’. To find out more about becoming a mentor or a mentee and sign up to our online mentoring programme please visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk/mentoring or contact Lucy Archer at lucy@instituteofwater.org.uk.

them both mentees have been able to work with Jo to set goals and receive guidance to ensure they are on the right track to becoming Registered Engineers.

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How have you found the process so far? So far, I have found the mentoring process to be rather beneficial with keeping me on track to meet my professional development goals. Since becoming my mentor, Jo has kept in contact regularly which I feel has helped me keep focused on pursuing and achieving my targets. Jo has been able to give me guidance and advice through the various parts of my application for the Engineering Technician status.

Towards a resilient water future The UK-YWP is the best opportunity for young professionals working in the water sector to network, share skills, ideas and opportunities, and learn from each other. The event will focus on delivering tools for cross‑field engagement and career development for water professionals, not only with plenary presentations but also with interactive workshops and round-table discussions. We welcome representatives from water companies, regulators, contractors, supply chains and researchers with a young mind and spirit. Prizes will be awarded for both presentations and posters. Themes covered will include, but not be limited to: • latest innovations in the water sector, • data and decision-making, • water stewardship in businesses, • building resilience to water-related risks.

19th UK Young Water Professionals (UK-YWP) Conference Cranfield University, 16-18 April 2018 Information and registration: www.cranfield.ac.uk/YWPConference For sponsorship opportunities as well as delegate and exhibition packs, please contact iwaukywp@gmail.com Call for abstracts closes 1 March 2018

The event welcomes young professionals from all sectors. We provide affordable fees for everyone to participate. Supported by:

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DRILLING & TAPPING 2018: MEET ONE OF OUR TEAMS As our Institute of Water Drilling & Tapping competition enters into its 30th year we wanted to talk to one of the teams who participate in the competition to find out what draws them back year after year. We asked Pauline and Laura, Scottish Water to give us an insight into their Drilling and Tapping competition experience including what they think is the main attraction to entering the competition and what they would say to anyone considering entering this year’s competition.

[Martin Topps and Jackie Lonergan from Mueller Company presenting Laura (middle left) and Pauline (middle right) with the 3rd place trophy in the Woman’s competition last year.]

Laura Allen

Pauline Melville

How many years have you been competing in Drilling and Tapping? Two years.

How many years have you been competing in Drilling and Tapping? 2017 was my 4th year competing (2014 & 2015 with Susan Hunter and 2016 & 2017 with Laura Allan).

What attracted you to the competition? The chance to challenge myself and learn something new. I am also super competitive so this was a great chance to do that in a new environment.

What attracted you to the competition? Ticked lots of boxes - but mainly the opportunity to do something entirely different from my day job (I’m an accountant), the challenge of learning a new skill, the chance to meet and make friends across the other competing teams and it’s a competition and I’m competitive!

Company: Scottish Water Team Role: Driller

What have been your personal highlights of the competition? On my first run, in my first year of competing, hearing all the other teams from other companies shouting encouragement and advice to us. The camaraderie between teams is brilliant. What would you say to anyone considering entering or giving it a go? To do it. I am office based, I don’t do this as a job but it’s a great thing to be involved with, I have met new people and gained a new skill.

Company: Scottish Water Team Role: Tapper

What have been your personal highlights of the competition? In 2015 Susan Hunter and I were lucky enough to be ambassadors for Scottish Water and take part in the competition in Amsterdam. We were invited by Anglian Water to come to their training facilities to learn the different technique for the competition… which we did and thanks to them and some tips on the day from the Bournemouth Water team (now part of South West Water) we finished a respectable 4th a great experience. I think this illustrates a real team spirit across the teams - it’s the same in the UK event, everyone wants to have a good competition but at the end of the day we still help each other compete to be the best. What would you say to anyone considering entering or giving it a go? Absolutely do it, its great team building, gets you out of your comfort zone, teaches you how you react under pressure and allows you to represent your company in a very positive way.

Entries are now open for the 30th Annual UK Drilling and Tapping competition taking place on the 22nd - 23rd May 2018 as part of Utility Week Live in Birmingham. Visit www.drillingandtapping.co.uk to find out more or contact lucy@instituteofwater.org.uk to request an application form.

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Demand Driven Distribution from Grundfos boosts pressure only where and when it is needed – saving energy and reducing leaks

ENERGY INTELLIGENT PUMPING SOLUTIONS?

SNO BRAINER MUCH

www.grundfos.co.uk

Energy is the biggest operating cost for water companies, and pumping is arguably the biggest single use of energy. That’s one challenge we can’t resist. Informed by its position as the world’s largest dedicated pump company and enabled by its Trust ownership to invest in long term development of reliable, innovative technologies, Grundfos is quietly helping the water industry meet its challenges. Extensive UK capabilities in optioneering, engineering, design, on and off-site build, commissioning and maintenance are supported by additional Europe wide centres of excellence. This ensures faster, safer, less costly and more energy efficient solutions to clean and wastewater challenges.

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TAKING A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Our three intrepid Institute of Water members have returned from Cape Town, South Africa, having attended the 8th IWA International Young Water Professionals Conference, which took place from the 10th - 13th Dec 2017. Following the Institute of Water’s offer to fund attendance at the conference, for which we received 28 applications from across the water sector, it was applicants Vyvyan Evans (Waste Water Graduate at Dwr Cymru Welsh Water), Joshua Graver (Water Regulation Inspector at Anglian Water) and Kirstin Watt (Asset Planner at Scottish Water) who won the fantastic opportunity to develop their skills on the international stage. The overall theme of the conference was Building Leaders and Making Impact, and the event was a mix of learning sessions and technical visits.

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Here our young water professionals share some of their learnings and insights:

Joshua Graver: “Well… since returning from attending the Young Water Professional conference (the largest to date) in Cape Town at the end of last year it has massively changed my personal perspective of the water sector, along with the many challenges we’re all going to be facing in the future, if not already! The conference’s biggest imprint on me was the wonderful host city but sadly I feel for the wrong reasons, as I’m sure you’re all aware of the severe drought the city is suffering from. I witnessed the various challenges the sector was facing compared to our own challenges, but it also exposed me to the effects a drought can create on a social level in local communities, from environmental to economic, as well as pressure on ethnic diversity within city due to a lack of water resources.

I gained so much insight into the sector from a global perspective, along with hearing the different challenges facing different countries and also the brilliant work Young Water Professionals have been involved in. I manged to improve and also gain many personal attributes during this experience, but also allowed me time to become aware of some weaknesses that I need to work on. I’d like to say a massive thank you to the Institute of Water for giving myself, Vyvyan and Kirstin, the opportunity to attend this once-in-a-life time experience. Lastly, I’d like to share this quote; which I feel we can all relate too: “Fall in love with your challenge/problem, not the solution.”

IWAYOUNGWATERPROFESSIONALS

Vyvyan Evans:

projects, whilst providing support throughout my future career.

Kirstin Watt:

“With 52 countries represented at the conference the range of knowledge, projects and debate on offer was exhilarating. I was able to compare off grid water treatment advancements with an Ethiopian Teff Farmer and a Council Town Planner from Manila; whilst discussing different models of privatisation and publically owned utilities with academics from Ghana and the Netherlands!

The back drop of the conference made the topics and discussions ever more sobering. Cape Town, the host city, is currently experiencing its worst ever drought, with reservoirs teetering at around 30% capacity. Strict water restrictions were in force across the city, and engineering solutions, for example, Pressure Reduction Vales and emergency desalination plants were being implemented at lighting speed in response. Every person we spoke to from taxi drivers to wine growers shared their perspective of the draught and how it was personally impacting them, their family and their business. These stories made a great impression and have only furthered my desire to be a part of the solution to future water challenges we face.

“Attending this conference was undoubtedly my career highlight to date. It was a once-in-alifetime opportunity and one that I will never forget. Having experienced so much in such a short time, it’s difficult to summarise what I gained most from my time there.

The workshops I attended covered a range of topics. Some highlights include pioneering techniques to collect micro plastic nanoparticles before they enter the water course and how to use them as resource in the construction industry, along with biofuel production using microalgae, and biobrick production from urine and Microbial Carbonate Precipitation. As well as expanding my knowledge, I built upon my networking skills and made contacts who I hope to collaborate with on future research

Thank you to the IWA and IWater for providing such a valuable opportunity, and thank you to South Africa for putting on an event that will stay with me throughout my career in the water sector.”

However, on reflection, I’m most grateful for the introduction it gave me to a global network of contacts and allowing me to gain a broader perspective of the water sector. Having read Geography at university, I thought I had acquired an ability to view problems via both a local and global lens. On arriving in Cape Town, I soon realised that nothing compares to being completely immersed in a different environment; getting a small flavour of what it may be like to live and work there. It was interesting, albeit unsurprising, to discover the international similarities within the water sector including ageing infrastructure and affordability challenges. Yet, I was most intrigued by the notion that problems which are currently unique to specific localities will spread due to climate change. This is hardly a new revelation yet the forecasted dates behind the statistics seem to be creeping ever closer. For example, by 2025, it is estimated that nearly half of the world’s population will face water scarcity. Global collaboration and knowledgesharing have never been more important. We were reminded that the success of the Sustainable Development Goals relies on our industry and this served as a timely reminder of the importance of the work that we do.”

Joshua, Vyvyan and Kirstin are keen to share their experience and learning with members. If you would like to learn more about their visit, please contact info@instituteofwater.org.uk or phone 0191 422 0088.

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ENVIRONMENTALNEWS

A 25 YEAR PLAN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

25 Year Environmen t Plan

A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Enviro nment

On 11 January 2018 the UK government launched its long awaited 25 year plan for the environment: A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment. In the Prime Minister’s Foreword she reaffirmed her aim for the present generation to become the first one to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. She stated that we hold our natural environment in trust for the next generation. The water industry is founded on inter-generational infrastructure, planning and investment, so those words should resonate with everyone in the Institute of Water. The environment doesn’t recognise the artificial distinctions we often make in our efforts to understand and manage it. The Plan does attempt to take an integrated perspective: for example, it highlights the benefits to improving water quality or reducing flood risk among its aims for managing land sustainably. It also describes the importance of taking a natural capital approach so that the asset value of the natural environment will increasingly be used as a tool to help make key choices and long-term decisions. It uses woods and forests to illustrate the point; less than 10% of the services they provide is from timber - the remainder includes the value of recreation and carbon sequestration. The water environment also provides a wide range of services; not just water for drinking,

agriculture and industry, but also valuable recreational and wellbeing benefits. The plan takes a broad ranging perspective, covering air, land, water and biodiversity, and covering topics such as using resources more sustainably, minimising waste, and adapting to climate change. This is a UK Government plan so some aspects of the plan will apply to the UK as a whole. In other areas, where environmental policy is devolved the proposals apply only to England. Those of us who watched the BBC’s Blue Planet II and were moved by the impact of plastic debris in the oceans will be pleased that measures to reduce plastic pollution feature prominently. Although the target is to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042 many organisations - commercial and not-forprofit - have stressed their determination to see that target reached much sooner. And no one in IWater would ever buy a single use bottle of water…

much cleaner, and species such as otters returning throughout England. But it does make clear that there is still much more to do, and its targets for water include further reductions in damaging abstraction from rivers and groundwater (and for water companies in England and Wales to reduce leakage by at least an average of 15% by 2025), reaching or exceeding objectives for specially protected water-dependent habitats that are important for conservation or drinking water, and reducing bacterial pollution of bathing waters. Much of the progress to date has been as a result of investment and innovation by water companies; much of what’s needed in the future will also depend on them.

The Plan stresses how far we have come in the past 50 years, such as rivers and beaches being

Professor Ian Barker Vice President Environment

SOCIETY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT UPDATE If you’re a Chartered Environmentalist, or Registered Environmental Technician, you’ll want to keep up with the latest news from the Society for the Environment (SocEnv). A recent addition to the SocEnv website is SocEnv.me. This gives easy access to updates and information, such as consultations on environmental matters, and ways to get involved in different projects. There’s also a list of upcoming events as well as topical environmental news. On the main website there’s helpful information if you’re thinking of applying for professional registration. In addition, there’s a series of webinars (under ‘Events

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and Awards’, then ‘Webinars’) scheduled to explain the process and the benefits of registration. For potential REnvTechs in particular the interactive webinars on 17 April and 15 May will explain first what it means to become a REnvTech and how it can benefit you personally as well as the organisation you work for. The second webinar will cover the application process. At the Institute of Water we are leading the way on REnvTechs and it would be great to for us to continue to show the importance of technicians in the water sector. To read more about the webinars and to watch, go to: socenv.org.uk/page/webinars

ENVIRONMENT REGISTRATION ON THE UP In 2017 there was again an increase in total registrants, with over 400 new CEnvs and REnvTech, with 44% of them women - up from 42% in 2016. In IWater, we had 9 new registrants in 2017, of whom 4 were women.

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FROM SERVICE TO EXPERIENCE: TRANSFORMING WATER SERVICES TO CUSTOMERS BY 2025 Customer service incentives have transformed the services that water and wastewater companies deliver to customers in England and Wales. So why is Ofwat changing them for the 2019 price review?

by Jasminder Oberoi

Strategy and Policy Principal for C-MeX & D-MeX

& David Roberts

Strategy and Policy Associate Customer service incentives have transformed the services that water and wastewater companies deliver in England and Wales. For example, customers are: ■■

five times less likely to suffer from supply interruptions;

■■

eight times less likely to suffer from sewer flooding; and

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100 times less likely to have low water pressure1.

But increasingly customers expect services that are tailored to them and that offer them a positive experience. Many businesses and organisations have spotted this trend and responded. But while customer satisfaction in the utilities sector is improving faster than in any other industry, it still lags behind. For example there are no water companies in the Institute of Customer Service’s top 50 companies for customer service2. At the same time, with house building a critical part of the economy, developers also need to see the services they receive significantly improved. This is why we are introducing our Customer and Developer Services Measures of Experience (C-MeX and D-MeX) at the 2019 price review, to transform services to customers by 20253. So what’s different about these incentives? Improving customer service since 1999 For nearly two decades, Ofwat has applied incentives to encourage monopoly water companies to improve their services to customers. In 1999, Ofwat introduced the Overall Performance Assessment (OPA) mechanism. The OPA combined a range of key service metrics (from supply interruptions, to complaints handling) into a score, which was used to rank and financially incentivise companies. The OPA certainly encouraged a focus on services that

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customers cared about. But it didn’t take account of service quality or customer satisfaction. We introduced the Service Incentive Mechanism (SIM) at the 2009 price review, which came into operation in 2010 and still operates today. SIM represented a leap forward from the OPA by using the surveyed satisfaction of customers who have been in recent contact with their company. The company’s SIM score also incorporates customer complaints numbers. We revised the SIM at the 2014 price review. This included rebalancing the elements in favour of the customer satisfaction component. We also removed business customers in anticipation of the business market opening in April 2017. SIM-ply the best? The SIM has driven large improvements in the

quality of water companies’ interactions with their customers.4 But to some extent the SIM is starting to become a victim of its own success. Annual scores have noticeably converged towards the best performers with smaller service improvements for the top performing companies. At the same time, developer services customers, who report poor customer service from water companies, are not included in SIM. Services for these customers are currently measured by operational metrics, developed by WaterUK and published quarterly5. Performance is already high in some areas, but as with the OPA, the metrics lack a qualitative component. Two new experience incentives to harness the best of SIM, and build on them Far from throwing the baby out with the

FEATURE: AMP7 PREVIEW bathwater, we’ve designed C-MeX and D-MeX to incorporate the best elements of SIM. These include: ■■

the reputational effect of a ranking system to mimic competition;

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qualitative and quantitative elements which capture real customer feedback; and

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(for D-MeX) financial incentives which are larger for poor performance than excellent performance (as is the case for SIM), to kickstart customer service improvements for the developer market.

We’ve designed C-MeX in particular to shift the sector from thinking about customer service, to the wider customer experience, or “CX” (the common industry abbreviation). We have kept the survey of customers who have recently contacted their company and reinforced it with a new customer experience survey. This means we capture a ‘silent majority’ of customers who, despite not direct contacting their water company, hold valid opinions of the service. Within C-MeX, we have also introduced an absolute performance measurement system, overlaid upon the existing relative ranking system. To stretch performance and encourage innovation, we are also offering higher

performance payments than SIM. To access these payments, a company will need to meet or beat a cross-sector customer service target. This benchmarking aims to incentivise the sector to reach the higher customer service levels found in many other sectors. We have strengthened the cross-sector threshold by introducing a further ‘gate’ or condition, based upon a company’s performance regarding customer complaints. And those ‘complaints’ could arrive through several channels, including social media. Depending on the results of a pilot (see below), C-MeX may also include a Net Promoter Score (NPS) component, based on the likelihood of a customer recommending their service.

across all water companies, and make sure the incentives are practical to implement. The design decisions we outlined for C-MeX and D-MeX in our methodology were intentionally high level. This will enable us to stress-test their design and implementation through a piloting phase for both measures, which is about to commence. As we finalise the design of the incentives, we will continue to work closely with our sector working groups. We will then use the piloted incentives within the price controls we set for 2020-25. And if all goes well, by 2025 the customer experience for all water customers will be transformed. 1. Ofwat sector analysis and reports 1999-present

D-MeX is a new incentive mechanism designed to encourage a step change in performance. While some companies have surveyed developers before, this is the first time that we intend to include this activity directly within a regulatory tool. What’s next? We want to make sure our sector-wide incentives deliver the outcomes that customers expect. That means we need to fairly assess performance

2. Customer satisfaction on the rise as organisations respond to changing consumer demands, Institute of Customer Services, January 2016 3. Delivering Water 2020: Our final methodology for the 2019 price review, Ofwat, 13 December 2017 4. Service incentive mechanism (SIM) for 2015 onwards – a consultation: https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2013/10/pap_con201310sim-1.pdf 5. Levels of service - latest reports, Developer services, water. org.uk

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A FIRE NEEDS A SPARK How Ofwat is seeking to inspire the water sector to go further on innovation. Looking back on the last 28 years since privatisation, the water sector has transformed the services it deliver to customers and the environment. And a big part of that has been through innovation. So why is Ofwat trying to spark even more? This is a crucial time for the water sector. In September 2018 the 17 monopoly companies will submit their plans for services for 2020-25 to address challenges such as climate change and population growth. The retail market for business customers has also just passed 100,000 switches, but more needs to be done over the next year to see the market mature. At the same time, there are calls for renationalisation and disquiet about companies’ financial structures. In short, there has never been a better time for the sector to deliver customers more for less. More for less is the central thrust of our final methodology for the 2019 price review1. The methodology itself has four key themes: ■■

great customer service;

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affordable bills for all;

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long term resilience in the round; and

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innovation and new ways of working.

The first three are perhaps well understood with, for example, clear mechanisms in place to encourage delivery. But innovation underpins them all. So how you go about encouraging something so intangible and ephemeral?

Innovative regulation At Ofwat we decided we needed a fresh approach - to be equally innovative in how we approached the problem. Out of this was born Spark!2 our digital innovation channel. It features:

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a weekly ‘magazine-style’ show each week presented by two of our own staff members;

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interviews with experts in innovation and new thinking from a range of sectors and industries to showcase their experience and knowledge, including Microsoft and BT

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a weekly ‘Points of view’ live broadcast on Periscope, a live streaming tool via twitter, with special guests; and

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a daily ‘Innovation of the Day’ in collaboration with the London Business School and Management Today’s ‘Real Innovation’ awards; and

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a host of both original and shared social media content, such as blogs, graphics and gifs; and

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■■

email marketing and engagement with our audiences.

[Margareta Serfozo-Matharu and Frederick Levett were the hosts and interviewers for Ofwat’s channel]

Aimed at water company employees of all levels, retailers and innovators from within and outside the sector and - to borrow from a well-known advertising slogan - we’re aiming to refresh the parts of the sector that traditional regulation sometimes cannot reach.

Fascinating insights The campaign and interviews have offered some fascinating insights from our experts - as well as some clear messages. The water sector is by no means the only sector tackling significant challenges and seeking to use innovation to tackle them. Innovation is also more than just new technology. It could be processes, services, new ways of operating or mindsets. It can benefit everyone involved - customers, communities, businesses, the environment, companies and their employees. Successful organisations are those with a culture of innovation brings in different perspectives to help generate better ideas and refine them. But at the same time, leadership sets the tone of an organisation’s culture and so encourages innovation. Also, increasingly organisations are also collaborating with others to innovate. So it’s worth looking beyond your company, your sector and even your competitive instincts to work with other companies to innovate. You can also work with customers and communities because they are the people who will actually tell you what

they really want. Finally, we learned the scale and pace that our world is changing means all sectors need to innovate now – including the water sector. You shouldn’t wait to innovate.

Sparking change The campaign hasn’t been designed as a recipe book for companies to follow for the price review. It is intended to inspire water companies, retailers - and fresh innovators - to fully embrace innovation and the opportunities it brings. Inspiration is even more ephemeral than innovation. So naturally it’s going to difficult to assess the impact of the campaign directly. But at the time of writing, with three of the five programmes aired, we’ve had a social media reach of over 1.5 million. We’ve also had positive engagement from not only water companies, but also many other stakeholders and sectors - and not just in the UK either. So the signs are positive in sparking change. We’ll keep you updated. So stay tuned! 1. Delivering W2020: Our final methodology for the 2019 price review, Ofwat, 13 December 2017 2. www.ofwat.gov.uk/spark

Incorporating

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COLLABORATION RE-DEFINED: POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS AT PR19 How collaboration will be key for water company success in AMP7. However, probably one of the greatest challenges companies face is the ‘co-‘prefix – i.e. co-imagination, co-creation and co-delivery. How well companies address the need to collaborate with customers, stakeholders and other water companies will determine their success of delivering their outcomes for AMP7 and beyond.

by Ken Gedman

Business Consulting Director, Stantec Why is collaboration important? There are many challenges ahead for the water industry. Water companies need to deliver reliable, resilient and affordable water and wastewater services for the future, against a backdrop of uncertainties such as climate change, economic disruption and changing cultural and social values and attitudes. Ofwat has set out its key priorities for water company plans through its four key themes customer engagement, affordability, resilience and innovation. PR19 business plans are being prepared on the basis of keeping bills low, by driving efficiencies through focusing on customer priorities, innovative approaches and co-delivery of solutions with customers and a wide range of stakeholders. All with a continued emphasis, by the regulator, of driving companies towards upper quartile performance. The focus on customer priorities and outcomes builds on the changes set by the regulator at PR14, albeit with a push for companies to set a much longer-term declared set of performance commitments. The stimulus for innovation is being driven by the setting of more ambitious benchmarks for performance, managing threats to the long-term resilience, whilst balancing the need of keeping bills affordable.

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The trouble with collaboration… Collaboration comes a myriad of challenges. It brings uncertainty. It may be a new way of working for some. It may have already been tried, with the potential that renewed efforts may be tainted by unsuccessful previous attempts. It also takes a lot more time and effort - bringing people together, seeking consensus and agreement to work together towards a common goal. It also needs to be sustained if long-term outcomes are to be achieved. Success in collaborating with customers, will be dictated by their understanding and awareness of issues. Their willingness to collaborate will also be driven by their experiences - i.e. what they have experienced in terms of customer service, response to their issues, whether it has been good bad or indifferent. How recent these experiences have been will also have an influence. For instance it might be surprising learn that a customer who experienced internal sewer flooding (probably the worst of what can happen to a customer), might not be seen as such an unacceptable risk as you would expect - “Yes its happened to me, but they came out, sorted it all out and were really good…these things happen…” (Not made up, but an actual, recent quote from a customer).

Understanding diverse and different views on what matters to customers, and what might incentivise them to do things differently, is clearly key to making collaboration work with customers. Collaborating with a wider range of stakeholder groups, brings further complexity. Success will be driven by appetites and available funding to support and contribute time and effort to initiatives. Engagement at a leadership level is critical to testing and gaining support for collaboration across stakeholder groups. It is also critical for decision-making, particularly when timescale and budgets are tight. Uncertainty surrounding any long-term roles, responsibilities, liabilities for solutions can also be a significant blocker to collaboration. Collaboration with stakeholders requires creating trust between groups, through the transparency of actions and intentions, and the active management of threats and uncertainties to collaborative working. Water companies opening the door to more active collaboration with customers and stakeholders, if not managed carefully, can lead to exactly the opposite effects it was intended to achieve. Expectations need to be managed about budgets and funding, after all it’s very much about spending less on solutions, not becoming a wealthy donor to support collaborative efforts.

FEATURE: AMP7 PREVIEW Similarly it’s important to consider the long-term or resulting liabilities, such as the future maintenance of collaborative solutions. Companies also need to consider whether they have the right skills and capabilities to collaborate. These skills need to be learned, developed and sustained by organisations to drive successful outcomes from collaboration.

Strategies and approaches for collaboration In the run up to PR19, many companies are trying a range of collaborative approaches to clearly demonstrate that business plans have been co-imagined, co-create and (will be) codelivered by customers and wider stakeholders. Different visualisation approaches are being adopted to provide a more appreciable understanding of risks and issues, in order to seek a greater contribution to the definition and delivery of solutions. Visualisation can also tease out a better appreciation of the wider societal and social benefits solutions can provide. For potential solutions involving more complex and multi-actor contributions, organisations are also adopting other collaborative planning approaches. The can be focused on specific projects like a new housing development, engaging with developers and local authority planning departments, through to more ambitious, strategic, regional collaborative strategies, e.g. ‘Living with Water’ for the City Hull. Charrettes (often defined as ‘a public meeting or workshop devoted to a concerted effort to solve a problem or plan the design of something’ and pioneered in the US) provide forums for the development of ideas and provide opportunities for immediate feedback on the design of projects. More importantly, it allows everyone who participates to be a ‘mutual author of the plan’ - again another step toward really demonstrating co-imagining and co-creating solutions through collaboration. Seeking more collaborative approaches to innovation, companies have also been applying collaborative approaches such as sprints, hackathons and in one case an entire festival devoted to innovation - attracting a broad range of participants and diversity to collaborative problem solving. In examining and having participated in many of these examples of more active collaboration in the water industry, there appear to be six broad strategies to consider to enable greater collaboration with customers and stakeholders: 1. WAIT - Waiting may be a considered option when the political climate is not right or there is high risk of reputational damage which could undermine future efforts and approaches to collaborate

2. EDUCATE - Education to create greater understanding and awareness of the range of solutions and opportunities should be considered both to identify opportunities, and drive behavioural change as part of a solution - e.g. encouraging customers to be more water efficient by a better understanding of their water usage compared to others 3. INVESTIGATE - Investigation can be used to seek out leading edge approaches and test how applicable they may be in a local context to collaborate - e.g. Hackathons, collaborate planning approach, visualisation tools, etc 4. FACILITATE - Companying can provide collaborative to support others in the delivery of solutions, either financially, administratively or from a technical resource perspective. This form of collaboration may hold the key to more effective catchment management strategies 5. LEGISLATE - Establishing sustainable and enduring solutions may require legislative support, including regulatory frameworks and the development of, or compliance with, appropriate design standards

of solutions. Some solutions may be best individually or jointly funded through a myriad of stakeholder and stakeholder group combinations.

Leading collaboration into AMP7… Whatever strategies or approaches companies apply to the development of their plans for PR19, a sustained effort of collaboration is going to be key to enabling companies to be successful in AMP7. Companies will need to take a leading role in building collaboration with their customers and stakeholders. By fully embracing the ideals of co-imagining, co-creating and co-delivery, the broader benefits of greater security, resilience, improved service levels, transparency and accountability in their regions will be delivered. How well companies embrace and apply the principles of collaboration will clearly determine their success for AMP7 and beyond.

6. PARTICIPATE - Different participation models may be required for the implementation

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EGREMONT

A GENTLE NUDGE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION - HOW THE WATER INDUSTRY CAN INFLUENCE BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE

(reducing supply) that most businesses use to change customer behaviours. So, the water industry needs to be subtle and sophisticated about how it encourages behaviour change, perhaps even making customers think it is their own idea. In this article we will show how it is possible to encourage customers to make little changes that end up having a big impact on the bottom line.

by Alex Graham

Principal Consultant, Egremont Group How can we encourage customers to make smarter choices about the water they use, or seek help before they get behind on their bills without spending money on marketing / advertising? Water utilities lack the obvious carrots (such as changing prices) and sticks

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Nobel prize winning Prof. Richard Thaler, explains in his best-selling book Nudge, that although people make poor decisions they can be ‘nudged’ into making better choices. The Government was so taken by the idea that they set up the ‘Nudge’ unit to work across Government. In one success story the HMRC was paid £210m more in tax following a successful trial of pinpointed and personalised ‘nudges’. So how could this work for the Water Industry? Here are just a few ideas:

Customer Billing Customer Billing is a perfect target for ‘nudge’ theory. With the very real possibility of an increase in water poverty due to rising interest rates or a Brexit related slowdown in the economy, water companies need to act quickly to help customers before they get in to financial distress. By analysing water billing payment data to spot trends in late payments, it is possible to create targeted ‘nudges’ for vulnerable customers. Combine this with locational payment trends (e.g. similar sized households in this area, or if a large employer has made redundancies) and/ or credit history data, a model could be built to predict which customers are at risk of financial difficulty. At risk customers could then be then be ‘nudged’ into seeking help with an early intervention. The ‘nudge’ could then take the form of a personalised letter outlining the help

FEATURE: AMP7 PREVIEW available supported by statistics such as “X% of customers Y-months late on payment get in distress, we are here to help”. In this way, vulnerable customers can be offered help and are nudged before debt becomes a problem and costly debt collection is avoided.

Demand reduction The power industry has been successfully experimenting with nudging customers to reduce consumption and the water industry could borrow some of these tactics. One way to do this is by comparing metered households with their neighbours to inspire a bit of competition. “Did you know the neighbours in your street pay an average of £x less for their water due to lower consumption.” In areas where housing stock is reasonably standard it should be possible to investigate how households have made sustainable water savings by carrying out a quick survey. These findings are then aggregated and presented to similar households suggesting the same home improvements and highlighting the £ / litres savings “Look at this evidence from others in your postcode that shows how much you could save if you did the same.” Taking this a step further, water companies could nudge customers into considering various different water conservation methods by offering to help spread the cost of these methods and devices through their bills. They could even partner with installation companies and provide subsidises based on reduction in use i.e. pay nothing now and we will save water and money together over the long-term.

Sewer Abuse

Make it personal, ask “Do you want this fatberg near your child’s school / local hospital?” Combine this with focused use of location specific data and explain how many blockages have been removed from the area vs regional average and offering practical steps consumers can take to avoid fatbergs. For business customers, an incentive based nudge could help with sewer FOG (Fats Oils & Grease) blockages. Start a community initiative that links the value generated by collecting used cooking oil and converting it into biofuel. Publicise the participants and rate of oil collection using a public dashboard to nudge others to adopt the appropriate disposal of FOG. This could result in restaurants receiving recognition awards for their contribution and even financial rewards to build playgrounds or providing sports equipment, further building community spirit.

Leak Hunters Leaks cause a huge financial and reputational headache for the water industry. Why not nudge the general public into becoming their eyes and ears and turn leak detection into a game. This could be done by sending a text message to customers explaining “We are looking for leaks in your area and so far we have found X. We think there are another Y in your postcode, can you help?” This could also work in more rural areas where walkers and anglers are encouraged to report any issues on hard to reach parts of the network.

Where to begin

very good Return on Investment. But while nudges look easy the most effective ones are the product of meticulous, methodological design. A successful nudge campaign will be the result of careful examination of the context in which people currently make decisions, an understanding of the details and triggers of choices, plus knowing what has and hasn’t worked in the past. Encourage creative thinking when scoping your solutions and then rigorously test, measure and evaluate what works in the real world. The nudge design team often need a degree of protection from the cut and thrust of operational delivery which is why David Cameron invited the infamous Nudge Unit (Behavioural Insights Team – BIT) to work across UK government with a long-term mandate and cross party support. In our view, getting the benefit of nudges will require executive sponsorship and dedicated teams to really drive sustainable behaviour change. That doesn’t necessarily mean going it alone, however, the application of nudge theory is ripe for collaboration across the industry. It should be high on every Exec’s agenda as it is clearly aligned with Ofwat’s priorities for the next AMP, delivering value for money, innovative and puts customers at the heart of decisions. If you’re interested in exploring how to implement nudge theory with your customers please get in touch. We are ready to collaborate with pioneers, change agents and thought leaders. A little nudge could be all it takes.

The best thing about nudges is that they tend to be very cheap, very low risk and have

The current fascination in the media with ‘fatbergs’ clogging up the sewers has helped focus attention on the problem but failed to tackle underlying behaviour. This is where a well-placed nudge may be both cheaper and more effective than the current method of broad brush advertising. Think about bringing the problem right to the doorstep of the affected area. Launch a targeted and sustained shock campaign using images of the environmental impact such as the increased vermin and health risks.

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RPS

GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT

Every 5 years, Ofwat has the difficult job of resetting the price framework for the water industry in England and Wales. It’s about getting the right balance whilst improving customer service for a lower cost. Great customer service Service Incentive Mechanism (SIM) is a method of ranking water company customer service performance and was introduced in 2010. With companies improving their scores, it is now time to reset the benchmark by introducing two new customer metrics that measure service in retail and wholesale to domestic customers, new connections and developers (Customer Measure of Experience - C-MeX, and Developer Services Measure of Experience - D-MeX).

by David Gordon

Technical Director RPS Getting the balance right is a difficult job. If Ofwat requires too much from water companies they may not be able to deliver, however, on the other hand, if it is not challenging current thinking and methodology then it is accused of being too soft. So what are the main changes this time round? Ofwat has chosen to focus on 4 key themes that are interlinked and intertwined throughout the process:

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Great customer service

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Long-term resilience in the round

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Affordable bills

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Innovation

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Ofwat is proactively working with water companies to pilot this in 2018-19 and then run them in shadow format for 2019-20 before setting the benchmark for AMP7. Ofwat is looking for a step change in how companies engage and involve customers and has consequently produced several documents to help move the sector forward. For PR19, Ofwat is challenging all companies to improve customer service whilst also lowering bills. Water companies should deliver outcomes that customers and society value at a price they are willing “to pay.” (Page 25, Delivering Water 2020: Our final methodology for the 2019 price review). As part of Ofwat’s monitoring, it is introducing 14 common performance commitments (PC’s). This will enable it to compare “apples with apples” more accurately across the sector. It is also expecting companies to set additional

PC’s to show how they are meeting their customer priorities. Some of the priorities included are: ■■

Internal sewer flooding which will now include extreme events

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Percentage of populations at risk of sewer flooding in a 1 in 50 year storm.

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Leakage a reduction of 15%

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Per Capita Consumption

Resilience in the round The environment which water companies operate within is changing and is less predictable with challenges and threats coming from a variety of sources. Ofwat is taking a more in-depth view of a water companies’ environmental performance and has set a target to reduce leakage by at least 15%. It is considering Financial, Operational and Corporate resilience. Operational resilience is about reducing the probability of water supply interruptions and wastewater flooding, as well as mitigating the impact of any disruption through efficient handling, good communication and quick recovery. It will also look at long-term resilience to environmental pressures, demographic change, shifts in customer behaviour and the impacts of climate change. Each element of operational, financial and corporate resilience reinforces overall resilience. Water companies will not be able to have good

FEATURE: AMP7 PREVIEW operational resilience if they do not additionally have good corporate and financial resilience.

Affordable bills Ofwat expect water companies to fully engage with customers over their plans and capture their views on affordability. It is reviewing the cost of borrowing which it believes will see a reduction of £15-£25 per year for all customers. Water companies will need to demonstrate that customers have reviewed their plans and have bought into the options proposed. It is expected that the customer challenge groups each company has set up will continue to meet and review a company’s plans and priorities. Ofwat is also looking for water companies to offer more support, help to venerable customers and look outside the water industry for best practice.

Innovation Ofwat believes that companies must be innovative to deliver these greater challenges whilst reducing customer’s bills. Innovation underpins the other themes already mentioned: great customer service, long-term resilience and affordable bills. Plans will be assessed on how

innovative they are and how the culture in water companies is allowing innovation to thrive. Ofwat also expect water companies to propose innovative, bespoke performance commitments that reflect customer preferences. The recently launched SPARK initiative is a great example of leadership will foster new ideas and accelerate innovation.

What do companies need to do to prepare for AMP7? With greater scrutiny of a company’s performance across a wider range of metrics, water companies will need to focus on getting the basics right. This will entail a laser focus on their processes and procedures. Additionally, water companies will have to understand their ODI’s inside out as well as ensuring all teams have a total clarity on what success looks like. Moving forward, Ofwat is ensuring that the customer is at the heart of the settlement and water companies will have to further proactively engage with customers to ensure they are delivering what customers want to pay for. The rewards for those at the top of the various league tables will incentivise all to improve.

Ofwat is looking for a better performance across all metrics. All water companies will need to find that extra gear and amend operations to deliver better customer service in a more cost-effective way. With the asset health metrics detailed in its PR19 Final Methodology report, Ofwat is ensuring that water companies continue to manage assets well and for the future, ensure that they have long term plans not just for water resources but also drainage strategy frameworks.

Conclusion It not easy to strike the right balance but Ofwat’s new regulatory targets have certainly have raised the bar. It is setting water companies higher challenges and also greater rewards for overall performance. The message from Ofwat is clear; companies will need to continue to improve above and beyond what they have achieved previously. The metrics to compare company performance are becoming more sophisticated and enable better comparison of how a company is performing. For further information contact David.Gordon@rpsgroup.com

Reducing leakage in AMP7 RPS is the leading provider of Leakage Management Services across the water industry. Working closely with our clients, we deliver results that both meet and exceed regulatory requirements and expectations. Our aim is to put customers at the forefront of innovation. Future pressure on Leakage and Customer Acceptability targets increase the focus on high quality Network Management. RPS offers the skills, knowledge and resources to meet this increased focus. Our unique Strategy to Operations approach coupled with our innovative Waternet™ software can support you in achieving your targets.

Customer Service RPS has unrivalled experience of working with clients and The Institute of Customer Service to deliver the highest standards of customer care.

rpsgroup.com

Upstream Losses Our services include meter verification, site audits and trunk main leakage detection.

Leakage Detection Our staff provide a high quality efficient service supported by our RPS INSIGHT mobile working application. This ensures robust and timely reporting.

Waternet™ Our innovative software solution provides efficient and flexible leakage reporting. It easily complies with the requirements of consistency measures.

Contact: Mark Smith +44 (0) 1422 324 160 | smithm@rpsgroup.com

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ABB

THE POWER OF JOINED-UP THINKING

[VSDs are helping utilities to tap into the opportunities offered by the Internet of Things]

With the start of AMP7 fast approaching, Stuart Foster, UK Water Manager - Drives, looks at some of the collaborative partnerships that are helping utility providers to successfully tackle major challenges such as leakage reduction, energy efficiency and harmonic mitigation, while building resilient systems. AMP6 is always going to be a tough act to follow. It is, after all, hailed as the AMP period that will “change everything” by finally uniting operational expenditure (OPEX) and capital expenditure (CAPEX) into a single, transparent measurement - total expenditure (TOTEX) - and ushering in the age of total cost of ownership (TCO).

by Stuart Foster

UK Water Manager - Drives, ABB Limited

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that many of the results we’re seeing today go far beyond what the water industry may have expected to achieve three years ago.

Innovation

Innovation, collaboration and resilience are held aloft as the pillars of AMP6. Yet to consider each of these pillars as independent activities is to miss the greatest opportunity of this AMP period. Innovative technology is needed to build the resilient systems, and this can only be achieved through deep and meaningful collaboration between the utility and its suppliers.

As in all walks of life, the pace of technological change is proving as equally staggering in the more traditional sectors like water. In the last 18 months alone, we’ve seen the arrival of smart sensors that bring real-time condition monitoring within reach of all low voltage motors for the first time ever. And we’ve witnessed an increased uptake of new motor technology, led by the synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) and its powerful proposition of offering more power for the same price as a comparably sized induction motor.

This is one of the success stories behind the current AMP period. It is no exaggeration to say

We’ve also seen a new generation of variable speed drives (VSD) packed with smart technology

FEATURE: AMP7 PREVIEW that directly impacts on key water industry challenges from harmonics mitigation, leakage reduction and energy use to water hammer, turbidity levels and flow measurement. And now VSDs are helping utilities to tap into the myriad opportunities provided by the Internet of Things (IoT) and address new areas of concern such as creating resilient systems.

Collaboration The motor and VSD technology is only effective if the end-users are aware it exists and, more importantly, know how to use it. Examples of collaborative success include tackling leakage, energy use and harmonics. Awareness as to the merits of using VSDs to resolve these challenges is high among many utilities, as manufacturers have invested in raising awareness through training courses. Where leakage is concerned, for example, VSDs maintain optimum pressure by changing the output of the pump system to match the conditions. This is further enhanced by built-in intelligent pump functions, such as sleep and boost. This widely used function allows the pump to rest when there is no demand. This avoids unnecessary starting and stopping of the pump which would otherwise lead to rapid changes in pressure, causing damaging water hammer. The network, pipes, pipe supports and valves all suffer damage, with the inevitable result being leakage. Yet there is so much more that motors and VSDs can offer. As such, it pays to collaborate at the outset of a project if some unexpected technical hurdles are to be avoided. Take, for example, a utility that recently tried an emergency stop shut down on a new set of pumps. The harshness of the stop caused the building to vibrate. This could have been avoided by consulting the VSD manufacturer and other suppliers at the outset. Fortunately, the utility had a good relationship with its VSD manufacturer and were able to draw on its expertise to help avoid a costly overhaul of the pump set through a complete re-wire of the panels.

required level, before switching it off again.

Resilience As can be seen, collaboration and innovation naturally lead to more resilient systems. An example of this is the work undertaken by another utility to tackle leakage by programming a VSD to adjust pump flow rates based on realtime pressure data supplied by data loggers via the cloud. The utility had already eliminated downstream leaks at many its pumping stations by installing VSDs on pump motors that were previously connected direct-on-line (DOL). The drives were installed at sites that were experiencing a higher than acceptable level of bursts. Using a series of high-speed data loggers, the utility was able to identify the cause of these bursts as pressure transients caused by DOL starting. Following installation of the VSDs, at one site the number of leaks fell from nine in one year to none. To build in even greater resilience against leaks, the utility is collaborating with the VSD supplier to investigate using adaptive programming to monitor and change pressure set points remotely. This would be achieved by feeding the drive information, via the cloud, from a pressure sensor located at the critical point. Statistical modelling would then be applied to the data, determining the optimum pressure set point for the pump system at any moment in time. The VSD could then adjust the speed of the pump motor continuously, in response to changing conditions. Such cloud-based data and analytics are tools that water companies should be deploying to improve the resilience of their assets. Yet many donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t currently have an effective asset management system in place. With dozens of

electric motors and VSDs on a typical water treatment works you would think that a site would have a detailed inventory of every single asset. Yet, even those sites that know where their VSDs and motors are located, do not have any other intelligence about the maintenance records or schedules of such assets. With the growing demand for resilient pumping systems, this lack of asset knowledge could be proving costlier than you think. Unless the motor and VSD are regularly maintained, the 60 percent energy savings that you bought into when the pump system was installed, could be far less. Generating a detailed asset inventory is a must. For motors, all end-users should have a Motor Management Policy. This documents every single motor and offers a series of maintenance policies from rewind to replace. For VSDs, ABB offers a database called Installed Base. Any VSD that you buy is automatically registered in the database including date of purchase, location, application, loading, parameter setting and maintenance intervals. Whenever a maintenance routine is due, the tool alerts you and can schedule a visit from a qualified service engineer.

Building for the future As water suppliers continue to explore what is possible in this brave new, connected world in AMP7, the importance of engaging with suppliers is all too clear. Bringing in experts in electric motors and VSDs at the start of a project can help save enormous costs further down the line. Improving the resilience of water systems will be the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key focus in AMP7, of which ensuring the health of installed assets will be paramount. Engineers in the water industry may not be motor and drive experts. However, the good news is that with the right partners they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to be.

The VSD supplier was able to harness a function within the VSD called adaptive programming. Using this the VSD was coded to detect stop situations and come to rest more steadily, as well as recovering from a black start. Without adaptive programming the cabinets would have needed to be re-wired and the project delays would have been hugely expensive. In a separate collaborative venture, a water supplier is looking at ways to programme the VSD to reduce pump operation during costly energy periods (Triads), normally between 16:00 to 19:00 during winter. Should water fall to a critical level during this time, the VSD will switch the pump back on until water levels return to the [Adaptive programming can be used to restrict pump operation during potential Triad periods]

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QUANTUM CONTROLS

IF AMAZON COULD DELIVER ABB MOTORS….

Quantum Controls has partnered with Carousel Logistics, one of the UK’s leading logistics companies, to provide UK Industry with instant access to ABB motors any time, day or night, for the first time in the UK. There are currently over 10,000,000 electric motors keeping UK industrial processes running. All engineers live with the constant threat of motor failure stopping manufacturing processes, leading to lost production which on average costs UK companies £12,000 an hour.

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24/7 access to the UK’s largest stock of WIMES Specification ABB Motors

following feedback from customers:

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Available ex stock, held centrally by UK logistics company

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2 and 4 pole motors available foot mounted, flange mounted and up to 250kW

The solution has always been to get the damaged motor removed and sent to a local motor repair facility, but a motor rewind can take days to do. It is also now accepted that a repaired motor will be unavoidably 2 – 5% less efficient on return.

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All motor stock held is suitable for use with all forms of motor starters, including Variable Speed Drives

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24/7 direct telephone access to expert motor engineers to discuss application and seek help with motor selection if needed

“First off, it was recommended I use another company to source a motor, but they did not even pick up the phone at 10pm. After which, I Googled ABB Motors and you came up. I worked with Kyle from your office, he was very nice and professional, gave me a quote and said you would have the motor with us within two hours. Because of this I placed the order with yourselves and I would be more than happy to use Quantum again in the future.” Jon Salt – Plant Maintenance Manager

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Order placed direct to logistics company, no need to wait until offices are open

24/7 Instant Access

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Motor will be in transit within 30 minutes of receiving your call, ‘guaranteed’

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Delivery time advised, Birmingham to your UK location

The Challenge Today’s electrical engineers are generally aware that a policy of installing new, high efficiency motors to replace failed motors is best for ongoing running costs, but there has been a problem accessing motors from stock in the UK for a long time. Many motor suppliers do have stock of course, but motors don’t just fail in normal working hours. In fact, most processes run 24 hours these days, and since normal office hours only cover eight of those hours, statistics show that your motors are 66% more likely to fail when your UK motor stockist is closed.

The Solution Quantum Controls has been the leading supplier of ABB Motors in the UK for many years, and having recognised the universal problem faced by engineers, they have invested in a solution that will deliver the following:

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Quantum’s unique solution ensures that, with one phone call, you as an engineer can have a market leading, high efficiency ABB Motor in transit within 30 minutes, with a known delivery time to your site given any time day or night, 365 days a year. This new service is revolutionising the UK motor market – and while Quantum Controls has won the prestigious Corporate Excellence ‘UK Drives and Motor Supplier of the Year’ award for the last three years running, they are not a logistics company. Their partnership with logistics specialist, Carousel, has allowed them to offer this unique service, and has generated the

If you are a busy engineer responsible for keeping your company’s processes running, then put this number in your phone today. It will save you no end of problems when you need a motor and could save your company thousands in lost production.

YOUR EMERGENCY MOTOR NUMBER: 0330 9000 247 Quantum can also offer contract partners an even better service by issuing unique passwords so you do not have to send order numbers out of hours. Simply ring the logistics centre, request the motor, give them your password and the motor is on its way - making Quantum’s stock, your stock. If you would like more details on this service, get in touch and register your interest today by emailing motors@quantum-controls.co.uk

ABB Motors

delivered anywhere in the UK within hours 24/7 access the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest stock of WIMES spec ABB Motors Emergency supply - no need to wait until office hours to order Available ex stock, held centrally by UK logistics company Motor in transit within 30 minutes of receiving your call - 24/7, day or night

0330 9000 247 YOUR EMERGENCY MOTOR NUMBER

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HOW THE UTILITY OF TOMORROW ENGAGES ITS CUSTOMERS TODAY The water industry is under pressure. Certainties such as the Price Review, climate change and deregulation mix with challenges yet to be understood - the demands of a competitive market, an uncertain political backdrop and massive shifts in expectations among changing customer demographics to name but a few. by William Roberts

Product Director at Loyalty Bay Like other utility companies, water companies understand their need to engage with customers, and recognise that it has never been more important. They are now looking outside of the water sector to better understand how to use their customer data to engage and change customer behaviour. But data science alone cannot work without an understanding of behavioural science.

The Dangers of Digitisation Companies learn from their customers in different ways. Sainsbury’s Chairman Mike Coupe turns to a discreet, interactive, highly personal website called ‘Trolley Talk’, where 4000 preselected shoppers help him to make the right strategic decisions. Historically, supermarkets have been the savviest of all consumer facing companies, which is why Mr Coupe is so keen to fact-check robust data with human empathy. Let’s look at the banks, where shrinking branch networks provide correspondingly shrinking opportunities for human contact. Their customer proposition now depends on a data driven approach designed for early adopting millennials. Faced with competition from effective challengers such as Starling and Atom with no legacy systems, heritage or thinking, big banks have become rich in apps, AI, biometrics, facial and voice recognition. Their Holy Grail is the personalised digital experience, controlled at scale across all apps and platforms, websites, e-commerce sites and the digital touchpoints that harness the collective customer view. But despite such state of the art digitisation, while our biggest four banks still manage 77% of UK current accounts, according to KPMG, a lacklustre customer experience cost them £3.7 billion between 2015 and 2018. Without understanding human behaviour, how can they hope to influence it? Let’s look at the big six energy providers. They share a recent history of privatisations,

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acquisitions, mergers and regulatory interventions with the banks, and have found themselves at the sharp end of the political, regulatory, customer and competitor experience. They still provide gas and electricity to more than 90% of domestic customers. But between 2009 and 2014 they suffered a collective 7% drop in market share to smaller independent suppliers such as Ovo, to whom Which? gave a customer service score of 82%. Fruit, financial services, electricity and water are all commodities, differentiated by price and service. Sure, customer insight is crucial, and linked to CRM, integration technology and straight through processing; it can be a competitive weapon. But can digitisation attract or motivate a customer? Just because apps have enabled a tech-friendly millennial to do a shop, open an account, pay a bill or opt for a water meter, with no human intervention, does not mean he or she wants to.

The art of the Nudge That’s why behavioural science is as important as data science. Incentivising customer behaviour via data science is a new discipline. Firms have long rewarded customers with treats such as loyalty points and discounts, but rolling out AI to understand, empathise and act on human behaviour is an unfolding science.

a referral or recommendation. Driven by a greater interest in healthy eating, a supermarket might use lighting and signage to enhance a display of bananas. A water utility might nudge its customers to change their behaviours, to use water more responsibly, conserve supplies or opt for water meters. In a short time, the sector has grown from its roots in sending out vouchers as rewards, gift cards that were lost in the post, whose take-up was never tracked, whose redemption may never have happened, whose effect never computed and whose conversion costs were never kept and consequently never understood. Spurred on by deregulation, disruption and an increasingly out of pocket consumer, software soon modernised the voucher industry and platforms came into being that drill down and understand both individual and collective behaviour. Today, customer incentivisation is plugged into CRM systems, customer data is applied to customer behaviour, learning customer preferences and reacting in real time. By applying behavioural science to the sophisticated analysis of collated data, consumers can be motivated regardless of the economic cycle. Instead of adding cost, rewards now reduce the cost of nudging the customer over the line, by reducing the cost of finding the customers in the first place, or replacing them after they’ve gone. Software allows marketers and technologists to test any type of incentive, low margin companies understand how to reward customers rather than reduce prices and churn is negated by offering the right reward at the most important time.

Government has been an early adopter, nudging the population in ever more creative ways. Their Behavioural Insights Team applies it in areas such as health, voter turnout, organ and blood donation, recycling and waste management. In one trial, a letter sent to non-payers of vehicle taxes was adapted with the blunt choice - “pay your tax or lose your car”. Letters were personalised with a photo of the car in question. The threat doubled the number of people paying the tax; the photo tripled it.

Software triggers the website to react when a customer moves a mouse off a page towards the navigation bar, with the so called ‘light box’, the pop up box that questions the customer and offers the incentive.

Now, commercial organisations are starting to nudge their customers in ever more inventive ways, rewarding instead of taking for granted their feedback, loyalty and custom, and pushing them over the line into making a purchase,

This ‘exit intent technology’ is the unfolding art of conversion optimization and reducing abandoned carts. The questions it poses are only now being answered. For the customer, what works best, cash, discount or physical reward?

FEATURE: AMP7 PREVIEW What precedents are set and what level of involvement or choice should a customer be offered? How does the customer ‘spend’ the reward, how quickly and who does he or she tell? For the organisation, how is the product price maintained? How are referrals and recommendations tracked? How is the cost of conversion and retention calculated? How is perception of a brand affected? It’s not rocket science, it’s behavioural science.

How to embrace traditional virtues Speaking at Davos in January, the CEO of the world’s largest money manager with $5.7 trillion in assets stressed the importance of companies’ “intersecting their responsibilities with their societies, employees and clients”. Blackrock’s Larry Fink called on Boards to demonstrate not only how they devise long term strategy, but how they pivot around it. He wanted them to know how they are being measured. He even quoted from Milton Friedman on the importance of enterprise impacting a community with a sense of purpose. When Blackrock draws a line in the sand, private companies in every sector might want to listen. This was not just an ode to Davos’ theme of a ‘shared future in a fractured world’; decisions to invest in a company really do depend on an organisation’s ability to drill down into the softer criteria of customer sentiment, the ability to acquire, contextualise, act on and profit from an understanding of their customers. Not just the traditional harder financial analysis. That is why companies are gradually starting to report such successes in Board Statements and Annual Reports. Good customer engagement makes for good business and good governance, meeting and surpassing the expectations of the regulator, with robust accountability, at a time when successive corporate failures have prompted a new sensitivity towards corporate stewardship among politicians, regulators, and customers particularly younger customers.

The Common touch Another businessman also spoke at Davos, a US President with a common touch who was elected by people who want to connect with their past. In politics and in business, the distance between those who make decisions and the people they serve has increased exponentially. In the pre digitised 60s and 70s, businesses were smaller and there were far fewer roles, systems, departments and complexities with which to disenfranchise customers. Now voters have made their voices heard, with increasing cynicism at being treated as numbers that come out of an algorithm, by computers programmed to make decisions. The decision facing business, therefore, is how to close the gap between strategic management and customer behaviour, particularly when consumers have less time and even less tolerance. The soft insight embedded in customer opinion reduces the distance between the two. It unearths a nuanced layer of invaluable customer information which the most successful organisations don’t just pull in but use in extraordinary ways, differentiating themselves with future proof creativity, empathy and responsiveness. Adopted intelligently, intersected with real time insight, incentivisation is a robust way of building customer loyalty. That is how agile companies protect and drive revenue, while at the same time demonstrating to wider stakeholders just how their management has travelled in understanding the difference between big data that sits in a server, and insightful data that guides their strategy. *https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulated-companies/company-obligations/ engaging-with-customers/

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WATER COMPANIES MUST PROVE THEY ARE REALLY LISTENING TO CUSTOMERS How will water companies demonstrate that they have truly listened to customers when they present their business plans to Ofwat this September? Low and acceptable bills, even after inflation In December 2017, Ofwat published its final methodology for how it will assess business plans and set price determinations next year for the 2020-25 period. Part of this saw Ofwat set an assumed cost of capital (the assumed cost companies incur for raising finance to deliver investments) of 2.4%, the lowest the sector has seen. This is welcome news for customers as the cost of returns to shareholders and interest to lenders can take up to a third of the average customer bill.

by Tony Smith

Chief Executive at the Consumer Council for Water It is clear from water companies who shared best practice at a water customer conference in Birmingham in January that industry investment in customer communications, engagement and research has increased beyond anything delivered during the 2014 Price Review or before. Some companies are now using different communication tools alongside traditional consultation channels to engage a larger number and more diverse range of customers in their business plan proposals. For example, we are already seeing companies segmenting their customers based on attitude and use of interactive tools. The benefit for companies is that real dialogue produces better informed feedback, which companies can use to produce plans that really do improve customer satisfaction and trust. It is only a few months before water companies submit their 2020-25 business plans to regulator Ofwat. From a consumer perspective, what should we expect companies to do with their plans so that the outcome of this price review can be regarded as a good deal for customers?

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In this context – and with Ofwat set to challenge companies proposed costs in their plans to ensure services are delivered efficiently - we believe there is scope for companies to meet customers’ expectations while keeping bills low, even when the inflation that is added to water and wastewater charges annually is taken into account. While the lower cost of capital may help make this happen, there is a risk that companies could look to offset lower financing costs and a tougher efficiency challenge by looking at other areas of their business plan where they can increase value for shareholders. Companies may be tempted to propose greater financial incentives so the rewards are juicier for improving services, or they may look to increase short-term revenue or make claims for exceptional costs that they say are unavoidable. These are all proposals that must be challenged if they emerge.

A long-term outlook - serving current and future customers While the price review sets price limits for five years from 2020, business plans should be part of a longer-term strategy to address risks to safe, reliable services, both now and in the future. Future customers should not pick up the tab for a failure to invest in long-term resilience now. However, the pace and impact on bills must be acceptable to customers. We want to

see companies striking the right balance on intergenerational fairness and that involves understanding consumers’ short and long-term priorities.

How the customers’ voice should shape plans We welcome greater customer engagement, which leads to a better understanding of the diverse and potentially conflicting views of different customer groups. This diversity should be reflected in the plan. Engaging with customers on what they want and expect can no longer be a one off piece of customer research during a price review. The water sector should mimic the behaviour of truly competitive markets and have an on-going dialogue with those they serve or wish to serve, with new approaches to service trialled, tested and adjusted.

Service commitments that customers value Business plans should identify and propose longterm outcomes to benefit customers with a range of specific performance commitments that target companies to achieve these outcomes. In their plans, water companies should ensure that the commitments they propose (such as a targeted reduction in leakage or the number of supply interruptions) should be based on credible evidence of customer requirements and priorities.

Helping more vulnerable customers - an opportunity to go further? While water companies offer vulnerable customer assistance, for example social tariffs, our evidence shows that over 80% of customers who currently struggle to pay their bills receive no assistance whatsoever. Indeed, assistance is patchy and differs across companies, with some successful schemes close to their limits. Others have a very low profile and therefore low take up by those in need.

National Debtline spoke recently about the difficulty for their staff in keeping abreast of 19 different vulnerability schemes across the country in order to advise customers who call them for advice.

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There are three million water users currently struggling to pay their bill. Companies now have an opportunity to propose new initiatives to increase the assistance offed to financially vulnerable customers, be that by increasing the roll out of social tariffs, working collectively to help, or raising the visibility of schemes in their area and, of course, to engage with those receiving help to see if it’s meeting their needs.

Incentives that drive companies to improve - but with customer support? At the 2014 Price Review, Ofwat introduced Outcome Delivery Incentives (ODIs), financial rewards or penalties for their performance on specific metrics and paid for by customers. Research we conducted in 2013 revealed that many customers did not support the concept of paying a company a reward, what many saw as ‘doing the day job’. For the 2019 Price Review, Ofwat has increased the overall size of the ODI rewards that companies can propose. We expect companies to engage with customers to see whether they agree with the principle of these incentives and, if they do, financial rewards should only apply for service improvements where a company is seen to have reached an exceptional level of performance, reflecting areas of the service customers view as a priority. Without customer support, the potential bill increase from rewards, on top of inflation, is likely to generate a negative reaction from customers at a later date.

Testing the plan for customer acceptability It’s important that final business plans - both the price and service improvement proposals - are tested for customer acceptability. In 2013, the average level of customer acceptability was 74%. We think the companies should be more ambitious and look to achieve at least 80% customer acceptance. Water companies should also understand the profile of customers who find the plan unacceptable, understand their reasons for rejecting the plan, and address their concerns. In conclusion, business pans that are underpinned by great customer engagement, offer affordable and acceptable prices, and act as a milestone toward an ambitious long-term plan to improve the resilience and reliability of services, will go a long way to ensuring this price review is a success for customers. It will boost levels of customer satisfaction and trust. This is the outcome the Water Watchdog is challenging companies to deliver as they prepare their plans in 2018.

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STONBURY

WATER INDUSTRY ASSET AND QUALITY CONFERENCE

Stonbury were delighted to welcome over 120 delegates to the annual Water Industry Asset and Quality Conference in Burton upon Trent. Now in its sixth consecutive year, the annual conference was well attended by representatives from over 14 Water Companies across the UK and several leading Water Industry consultants. Service reservoirs and similar clean water assets play a key and crucial role in the storage and supply of drinking water. Suitably this year’s conference took a focused approach, concentrating on matters relative to service reservoirs, including methods for improving bacteriological compliance and DWI Regulation 31. The conference welcomed excellent speakers from across the industry. Amber Telford, Global Practice Leader for Water Retaining Structures (Mott MacDonald) presented an overview to the New UKWIR Publication on Treated Water Storage Assets, followed by the findings of a collaborative research project by the WRc for Innovative Modelling of Bacteriological NonCompliance at Service Reservoirs. The introduction of a digital Q&A session, allowed the conference to be both interactive and engaging. Using smart phone software, guests were able to ask the speaker questions either named or anonymously, which saw audience engagement significantly increased. All questions raised were answered at the end of the presentations, often provoking discussion around the topic area.

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James Stonor, Managing Director of Stonbury, addressed Regulation 31, through a presentation, ‘Lessons Learnt from a SR Water Quality Incident’. Opening with a background to the incident, delegates were encouraged to promote an open environment to share and learn from WQ incidents. The presentation was followed with a ‘Water Company Perspective’ by John McGovern, Head of Asset Investment for Northumbrian Water, emphasising the importance of working collaboratively to prevent and overcome such incidents. In recent years, the conference has developed a platform for industry innovators to showcase their latest products or services. This year saw for the first time, Geocurve - UAV Specialists, demonstrate their capabilities for asset inspection, including inspection and surveying facilities for water towers and roof tops. Other members of the ‘Innovation Lounge’ included; Mason Clark, Polygon, Sensor UK, Gurney Environmental, and BASF. The water companies concluded the conference, providing an insight into their procedures and innovations surrounding service reservoirs. Dr Clair Dunn, Water Quality and Optimisation Manager of Anglian Water shared an overview for using a risk based approach to improve bacteriological compliance in SRs. Finishing with an update on the progress of the Welsh Water ‘Bacti Predictor’, first introduced over two years ago by Kevin Parry, Principle Statistician, at the previous ‘Bacti Conference’.

The 6th annual Water Industry Asset and Quality Conference has proven a great opportunity for networking and meeting other like-minded individuals, who face similar challenges from across the country. Martin Vickers - Head of Capital Investment Delivery, South Staffs Water said “Another excellent, well organised, conference attended by a wide spectrum of professionals from across the water industry and country. The presentations were excellent with some very thought-provoking content, which will enable the whole industry to take forward some best practice common themes. To get so many industry professionals in the same room, many with the same issues and problems to address, is a fantastic achievement and testimony to the year on year growth and improvement of this event. It serves to promote and demonstrate continual development of strategies for innovation and everything that’s great about this area of solution delivery.” As always, guests were invited to finish the conference at an evening dinner, with many opportunities for networking in a less formal environment. For information or to keep up to date with details of the Water Industry Asset & Quality Conference 2018 please contact laura@stonbury.co.uk

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ABSTRACTION REFORM: IMPLEMENTING THE ABSTRACTION PLAN

Defra and the Environment Agency have published a plan to reform abstraction management - to protect the environment while improving access to water where it is needed most. by Paul Hickey

Deputy Director, Water Resources at Environment Agency On 15 December last year Defra and the Environment Agency published a joint abstraction plan. This year is about turning that plan into action on the ground. We all know that access to clean and safe water is essential for people and the

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environment. The future will bring significant challenges, for example, increasing demand for water and changing water availability. Successfully implementing the abstraction plan will protect the environment and improve access to water. It will do this by: ■■

preventing unsustainable abstraction by reviewing existing licences and introducing more controls to protect rivers, lakes and groundwater;

■■

developing a stronger focus on catchments and encouraging partnership working between the Environment Agency, abstractors and catchment groups to fully understand local issues and come to agreed solutions; and

■■

modernising the abstraction service to improve the range of information available online and bring water resources regulations in line with other environmental permitting regulations.

FEATURE: AMP7 PREVIEW While good progress has been made in recent years, the plan represents a step change in our work in this area. The Environment Agency is up for the challenge.

not jump to solutions. The first stage is to thoroughly understand local problems - whether environmental or access to water - then work with those involved to find solutions.

Addressing unsustainable abstraction

While we will not jump to solutions we are aware we need to make significant and meaningful progress. By 2021 we will have published 10 abstraction licensing strategies. These will detail solutions for the most challenging catchments that capture the approaches we arrive at. By 2027 we will have reviewed all abstraction licensing strategies.

Since 2008 the Environment Agency has made changes to over 270 abstraction licences to prevent over 30 billion litres of water per year being removed from the environment where abstraction is unsustainable. This is good progress but we need to continue to push to do more. Over the last year we have formalised our sustainable abstraction programme which brings all our work in this area together. Part of this is a new national project to revoke unused licences. In the last year alone this has revoked upwards of 300 additional licences, significantly reducing environmental risks. Despite this, unsustainable abstraction still diminishes some of the most iconic catchments and important habitats in the country, such as chalk streams, which are a globally important habitat. We want to end damaging abstraction of water from rivers and groundwater wherever it is costeffective to do so. To do this we will make full use of our existing powers over the coming years to amend abstraction licences to protect the environment. This work should see around 90% of surface water bodies and 77% of groundwater bodies meet the required standards by 2021.

Developing a stronger catchment focus The abstraction plan emphasises the importance of the Environment Agency, the water industry and other stakeholders working in partnership in catchments. This will improve understanding of local challenges and help identify the right solutions for individual catchments. The need for joining up regulation at a catchment scale has also been highlighted in the 25 year environment plan. On a more personal level I have seen the power of local decision making from my time as head of water quality where there is a long history of partnership working to manage diffuse pollution. Local collaboration is a powerful tool that can allow changes to be made more quickly than a harder regulatory approach. Empowering those operating in a catchment also breeds responsibility and shared ownership of the issue. We want abstractors to be part of finding and implementing solutions. We will start engaging with groups in four initial priority catchments from April this year. We will do so with an open mind and we will

National framework While working at a catchment scale is critical we must not forget the need to coordinate across a wider scale. This year we will be reviewing water company plans. A big focus of this will be making sure that companies are working together, and across sectors, to consider catchment, regional and inter regional solutions. Over recent years regional groups have emerged to coordinate water resources planning and we applaud the work they have done. Increasing cooperation within and between regional groups will be a significant focus of our work to improve the water resource planning process for 2024. This is also relevant for drought planning. We need to improve the resilience of the water sector and we will not be able to do that without also improving coordination and increasing collaboration. We also need to streamline planning decisions where necessary so the right infrastructure can be built where it is needed. This is where the government’s national policy statement fits in. This, in parallel with the 25 year environment plan’s ambition to reduce demand for water, will ultimately support the implementation of water resource plans and help ensure resilient supplies for the future. Water companies are unique amongst abstractors in their ability to plan for and manage water. They will be key to developing resilient catchments and will have a critical role to play in the catchment work.

■■

Making it easier for abstractors to comply with the licence conditions they already have;

■■

Improving data on water abstraction to support and target catchment management;

■■

Providing better information on water availability to improve protection of low river flows and increase the volume of water that can be taken at high flows;

■■

Providing information to support water trading.

We will also modernise the regulations that underpin abstraction management by moving abstraction and impoundment management into the Environmental Permitting Regime. This will bring consistency across regulated regimes such as discharge permitting and regulated industry. Ultimately, an operator should be able to apply for one permit for a site with many activities and follow one process to get that permit. That is the way it should be and that is our aim. Lastly, this month we have started the process of regulating around 5,000 water users that have historically been exempt from regulation. This will create a fairer system and help protect the environment. We recognise that these abstractors have been operating legally for many years and we will take a light-touch approach that reflects that. The basic fact is that it is not possible to manage abstraction effectively and respond to the challenges we face if a large number of significant abstractors are outside of the regulatory system. Nor is this fair. We will put that right. In short, we have exciting times ahead of us for water resources management and we are reforming now to prepare for the challenges of the future. Our four main priorities for this year are: ■■

Identifying four initial priority catchments and working with stakeholders to fully understand local challenges in those catchments;

■■

Increasing progress on our work to address unsustainable abstraction;

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Engaging stakeholders in preparation for the move into the environmental permitting regime;

■■

Improving the abstraction service by delivering online tools.

Improving our service This year we are testing a digital system for licence holders that will allow them to view their licences online. This will then be developed to enable abstractors to provide information on how much water they’ve taken, pay bills and manage their licences online. People quite rightly expect a modern, digital customer experience. We will deliver this. This is not, however, the only benefit of service improvements. I see huge scope here for improving water management, reducing environmental risk and improving access to water by:

A report will be made to Parliament by May 2019 on the progress made on abstraction reform so you can judge for yourselves how well we do.

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OXFORD PLASTICS

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The Oxford Plastics LowPro 15/10 overcomes the many issues caused by cumbersome steel plates to create safe and easy access for residents to their homes during routine Utility works. The principle of either covering access holes with heavy steel plates, blocking access for customers to their properties with barriers, or the use of lower rated pedestrian trench covers needed to be challenged and changed to drive up standards. To do this a new product needed to be developed. And so, collaborating with leading Utilities tRIIO & Thames Water and Wales & West Utilities, the Oxford Plastics Research & Development Team designed a safe and simple solution that would enable residents to access their homes during Utility work excavations. Following successful trials with tRIIO & Thames Water and Wales & West Utilities in 2016, the LowPro 15/10 has been adopted throughout the UK with leading Utilities and contractors. Improved safety on site, a reduction in disruption to clients, an improved life of product including slip resistance and a reduced set up time and transport and handling cost are all reasons that the LowPro 15/10 is a familiar sight on worksites. Last November the Utility Industry assembled at Westminster for the Street Works UK Awards

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2017 (formerly NJUG). The awards celebrate innovation and diligence across the gas, water & electricity sectors. The winner of the Street Works Future Award was announced as Oxford Plastic’s LowPro 15/10: replacement for steel plates in driveways. Handling methods of steel plates require either HIAB lifting equipment or in some cases mini diggers. Neither was deemed acceptable in the residential environment, with steel plates also being over engineered for this application. The rapid adoption of this innovative solution across the Utilities and construction industry is testimony to its creation. The LowPro 15/10 solves an industry problem that has been around for years, and ties in directly with Street Works UK’s key goals: safety, high quality, minimise disruption & innovation. The LowPro 15/10 has a load capability of one wheel of a 3.5t vehicle (875kg) yet is light enough to be installed with a two person lift. This removes the need for specialist lifting equipment and safety issues surrounding moving heavy steel plate. Transport costs of LowPro boards compared to steel plates are also reduced or removed.

The system utilizes LowPro technology developed by Oxford Plastics Systems to reduce and remove board slide and noise. This helps to avoid damage to other underground assets and damper down noise of product in use.

What our customers say “Balfour Beatty provides the essential infrastructure assets societies need to function, develop and thrive. Our teams operate across the full infrastructure lifecycle and address long term challenges. We harness innovation to improve safety and minimise this essential work has on local communities and the investment in the Low Pro 15/10 product has helped us to deliver this goal. The product has also been part of the development of the HAUC advice note on the specification and Operational requirements for footway boards, Driveway Boards, Footway Ramps and Road Plates.” Tom Lambert, General Manager Streetworks, Balfour Beatty Services

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WASTING LESS WATER BY LEAKING LESS WATER by Hazel Lewis

Water Efficiency Research Specialist, Waterwise Why waste less water? The Water UK Water Resources Long Term Planning Framework, which looked forward 50 years from 2015 set out clearly, and for the first time, that we are facing longer, more frequent droughts and more acute droughts in future than previously thought - across England and Wales. Emphasising that without significant innovation and increased water efficiency we will need expensive and inflexible large water transfer schemes and new supply options to be built, the report recommended smart metering, tariffs, retrofitting 65% of properties, new home standards of 105 litres per head per day and reduced leakage through active leakage control and pressure management. Water efficiency is essential to make the water we do have go further, for society, the environment and the economy, now and in the future. Just look at what’s happening in Cape Town. And leakage is an important part of the demand management puzzle.

that their leakage reduction over this five year period is their largest percentage reduction ever. This will ensure more ambitious reductions relative to previous years and encourage water companies to challenge themselves against the levels achieved by other water companies, including in other countries.

Government and regulators are starting to see water efficiency as an important aspect of policy. In the 25 year environment plan for England, recently published by the Prime Minister, the UK government pledged to ‘working with the industry and the group led by the NGO Waterwise to improve water efficiency and customer involvement to explore the impact of introducing new water efficiency measures’.

Ofwat also wants to see innovation in these areas. We hope to see ambitious business plans in terms of leakage and water efficiency, which will drive down personal water use across England and Wales. Waterwise is working with water companies, retailers, manufacturers, governments, other NGOs, regulators and others right across the UK to drive greater ambition in water efficiency.

of customer side leaks. Online feedback to customers allows them to take control of their own water consumption through monitoring, encouraging water-saving behaviour and alerting them to possible leaks. With the prevalence of leaking toilets, catching household leaks early can save millions of litres of water. Smart metering can help water companies better understand the water balance to understand overall water loss in the home and in businesses, helping them to achieve ambitious reduction in leakage and overall water use. As an action from our Water Efficiency Strategy for the UK, Waterwise set up the Water Efficiency and Participation Leadership Group, which drives top-down water company engagement with customers on water efficiency.

The government also committed to working with industry to determine appropriate targets for personal water consumption and the measures needed to achieve them. We hope this is the beginning of governments taking forward measures that will make significant water savings. The door does seem to be ajar now for mainstreaming water efficiency into government policy. Our Water Efficiency Strategy for the UK, lays a blueprint for a series of policy, regulatory, sectoral and practical actions which will help drive more ambitious and innovative water efficiency across the sector.

Customer side leakage

Leakage in business

Customer side leaks play an important role. Research from Save Water South East shows that many customers do not understand the concept of a leaking toilet (‘leaky loo’). Whilst leaks from the U-bend or elsewhere on a toilet are uncommon, a faulty valve that allows water to flow constantly from the cistern to the pan is found in around 4% of toilets. Whilst this does not damage property, it can cost customers a huge amount of money. According to Thames Water, a leaking toilet could waste up to 400 litres of water a year. It’s the equivalent of having two extra people living in your house - or more. This is an easy fix and some water companies are fixing leaky loos for free. When we launched our strategy, the Jeremy Vine Show and Ed Miliband got interested in it!

Through retail competition for water, nonhousehold customers are free to change from their existing monopoly water company to another water supplier – now the case in Scotland and England. With this competition comes an opportunity for customers to demand excellent service from their water company, including support in reducing their consumption. Whilst many retailers are offering smart metering services, less than 50% of retailers’ websites mentioned leakage detection as a service.

Smart metering also has many potential benefits, not least of which is the faster identification

With Southern Water, and the Consumer Council for water, we’re developing a league table to

In Ofwat’s 2019 price review, there will be common performance commitments on both per capita consumption and leakage. Since the millennium, leakage reductions have been limited (source - Ofwat PR19 methodology). Ofwat is now challenging companies to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025, as well as to ensure

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An important action of the Water Efficiency Strategy for the UK is to develop an independent assessment of water efficiency services provided by retailers, to support consumers in choosing a water retailers.

FEATURE: LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT MV FLUIDS_Layout 1 28/11/2016 08:45 Page 1

show how much water (and energy, carbon and money) retailers are saving their customers. Leakage detection has multiple benefits for businesses: as well as increasing water efficiency and saving money, it prevents potentially costly water damage to property and assets.

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We hope that the retailer league table will increase competition between retailers to provide better and more water efficiency services, and we want to work with them to develop it, through a retailer’s forum. Our research has shown that SMEs and larger corporations are keen to receive these services from their water provider.

About Waterwise Waterwise is an independent not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation. Everything we do drives and promotes water efficiency. As well as our research, policy and project work, we run Water Saving Week, which this year will be 19th-23rd March.

WINTER SEASON - PIPE DAMAGE CONTROL

Waterwise started Water Saving Week in 2015 to get the nation talking about saving water. We will be engaging with a range of partners to increase our social media reach over the course of the week, as well as encouraging increased ‘on-the ground’ action within water companies, in businesses, schools, universities and community groups. We will be issuing water saving challenges, running competitions and providing resources via our website and social media. For more information on Water Saving Week and too see themes for each day, go to www.waterwise.org.uk/event/water-saving-week or contact hazel.lewis@waterwise.org.uk

Email: info@mvfh.co.uk • www.mvfh.co.uk

DISCOVER THE ADVANTAGES

Double-See™ Vinyl Double Containment Piping Systems GF Piping Systems introduces Double-See, a pressure-rated double containment system for transporting hazardous liquids. Double see advert.indd 1

www.gfps.com/uk 24/08/2017 09:44

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OPINION: SATELLITES VS DIVINING RODS

Leakage remains a huge water industry challenge. Water pipe leakage made headlines throughout 2017 ranging from drought fears, regulatory fines, satellites and divining rods! pipelines, an exciting developing solution whilst the much-published use of divining rods for pipeline and leak location was much maligned. Suffice to say leakage is a talking point and one of the few areas that link water companies to their customers. It came with little surprise when OFWAT highlighted leakage reduction as a key area for the 2020-2025 investment period, with the regulator expecting water companies to set and achieve ambitious leak reduction targets, at least 15% by 2025.

by Stuart Moss

Managing Director of Isle, UK Last year, we also witnessed the advent of satellite imagery locating leaks in underground

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s widely accepted that technology and innovation will have a key role to play in achieving these ambitious targets. However, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often asked if the industry is doing enough to ensure the right solutions are being developed and commercialised to help in this quest. Like any challenge, there are multiple stakeholders that have a role to play;

water companies, product suppliers, academia, consultants, contractors and other pipeline operators. Below we pose 3 questions to the industry:

What more can water companies share with stakeholders to articulate their needs? Water distribution networks are vast and varied; made up of a blend of plastic, metallic, lined, unlined infrastructure of varying age and condition. The leaks developing from these pipes can be the result of diverse issues including corrosion, joint failure, physical damage, pressure transients and ground movement. It is imperative that water companies share their leakage innovation needs with the suppliers. Suppliers need to know the range of pipe materials and diameters, the cost of identifying and repairing leaks, amongst

FEATURE: LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT others which will allow the development of a comprehensive business case. They also need to understand the preferred business model; direct product sales or a service provision and be able to navigate the procurement environment - sharing these needs with the supply chain will ensure that water companies receive more relevant and informed innovations. Water companies are reacting to this. Severn Trent recently hosted a four-day event to explore new ideas to tackle leakage - Isle facilitated a Leakage Expo inviting 11 global technology suppliers to present their innovation which complemented a parallel Design Sprint and Data Hackathon, facilitated by +ADD Strategy. Bob Stear, Deputy Chief Engineer at Severn Trent, said: “The event was fantastic in bringing a wide range of people together to use each other’s expertise and explore innovative ways to find leaks. Reducing leakage is one of our top priorities, so it was really refreshing to hear so many ideas using tried and tested methods - alongside new innovative technologies, from different industries, that we can explore further.”

Are product suppliers delivering the solutions and business models that the industry needs? Suppliers of innovative technologies have a challenging task as they are largely unproven and leakage technologies typically need to operate on potable water which prompts a range of associated public health challenges. But are product suppliers of innovative technologies aware of their quickest routes to market, are they providing the water companies with all the information that they need to make important and challenging decisions like implementing a new leakage identification or repair solution? There is a lack of ‘safe’ and affordable places that suppliers can test out their solutions to prove the benefits and value of their emerging solutions to the industry and the industry is rightly cautious when it comes to using new tools on drinking water pipes. Many emerging technologies are adopted by water companies and suppliers succeed in providing the necessary information and comfort to the water companies to make this happen. However, this process has scope for acceleration

and refinement. Eddy Segal, VP Sales at Utilis Corp. who identify leaks by analysing satellite imagery, said: ‘To improve from a leakage perspective, the water industry needs to adopt new methods and technologies to find leaks more effectively and efficiently, while staying in a reasonable expenditure level. For example, introduce a tool that: ■■

Will enable leak detection teams to find more leaks per working-day;

■■

Make it cost-effective to survey remote/rural areas and transmission mains;

■■

Will help reduce (what is called unavoidable) background leakage.

As new leaks occur regularly, finding and repairing them faster is the best way to take the next step in water loss reduction.’

What can we learn from other pipeline operators? There are numerous pipeline operators in the UK and globally including; district heating, oil, gas, process water, hot water and alternative linear asset managers such as highways, rail and communications. There is a great opportunity for collaboration across these sectors to share best practice and knowledge. Of course, there will be sectorial nuances which will need to be overcome and developed upon to ensure the transfer and adoption of technologies and business practices, however with the input of multiple stakeholders this transfer and adoption can be expedited. There are strong examples of technologies transferring from gas pipelines into water and from water into rail, but no clear joined up approach to ensure this transfer is systematic and effective.

What can be concluded? ■■

The water companies are currently adopting a range of established and emerging tools to support with the identification and repair of leaks.

■■

Water companies want to be made aware of all the emerging solutions that will soon become available for them to use in the market by not leaving any stone unturned.

■■

There is an industry need to understand which tools and technologies should be adopted based on the specific scenarios (pipe material and diameter).

■■

Suppliers from outside the water sector crave a water company willing to work with them to bring proven technologies into the water sector.

■■

Suppliers want a better steer on the needs of the water companies and the value a solution can bring.

■■

Water companies want to co-create and collaborate with solution providers to ensure the solutions developed meet their need.

■■

Cross sector learning needs to improve. There are many linear assets and the water companies can benefit from experience elsewhere.

James Dunning, CEO of Syrinix, a leakage technology company also stated: ‘The regulatory challenges around leakage are not going to get any easier, with a social/political view of what is acceptable coming to the fore in place of economically acceptable levels. With that changing focus, “find and fix” strategies are increasingly inadequate. At the same time, the use of new technology-driven applications to reduce leakage, and identify and address the causes of leaks and bursts, is fast becoming a necessity for all rather than just the early adopters. The good news though is that this is increasingly yesterday’s debate. Yes adoption cycles remain challenging, and yes there is still a way to go, but with the need accepted, the outlook for technology solutions has never been more positive.’ As an industry we need to ensure that we continue to push innovation hard when it comes to leakage, Isle will be playing their role by continuing to support the industry to ensure that all the most promising leakage tools are unearthed and made available for every water company’s toolbox, and that there is a clear understanding of which tool to use for any given leakage scenario; be that satellite imagery, selfhealing pipes, acoustic and pressure pinpointing solutions and maybe even divining rods!

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HWM

HOW PERMANET+ PINPOINTS A LEAK When a leak occurs within the radius of a PermaNET+ device, the leak noise sensor detects the soundwaves created by the escaping water. This triggers the device to go into ‘alarm’ state, alerting the user of a leak. PermaNET+ calculates leak data using the proven PermaLog® algorithm and transfers the data to the user. Once the presence of a leak has been identified, secondary validation measures can be used to check and remove ‘false positives’ and also to localise the leak position. PermaNET+ provides data for three methods of secondary validation: Correlation - PermaNET+ uses audio recordings to correlate remotely and localise the leak position. This additional clarity saves the leak teams time when on-site to repair the leak. Audio Monitoring - Users can easily listen to the audio recordings taken by PermaNET+, allowing users that prefer to ‘hear’ their leaks the ability to do so. Aqualog - The Aqualog feature within PermaNET+ provides users with a detailed noise histogram which is useful in reducing ‘false positives’. The histograms detail the noise level, the spread and the peak percentage of the noise levels. Each of the data strands provided by PermaNET+ will be analysed by the user and combined will pinpoint the location of the leak.

The technology within PermaNET+ PermaNET+ is designed with the latest mobile technology to maximise dial in and to minimise cost. After initial installation of the device, PermaNET+ transmits both leak data and secondary data via GPRS or SMS telemetry, which is the most cost-effective and efficient way of data transfer. PermaNET+ devices are also remotely set up and reprogrammed via GPRS. This method of two-way connectivity via GPRS has a substantial effect on running costs as it removes the need for expensive site visits.

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Another element of technology built into the PermaNET+ system is compatibility with Google Maps. This feature allows for real-time on screen tracking, helping leak teams to respond quickly to problems within the network. Where possible, Google Maps functionality allows for street views, which is really useful in helping leak teams to quickly find the correct PermaNET+ devices.

Why choose PermaNET+ Switching to fixed network telemetry by implementing PermaNET+ is a cost-effective way of benefitting from the latest logging and GPRS technology for leak detection. PermaNET+ also has the capability to log pressure and flow making it a single, multi-functional, battery powered telemetry monitoring point.

Using PermaNET+ Customers all around the globe had chosen HWM as their partner for data-logging and network monitoring and the PermaNET+ system is often at the heart of that decision. Affinity Water, one of the UK’s biggest water suppliers, this year conducted the world’s largest ever deployment of acoustic noise loggers. In partnership with HWM, Affinity Water fit 20,000 PermaNET+ devices to their network in a bid to achieve the largest percentage leakage reduction over the current 5-year planning period. Affinity Water’s leak reduction target is on track according to Drew Richie, Managing Director of Wholesale Operations at Affinity Water who

commented that “we’re achieving this with HWM’s PermaNET+, challenging industry thinking and methodologies to change the economics of finding leaks”. “We are looking forward to working with HWM over the next 10 years to enhance the system and use leakage information in new and innovative ways. Our customers deserve the best. Together, we will meet the challenges defined in our business plan”. In Yorkshire, the introduction of our PermaNET+ devices sees an upgrade to the technology currently being used. According to Dave Stevenson, Head of Water Distribution at Yorkshire Water “the technology that we’ll be deploying onto the mains network will enable us to get to problems on our pipes faster, preventing bigger bursts and helping us reduce the amount of water that is lost through leaks”. “The technology is capable of identifying a leak within a 150 meter radius, which is much more accurate than current technology allows. It will give us a much greater understanding and visibility of what is happening in some of the leakiest areas of Sheffield city centre, enabling us to respond better and in turn reduce disruption to our customers”.

- Global leaders in leak detection

PermaNet+ • Fixed network monitoring continually scans for leaks • Full underground installation with remote cellular communication • Auto-correlation functionality automatically locates leak position

NEW from

DXmic • Best in class sound quality • Colour touch screen • Wireless capability (connects headphone/App) • Dedicated App allows sound, GPS & image files to be transferred remotely, along with site reports • Sound frequency display

For more information visit:

www.hwmglobal.com MONITORING ASSETS, DELIVERING DATA, BRINGING CONTROL instituteofwater.org.uk

EXPECT… AVK

GLENFIELD VALVES - SLOY VALVE REFURBISHMENT Expect… AVK

[Leaking valve before refurbishment]

Glenfield Valves Limited was recently awarded a contract by Dales Engineering Services Ltd for overall client Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) to refurbish two Needle Discharge Valves – one 48” and one 12” on the Sloy Hydroelectric Power Station.

In May 1945 construction began on the Sloy Hydroelectric Power Station on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland. The power station was completed five years later and was opened on 18th October 1950 by the late Queen Mother - It is still the largest conventional hydroelectric power plant in the UK.

of water held in the reservoir by the dam is approaching 36million m3, and a 3km long tunnel takes water from Loch Sloy to a valve house positioned approximately 197m above the tank. From the valve house, four DN2000 steel pipes carry the water down into the powerhouse that is situated on the west coast of Loch Lomond.

The Loch Sloy Dam, built as part of the project, is 56m high and 357m long and raised the surface level of the loch by approximately 47m. The resulting Sloy Reservoir has a 17km2 direct catchment area, although various pipes and intakes have provided a further 63km2 of the indirect catchment area. The total volume

Jim McAllister, Glenfield Valves Project Manager for the project, explained about the valves and the company’s involvement.

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“The Needle Discharge valves are the original ones fitted in the 1960’s by Glenfield Valves, and it is the first major refurbishment they

have had. We still have the original drawings in our extensive drawings library that enabled us to understand what was needed for the refurbishment.” The valves were originally removed by Dales Engineering Services Ltd and were delivered to our workshop. From there the Glenfield Valves engineering team were able to remove and replace the bronze seat and face rings on both valves. The most challenging aspect of replacing the seat and face rings is ensuring that the ‘bedding’ or “lapping” between the seat and face rings was accurate.

FEATURE: LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT

[12” face & seat rings before piston assembly]

[Refurbished gear box]

This is done by hand and is an highly skilled process; one which is fundamental to successful and cost effective valve refurbishment. Jim explained, “During the assembly, we have to rebuild all the gearing within the valve and replace the bronze piping for the grease lubricating pipe. We then have to undertake the ‘lapping” element to match the seat faces - this is also carried out by hand. It entails introducing a marking dye on one surface and then closing the valve until the two surfaces are engaged. This indicates the high points on the surface that have not been dyed. It is then that the most intricate and skilled aspect of the works takes place. The engineer fitter has to file or grind the surfaces by hand until they are completely engaged and ‘drop tight’ - no leakage whatsoever! “The valves are then fully assembled, painted and hydrostatically tested. “We received a visit from the Dales Engineering Services Limited and SSE Engineers who witnessed the successful testing of the valves post refurbishment. The SSE engineer commented that he looked forward to another 50 years of successful operation.”

[48” valve piston assembly]

For further details on the Sloy Hydroelectric Power Station scheme, please contact: Jim McAllister Project Manager jim.mcallister@glenfield.co.uk 07810 377246

[Refurbished valves returning to site]

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R2M

NO NEED TO PANIC ABOUT LEAKING WATER MAINS

[MOPVC ‘Piece-In’ - lifted in by hand.]

[Off the shelf encapsulation collars can be big!]

In years gone by, sudden leaks on crucial potable water pipelines have been the cause of panic among water companies due to tough targets and aiming to avoid minutes lost and huge regulator fines. The problem had been that traditional dedicated type repair fittings especially at larger sizes offered minimal tolerance and were difficult or sometimes impossible to seal. Companies often had tens of thousands of pounds of fittings sitting in the yard that they had tried and failed to fit onto a leaking pipe due to little tolerance especially when used on old pipes. Compounding this was the straightforward fact that old Cast Iron or A/C pipes, often leak on a joint, coupler or on a section of pipe which is not perfectly round. The safest option was to bring in a specialist contractor who would attend site, calliper the pipe, make a dedicated fitting overnight and return next day to connect it. This was not only time consuming it was also hugely expensive. Over recent years, R2M introduced a range of wide tolerance encapsulation collars that not only take up any ovality, they can massively reduce stock levels of emergency repair fittings.

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One fitting can be used on different pipe materials at various O.D`s. A fitting can now be taken off the shelf and taken to site with confidence that it will repair the leak with minimal disruption to supply. Many water companies have contacted R2M`s 24 hour call out service and had a suitably sized collar supplied to site within a few hours, saving money by not disrupting large numbers of customers’ services. When the leaking pipe makes it absolutely necessary to replace a section, R2M have a cost saving solution there also. As U.K. distributor “Molecor’s range MOPVC pipes, ‘piecing in’ is now quicker, cheaper and safer for the operator. Being so lightweight, sections of pipe can be transported in the service vehicle rather than sending a section of ductile to site separately. Anyone who has injured their back or trapped their fingers when piecing in sections of ductile will certainly welcome using MOPVC. Most parts

of the U.K. are already reaping the benefits of this lightweight yet robust material. More recently R2M have become distributors for the 3S range of Portable and static Valve actuators which allow valves to be opened and closed effortlessly without turbidly issues as well as mapping your valve. The latest great product from R2M is the AVT EZ Valve range which allow live installation of valves into your networks from 80-600mm dia. This range has fantastic benefits in the event of an emergency as a valve can be quickly inserted to isolate just the section that is needed. With so many solutions available from R2M, is the range now complete? ‘Not until we can help fix every leak or problem on every pipe’, says R2M’s owner, Carl Wade, ‘then we need to do it quicker, safer, for less cost, and with less CO², watch this space’.

cQuick 3”-8” Live Encapsula2on Collars – NO SHUT OFF OR CUSTOMER DISRUPTION

Duoﬁt 10”-60” Live Encapsula2on Collars – NO SHUT OFF OR CUSTOMER DISRUPTION

AVT EZ Valve – Live Valve Inser6on NO SHUT OFF OR CUSTOMER DISRIPTION

Products and Materials for Leakage Management

3S Antriebe – Valve Exercisers and Wireless Remotely Operated Actuators Exercise crucial or s2cking valves in a controlled and safe way, wirelessly actuate valves

Smartjoint & Mul6grip Universal End Restraint FiPngs – FOR PIECE IN REPAIRS ON ALMOST ALL PIPE MATERIALS

Molecor MOPVC Pipe for Piece In Repairs – LIGHTWEIGHT, EXTREMELY TOUGH, EASY CUT

Unit 6, Metcalf Drive, Altham Industrial Estate, Accrington BB5 5TU T: 01282 778030 instituteofwater.org.uk

DIPPING A TOE IN AMP7 On Tuesday 30th January, the senior water managers of the RPS Water business held an AMP7 workshop in Birmingham, UK to discuss OFWAT’s recently announced leakage commitments for the new AMP cycle between 2020–2025. In its final methodology for the PR19 Price Review report, OFWAT defined its ambitious leakage commitments to include a 15% reduction by 2025, and upper quartile performance on leakage per property per day throughout the 2020-25 period.

leadership team and formulate a coherent plan to meet the needs of the sector in response to recent regulatory challenges.”

“Delivering such a significant reduction in leakage poses a real challenge to the water industry. In order to respond appropriately and to deliver these targets, both water companies and the supply chain will need to work collaboratively and drive further innovation” explained RPS Managing Director Paul Aitken.

The team discussed the current leakage activities RPS provides to UK water companies spanning strategic consultancy, network operations and software solutions as context to subsequent discussions which identified a number of potential business opportunities, as well as associated risks to be proactively considered, across the three main areas of leakage: Upstream Leakage, Distribution Leakage and Customer Side Leakage.

“We felt it was crucial to hold an internal workshop to share views amongst our Water

Following the AMP workshop, RPS has formulated initial ideas on the best way to help our water

customers meet the AMP7 targets through adopting a complete strategy to operations approach, which we will continue to build upon in the next workshop. This is the first of many workshops that RPS’ UK water division plan to hold in the lead up to AMP7 to ensure we best support our customers achieve their AMP7 objectives. The next of these will focus on the flooding and pollution challenges facing the water sector.

AROUND 70 NEW LEAKAGE INSPECTORS TO JOIN YORKSHIRE WATER Yorkshire Water aims to hire approximately 70 new leakage inspectors as it looks to plug the volume of water leaked from its pipe network by 40 per cent by 2025. Already, 40 leakage inspectors have been employed and up to 30 more will be recruited in the coming months. Once all the vacancies have been filled, it will bring the firm’s total team of leakage inspectors to 230, who together with an additional team of 113 field technicians, deal with approximately 120 leaks per day to help protect water supplies. Since November, the firm has had to respond and repair over 2,300 water mains, with the recent freezing temperatures contributing to bursts and cracks occurring. The new leakage inspectors will work for Yorkshire Water and RPS, a leakage detection

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specialist consultancy contracted to Yorkshire Water. These inspectors will be positioned throughout Yorkshire and operate seven days a week including night work. Over the last five years, the firm has had to repair on average 5,400 water main per annum. Bu embracing cutting-edge technology including drones, satellites and ‘’acoustic ears’ this will also help cut its leakage rate by a significant 40 per cent. Andrew Roach, Yorkshire Water ‘s newly appointed Head of Water Distribution said: “As we drive towards our challenging leakage reduction target the new inspectors form a key

part of our vital front-line teams who tackle leakage 24/7 in all weathers. Our ambitious targets will deliver benefits for our customers and the environment. We will also need the help of the people of Yorkshire to ensure we find leaks quickly, enabling our teams to carry out efficient repairs.” In what is believed to be a first in the industry, Yorkshire Water is considering adopting an “open data” approach, allowing the growing Yorkshirebased community of independent data scientists secure access to its data streams. This will enable the company to work with digital developers to help find solutions to pollution and leakages.

FEATURE: LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT

75% faster

installation than traditional bolted systems

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If

you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.â&#x20AC;? Albert Einstein

Universal - mechanical self-anchorage system

www.saint-gobain-pam.co.uk

Email: innovations.uk.pam@saint-gobain.com

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Z-TECH

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE INSTALLATION As a UK leader in Flowmeter Installations, Z-Tech fit flowmeters for most UK Water Companies. We know that getting your flow data back quickly is crucial to account for your DI and leakage targets. That’s why we offer a 24hr solution for installations of most full-bore flowmeters and stock a large range of fittings. For flow measurement on mains, full-bore flowmeters are by far the most accurate when in working order, but in an emergency, getting access to replace these meters can be an issue: shutting the main can have a lead time which can have real consequences in accountability and associated risk of disruption to supply. Clamp on Ultrasonics can be a great alternative in certain circumstances, and come in both single path and dual path form: installed as a temporary fix, or as a permanent installations their non-intrusive ‘clamp-on’ installation can mean that getting your flow data back up-andrunning is achieved very quickly. When we are asked about clamp-on meters, it is usually followed by an accuracy question, and this really is about the quality of the installation. As a proof of concept, we have done a number of comparison studies between a verified Full Bore, and a Clamp-On Ultrasonic, to prove that with a good installation, an Ultrasonic can be a viable alternative. The example in this case is a 900mm ABB Magmaster full-bore, and old Krohne, compared to an ultrasonic, where the ultrasonic was installed on the pipe upstream of the full bore, using a dual traverse configuration 90 degrees diametrically opposed. Z-Tech initially carried out a successful routine check to verify the 900mm ABB Magmaster’s accuracy. The clamp-on ultrasonic was configured to log both channels independently and average then average, for 18 days, a local logger was also installed on the 900mm ABB Magmaster and the Krohne EM respectively to eliminate any interference of remote logging. As seen from the comparison chart, the diurnal flow patterns are closely matched, with a -3.07% (-1.8MLD) offset to the ABB Magmaster. A comparison was also completed between the individual ultrasonic channels (0.86% 0.48MLD)

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which would appear to show that although a turbulent flow is likely, the difference between channel paths is fairly uniform, suggesting upstream diameters are between >5 – 10x. The comparison with the Krohne EM shows a 1.97% difference.

So, if you lose a critical Flowmeter, don’t panic, it may be repairable, but if not, there may be a viable alternative to maintain data. If all else fails, we can fit you a new one fast!

Problem Solvers z-tech.co.uk Helpline: 01223 653500 engineers@z-tech.co.uk

24/7

EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICE

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AQUAM

DISRUPTION MINIMISED WITH AQUAM’S PIPE SYSTEMS [Aquam’s LDS 1000 can survey potable water mains up to 1,000m in length.]

Global pipeline infrastructure specialist Aquam boasts an exceptional range of technologies for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of failing water and wastewater assets. The company is bringing its full range of proven techniques, all of which can be delivered without excavation, to IFAT 2018, which takes place in Munich on 14-18 May. Aquam can carry out analysis of the condition of all water and wastewater pipeline infrastructure without disruption to customers. APD Investigator™ and LDS 1000™are industry leading inspection and leak detection systems that can be inserted into live potable water pipelines. Both systems combine live-feed CCTV, hydrophone technology and a high-powered sonde to pinpoint areas of interest through internal inspection. They can access pipelines through valves and fire hydrants and are suitable for under-pressure assessment of pipes of all materials. APD Investigator surveys pipe lengths up to 100m in pressures up to 10 bar and accommodates pipe diameters of 100-300mm. LDS 1000 is ideally suited for long-distance inspection on larger pipes of 300mm-diameter and above and lengths up to 1,000m.

Quality data The Aquam suite of technologies enable more

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accurate targeting and prioritising of repair and maintenance work and provide better quality data over a longer range than laboratory testing. Daniel Krywyj, director of Aquam Pipe Diagnostics said, “The Investigator and LDS 1000 systems have zero impact on the water supply services to customers because they can be operated under live mains pressure, helping utilities avoid hefty fines. As with all our systems, insertion through valves and hydrants minimises excavation and streetworks, reducing civil engineering costs and avoiding disruption to the wider community too.”

Sustainable cleaning and lining Aquam’s specialist pipe cleaning techniques can also be delivered without excavation of streets and highways. Cleaning and restoring ageing water and wastewater pipes can be much more cost effective and much less disruptive than digout replace. The Whirlwind forced air vortex pipe cleaning method is a safe, sustainable approach to removing tubercles and mineral deposits from inside water mains. Aquam also boasts two no-dig lining systems Nu Line spray-on epoxy for water and gas pipes and Nu Drain cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) for drainage and sewerage systems. Both systems

are suitable for use on municipal, industrial and commercial facilities and networks. Nu Line is the industry leader for small to medium sized pipes in the 15 to 100mm range and can be used in pressurised and nonpressurised pipe systems. Nu Drain can also play a key role in renovating the smaller diameter drains and sewerage, especially those on the householder side of the network. Aquam’s advanced infrastructure inspection and assessment, cleaning and relining services are all delivered onsite by skilled technicians working from a fleet of specially-fitted vehicles. Aquam director of utilities Phil Walker says, “Water and gas pipes, drains and sewers can now be refurbished at a much lower cost than is possible with remove-replace projects. Meanwhile customers hardly know the work is taking place and road users and buildings are unaffected. We look forward to sharing more of our expertise in this field with visitors to IFAT in May 2018.” Visit Aquam on stand B2.452.

FEATURE: LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT

AQUAM

PIPE DIAGNOSTICS Assess condition Identify corrosion Find leaks

Technologies enable more accurate targeting and prioritising of repair and maintenance work and provide better quality data than laboratory testing. Insertion through valves and hydrants minimises excavation and streetworks. Operation under live mains pressure means zero impact on customer water supply. Our skilled technicians can deliver live inspection and complete analysis of all pipeline infrastructure, employing a comprehensive range of proven technologies.

Your trusted partner for intelligent pipeline assessment, cleaning and rehabilitation

0844 543 3540 WATER

WASTEWATER

INDUSTRIAL

GAS

www.aquamcorp.co.uk instituteofwater.org.uk

TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON AND ITS ROLE IN WATER TREATMENT

Before treating water, it is important to identify the state and condition of the substance by taking a sample and analysing it. Total organic carbon analysis (TOC) is a way of determining what organic contaminants are present in water, and in this piece, we will discuss TOC, the instruments used to identify TOC levels, and the methods used.

Introducing total organic carbon Total organic carbon (TOC) refers to the amount of carbon found in any organic compound. Detecting TOC levels has a wide range of applications including checking water quality, identifying contaminants within soil, and identifying the cleanliness of pharmaceutical equipment. A TOC analysis measures these characteristics:

by Peter Morgan

Technical Sales Specialist Elementar UK Contaminated water can have serious consequences, causing damage to the ecosystem or even causing illness and sickness in human beings. Contaminants come in a variety of different guises, including organic, non-organic and synthetic compounds.

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■■

Total carbon (TC)

■■

Inorganic carbon (IC)

■■

Total organic carbon (TOC)

■■

Purgeable organic carbon (POC)

■■

Non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC)

Examples of TOC in action TOC has a broad range of applications in many sectors all over the world. Here are two practical

examples of the technique in action: Power plants - when used in nuclear power stations, or hydroelectric plants, TOC instruments are used to identify corrosive compounds to stop damage to expensive machinery. Electronics manufacturers - ultra-purified water is used for manufacturing microprocessors and computer chips. As processors and circuits miniaturise, any water used must be kept free of debris and clean in order to stop microscopic scrapes and damage occurring. Agriculture - soil samples can be taken and analysed using TOC, to identify the characteristics of soil for the purposes of agriculture. TOC will also reveal how chemicals or additives may react with the soil as it is. The determination of total organic carbon is an essential part of any site characterisation or ecological assessment since its presence or absence can markedly influence how chemicals will react in the soil or sediment.

FEATURE: WATER QUALITY The importance of measuring TOC in water All over the world, measuring TOC is a mandatory requirement for organisations operating in the water treatment sector. Businesses that discharge wastewater into watercourses, or into other parts of our water system, will need to ensure they monitor TOC levels and report these figures to the appropriate regulatory organisations. Failure to monitor TOC appropriately can result in catastrophic circumstances, including, damage to the ecosystem, sickness and illness in animals and humans and in some cases - death.

Breaking down TOC analysis A TOC analysis features three distinct parts; sampling, oxidation and detection. TOC studies are completed using a specific instrument called a TOC analyser. A breakdown of the TOC analysis process is as follows: Sampling - to ensure top performance, instruments should have automatic sampling, acidification and sparging for undertaking TOC analysis. Devices should also have autocalibration and automatic dilution capability to increase reproducibility and sample throughput. Oxidation - in order to identify TOC levels in a water sample, organic carbons must be oxidised.

There are numerous techniques to achieve this including using combustion analysers and the wet chemical technique. Detection - as samples go through oxidation, gases are released, which are detected by specially designed sensors that vary depending on what instrument and technique you are using. Results from analysis are available and recorded by the technician conducting the experiment.

Techniques used to analyse TOC As mentioned in the previous section, there are two different instruments analysts use to measure TOC. Both have distinct applications and as such, are useful for specific circumstances. Wet chemical - sometimes referred to as the UV oxidation/sodium persulfate method, this technique involves instrumentation that adds sodium persulphate before applying UV light. This forms hydroxyl radicals and organic compounds are then converted to carbon dioxide. The CO2 is detected using a Non-Dispersive Infrared detector (NDIR).

with NDIR; however, for lower detection limits, Electrochemical Detection (ECD) will be used. Each method has its own unique benefits, so in terms of which is the best, it depends on what you are trying to derive. The combustion method oxidises solid particles in a sample, so it is very useful for dirty samples, like those found in heavily polluted areas like the River Thames in London. However, the wet chemical method is much more suited to testing drinking water or other clean water samples, such as those used in electronics manufacturing. This is because it has a lower overall detection limit for TOC and can also be more reproducible.

TOC has an important role in society TOC is often overlooked or not thought of, but it has an extremely important role when we consider how we deal with water. TOC provides a quick, easy and inexpensive way of checking water samples for contaminants. Alternative methods are usually more expensive or take longer than TOC, which would result in a slower response to contamination events that may disrupt drinking water supplies.

Combustion analysers - combustion analysers measure TOC in a water sample by combusting it at a temperature of 850Â°C with a catalyst. Once combusted, the sample is fully oxidised and converted to carbon dioxide. As with the wet chemical approach, gases are identified

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IDEXX

THE THREAT OF LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE - WHY WATER NETWORK OPERATORS SHOULD BE VIGILANT

Building owners and managers have historically been responsible for reducing the risk of Legionnaires’ disease by controlling Legionella pneumophila in their facilities. But recent developments are causing water utilities to take a second look at their role in ensuring that this dangerous pathogen does not cause deaths that could have been prevented. The scientists and engineers whose study was just published in the peer reviewed journal PNAS1 argue the results of their extensive analysis “support the hypothesis that a system-wide proliferation of legionellae was responsible for the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Genesee County, Michigan”, an outbreak that resulted in 87 cases of the disease. Across the globe, water utilities and premise owners alike are seeking to better understand whether and where Legionella pneumophila in distribution water may be entering building water systems. Water utility companies invest large sums of money in the infrastructure of their networks and in sampling and testing to ensure that drinking

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water is clean and safe. Every day thousands of water samples are analysed across the UK to ensure that the quality of drinking water meets stringent national and European standards.

Legionella pneumophila, more easily, faster and often with greater accuracy than traditional plate testing methods.

Major utility companies carry out testing at internal laboratories, which ensures that water looks and tastes as it should, and does not contain dangerous levels of metals such as lead and copper; chemicals, including nitrates and pesticides; or microorganisms that could risk the health of consumers. Legionella pneumophila may soon be included in the list of pathogens that must be routinely analysed. In 2017, IDEXX Water, a world leader in accurate, easy to use water tests to detect contamination in water systems, introduced a new test for detecting and quantifying Legionella pneumophila for use in the UK and across Europe. This new culture testing technology enables both internal and contract labs to detect and quantify

To date, over 50 Legionella species have been identified. However, the primary cause of Legionnaires’ disease is Legionella pneumophila2, the bacteria responsible for more than 96% of

FEATURE: WATER QUALITY culture confirmed cases according to the ECDC (European Centres for Disease Control).3 L. pneumophila is also the species most commonly found in building water systems such as cooling towers and plumbing systems. In buildings, the biological and chemical contamination of water systems varies greatly, based on the design and environmental conditions. The risk of contamination and bacterial build-up is increased where parts of buildings are seldom used, or where plumbing systems include “dead-legs” that do not lead to an outlet such as a tap or shower. In these cases, water can sit stagnant for periods of time, allowing biofilms to accumulate which often results in the growth and rapid spread of multiple bacterial organisms. This biofilm can damage the pipes within the water system, increasing the risk of additional chemical contamination. Poor water temperature management can also allow Legionella to colonise a system, and so hot and cold water services must be regularly monitored to ensure specific temperatures are maintained to prevent growth. Biofilm may also be a problem within water distribution pipes and could potentially cause “seeding” of bacterial growth or exacerbate existing contamination in buildings. Recent publications by the European Commission and the WHO draw attention to the health risks posed by Legionella and the need for vigilance. The newly proposed revision of the European Drinking Water Directive recently published by the European Commission also includes proposed monitoring for Legionella with a special focus on Legionella pneumophila. Challenges of traditional Legionella culture plate testing methods A complex matrix of water, bacteria and chemicals often makes detection of Legionella difficult even for well-equipped laboratories. Current plate culture methods are difficult to execute, and even when carried out correctly, make enumeration of Legionella contamination challenging. Biofilm-forming organisms common in water, such as Pseudomonas, can cause particular problems as they can directly inhibit Legionella from growing, masking the bacteria’s presence in traditional plate culture tests. Testing requires significant expertise and experience to undertake as it is complex and necessitates many stages. Differences in agars and subjectivity in interpreting the plates also leads to variability in results even when the same samples are analysed by different, highly experienced laboratories. In addition to the difficulties in the identification and accurate quantification of Legionella, current plate culture testing methods can take up to 10 days to carry out, and further time to identify and confirm the presence of L. pneumophila. Alternatives to plate culture methods have been developed to improve the speed and accuracy

of testing. However, tests such as those based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and direct fluorescent antibody microscopy – although promoted as rapid - have drawbacks in providing consistent results, and, in the case of PCR, cannot distinguish between living and dead bacterial cells. This means that even after disinfection, a previously contaminated system could still show positive PCR results even if no viable bacteria are present. Legiolert® for accurate and specific testing The Legiolert test from IDEXX is a new culture method that exclusively detects L. pneumophila and has multiple benefits over existing methods.

Legiolert is the latest test from IDEXX Water to rapidly identify microbiological contamination of water. Other tests include Colilert®, for the detection of coliforms and E.coli in drinking water; and Pseudalert®, for the 24-hour detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ease and simplicity of the IDEXX tests mean that they can be very easily adopted by contract microbiology laboratories, or performed by trained operatives in environments where the use of a laboratory may be impractical. For this reason, IDEXX tests are used routinely in environments such as ships and oil rigs to monitor water quality and can be used for on-site monitoring within facilities.

Legiolert is a 7-day culture test, cutting down the time to result by a minimum of 3 days relative to traditional methods. Legiolert results require no further confirmation, interpretation or additional testing, so vital water quality decisions can be made sooner. Additionally, the Legiolert test requires no time-consuming media culture preparation steps and offers a 12+ month shelf life. The Legiolert reagent comes pre-weighed in a sachet, which is added to the water sample then transferred to a specially designed, multi-well plate called a Quanti-Tray® which is then sealed and incubated. Hands-on time for the test set-up is typically two minutes. Once incubation is complete, detection of L. pneumophila contamination is determined based on a simple colour change within the wells of the Quanti-Tray, and quantification is performed by counting the coloured wells. The Legiolert reagent contains a complex mixture of amino acids, vitamins, and other nutrients to promote growth of L. pneumophila, while also containing suppressive chemicals to inhibit the growth of competing and background contaminants which could give rise to false results or limit the activity of the target species. This means that Legiolert is very selective, and offers extremely high repeatability and reproducibility. Published studies4 have demonstrated that Legiolert/Quanti-Tray is a suitable alternative, and potentially superior, replacement method for the ISO11731-2 method for the analysis of L. pneumophila from potable water and similar water samples. The Legiolert reagent and QuantiTray technology, simplified protocol, and easier usability reduce the false negativity rates and method variability observed with traditional membrane filtration methods. 1. Zahran et al, “Assessment of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Flint, Michigan” http://www.pnas.org/cgi/ doi/10.173/pnas.1718679115 2. Brunette GW, ed. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2016: The Yellow Book. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2016 3. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Legionnaires’ Disease in Europe, 2014. EDCD; Stockholm:2016. Ibid years 2009-2013 4. “Evaluation of a most probable number method for the enumeration of Legionella pneumophila from potable and related water samples” D.P. Sartory, K. Spies, B. Lange, S. Schneider, B. Langer http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi/10.1111/lam.12719/full

All ®/TM marks are owned by IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. The IDEXX Privacy Policy is available at idexx.com.

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CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY

CRANFIELD ADVANCES MEMBRANE CRYSTALLISATION European Research Council Fellowship at Cranfield advances membrane crystallisation for resource recovery from wastewater. The Water Industry has embraced the concept of resource recovery from wastewater which was exemplified in the recently published UKWIR report on, ‘The big questions facing the Water Industry’, in which the need to understand how to turn all wastes received into products by 2030, was identified as a critical challenge. This strongly aligns with the European Commission’s circular economy vision in which a new economic paradigm centred on ‘consume, recycle, re-use’ is proposed. The key benefit for industry more broadly, is access to reliable sources of raw chemicals which are of limited supply or subject to volatile price indices such as phosphate rock, magnesium and potash which have been highlighted as risks to Europe’s manufacturing economy. This area has been similarly signposted as a priority area by US and Australian Science Foundation’s, demonstrating momentum in resource recovery globally. To ensure widespread adaptation of the recovered chemicals as a sustainable resource, the physical form should be similar to that of virgin chemicals, which typically comprise of a high purity crystalline dry powder. Crystallisation is an important separation process in the manufacturing sector that enables production of crystalline dry powders from less concentrated solutions. Crystallisation can be promoted through the use of heat, the addition of an antisolvent or use of a chemical reaction, each route seeking to increase the chemical concentration in the liquid above the solubility limit, to force the chemical into a solid crystalline phase. Close control of crystal size and crystal shape is useful as this simplifies the efficiency of recovery downstream. However, crystal morphology (e.g. shape, habit, size and size distribution) may also be important if the market demands uniformity of size and shape of the product for continuity with existing chemicals, for quality assurance, or to enable more precise control over how quickly the crystals dissolve when used. Whilst crystallisation technology is commercially mature, present technologies are characterised by imperfect mixing, which makes crystallisation difficult to predict, and crystal growth rate difficult to control. Consequently, new

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Cranfield Uni - Dr Ewan McAdam (centre) receiving first prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry ‘Emerging Technologies Competition’ for his membrane assisted technology. Presented by RSC CEO, Dr Robert Parker (left) and TV presenter Maggie Philbin (right, ‘Tomorrow’s World’ and ‘Bang goes the theory’) Crystal on membrane - image of crystal grown on membrane

crystallisation technologies that can be applied to wastewater, that are scalable, economically viable and can recover crystalline products, with similar properties to virgin chemicals, can capitalise on the opportunity that resource recovery from wastewater presents. In April 2016, Dr. Ewan McAdam, from Cranfield Water Science Institute, secured a prestigious five year European Research Council Fellowship to further his research on membrane assisted crystallisation for resource recovery from wastewater. Membrane assisted crystallisation (MAC) is a next generation crystallisation technology that combines process intensification with the capability to independently control the number of crystals grown and the rate of their growth, to permit good regulation of crystallisation at a fraction of the scale of conventional technologies. Thanks to seed funding received from the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), together with his ERC funded research team, he has already demonstrated application of MAC technology for the removal of ammonia from wastewater sludge and food waste, to form a crystalline ammonium sulphate product of similar purity and character to the virgin chemical. Although the market demand for sustainable

Crystal grown - image of high purity ammonium sulphate crystals recovered from concentrated sludge

chemicals has been identified, the market value for recovered chemicals is as yet unclear when compared to virgin chemicals. Consequently, in the near term, investment in resource recovery technology must be strongly weighted toward the advantages of contaminant removal from wastewater. The unique contribution of the membrane means that it enables in one process what would ordinarily be achieved in three processes. Furthermore, since a high membrane surface area can be packed into a small volume, further process intensification can be attained such that contaminant removal and crystalline product formation can be facilitated in a tremendously small footprint, which presents an extremely attractive economic proposition without having to consider final product value. In recognition of the potential significance of MAC, this now patented technology (WO 2016/063581 A1) received first prize in the Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Technologies Competition 2017, a Europe wide innovation competition. The continuing research focuses on the basic science underpinning MAC technology to improve engineering principles that can be used to ensure MAC technology can be applied at scale for the recovery of a broader range of resources.

Postgraduate degrees and in-company training in water science and management designed to meet industry needs Our insight is rooted in our powerful industry links, world-class research, and wide experience of what works in practice. Experts from Cranfield Water Science Institute can support your business by offering full and part-time MScs, tailor-made training, and bespoke short courses. If you want to enhance your own or your team’s skills and expertise we will work with you to: • Help fund your graduate staff to take a master’s qualification full-time or part-time. • Develop your business with in-company training. • Design and deliver short courses which blend an understanding of advanced technology and techniques with decision making and management proficiencies.

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STANHOPE-SETA

WATER - COUNTING ON QUALITY For many years, the water industry has used turbidity meters to monitor the quality of drinking water. by Steve Georgii

Particle Measurement Products Manager Though initially concerned with the aesthetic - clear and odourless water is important from the consumer’s viewpoint - specific applications soon presented themselves such as measuring contamination from suspended solids and colourising chemicals. They also fulfil a role in process control such as efficiency of filter systems. Subsequent development of turbidity meters has extended their sensitivity to measure changes not easily discernible by the naked eye, and there is no doubt that engineering of filters and detectors to ‘tune into’ specific wavelengths could extend their use even further. There is, however, a downside. Turbidity is by definition an ensemble test. Turbidity gives a measure of the whole body of the sample, it measures the complex interaction of light on multiple suspended particles of varying size, shape, colour and reflectivity. Though turbidity measurement still reigns supreme in measurement of the perceived quality, it is the ability of the particle counter to quantify both size and number that makes it a more analytical, and therefore useful, tool. Particle counting technology has matured in the clinically clean world of the pharmaceutical and hydraulics industries, spreading into other applications where cleanliness is paramount. The size of the smallest particle that can be measured has progressively become smaller, accuracy has improved, laser and processing technologies have relentlessly marched forwards allowing real time measurement of multiple size bands. Particle counters now range from laboratory based analytical instruments to battery powered portable units for field use, from simple self-contained in-line installations with display to continuous monitoring with 4-20mA outputs, high/low count alarms and relay switching functions. Their extended sensitivity and ability to classify particles into sizes means that applications for particle counting in the potable water industry are wide ranging, extending far beyond a basic measurement of the plant influx and efflux. Particle counters in the field provide an invaluable tool for the analysis of the cleanliness of a source, investigating seasonal changes in suspended solids due to rainfall; dust and grit contamination from quarrying and mining

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processes, soil wash-off into reservoirs, lakes and standing water. In the plant, either as portable or installed systems, they can be used to monitor filter efficiency, predictive maintenance by indicating the need for back-flushing or detecting the onset of failure of membrane filters. Particle counting can give an insight into the control of coagulation and flocculation processes, helping to determine the optimum quantity of coagulant to be added to the raw water and the most efficient sedimentation time. There is also the public health aspect. Light extinction (laser obscuration) particle counters, one of the most common type found in the water industry, are capable of measuring down to the 3µm region. They are sufficiently sensitive to give a surrogate indication of the presence of microorganisms by measuring and counting cysts and oocysts from microbial contaminants such as Cryptosporidium (4 to 6µm), Cyclospora (8 to 10µm) and Giardia (8 to 12µm). This could be of great importance as granular filtration is not very effective against these cysts and oocysts unless an effective pre-treatment by a coagulant has been carried out, a situation made worse by them having high resistance to chlorine based oxidizing disinfectants. These contaminants are frequently found in water sources and recreational water, often due wash-off from livestock activity.

Seta Analytics (a division of Stanhope-Seta) produce a number of particle counters suitable for use in the water industry, including laboratory, in-line and portable versions. All are available with either ISO 11171 or USP/ Ph.Eur calibration.

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A NEW APPROACH TO GATHERING AND USING ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

Monitoring is an essential activity within the Environment Agency, underpinning work to improve the environment and protect people and places from flooding. The Environment Agency spend over ÂŁ60 million per annum on a range of monitoring activities from more traditional chemical, biological and river flow/level monitoring, to capturing aerial photography and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data to measure the height of land. This information is used to target our efforts on the highest risks and poorest performers, to provide a vital incident response capability and to compile and assess the best available evidence to support policy and decision making. We have started a review of monitoring activities to transform how we will commission, plan and deliver monitoring (the Strategic Monitoring Review or SMR). Our aim is to derive even greater value from our investment in information collection and use, with a greater emphasis on catchment data needs, partnerships and engagement. Over the last five years monitoring in the Environment Agency has been the subject of a number of reviews, in response to legislation changes, growth in business requirements, exploiting new technology and an ongoing drive to increase efficiency. This has seen the creation of new teams dedicated to making better use of data and the introduction of new technologies such as sample scheduling software, Electronic Field Logs and DNA based biological analytical methods. As resources have become more stretched there is a greater need than ever to make better

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use of information. The challenges facing us, particularly around increasing pressures on the environment and the growth of different pollutants, mean that we need to find new and innovative ways to capture information. There is also a growing expectation from Central Government to make more use of third party data and make our data available to all as open data. There are also many new opportunities. New low cost data sets, particularly land use data from satellites, are available to us and an increasingly engaged and willing population are actively seeking a role in how the environment is managed. We have had great success working with catchment partners to deliver environmental improvements and there is an ever increasing willingness to share data and use it to solve common problems. We have made good progress on SMR over the last 12 months, and have made some significant steps towards achieving our objectives. We have changed our internal business processes and there are now clearer accountabilities with better line of sight between those asking for monitoring and those involved with gathering that information and using it. A new framework has been set out on what future monitoring programmes will look like. A small, fixed network will be developed to meet state of the environment reporting requirements and a larger, more agile programme will give our teams and stakeholders the flexibility to

gather and use the right evidence to underpin outcomes. An external advisory group has also been created, to review plans and provide scrutiny and challenge. In order to test how a local commission might be developed for catchment information needs, local teams have worked with stakeholders to establish five prototype catchments across England in the Derwent, Welland, Arun, Tamar and Axe river catchments. Early engagement has met with a positive response, with partners welcoming the early engagement and broader concepts behind this work. We recognise that implementing a new approach will take time, and we will need to put as much resource into developing new technical solutions as building relationships with people who share our passion for the environment. Work has already begun with Rivers Trusts, national stakeholders and catchment partners to develop a new approach, but other views are always welcome from groups who share our ambition to create a better place for people and the environment. To find out more please contact the Environment Agency at SMR@environment-agency.gov.uk

FEATURE: WATER QUALITY

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UNIVERSITY OF BATH

NEW NANOPOROUS METAL FOAMS USES SUNLIGHT TO CLEAN UP WATER

A researcher from the University of Bath is leading the way in creating a new, more efficient way for the water industry to safely remove micropollutants from water without increasing their carbon footprint. Professor Davide Mattia from the University of Bathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Chemical Engineering has been awarded a five-year EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) Established Career Fellowship in Water Engineering, to develop novel photocatalytic nanoporous anodic metal foams - a sponge-like substance - which will use sunlight to safely remove micropollutants from water.

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Micropollutants - found in toxic chemicals such as drugs, hormones and pesticides - represent today one of the biggest public health and environmental challenges in the UK as well as other countries. Present in wastewater at very low concentrations, micropollutants slowly accumulate in the soil and in ground water, upsetting the ecological balance and eventually finding their way into the human food supply

chain, with a potential to cause severe adverse long-term health effects. Existing technology comprising the majority of water treatment plants in the UK and abroad is not capable of removing micropollutants, requiring large capital investment by the water industry to meet impending legislation requiring their removal. As such, there is an urgent

FEATURE: WATER QUALITY need for efficient, effective and low-carbon technologies capable of safely removing these micropollutants from the water. The most promising technology to address this problem is photocatalysis, where light is used to speed up a reaction which breaks down organic pollutants to non-harmful constituents. Given the very large volumes of water that need to be treated and the low concentration of micropollutants, very large amounts of nano-sized photocatalyst particles are required, creating a risk of these nanoparticles leaking from the water treatment plant and accumulating in the environment, also with potentially adverse effects. Professor Mattia’s team is developing technology that entirely foregoes the use of nanoparticles replacing them with a highly porous photocatalytic foam, thereby creating an efficient method of capturing all the micropollutants whilst preventing nanoparticulate material leaching into the environment. Professor of Chemical Engineering in the University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, Centre for Advanced Separations Engineering (CASE) and Water Innovation & Research Centre (WIRC @ Bath), Davide Mattia, said: said: “I will be working with academic and industrial partners to retrofit existing water treatment plants to

accommodate this new technology. We hope this will result in a more effective way of removing micropollutants in water without increasing carbon emissions or producing toxic by-products. Professor Mattia added: “I am very excited at having the opportunity to address the grand challenge of micropollutant removal and am grateful to the EPSRC for their support. “I believe our anodic metal foams represent an innovative and practical solution that water companies will be able to integrate in their existing infrastructure without radical changes, thereby low the barriers to their adoption.”

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Director of the Water Innovation & Research Centre (WIRC @ Bath) at the University of Bath, Professor Jan Hofman, added: “It is fantastic that Professor Mattia gets this opportunity for this exciting research for developing fundamentally new technology for organic micropollutant removal. “Removal of these compounds from drinking water and wastewater is extremely important for public health and aquatic life. The water sector has great need for innovations in this field, which Professor Mattia’s research can provide.”

Water Innovation & Research Centre

Through the Water Innovation and Research Centre at the University of Bath our experts work with industry, academia, and other stakeholders to tackle the fundamental issues surrounding sustainable water. Through WISE, our Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Informatics: Science and Engineering, we work with collaborative partners to train the next generation of skilled water scientists and engineers. To explore a partnership with water research experts and students at the University of Bath for your organisation, contact water-research@bath.ac.uk.

go.bath.ac.uk/water-research

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DE NORA

USA’S LARGEST WATERSHED VASTLY IMPROVES POLLUTION ISSUES WITH DE NORA DENITRIFICATION TECHNOLOGY

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed includes hundreds of thousands of creeks, streams and rivers over 64,000 square miles in the eastern United States. While the Bay boasts unparalleled beauty, pollution from agriculture, wastewater treatment plants and urban runoff is a significant problem for the Bay and its watershed. Of the thousands of wastewater treatment plants supporting nearly 18 million people in the watershed, 470 are designated by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as significant sources of nutrients and total suspended solids. In late 2010, the EPA established the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, a daily pollution regulation that puts restrictions on the total amount of nitrogen and phosphorus - major sources of nutrient pollution - allowed in the Bay. It is designed to ensure that all pollution control measures needed to restore the Bay and its tidal rivers are secure by 2025. The effort to turn the tide within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed encompasses water filtration and nutrient removal efforts at over a dozen waterways. More than twenty wastewater treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are using the De Nora TETRA Denite technology to meet the stringent National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit regulations of 3 mg/L Total Nitrogen and 0.3 mg/L Total Phosphorus. The Back River WWTP on the outskirts of Baltimore is the largest

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denitrification filter in the United States with an average daily flow of 185 million gallons per day (MGD). Back River WWTP is composed of fifty–two 11’-8” wide x 100’-0” long Denite filters arranged in four quadrants. The 81 MGD Patapsco WWTP, under construction, consists of thirty-four 11’-8” wide x 100’-0” long Denite filters. Other WWTPs using TETRA Denite technology in the Chesapeake Bay watershed include Arlington County WPCP, WSSC Seneca Creek WWTP, York River WWTP, Cumberland WWTP, H. L. Mooney AWTP, Lebanon WWTP, and Parkway WWTP. The City of Richmond WWTP was a pioneer in the early days of nutrient removal for the Bay, retrofitting their nozzle-bottom filters with robust TETRA underdrains in 1986 to allow for fixed-film denitrification in their tertiary filters. Using a biologically active deep bed sand filter, the TETRA Denite system converts nitrates into nitrogen gas and a supplemental carbon source is added to the filter’s influent water to help grow the denitrifying biomass. The Denite system simultaneously reduces suspended solids. While much of the wastewater’s phosphorus content is removed upstream of the TETRA filter, residual solids containing phosphorus are captured in the filter media. Additionally, phosphorus is

consumed via the denitrification mechanism where it is incorporated into the biomass. The nitrogen gas is periodically purged or ‘bumped’ from the filter bed via a brief up flow backwash water - typically multiple times per day. The filtered solids and biomass are removed from the filter bed via an air and water backwash – typically once two to five days. Three novel components make the TETRA Denite system unique. First, proprietary SNAP-T underdrains support the media and during backwash, start the distribution of air and water. The mono-media sand is the second critical component, functioning as both a support for the denitrifying bacteria and a filter media for the influent TSS and a capture mechanism for the biomass generated from the denitrification reaction. Distinct properties provide a system that can operate for decades with little or no media loss or degradation. Third, De Nora uses a proprietary algorithm called TETRAPace to control the flow of supplemental carbon to the filter. The algorithm uses a feedforward / feedback loop to optimize the carbon usage and minimize the residual TOC in the treated effluent water.

FEATURE: WATER QUALITY

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Reimbursable Contract The Green Book Target Cost Contract The Burgundy Book

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Professional Services

Lump Sum Contract The Red Book

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Subcontract The Yellow Book Subcontract for Civil Enginee The Brown ring Works Book Minor Works The Orange Book

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Adjudication Rules The Grey Book Arbitration Rules The Pink Book Rules for Expert Determination The White Book

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Second edi tion 2003

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Minor Works, The Orange Book, Third edition

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Institution of Chemical Engineers Davis Building Railway Terrace Rugby Warwickshire CV21 3HQ, UK

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The newest addition to IChemE’s highly- acclaimed suite of contracts is here. The revised edition of The Orange Book contains a number of general changes from the previous edition reflecting current best practice and bringing it in line with the full suite. The main changes to note are that this contract is now structured to be used both within the UK and internationally Buy our full range of contacts on online at www.icheme.org/shop in hard copy, PDF and editable Word formats

www.icheme.org/shop +44(0)1788 534470 instituteofwater.org.uk

EUROBY

WAGO

LOOKING FOR DEWATERING TECHNOLOGY FOR AMP7? Euroby is excited to announce the arrival of Xelletor - Flottweg SE’s latest centrifuge technology. A radically new design addresses the three “holy grails” of dewatering – cake dryness, low energy consumption and low polymer consumption improving all three. Flottweg have re-examined how the decanter functions and how dewatering is conventionally optimised according to the nature of the feedstock. Granular sludges usually require a shallow cone angle of about 8°. This geometry creates a large discharge diameter and hence a shallow pond; the solids usually settle quickly and the shallow cone angle facilitates discharge. In the case of fine, pasty sludges like sewage sludge, settling is slower and the dewatering is effected by a compressive action. A steeper cone of 15° and a smaller discharge diameter is utilised to form a deep pond, this allows a longer settling time – or greater bowl capacity, and the additional head of water increases the compressive force on the sludge. The limiting factor here is the scroll body which

hinders the development of an ideal “super-deep pond” machine. Flottweg have looked at modern engineering construction techniques and, taking a leaf out of the motorsport book, replaced the scroll body with an open space-frame on which the flights are mounted. The design results in an extremely deep pond – with perfect axial flow. Whereas previously the feed stream was introduced in to the pond radially, with a great deal of turbulence - and associated energy losses, the Xelletor feed stream is axial and meets the liquid surface with a minimum of disruption resulting in smooth feed acceleration and low vibration. The use of a “negative dip weir” permits the use of a large discharge diameter for the cake, but a small diameter for the centrate. The centrate discharges at a small radius and less energy is lost at the discharge point, also, the greater depth behind the dip weir serves to assist cake transfer past the dip weir by hydraulic pressure,

with more energy savings. So - what does this mean for the operator? Tests at the end of 2015 against “conventional” Flottweg decanters showed the following improvements: ■■

2 % higher cake dryness, or…

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2 kg/tD.S. lower polymer demand

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40 % saving in power consumption (compared to a traditional decanter, in this case a Z4E)

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Smooth operation – low vibration

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No more wear in the feed chamber, because there is no feed chamber

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Variable feeding point, adjusted by varying the length of the feed pipe

www.euroby.com

PUTTING A SPRING IN YOUR SPEC With one simple, low cost change to how electrical wiring is terminated, companies could dramatically reduce connection failures and equipment downtime. Loose or failed electrical connections are one of the leading causes of unplanned downtime, and the leading culprit is the screw connection. For decades now, screws have been one of the most commonly used types of connection in control panel components in devices such as PLCs, relays and terminal blocks. Many engineers and electricians have spent their whole careers using screw connections and may be reluctant to try alternatives to a technology they’re familiar with. However in doing so they are overlooking the screw’s fundamental disadvantages compared to newer connection types. Downsides can include higher maintenance costs, increased equipment downtime and reduced equipment lifespan. Every screw will come loose over time. It may take a number of years to result in a failure, but in environments with high levels of vibration and shock, and wide temperature fluctuations - both

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of which commonly occur in the water industry that timeframe can be much shorter. As a result, screw connections require more installation time to ensure they are secure, and more frequent maintenance for retightening later on. This can lead to further issues, as the more frequently the connection is disturbed, the higher the chance of wiring errors creeping in. For instance, strands from a fine-stranded conductor coming loose from the termination point, or over- or under-torqueing of the screw resulting in a faulty connection and/or increased heat levels. A solution to this is to specify CAGE CLAMP® spring pressure connections in new components and devices. This connection method uses a spring mechanism to apply constant pressure to conductors, keeping them secure without damaging them. Unlike screws, they will not work themselves loose over time, even in

environments with high levels of vibration and temperature variance, nor do they require regular maintenance. They are also up to 50 percent quicker to install compared to screw connections, as the wire can be terminated and secured without the need for additional tightening. CAGE CLAMP spring pressure connection is now available on almost all components from individual splicing connectors and terminal blocks, all the way up to PLCs and I/O modules. For the water industry, where resilience is a recurring theme of the current AMP cycle, specifying spring pressure connection can be a low cost way of maximising asset life and system uptime. http://global.wago.com/uk

Stay at the forefront of industry best practice DE NORA CAPITAL CONTROLS® TAILORED DISINFECTION TRAINING PACKAGES

Join the increasing number of companies choosing both action and theory-based learning while sharing best practice. De Nora industry experts deliver training packages to: • Ensure safe operation • Improve the performance of your disinfection processes • Demonstrate compliance with HSG 40 on training provision • Create a knowledgeable workforce - “I feel confident in my work after doing the course, especially gas cylinder changes.” - “Excellent training set at a level a novice could understand and given in an environment where you can learn.” - “Enjoyed the training, learnt a solid base of how a chlorine system works.” DE NORA WATER TECHNOLOGIES • info.dnwt@denora.com • www.denora.com

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SELWOOD

NEW ENVIRONMENTALLYFRIENDLY PUMPS PROVIDE ROBUST SOLUTION A new environmentally-friendly and highly-efficient pump from Selwood provided the ideal overpumping solution during a major infrastructure upgrade in a sensitive location. The S150 Super Silent electric drive, one of a new range of precision-engineered solids handling pumps from Selwood, provided a robust solution for Wessex Water that minimised risk to the environment and prevented disruption to the local community. The application came as Wessex Water’s engineering and construction department was tasked to make improvements to a number of sewage pumping stations as part of the Brent Knoll flood relief scheme. Brent Knoll is situated in Somerset on the edge of Sedgemoor and within three miles of the Bristol Channel. The scheme included construction of a new sewage pumping station (SPS), decommissioning of two existing SPS’s and the refurbishment and modification of another SPS to relieve flooding issues experienced in the village. The refurbishment of Forge House SPS required replacing existing 50-year-old infrastructure in order to provide increased flows and robustness. The wet well had to have benching replaced that required isolating for the anticipated duration of the works. In addition, the motor control centre was also being upgraded at the same time, therefore preventing the use of the existing mains supply. It was agreed that overpumping would be required to keep the SPS operating without causing any impact to the local community. Wessex Water’s site manager James Chinn contacted the Selwood framework manager, Phil Ingleheart, to request a site visit and discuss the site-specific requirements and challenges. Due to the proximity of water courses, traditional diesel driven pumping options were ruled out. Traditional electric submersible pumps were not suitable for the application because of lack of room in the wet well. Furthermore, Wessex Water required an even quieter solution due to

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the proximity of residents’ houses nearby. In short, the team required a fully automated duty/ standby overpumping arrangement backed up with remote telemetry which could match the pumping duty required. Selwood delivered and installed two of their brand new S150 Super Silent electrically driven pumps. Working in partnership with key suppliers, the S150 Seltorque 30kW Super Silent pump has been developed with the following features: ■■

Capable of the same superb performance as Selwood’s 1800rpm diesel-powered model, providing 100mm solids handling.

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310m3/h capacity.

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27m total head.

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Variable speed drive to ensure the perfect balance between efficiency and performance depending on the application.

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Suitable for multiple uses including water and wastewater, sewage and sewer bypass and overpumping.

The Selwood overpumping system was controlled by ultrasonic transducer head and variable speed control panels which adjusted the pump speed to match incoming flows Phil Ingleheart, Selwood framework manager, said: “By using these end suction pumps which are even quieter than their industry recognised Super Silent diesel units, Wessex Water saved

time and money from having to demolish and rebuild a manhole large enough for traditional submersible pumps. “The entire control system was installed and programmed by Selwood’s in-house electricians. This benefitted the client by only using the required amount of power and fuel to run the pumps. “During low flows at night this protocol significantly reduced sound output to the benefit of the local residents, while the client saved money at the same time. There wasn’t a single noise complaint from a neighbour and this is testament to how smoothly this scheme ran.” James Chinn, the site manager, added: “This was a really good system which was hassle free and backed up by automated telemetry. The provision of live information was very reassuring for everyone involved.” Selwood is the number one pump rental solutions provider in the UK and its products are available from a comprehensive national network of branches. For more information visit www.selwood.co.uk

SELWOOD

Pump Rental & Sales Solutions

FEATURE: WATER QUALITY

FLOW CONTROL REGULATORS The control and storage of the water flowing through the foul and surface water networks

HydroSlide®

ElectroSlide®

Mechanical, non-powered flow control

Actuated level control discharge regulator for 5 - 3,500 L/s

Can be designed and provided with a complete control centre package.

Can be configured to provide varying ‘stepped’ flow rates.

Sewer flow control

Continuous and constant actuated flow regulation

Surface water flow control within SUDS systems

Programmable blockage recognition and clearance

Controlled discharge of +/- 5% of storm retention tanks

Exact flow control, even with surcharging backwater

Flow control into sewage treatment works Prevention of downstream flooding Utilisation of the upstream storage volumes within the sewer network Available within the Micro Drainage and Causeway ‘Flow’ design software packages

Simple flow rate change within bespoke software Terminals to remote control system included Can be installed on upstream or downstream Rigid, stainless steel Easy to retrofit in existing tanks and shafts Inexpensive installation with instruction Flow measurement downstream as an option

The HydroSlide and ElectroSlide family of flow control units are designed to accurately and reliably control the pass forward flows throughout an impounding upstream head range enabling compliance with discharge rates and possible reduction of storage volumes.

OTHER FLOW CONTROL SYSTEMS AVAILABLE HYDROBEND – VARIABLE WEIR

HYDROGUARD

ELIQUO HYDROK LTD I T 01726 861 900 I sales@eliquohydrok.co.uk

HYDROSTYX

ACTUSLIDE

www.eliquohydrok.co.uk instituteofwater.org.uk

HUBER TECHNOLOGY

HUBER WINS INNOVATION AWARD HUBER Technology have recently completed a project at Stratford Milcote for Severn Trent Water and their delivery partner Costain CiM6. This solution saved Severn Trent 40% capital cost as well as reducing their operational costs by over 20% This innovative solution combines the S-DISC 1 sludge thickener, flocc reactor, polyrex 1.0 dosing unit and discharge pump which are all installed onto a 5m x 2m skid. All the wiring, cable routes, cable ducts and mechanical pipework have been designed and installed onto the skid enabling this to become a plug & play solution. The throughput is 14cu.m/hr@1.0%ds SAS and thickening to 6%ds. S-DISC Skid mounted Installation Mike Willis and Dan Thomas from HUBER said “From HUBER Technology’s perspective, working with CIM6 has provided the opportunity to offer a new solution to the Sludge Thickening sector. With offsite fabrication using intergrated 3D design to drive efficiency and our standard

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unique S-DISC product, we have been able to provide an all in one skid mounted package product to Stratford Milcote STW. CiM6 and HUBER Technology have proven that forward thinking, innovative designs can push new solutions to an increasing UK market.” At the end of October we were pleased to be contacted by Steve Czapski (CiM6 Site Agent) and informed “I have great pleasure in notifying HUBER as a whole that the Stratford Disc thickener package plant has won the CiM6 Q4 innovation award.”

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25% Reduction in Whole Life Cost

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40% reduction in Operational Carbon

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Easy setup & low operator attendance

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Installed inside and outside

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Unique design & compact footprint

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Simple robust design

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23 UK installations

We are also extremely pleased when the Water Industry Awards 2018 were announced on Friday 16th February and we have been shortlisted as Finalists in two categories:

Key benefits of the HUBER S-DISC Sludge Thickener over conventional thickeners:

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Most Innovative Use of an Existing Technology

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20% reduction in Poly consumption

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40% less Power

Sludge & Resource Recovery of the Year

A VILLAGE TRANSFORMED

Today is the time for celebration, and tomorrow clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene will become a normal part of daily life, for good. Thanks to your support, the community of Tombohuaun in Sierra Leone now have clean water for the very first time. In total, our UK aidmatched Untapped campaign raised an incredible £3.6 million! And you made it happen. Clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene should be a normal part of everyone’s daily life. But all over the world, communities are still living without these essential human rights, putting their lives at risk and leaving their potential untapped.

The journey to clean water Last winter, we invited you to help get clean water to 250,000 people and to share one community’s life-changing journey. The remote village of Tombohuaun, a 90-minute drive from the nearest paved road, was established over 100 years ago, and has survived a civil war and an outbreak of Ebola. Its 400 residents fish and farm, growing a range of food, from mangoes to pineapples, in the forest clearing.

[Aerial view of Tombohuaun, showing the new circular water pump in Tombohuaun, Kailahun District, Sierra Leone, January 2018]

of the water situation. Every time I go to the clinic they say I have different worms. We know the water is causing that.” Now, thanks to your support, life for Matu and for the community of Tombohuaun has changed for good. The villagers have built toilets and handwashing points and installed water pumps which started flowing in January. “The water we have now is very good for us, said Matu earlier this year, “it means we don’t suffer from diseases related to dirty water.”

A healthier future Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive of WaterAid UK, said, “Clean water shouldn’t just be normal for those lucky enough to live in the right country, town or village. It must be normal for everyone, everywhere.

[Lucy, Kokoyeh, Nancy and everyone else in the community can now live healthier, happier lives with clean water.]

“With every donation, every fundraiser, you’re bringing us one step closer to this ambitious goal.

The villagers, including mother-of-five, Matu, have buckets of entrepreneurial spirit, talent and resilience, but until recently, they had relied on a dirty spring deep in the jungle for their drinking water.

“Tombohuaun’s future has been rewritten - the residents are now busy planning what they will be able to achieve next. Today, and every day, thanks to your support we’re reaching more communities, each as full of potential as this one. Together, we’re making a real difference. Thank you.”

When we talked to her last year, Matu said, “You’ve seen the water we drink. We only drink it because we don’t have an option. Even now I’m sitting here with a stomach ache because

To find out more about how clean water changes lives visit www.wateraid.org.

[Matu poses at the new pump in Tombohuaun, Sierra Leone, January 2018.]

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BUSINESSCARDDIRECTORY MaNuFacTuRERs & suppliERs OF valvEs, FiTTiNgs & siTE sOluTiONs FOR ThE uk & glOBal waTER, wasTE waTER & gas iNdusTRiEs

PO BOX 5, Birds Royd Lane, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 3UD www.gavalves.co.uk

GA Valves are manufacturers and distributors of valves to the water & sewage industries. Including gates, checks, air valves & miscellaneous valves.

Northampton Office 8 Rushmills, Northampton, NN4 7YB, England T: +44 (0) 1604 601188 F: +44 (0) 1604 604818 E: customerservice@avkuk.co.uk

www.avkuk.co.uk

Tel: 07884 004 802 E-mail: u.d.s@live.co.uk Web: utilitydesignservices.com Web: utilitydesignservices.co.uk Proactive and professional civil engineering design consultancy services. We have extensive experience and expertise within the design of water network distribution & water network trunk mains. From initial overview through to detail civil design, while also equipped to provide planning, project management and construction support services. We would welcome the opportunity to visit you for an initial consultation to discuss your aims and needs. We would endeavour to incorporate our design and engineering solutions to match your business requirements.

UK distributors and Technical Support of Dorot Flowcontrol valves.

Surge control systems and compressed air engineering from Quantum Engineering Developments Ltd

Tel: 01527 577888

www.surgevessels.co.uk

Unrivalled service, unrivalled product offering

EK Business Centre, 14 Stroud Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0YA T: 01355 246235 E: info@mccraetraining.co.uk www.mccraetraining.co.uk

As experts in procurement with single-source capability, FWB provides an expansive range of products to suit water industry requirements.

CABWI / SQA / EUSR Accredited Centre offering a comprehensive range of training services: • Water Industry Registration Scheme (WIRS) - Training Packages • Network Construction Operations (Water) • SW DOMS (Modules 1-13) National Water Hygiene • Utility SHEA (Water & Waste Management & Core) • Safe Control of Mains Connections (Water) • NRSWA Street Works Courses for Supervisors and Operatives • Water Industry Modern Apprenticeships

Whatever your requirements, we offer a suitable & competitive solution with the very best product and technical expertise. Whieldon Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4JE Tel: 01782 744333 Fax: 01782 744577 www.fwb.co.uk email: sales@fwb.co.uk

SUMMER EDITION - PUBLISHED END MAY

JimJam Media is a specialist contract publishing company with particular expertise in compiling and publishing industry specific journals, magazines and other publications for professional industry bodies as well as industry and business support organisations.

■■ ■■ ■■

Martin Jameson Tel: 07342 850 289 Email: martin@jimjammedia.com www.jimjammedia.com

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Publisher to the

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Circular Economy Resilience Incident Management/ Emergency Response Water Treatment Solutions

To advertise your company contact Martin Jameson on 07342 850289 or martin@jimjammedia.com

EASTERNAREANEWS

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION WORKSHOP

On 5 January 2018, members from the Eastern Area ran a workshop on professional registration, encouraging 22 attendees from different water companies and consultancies to consider professional registration through the Institute of Water. A couple of members from the Scottish Area also joined us via Skype. The workshop covered all three disciplines of Science, Engineering and Environment and was held in Peterborough. Catherine Fearon opened the event with an enthusiastic presentation on the benefits of being registered and what was on offer and then recently awarded Registered Scientist Sam Foddy (Anglian Water) and Environmental Technician Tamsyn Kennedy (Scottish Water) described passionately how and why they went through the process. The group then split into three tables to discuss in more detail the opportunities

open to members and what they actually need to do to be successful. The event closed with a presentation from Nicola Johnston on CPD with a live demonstration of the Institute of Water online CPD tool. The event was an excellent opportunity for networking and for those that were interested in becoming registered to ask their questions to those that had recently achieved their awards. The Eastern area will continue to run this event at least annually and would like to join up with other areas again next year. Thank you to all those that supported this event.

BABY NEWS

Congratulations to Eastern Area Committee member, Kara Sadler who had a baby girl on 25 November 2017. She has named her Ava and she weighed 7lb, 5oz.

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MIDLANDSAREANEWS

CHARITY GOLF DAY 2017 The Institute of Water’s Midlands Area’s 23rd annual golf event was held at Buxton & High Peak Golf Club on Thursday 22nd June 2017. 52 contestants from around the country converged on Buxton & High Peaks Golf Club to participate in the annual golfing event. The golfers began the mornings Texas Scramble event. The weather was good and competitors feeling the sun on their backs achieved great results. The winner of the morning Texas Scramble was Severn Trent Water Control Room with a score of 25.2 points. The afternoon Stableford event kicked off and the main competition got under way. Competition for the individual title was very competitive and scoring was scrutinised to ensure fairplay. Winner’s 18 – 28 handicaps: 1st place – Steve Taylor Winner’s 0 – 18 handicaps: 1st place – L Holden (Morrison 1) – Instarmac Cup Winner Winners of Geoff Baggaley Trophy (The Stableford Team Event) The winners were Radius Plus Ltd with 83 points and the runners up were Utilitek with a score of 79 points. The Geoff Baggaley Trophy was presented to Radius Plus.

As a member of the organising committee and an employee of Radius Plus, John Williams presented a cheque for £1,850.00 to their nominated charity Macmillan Cancer Support. The Midlands Area would like to thank the generosity of those contestants that remained with us through the presentations during the evening. We were able to raise a further £245.00 from the raffle.

NEW MIDLANDS AREA CHAIR PERSON

Further thanks go to the organisers, Gill Wood, John Williams, Dave Wood and Chris Palmer, and to the management and staff at Buxton & High Peaks Golf Club for their excellent course management, hospitality and food. Thank you to the players, sponsors and friends who continue to make this day one of the Midland Area’s greatest and longest running event.

NEW AREA SECRETARY We are also pleased to announce that new committee member, Declan Barlow has been chosen to take on the role of Area Secretary.

Congratulations to Rose Hartley who was nominated to become the new Chair of the Midlands Area Committee. The role of the Area Chair includes overseeing the Area events programme, chair meetings, ensure Area actions are identified and fulfilled, to name a few.

Rose was already a dedicated Area Committee member and was chosen as the Midlands Area Rising Star for 2017.

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The Area Secretary provides administrative support for the Area Committee, organising meetings, record the minutes, and most often be the first point of contact for the committee, managing communication between the Area Committee and HQ. Good luck in the role Declan.

NORTHERN IRELANDAREANEWS

LUNCH AND LEARN EVENT The Northern Ireland Area Committee was delighted to invite Aidan Marsh, Flow Cytometry Project Leader at Northumbrian Water to deliver a ‘Lunch and Learn’ presentation on this cutting edge analytical technology, which is of significant interest to the UK water industry and is already reshaping thinking around drinking water quality assessment. By Karen Topping, NI Area Committee Member Aidan began by explaining that flow cytometry is being used to measure the number of bacteria present in water - which has traditionally been assessed for many years using microbiological cultural methods for colony counts at 22°C and 37°C. However, the limitations of these methods have long been acknowledged as slow (typically 2-3 days) and largely unrepresentative, in terms of determining actual numbers which can be useful either for trending, or in an operational context. By comparison, results from flow cytometry may be available in as little as 3 minutes, reporting a Total Cell Count (TCC) and determines the condition of each cell, i.e. whether dead or alive. The number of living cells (Intact Cell Count, or ICC) is determined by staining the cells with 2 dyes which produce fluorescence, which can then be detected by the flow cytometry instrument. ICC results are typically much higher than would be determined by cultural colony counts, which Aidan explained may only detect 1% of bacteria actually present in water. As with the human gut microbiome however, many of these bacteria are completely

harmless and it is those which can cause disease (pathogenic) which are of most concern when considering treatment processes. The advanced data that flow cytometry can provide facilitates more meaningful trending - for example, seasonally and geographically - to enable much more efficient performance management of assets such as treatment works and service reservoirs.

has enabled a range of chlorine dosing to be determined at a range of sampling points throughout the distribution system to ensure that failures are prevented.

Rather than trying to kill all bacteria present, Aidan described how flow cytometry has provided valuable information on cells containing low and high levels of nucleic acid (DNA). It is more useful to understand the bacterial population profile to control numbers of the pathogenic types - without the need for excessive chlorination. The benefit is therefore in producing more biologically consistent and robust water.

Aidan demonstrated through a series of ‘reallife’ examples that the range of benefits from WQRS data also includes the ability to plan and prioritise remedial works throughout the network and even drilling down into assessing effectiveness of individual treatment stages. The Northumbrian Water team have also shared their research and development work with the Drinking Water Inspectorate and it is expected that the UK will follow other European countries in the adoption of this analytical process as an eventual replacement for colony counts, as a much more useful water quality monitoring parameter.

Aidan and his team at Northumbrian Water have used the TCC and ICC counts, plotted against colony counts to define a scale known as the Water Quality Risk Score (WQRS). Measuring the WQRS before and after a process for example, determines the effectiveness of the process and can also predict coliform failures. Analysing the WQRS against free chlorine measurements

Following his very informative presentation, Aidan was given a tour of the NI Water laboratory facilities at Gelvin Grange and all those in attendance agreed this was a very useful event for sharing both experience and expertise, which will no doubt continue as this new technology is developed and adopted by the water industry.

SOCIAL EVENT WITH MASTER CHEF, IAN ORR What better way to learn than from the best! On Saturday 28th October, 12 Northern Ireland Area IWater members and guests attended a fantastic social event, in the North West of the province. Master Chef Ian Orr, of Michelin recommended restaurant Browns Bonds Hill conducted an autumn themed cookery demonstration. Ian shared his tips and secrets for creating delicious meals, which included such treats as Rosemary & Foccacia bread, Guinness bread, Chicken & Mustard bake and custard tart!

Guests were also provided with the recipes & ingredients lists for all the dishes, which could then be recreated at home. Afterwards everyone was invited to stay and enjoy a three-course meal, which included what we had just been taught to cook. All of the guests had a thoroughly enjoyable time, catching up with colleagues and friends over a relaxed setting overlooking the River Foyle. Everyone agreed it was definitely a date for the calendar each year!

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SOUTHWESTAREANEWS

CHARGING UP TOWARDS A FLEXIBLE FUTURE

How Energy Storage Will Transform the Water Industry On the 24th January, the South West area hosted an event at the Exeter University Innovation Centre bringing together experts from the storage and wider energy sector to explore the potential value that energy storage could bring to the water industry. The event had presentations from: ■■

Johnny Gowdy, Director at Exeter-based not-for-profit energy advisors Regen

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Neil Durno, Regional Business Manager for storage technology solutions company Younicos

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Robert Miles, Managing Director of industrial & commercial battery storage developers Immersa

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Chris Pritchett, Partner and head of renewable energy at UK law firm Foot Anstey LLP

Ray Arrell from the Institute of Water South West Area committee introduced and chaired the session by discussing the rise of electricity storage as the ‘hot topic’ in the energy sector. Ray posed questions as to whether storage could transform the water sector operationally, through introducing more energy flexibility, financially

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through using storage to avoid peak electricity costs and reputationally by enhancing power supply resilience to key operational sites. Johnny discussed the radical structural changes in the UK energy system. Decentralisation and decarbonisation has caused generation to become more distributed and variable. As a result flexibility in the electricity system has become more valuable than ever and storage could be key flexibility provider. Regen’s 2016 publication Energy Storage: Towards a Commercial Model set out five business models for storage investment; Response Services, Reserve Services, Commercial & Industrial (C&I) High Energy Users, Domestic & Community Self-Use, and Generation Co-Location. Whilst there have been mixed messages from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Ofgem, the ‘first wave’ of projects, driven by response services such as Enhanced Frequency Response and reserve services such as the Capacity Market, are now coming online. In addition to this, electricity DNOs have received unprecedented levels of interest to connect storage to the distribution networks, with accepted or connected connections now totalling just under 4GW, across eight of the 14 UK licence areas. Findings from

Regen’s 2017 paper, Energy Storage: The Next Wave, concluded that with the limited frequency response market remaining highly competitive, the ‘next wave’ of storage needs to focus on other revenue streams, specifically the co-location of storage with generation and high energy users. Enabling storage to access more volatile price markets (such as the Balancing Mechanism) and leveraging the emergence of local flexibility tenders/markets, could unlock the business case for storage moving forward. Neil introduced Younicos, a subsidiary company of Aggreko specialising in distributed battery storage with c.200MW of assets in the field. Younicos’ “Y-Cube” is a configurable battery storage unit, with up to 920kWh (500kVA) of capacity in each enclosure, well suited to C&I applications. Neil discussed various applications and hybrid solutions using battery storage, from co-locating with variable generation such as PV/wind, or baseload generation i.e. diesel, as well standalone storage providing grid services or even installed in microgrid/island scenarios. Battery storage could enable high energy sites, such as those in the water sector, to stabilise self-supplied renewable generation and align generation and demand more closely.

NORTHERNAREANEWS Neil discussed the role of sophisticated control software to enable automated response and to manage the battery operation to prolong operational life.

could offer a rapid-response solution to ensure shorter duration power outages or supply quality disruptions does not result in operational site downtime.

Robert introduced Immersa, a consultancy and delivery partner specialising in energy efficiency, demand side response, distributed generation and energy storage. Robert summarised some of the benefits of ‘behind the meter’ storage, enabling owners to secure new revenue or generate financial savings from e.g. avoiding peak time-of-use costs. Examples of a site’s daily usage profile was shown with a PV and battery system introduced, notably reducing grid import during high cost periods. Lastly, Robert discussed the value that storage could bring through providing power supply resilience. This is a key area of focus for Ofwat, in terms of water industry asset’s being resilient to mains supply blackouts and brownouts. Energy storage

Chris introduced Foot Anstey and his team’s experience in advising a number of clients on the commercial viability of storage. Referring back to the wider need for storage, Chris discussed the need for system balancing coming partially off the back of the surge in solar PV deployment in the UK. Chris shared some of the key lessons he has learnt to date, saying that storage projects are complicated compared to i.e. a solar or wind project, not having the comfort of a subsidy such as FIT or ROC. Batteries are in themselves flexible pieces of kit, so the investment cases need to be as agile as they are. A simpler version of the National Grid Balancing Services is set to emerge, and the role of ‘aggregators’ developing portfolios of smaller flexible assets to participate

continues to play a key role. There are also a number of legal considerations around storage projects, around revenue sharing agreements, operation and maintenance obligations and potentially complicated leasing arrangements. A panel Q&A discussion at the end highlighted the value of power supply resilience as potentially being a critical factor in the water sector. Many attendees represented energy management teams for some of the major UK water companies and it was highlighted that operational power quality issues and mains supply outages can cause significant issues for operational drinking water or waste water sites and there was strong interest in the room to better understand the UPS/backup supply functionality of storage technology. The role of resilience was noted as a key area to be explored further, as battery systems of all types and sizes are developed and connected on sites across the UK.

ACHIEVING FELLOW MEMBERSHIP Many congratulations to Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director at Northumbrian Water, for being awarded his well-deserved Fellow Membership, a level that is awarded for dedicated service to the Institute of Water or to prominent people in the water sector. Richard has worked for Northumbrian Water for around 25 years having started his career as a trainee engineer. Over time he moved into managerial and senior managerial roles, ultimately being appointed onto Northumbrian Water’s Executive Leadership Team as the Wastewater Director in 2012. Since becoming the Wastewater Director, Richard has naturally picked up the unofficial position of senior Institute of Water ‘champion and sponsor’ within the water company. Simon Cyhanko, Northern Area Committee Member and Chair of the Institute of Water, said: “Without Richard’s support there would be a ‘void’ of IWater support at the highest level within Northumbrian Water. “Also, 16 years ago, Richard acted as my mentor on the Northumbrian Water graduate scheme. During our early discussions Richard encouraged me to join IWater as a form of selfdevelopment. Indeed, I took on that advice and have been ‘hooked’ on the IWater since.”

The achievement of gaining Fellow Membership recognises Richard’s support for the Institute of Water and as an ambassador for us at senior leadership level within Northumbrian Water.

[L2R: Simon Cyhanko, IWater Chair, Richard Warneford and Victoria Ross, Northern Area Committee Secretary]

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SCOTTISHAREANEWS

BEING AGILE: HOW TO DELIGHT YOUR USERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS Institute of Water member Cigolene Nguyen reflects on the Scottish Area’s December Lunch Byte, hosted by David Cassidy, Agile Coach for Scottish Water: David challenged the audience to rethink their approach of Waterfall project management. In 1998, David became a project manager and gained a Prince 2 qualification which was best practice at the time. Prince 2 is a Waterfall model where work is done in distinct phases, usually by different teams as one phase flows down into the next. However, David found himself delivering products on time and on budget but that the users hated; or he experienced slipped deadlines and increased budget requirements. In 2002, David discovered the Agile approach through Robert Martin. David learned that since change happens much faster now than when Waterfall was designed, project managers needed to be able to respond to that change instead of trying to control it.

The approach was summarised in an ‘Agile Manifesto’ which contains four values and 12 principles that if adhered to deliver great results. He used this new approach and was able to deliver valuable products early and frequently, with happy users and stakeholders. The four values of the Agile Manifesto are:

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Welcome change even late on - we don’t produce good products by limiting change

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Produce working features at each iteration

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Work with users and stakeholders daily

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Empower and support teams in a suitable environment

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Communicate face-to-face

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Value Working Product (Project, Plant, Treatment Work, Process) over Comprehensive Documentation

Measure progress by working features, not by timescales

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Set a sustainable and constant pace

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Value Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation

Never compromise on quality

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Value Responding to Change over Following a Plan

Maximise the work that does not need to be done

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Self-organising teams work best

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Continually improve

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Value Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools

To enable these, you need to follow these 12 principles: ■■

Deliver valuable products early and frequently

IT’S A GIRL!

PRESIDENTS DINNER

Congratulations to our Area Secretary Jennifer Lawson and her husband on the birth of their beautiful baby girl!

Our Annual President’s Dinner will take place on the 24th March at the Radisson Blu, Glasgow.

Hope Mairi Kay Lawson was born on the 13th December 2017 at 17:07 weighing 8lbs 10oz.

The evening will begin with a drinks reception at 7pm followed by dinner at 7.30pm. The Scottish Area 2018 Innovation Award winner will be announced after dinner and the evening will conclude with live entertainment. We would love to see you there.

Jennifer has let us know they are all well and are completely besotted by her.

Bookings for table of ten is £350 plus VAT and individual seat bookings are £35 plus VAT.

On behalf of the Scottish Area Committee, we wish the Lawson Family all the best on their new adventure!

David’ contact details and presentation are available on the Institute of Water website.

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For further information regarding this event please contact kathy.auld@scottishwater.co.uk or to book your place contact lucy@instituteofwater.org.uk

SOUTH EASTAREANEWS

SOUTH EAST YOUNG PERSON’S FORUM By Kirsty Ayres

Senior Engineer, WSP On Thursday 16th November, the South East Area held their Young Persons Forum at Primayer’s offices, Waterlooville. The Young Persons Forum is a chance for young water professionals (under 35 years) to speak on a relevant topic to an audience of around 40 members of the Institute and gain essential practice in presentation skills. I was asked to chair this event by Steve Youell, IWater National Vice-Chair, having successfully chaired a section of the Institute’s Annual Conference in Manchester earlier this year. It was an opportunity I jumped at. After a brief introduction by Kevin Brook from Primayer, Mandhy Senewiratne from Fyrefly led the audience in a range of activities designed to improve communication and public speaking skills, including some used by actors before appearing on stage. With lots of audience participation, there were many laughs to be had. I began the presentation session with a short breathing exercise. As wellbeing is extremely important both in the workplace and outside it, this exercise helped participants understand how consciously focussing on your breathing can help reduce stress and calm any nerves. It certainly helped me feel calmer so I hope the speakers felt the same!

I then introduced each speaker in turn, explaining their current job role and giving an interesting fact about each person. As the event is supposed to be fun and supportive of the young speakers, this helped keep the mood light and friendly. The range of presentations was excellent, with Conor Geoghegan (Portsmouth Water) describing his journey so far in the water industry, Lisa White (Primayer) discussing fixed network leak detection technologies and Charlotte Ivison (Thames Water) explaining how she has diversified her role. After a short break for all important tea and biscuits, Sarah Murray (Affinity Water) spoke of her involvement in the Institute of Water Rising Stars programme, before finishing off with Hayley Wakeford (Portsmouth Water) presenting an honest account of the

challenges faced by young female engineers. The Q&A session became more of a whole group discussion which could have been chaotic but I thought worked really well in the end as both presenters and the audience were involved in a supportive conversation to answer the queries. More experienced members were able to offer valuable advice to the younger participants on career development and changes in the industry. The forum was a great success and I enjoyed taking the plunge again to chair another event. As the new Rising Star for the South East, I am looking forward to more opportunities to get involved in supporting the local committee and I would encourage anyone to have a go at presenting at events - you might just surprise yourself!

OUR DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS Congratulations to our new Distinguished Member Awards Adrian Watkins from HydroCo and Kevin Brook from Primayer. Adrian and Kevin were nominated for their awards in light of the significant contribution they have both made to the Institute of Water South East Area over a number of years. Their awards were presented at the South East Young Person’s Forum. Well done to both of you.

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SOUTH EAST AREA INTERACTIVE WEEKEND SCHOOL: STRENGTHS, SOLUTIONS AND THINKING TIME TO AIM HIGHER Each year the Institute of Water South East Area hold their biggest event of the year, their Interactive Weekend School. Institute of Water members, Vikki Kirkwood from Affinity Water and James Baker from Portsmouth Water, take us through this weekend learning event: Having woken up early on an autumnal October morning, 34 bleary eyed Institute of Water delegates, set off on their travels to the Powdermills Hotel in Battle for an 8.30am start at the Interactive Weekend School enrolment. For a lot of them, their development journey in relation to the event had already begun in the form of conversations and rapport building with colleagues on their journeys. On arriving at the hotel in Battle, delegates were greeted by the resident peacock in addition to the event organisers James Baker (Portsmouth Water) and Vickie Kirkwood (Affinity Water). Promptly at 9am on the 12th October, the event officially began, with a warm and friendly welcome and overview of the three day event. The Key Note Speaker for Day One of the event was Piers Clark, Chairman of Isle Utilities. Piers delivered a thoroughly engaging speech, which was both intriguing and inspirational. He gave the delegates lots of food for thought to discuss during the remainder of the event. The floor was then passed over to Kathy Toogood and Mike Roarty of Solution Focused Leadership (SFL). SFL is a leading coaching, training and organisational development organisation. They use the latest thinking about accelerated people development and business psychology.

delegates and their retrospective organisations. Having been fully engaged with the days learning and now checked into a spectacular country hotel, the delegate’s journey did not stop there. After a short refreshment and change of clothes, the first official networking session began. The less formal evening saw delegates having fun, sharing their stories and experiences, and continuing to form new contacts over yet another outstandingly delicious three course meal.

The topics covered in the first session with Kathy and Mike included an overview of strengths focused leadership, and exploring what the delegates’ strengths might be. This allowed delegates to really get to know not only each other’s strengths, but for some, it really opened their eyes to the extent of their own strengths.

Day Two started with a recap of the learning topics from Day One. Kathy and Mike then commenced the day’s learning with two sessions on the Solution Focussed Approach, split by more refreshments and networking. Mindfulness was the next topic on the agenda, and our delegates took part in different types of guided mindfulness.

To ensure all delegates were fuelled and ready to go for learning about the Thinking Environment in the afternoon session, a two course hot buffet lunch was provided by the hotel. Over lunch, conversations continued and new network connections started to be formed between all

After a light lunch (food and drink was definitely a large feature of this course!) the delegates heard presentations from seven industry leaders about their careers and what advice they had to give around development:

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Simon Cocks (CEO at Affinity Water and SE Area President)

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Dr. Jean Venables (Director at Venables Consultancy)

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Luke Stanbridge (Marketing Director at Z-Tech Control Systems Ltd)

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Dr. Robin Price (Head of Water Quality at Anglian Water Services)

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Richard Price (Director of Construction at Southern Water)

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Mike Kirk (Executive Chairman at Portsmouth Water)

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Chris Glover (Commercial Director at Affinity Water)

Following this delegates were then invited to have afternoon tea with the leaders whilst being able to engage with them through table discussions in a ‘Meet the Leaders’ session, kindly sponsored by Z-Tech. For many people, one of the highlights of the Weekend School was the Murder Mystery event over dinner on the Friday night, proudly sponsored by Affinity Water. Another great networking opportunity and outstanding

SOUTH EASTAREANEWS

entertainment whilst following a fancy dress theme of Alice in Wonderland. The final day of the event was a Dragon’s Den style competition, where delegates worked in groups to present to a panel of industry leader judges, chaired by Martin Baggs. The topic was around solving water scarcity in the South East and the judges certainly ensured their proposals were scrutinised. Whilst it was a close call, the winning team (chosen by our judges) was rewarded with a small prize each.

Lewis Powell said: “The thinking environment was my favourite subject, this was because the principles were relatively simple, things like appreciating your colleagues, equality, etc. Despite the relative simplicity of it I’d never thought much on it, I’d just accepted the way meetings are conducted because it’s the way people far more senior than me were running them, so they must be right. I think that’s the main thing I got from the weekend school: people can be stuck in their ways and while you might think there’s no point in you thinking on improvements and challenging them, in fact there is, don’t assume something has been set in stone just because that’s the way it’s always been done.”

Conor Geoghegan said: “I would urge anyone who is keen to develop themselves in terms of leadership, networking, developing their knowledge of the industry or even in need of a confidence boost to put their name forward to attend the weekend school as it very rewarding in a many ways.”

Diani Cunningham said: “Meeting the inspirational speakers on the second day was very interesting. They all had various things they achieved and different paths to how they got to the role they are in now. During the afternoon tea and the murder mystery dinner we had the opportunity to get to know them on a more personal level. It was great to talk to someone that has successfully achieved what I would like to in the future. The murder mystery dinner was a great idea as it allowed people to interact with each other without being it being a part of the course.”

“I heard many great things about other people’s experiences at the weekend school prior to mine. This left me feeling excited but also anxious about the interactivity of the course. However by the end of the weekend I felt a lot more comfortable around everyone and the Dragon’s Den presentation felt a lot less daunting than I anticipated it to be. Overall I found it very useful, learnt something new every day and most importantly had a great time!”

Hayley Wakeford said: “We also met some very inspirational leaders throughout the school. What was really lovely about the afternoon tea with them, is you could ask them absolutely anything. I found this very useful as one of the leaders (Jean Venables) is one of the first female engineers who I have ever met. She has broken down barriers and by her doing so, it has allowed for me to be able to sit in Investment department as a fully qualified engineer. I found sitting in her presence very humbling and inspirational, and brought to my attention the need to continue the work she has carried out so that more females continue to follow in her footsteps. Jean was able to answer questions about my future career and where I should be aiming for like no other manager has been able to

do for me and has put at rest some of the concerns I have had, and also brought my focus on my career into the ‘realistic’ world. I also loved meeting Dr Robin Price- Head of Water Quality from Anglian Water, he was of a different mind-set to the other leaders, and as a delegate I was really able to relate to some of his views. Seeing somebody like him who has made his way up in a different manner to the others was really inspirational to see. In particular his view of breaking down hierarchy in the workplace by saying that everybody looks the same in pyjamas, is really something I will be able to take away for the rest of my career. If I ever present to the board, I will be imagining everyone to be in dressing gowns and slippers!”

The annual event received some very positive feedback from delegates, leaders, venue staff and organisers alike! A big thank you to our sponsors, to Vikki Kirkwood and James Baker for their hard work in the organisation and to the attending members who made it another great event Might we see you there next year for the 2018 Interactive Weekend School? Dates are 11th - 13th October 2018, so pencil it in your diary.

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WELSHAREANEWS

DISTRIBUTION ZONAL STUDIES The first lunchtime learn event of the year was a presentation on Welsh Water’s Zonal Studies and was held in Welsh Water’s Capital Alliance building in Newport. The presentation described a holistic investigation into the factors influencing performance in a Water Quality Zone. Using this model Welsh Water has been able to focus its attention on 24% of the most problematic areas in its distribution zones. The company has gathered and assessed information, data and operator knowledge together with all the possible issues and events that have occurred for each zone. Categorisation of the information was based on three key areas; safety of water; customer acceptability and reliability of supply. Included in these categories was Burst Main Information, Leakage, Low Pressures and Growth.

Already there have been significant savings made with regards to reducing oversized mains and enabling pumping stations to become obsolete. Determining root causes of the zonal problems in the distribution systems has sometimes also resulted in easy solutions being applied - such as a short length of main being installed to increase flows in a particular part of a distribution zone. Currently, 84% of the distribution system in Welsh Water is hydraulically modelled and the company has the ability to interrogate the models for the likes of network capability

and asset condition. All this data and information gathering has enabled a robust and auditable development of 39 zonal studies over the past three years. This has resulted in the creation of assessed and targeted UK Water Industry leading investment plans to achieve the outcomes for customer acceptability by 2050. The lunchtime learn event was extremely interesting, informative and very well attended. It was presented by Trystan Davies, an asset manager who delivered a flawless and passionate presentation.

WELSH AREA 2017 CHRISTMAS SOCIAL The Institute of Water Welsh Area would like to thank everyone who came to this year’s Pizza Making Party Christmas Social. Complete in Chef`s hat and aprons, we enjoyed a festive night of fun and games whilst learning how to make our own pizza! After all the dough tossing and pizza making was done, we tucked into our delicious creations over a few drinks. Thanks once again to all those who made the evening so enjoyable, we hope to see you all at the next Institute of Water event soon.

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