Institute of Water Magazine - Autumn 2018 by Institute of Water

AUTUMN2018 ISSUE199

IN THIS ISSUE INNOVATION MAINS TECHNOLOGY CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT

INSTITUTE OF WATER MAGAZINE

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Autumn Edition of the Institute of Water Magazine! I think there is only one place to start and that is to reflect on what was a fantastic National Conference Douglas Millican and his team delivered in Glasgow back in June. The National Conference for me, is always the highlight of the Institute’s event calendar and each Conference raises and sets the bar for the following year. The Institute of Water are already planning next year’s Conference in Northern Ireland and we look forward to updating you on this very soon. Included with your Magazine is the Conference Review which I hope brings back great memories for all of those who attended but also encourages members who have not yet experienced the Conference to mark it in their diary for next year. You may have seen that we are in the middle of recruiting for the 2019 Rising Star’s Programme. Unique to the Institute of Water, this Programme is open to any member who is at an early stage in their water sector career and offers successful applicants a range of development opportunities. During 2018, the Programme underwent a full review which has seen further benefits added and invites all successful applicants to sit on their local Area Committee. Applications are still open and further details are one the IWater website. It would be amiss of me not to use this opportunity to plug the One Day Environment Conference on 7 November 2018. Titled ’How can we leave a legacy not a liability?’ the conference will explore what we need to do in order to leave the environment in a better place for future generations. Chaired by our Vice President Environment, Professor Ian Barker you will hear from senior industry figures, from across the water and environmental sectors, on what looks like a thought provoking day, and don’t forget that the event is free to IWater members

So what’s in this edition of the magazine? Ofwat give an update on some of the outcomes from their recent Spark! campaign aimed at increasing discussions throughout the sector around innovation and what it can bring customers, the environment and wider society. In what is already a busy year for Ofwat, the Regulator also published their Out in the Cold Report which outlined how companies responded to the thaw that followed the ‘Beast from the East’ in late February and early March of this year. Institute of Water member, Carmen Snowdon give us her reflections on this report and possible examples of where companies could improve in terms of planning for periods of extreme weather. And on the subject of extreme weather, the recent prolonged period of hot weather has seen water companies having to cope with a number of different challenges. We therefore have a number of articles around Innovation, Mains Technology and Catchment Management; all of which should provide some interesting food for thought. And as always, don’t forget to catch up with the Area News to see what our Institute of Water Area’s have been up to. Enjoy the read!

Steve Youell

Features

26 Innovation 54 Mains Technology 78 Catchment Management

Regulars 4 Members Update 6 Environment News 8 Engineering News 10 New Registrants 14 Rising Stars 16 Mentoring 18 CPD 20 Committee Members 22 Drilling and Tapping 2018 98 Area News

DWI Inspector Vice National Chairman, Institute of Water

Institute of Water HQ: 4 Carlton Court, Team Valley, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE11 0AZ Website: www.instituteofwater.org.uk President: Douglas Millican 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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NEW COMPANY AFFILIATES George Leslie Ltd Founded in 1964, George Leslie Ltd is a medium-sized, privately-owned Civil Engineering contractor undertaking a wide range of construction projects throughout Scotland. Since its formation, work in the water and wastewater sector has been an important part of the Company’s workload. From the early days of sewer repairs and replacement, the Company has developed the capability to undertake varied and complex projects which have included large diameter water main & sewer replacement, water treatment works, tunnelling & deep pumping stations and wastewater treatment works. The in-house pipeline services division complements these core water-related activities, providing

CCTV, vactor and pipeline jetting experience and expertise. With full third-party Quality, Health & Safety and Environmental accreditation, and the personal involvement of Directors and senior members of staff ensuring that a dedicated high quality of service is provided, the same attention to detail is applied to every contract from the smallest to largest with the capability to undertake contracts ranging in value from £5k to in excess of £20m.

In addition to the water sector, the Company also undertakes work across the full range of Civil Engineering with a particular experience and expertise in marine projects encompassing piers, ports, quays and harbours.

Aqua Clear Simply put AQUA CLEAR helps businesses save water, money, energy and the planet! At AQUA CLEAR SC, our water management specialists have over 40 years industry experience and are immersed in knowledge about all things WATER. Water consumption, water audits, water profiling, water supply, water recycling, water reduction strategies, water regulations and water savings to name but a few. Working UK-wide, our highly proactive and discreet approach, along with our full service offering has seen us work with major hotel groups, local authorities, NHS, golf courses, retail outlets and shopping malls. By reducing water usage and water wastage, improving

sustainability, identifying irregularities, satisfying legislative requirements we deliver substantial carbon, energy and money savings… all without impacting on service. We use our unrivalled technical knowledge and methodical tried and tested approach to find the best value, savings, tailored practices and strategies for our clients, backed up by hard figures and credibility.

“AQUA CLEAR did not just understand our Public Sector need for due diligence and savings for the public purse, they understood our intent to manage Water and our costs to the highest level...They definitely deliver results!” NHS HIGHLAND

For more information visit us at www.aquaclearsc.com

RETIRED LIFE MEMBER RATE Did you know about the Retired Life Member rate? This membership rate is a one-off fee, equal to 10 x the annual Retired Member rate, and payable on retirement. Once paid, there are no further annual membership renewals to make.

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If you think you qualify for this rate, please contact the Institute of Water Head Office on 0191 422 0088 or email info@instituteofwater.org.uk

MEMBERSUPDATE

AGM NEWS

The Board for 2018-19 is:

At the AGM in Glasgow in June Douglas Millican was elected as President for the coming year. Douglas joined as Vice President last year and succeeds Thomas Faulkner who remains on the Board. We are delighted to welcome four new members to the Board: Paul Hickey, Deputy Director, Water Resources at the Environment Agency where he has also been the national lead for water quality, groundwater and contaminated land. Paul has over 25 years’ experience in the water sector, including a number of regulatory and asset management roles within the water industry. Paul is a Fellow Member and a Chartered Environmentalist and presented at our first Environment Conference.

Sarah Murray, Scientific Officer, Affinity Water. Working as part of the Water Quality Team, Sarah’s main role is managing the Drinking Water Safety Planning process. Sarah is a Registered Scientist, working towards Chartered Scientist Status, and is Deputy Secretary on our South East Area Committee. Sarah was a Rising Star in 2017 and was the successful applicant for the Board seat reserved for a Rising Star.

Jo Parker, a Chartered Civil Engineer with 30 years’ experience in the water industry in a variety of roles including Head of Network Asset Management and Operations Director with UK water companies. Jo, a Fellow Member, was National Chair in 1987 and went on to be President of Eastern Area.

Linda Williams, HR Director at Welsh Water and President of our Welsh Area. Linda has worked in HR for 25 years, the last 9 of them at Welsh Water. You can meet Linda at our Environment Conference in London on 7th November where she will be sharing her thoughts on how we develop the right skills to tackle complex environmental challenges.

Sam Phillips: President in 2010, Vice President Engineering for the past three years and a wise head and willing volunteer, ready to offer advice and lend a hand when needed.

Vice-President Sara Venning Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Water Vice-President Engineering Jo Parker Director, Watershed Associates Vice-President Environment Ian Barker Managing Director Water Policy International Ltd Vice-President Science Robin Price Head of Water Quality, Anglian Water Chair Simon Cyhanko Sewerage Operations Manager Northumbrian Water Vice Chair Steve Youell Inspector, Drinking Water Inspectorate

Standing down to accommodate the new members are: Tim Wagstaff: Rising Star Board Representative for the past three years, leading and improving the Innovation Awards and now familiar to most as compere at the Awards Dinner.

President Douglas Millican Chief Executive, Scottish Water

Natalie Akroyd: Chair in 2016 and a longstanding stalwart on Midlands Area Committee.

Boards Members: Lynn Cooper, Thomas Faulkner, Paul Hickey, Sarah Murray, Bob Taylor, Marie Whaley and Linda Williams

Peter Simpson: President in 2015 and 2016 and choosing the Institute of Water to complement Anglian Water’s Licence to Operate framework as well as promoting the Institute of Water among his peers.

2019 PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION FEES The Professional Bodies that license the Professional Registrations we administrate have announced their registration and renewal fees for next year. These new fees will come into effect from 1st January 2019. Environment Registration Fees by Society for the Environment

Engineering Registration Fees by the Engineering Council

Science Registration Fees by the Science Council

Chartered Environmentalists (CEnv) New registrations fee - £86 Annual renewal fee - £43

Chartered Engineer (CEng) New registrations fee - £51.90 Annual renewal fee - £39.90

Fees for levels of professional registration will remain unchanged.

Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech) New registrations fee - £40 Annual renewal fee - £20

Incorporated Engineer (IEng) New registrations fee - £43.80 Annual renewal fee - £33.80 Engineering Technician (EngTech) New registrations fee - £17.90 Annual renewal fee - £19.40

Institute of Water membership fees Membership fees will remain unchanged for 2019.

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ENVIRONMENTNEWS

‘THE WATER ENVIRONMENT - HOW CAN WE LEAVE A LEGACY AND NOT A LIABILITY?’ Institute of Water Environment Conference 7th November 2018 The Victorians recognised that managing water is a long term business. They built their infrastructure to last, and we still rely on much of it today for our water supply and wastewater services. But that infrastructure is both a blessing - we would be in a much poorer place without it - and also a curse, since it risks locking us into ways of working and a culture driven by asset construction and management. The challenge for us now is how we respond to dealing with ageing infrastructure, tighter environmental standards and higher expectations from governments and customers, the prospect of increases in population and the extremes of climate change. What do we need to do to manage and reduce human pressures on the water environment, and leave a legacy rather than a liability for future generations? At the Environment Conference Defra, Rachel Fletcher (Chief Executive of Ofwat), and Harvey Bradshaw (Executive Director of Environment and Business at the Environment Agency) will set out their views on the challenges and what needs to be done to address them. Professor Alastair Driver will throw down the gauntlet on behalf of aquatic ecosystems, and young professionals

from around the UK will tell us what they are doing in response. As I write this, the dry weather is focusing attention on water security, low river flows and environmental stress. The National Infrastructure Commission will set out what they think needs to be done to secure water supplies, and Paul Hickey from the EA will round that out with a perspective on how we ensure enough water not just for people but also the environment. It’s not just water quantity that’s important: water quality matters too, and there’s growing concern about the ever-increasing list of contaminants that are being found in rivers and coastal waters. We’ll hear how we’re doing in the UK compared with Europe, and what we need to do to reduce the threat. Leaving a legacy will only happen if we have the right people with the right skills to understand and deal with these complex issues. But what skills will we need, and what are we doing to develop them? Linda Williams (HR Director at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water) and Luke Stanbridge from ZTech will point the way. I do hope that you’ll be able to join us at the Conference. It’s free for Institute of Water members, and only £150 for non-members. Professor Ian Barker Institute of Water Vice President Environment

IWATER MEMBER BECOMES HONORARY FELLOW Institute of Water member, Dr Mark Fletcher HonFSE, Global Water Leader at Arup, was awarded Honorary Fellow status by the Society for the Environment. Mark is a deserving recipient of this status as demonstrated through his contribution to water and the environment. Mark is on the Leadership Council of the UK Water Partnership and is a Board Director of the Water Industry Forum, along with many other outstanding credentials. Mark was nominated for this status by the Institute of Water along with Paul Leinster, former Chief Executive of the Environment Agency. Dr Emyr Roberts HonFSE, the first CEO of Natural Resources Wales also received Honorary Fellow status. They all join a revered group of individuals who have been recognised for their outstanding environmental work and/ or their contributions to the Society. Congratulations Mark!

IWATER MEMBER WINS ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR 2018 Institute of Water member, Graham Powell CEnv was presented the prestigious 2018 Environmental Professional of the Year award by the Society for the Environment. Huge congratulations Graham and very well deserved! Graham is a Chartered Environmentalist via the Institute of Water and CHP (Combined Heat and Power) Manager at Anglian Water. He has lead and mentored projects aimed at issues to promote the fundamentals of; Reduce, Refurbish, Re-use, and Innovation to create awareness and culture change. Graham said: “I am both delighted and proud to receive this prestigious award and was “in

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shock” when my name was announced against such strong competition. I have worked with Anglian Water for 25 years and I consider myself privileged to work in an industry that is passionate about environmental protection. This award is not just about me, it recognises the efforts and support of a hard-working, dedicated team and awards like this are a huge boost for all.”

Further congratulations A further two Institute of Water members were shortlisted to be Environmental Professional of the Year - Gemma Williams REnvTech, from Dwr Cymru and James Peacock CEnv, from Wessex Water. They were both “highly commended” and presented Runner-Up awards. Well done Gemma and James!

THE WATER ENVIRONMENT

HOW CAN WE LEAVE A LEGACY AND NOT A LIABILITY?

INSTITUTE OF WATER ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE

One Birdcage Walk | London 7 November 2018 Book now @ www.instituteofwater.org.uk instituteofwater.org.uk

ENGINEERINGNEWS

SAM PHILLIPS ELECTED AS CHAIR OF ICE NORTHERN IRELAND REGION After serving three years as Vice-Chair, Sam was elected as Chair at the AGM on 3rd September and will hold the position for the next year. Sam left the Board of the Institute of Water in June this year, having served for nine years including National President 2010-2011 and Vice President Engineering 2015-2018. Sam was also President of Institute of Water Northern Ireland Area from 2007 to 2011.

Sam has a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast and has 40 years’ experience as a consulting engineer, much of it in the water industry. He has worked on a wide variety of projects in the UK, Ireland, Africa and the Russian Far East. Sam is a Trustee Board member of the North West Zambia Development Trust which has developed a mini-hydro power utility and is a passionate advocate for its work.

NEW VICE PRESIDENT ENGINEERING FOR INSTITUTE OF WATER The Institute of Water have a new Vice President Engineering. Jo Parker is a chartered civil engineer and has worked in the water industry for over 40 years. Jo currently works as an independent consultant specialising in the management of water mains and is recognised internationally as an expert in the field. She has particular expertise at applying the principals of asset management to developing countries. She is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Water and the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management.

Review of the Engineering Panel One of the first things Jo is doing is reviewing and refreshing the membership of the Engineering Panel. The Panel comprises the Vice President Engineering plus a minimum of five and a maximum of eight Engineering Council Registrants.

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The standard term is three years, after which time the Vice President will review the panel, seeking to maximise skills, knowledge and diversity of membership. The duties of the Panel are to: ■■

Receive recommendations from assessors on outcomes from Professional Reviews and make decisions on all applications for registration, including eligibility for membership.

■■

Provide a forum for consultation/discussion on all matters of interest to the particular discipline.

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Support the Vice Presidents in the organisation of technical conferences.

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Actively champion professional registration in local areas.

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Represent the Institute of Water at meetings and events with the Science Council, Society for the Environment and the various Engineering bodies (Engineering Council, Engineering UK and the Royal Academy of Engineering).

The Professional Panels normally operate remotely (by email, conference call or similar) on an ‘as and when basis’ but there will be an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting around the Engineering Conference next spring. If you are a Registered Engineer and interested then please email lynn@instituteofwater.org.uk with a brief outline of your background, what you could bring and why you are interested.

Working in partnership with Scottish Water ... throughout Scotland

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Blackbyres Road, Barrhead, Glasgow G78 1DU T: 0141 881 9131 F: 0141 881 8265

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SCIENCE I had considered professional registration and initially dismissed it, thinking, having completed a BSc, I should complete an MSc first. My career shifted and I became more involved in engineering and business management, carving the time to complete an MSc would be difficult and the value minimal. Professional registration is well respected in my industry. It provides a level of formal recognition of experiential learning and continuing development that at the middle stage of my career is arguably more important than an education-based qualification. I decided to progress through the professional registration route which involved submission of a Masters Equivalence Report, a Competence Report and an Interview. Not as daunting as it sounds, the reports were really about putting down on paper what I do every day and the interview, whilst answering some formal questions, was more of a discussion between peers working in a similar industry. So certainly not as formal as it sounds.

Barry Millar

Director, Waterscan Ltd Chartered Scientist

I found the process really well explained and actually quite rewarding to document some of what I have achieved in my career to date. I was thrilled to receive the CSci award and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly been well received by my peers. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m now looking forward to encouraging a few colleagues towards professional registration.

My decision to apply for RSciTech membership was solidified after attending a CPD workshop hosted by Anglian Water. My mentor gave me great amounts of support and feedback, as well as many gentle reminders to complete the application throughout. My RSciTech application was first started after about a year of working within the water industry. Beginning my current role as a data technician fresh out of university, my knowledge of how the industry at large worked was limited (to say the least). Going through the RSciTech application opened my eyes to the astounding amount of information and understanding I had gained in just the 12 or so months that I had been working, relating in particular to the main challenges facing the business from a water quality perspective. It has also made me realise just how much there still is to learn about the water industry.

Henry Stocks

Water Quality Data Technician, Anglian Water Registered Science Technician

I would fully encourage any relative newcomer to the industry to go through the RSciTech process and to become a recognised professional.

I joined Anglian Water in 2015 after 20 years working in horticulture research and development. With no previous experience of the water industry I was fortunate to join a very supportive team who have helped me build on my understanding and knowledge of this area.

Emma Coventry

Water Quality Scientist, Anglian Water Registered Scientist

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It was important for me that I demonstrated my progress in my knowledge base of the industry to attain credibility in my new role and I was encouraged to apply for Registered Scientist status. I had two excellent mentors, Claire Pollard and Nicola Johnston, who generously shared their time and knowledge to help with my application. Compiling the information for the competencies allowed me to reflect on my learning and how I had developed as a Water Quality Scientist. I really enjoyed this process which has also encouraged me to maintain my CPD log and document my learning and reflections in my new career. I was delighted to be awarded Registered Scientist status based on the work I have been involved in since joining Anglian Water. Application for professional registration is very rewarding with the award recognising personal development and improvement. Over the last year a number of my colleagues, like myself, have been preparing to submit an application. There has been a real community feel during this process with lots of sharing, help and advice available. This was a very positive experience and I would encourage others to consider professional registration.

NEWREGISTRANTS SCIENCE CONTINUED As a Water Quality Scientist at Anglian Water, achieving Registered Scientist status with the Institute of Water recognises my commitment to continued professional development and reinforces my competence as a scientist. The application process provided a fantastic opportunity to reflect upon my career in the water industry to date and reinforced the importance of maintaining an effective CPD record to demonstrate competence and identify areas for additional development. Following my professional review, my assessors provided clear and detailed developmental feedback, which will support my progression to becoming a Chartered Scientist. The route to scientific registration through the Institute of Water is clear and well-guided, with the Institute on-hand to offer support throughout the process. I would thoroughly recommend it to fellow water industry professionals, working within a scientific field.

Matthew Leeson

Water Quality Scientist, Anglian Water Registered Scientist I am currently working for Anglian Water as Assistant Scientist in the Clean Water Chemistry department, and have done so for the past 16 years. I became a member of the Institute of Water a few years ago, and around the same time I began to keep a CPD. Attending an IWater professional registration workshop gave me ideas for a new way to approach my CPD, it taught me to focus on setting myself targets, plan how to achieve them, and write up what I had achieved. The most important part was evaluating what I had achieved. Before attending the workshop I had just started to use the IWater online CPD, which I had found to be a great tool.

Matthew Richardson Assistant Scientist, Anglian Water Registered Scientist

Following the workshop, I decided to apply for Registered Scientist status. It took me quite a while to choose what I was going to write about in each of the different sections, but when I put my mind to it, and came up with a plan it was much easier. The competency report allowed me look back on all of the different areas of laboratory work that I had taken part in, from method development through to health and safety. Once I had completed and sent my report off, I was invited for an interview. My assessors talked through the different areas of my competency report and CPD, and also other areas that were not in my report. A week or so after the interview, I was so pleased to receive my certificate for Registered Scientist status. The feedback from my assessors was valuable, suggesting areas of development to focus on, to further progress in my career. All in all the process was good, and I would recommend to others in the same area of work.

Professional registration demonstrates competence and commitment and is something that I am proud to have achieved. I was encouraged to apply for Registered Scientist status by my colleagues in the Water Quality Team who had already gained professional registration. I have a number of scientific qualifications but none of these recognise the experience I have gained since joining Anglian Water and so I chose to apply for RSci status through IWater. I was lucky enough to have a great support network in my team to help me through the application. The process was straightforward and allowed me to identify both areas of experience and development opportunities. I would encourage anyone considering professional registration to apply; it is a great way to demonstrate commitment and expertise in your subject area. There are different levels of registration that are suitable for a range of experiences. I will now be working towards my Chartered Scientist application.

Sophie Moore

Water Quality Risk Scientist, Anglian Water Registered Scientist

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ENGINEERING Having recently joined the Institute of Water I felt encouraged and inspired to gain accreditation for my experience and academic studies that I had achieved over the last 10 years in the water industry. Working at Dwr Cymru has given me the opportunity to continue my studies and complete a HNC in mechanical engineering. As a result, I have been given the opportunity to study a BEng in Mechanical Engineering. This coupled with my process experience has enabled me to plan my goals through my CPD and achieve EngTech accreditation. The process is simple and it did not take long to receive my accreditation. EngTech reinforced my experience and skills and has opened up various career possibilities. Now I have achieved the EngTech status my new goal is to further acknowledge my education and experience and apply for Incorporated Engineer accreditation.

Matthew Parry

Senior Process Operator, DĹľr Cymru Engineering Technician I have been in the utility industry for over 10 years, working for mainly housing developers and helping in the process of providing multi-utility solutions. Over time I have progressed from working in CAD to now being directly involved in the design and installation process of gas, water and electrical networks. At my current employer, GTC, the design department actively encourage everyone to grow professionally through formal training and on the job experience. One of the best ways to recognise your knowledge and experience is through a professional registration. Through the registration with the Institute of Water it shows peers and colleagues that I take pride in my work, that I want to progress in my career and a great way in keeping in touch with the industry through their magazines and email updates.

Michael Stewart

Senior Design Engineer, GTC Engineering Technician

I found the application process to be straight forward and everyone that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve dealt with at IWater, Sarah and Jordan in particular, have been extremely friendly and helpful in getting my application and queries processed. Their online CPD tool help me document key milestones in my career and will be used in helping me get to Incorporated status.

Throughout my career, it has been my ambition to become a Chartered Engineer so I am really grateful to the Institute of Water for enabling me to achieve this. This professional registration has provided me with recognition of the engineering expertise that I have developed throughout my career, as well as validation of my professional competence. The process for obtaining registration has been challenging. However, it has also been a rewarding experience to reflect on my personal development, with respect to my engineering qualifications, skills and experience. The interview process was very enjoyable and a great opportunity to discuss my career with two knowledgeable professionals. The process enables candidates to demonstrate their capability and I would recommend the Institute of Water to anyone considering professional engineering registration, because of the fantastic help available to members throughout.

Thomas Kelly

Operations Manager, Northern Ireland Water Alpha Ltd Chartered Engineer

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Becoming a Chartered Engineer will be invaluable to me throughout the rest of my career. It represents further opportunity to me, while also benefitting my employer by demonstrating their commitment to staff competency and development.

NEWREGISTRANTS ENGINEERING CONTINUED Over the past 17 years I have been working in the water industry and I was introduced to the Institute of Water a number of years ago. I decided to become a member with the aim of obtaining Chartered Engineer status. I view my membership and involvement in the IWater as a continued path to assistance in the provision of my Continued Professional Development, as well as the promotion of the importance of an ever evolving water industry, through discussion, debate, innovation and dissemination of knowledge. I am proud to be in receipt of my Chartered Engineer status and acknowledge recognition of my peers. The process, as set out by the IWater and the Engineering Council, proved straightforward and unambiguous. The IWater membership team proved very approachable and helpful at all stages throughout the process. I would fully recommend membership of IWater and urge prospective members to review the various options for prospective registration.

Martin Logan

Senior Engineer, RPS Chartered Engineer

ENVIRONMENT Being very new to Wessex Water and to the water industry, I have been devising a strategy to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to perform well in my role as Investment Manager for the South Division. One aspect of this strategy is to aim for Chartered Environmentalist because in my role environmental considerations are always a key factor when deciding which projects to progress with. These environmental considerations are varied; whether I am considering supply, network or waste projects of which I oversee. I chose to register as an Environmental Technician as I see this as a good foundation for a coherent developmental plan to one day achieve CEnv, as this is one way to clearly demonstrate the use of a structured approach to CPD which is a required competence D2 for the chartered registration.

Richard Sims

Investment Manager South, Wessex Water Registered Environmental Technician

For people thinking about becoming professionally registered, I found the application process relatively simple whilst it challenged me to fully explain how my role impacted the environment. The main reason why I found the process simple was due the direct help and support I received from the Institute of Water by discussing my application and critiquing a draft application prior to a formal submission.

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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RISINGSTARS

OUR SEARCH FOR THE RISING STARS OF 2019 Are you new to the water industry and feel you have potential and appetite to progress? If so, the Institute of Water is looking for its Rising Stars of 2019. The Institute of Water’s Rising Stars programme brings together a collection of unique opportunities, designed to develop the skills and professional excellence of new industry talent. Rising Stars particularly focuses on providing professional development in the skills areas that are not traditionally tackled or made available to individuals. Through an application process each year, we choose eight Institute of Water members who have shown both the potential and appetite to progress within the water industry. Speaking about the programme, Lynn Cooper, Chief Executive of the Institute of Water, said: “Year-on-year, the Rising Stars programme have allowed ambitious members the opportunity to get involved in initiatives to help them with their personal and professional development that helps them get ahead in their career within the water industry.” To apply, you must be at an early stage in your water industry career (normally under five years) and be a member of the Institute of Water.

If selected you will benefit from a programme of initiatives designed to encourage and assist your development and raise your profile within the industry.

You can read more about the Rising Stars programme and how to apply at www.instituteofwater.org.uk/rising-stars or get in touch with your Institute of Water area representatives.

The closing date for applications is 21 September 2018.

It’s only September and the Rising Stars have already managed to squeeze in so much!

There have been visits to Skanska UK, Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival, Elan Valley Dams, WaterAid, UK-IWA Young Water Professionals Conference, plus they were actively involved in and attended the Institute of Water’s National Conference and there’s still more to come! Here’s what some of our Rising Stars have said about the 2018 programme: “This programme has enabled me to explore parts of the industry I’d otherwise never get the chance to. Those experiences are invaluable for my CPD.” Fionn Boyle, Optimisation Project Engineer, Anglian Water

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“Rising Stars been such a valuable experience, with the opportunity to get a real insight from senior leaders into the water industry and their career development. I particularly enjoyed our visit to Elan Valley to understand the huge engineering work to build the dams and we saw the impact this year’s heatwave has had on the reservoirs.” Kirsty Ayres, Senior Engineer (Water), WSP

“The Rising Stars programme has provided me with so many one-off opportunities I would not have otherwise have had, and has already helped me to develop in my career. I would highly recommend the Rising Stars programme to anyone who is passionate about their career in the water industry, and who wants to develop their knowledge, networking and presentation skills.” Hayley Dyson, Trainee Legal Executive, Yorkshire Water

RISINGSTARS

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MENTORING

MENTORING SUCCESS The Institute of Water’s Mentoring Programme is one of the key offers of our membership and can help participants unlock their potential and support their career goals. Initially, the scheme begins with an online registration, where a mentee applicant registers the outcomes and goals they aim to achieve through the process. These can range from learning about a new area of the water industry to gaining insight and guidance to enhance their career. The mentoring programme then works to match applicants with potential mentors most suitable to meeting their development goals. The timescales for mentee/mentor partnerships vary depending on the requirements, commitment, and the desired development outcome, and successful partnerships are measured in many different ways. One such success story, is the partnership between Abbie Johnson and Simon Bennett.

MENTEE

- Abbie Johnson

North London Delivery Manager Thames Water

MENTOR

- Simon Bennett

Head of Wholesale Services Bristol Water Plc

They’ve been in a mentoring partnership since the end of April 2018. We had a chat with Abbie and Simon to hear how they were both finding the experience and how they manage the process. What did you both hope to achieve from signing up to the mentoring programme? Abbie: I’ve been in the water industry for seven years and have just started a new role with increased responsibility and a vast scope to make positive changes. I sought a mentor that would be able to give me guidance on their experience in a similar position, allowing me to learn from their mistakes and achievements. Simon: I signed up as a mentor with the hope of sharing my vast knowledge and experience acquired from 35 years in the water sector and to give something back to the Industry!

How do you manage the mentoring partnership? Abbie: I originally contacted Simon and requested he mentor me for the first three months in my new job, but it fast became a longer-term partnership. My ‘target’ was to have someone I could go to outside my company in order to have a fresh view of the world, which Simon has given me with excellent enthusiasm!

Simon: We have already had two face-to-face meetings and a third is being planned. Abbie has discussed her new role and its challenges and we have looked at some quick wins to start with. No actual targets have been set yet, although Abbie has recently shared her ‘Insight Discovery Profile’ with me and we may set some targets based on this. We both see this as a long-term mentoring partnership.

How have you found the process so far? Abbie: Simon’s been brilliant - making time to see me face-to-face and sharing all kinds of ideas that I can bring into my work. He’s wonderfully open and really engaging. His input has given me confidence to get straight into driving change and improvement.

What would you say to someone considering signing up to the mentoring programme? Abbie: It’s been priceless for me - although I didn’t have a tangible result I was wanting from the partnership, it’s given me support and self-confidence to really excel in an otherwise daunting environment. Simon: Go for it, it’s a very rewarding experience. As a mentor be prepared to challenge yourself as well!

Thank you both and good luck with the partnership in the future!

Simon: The experience has been enjoyable and positive so far. Abbie has been great, willing to listen, take on new (and old) ideas and push back when needed. When she is CEO of Thames Water, I will expect her to remember me!

Visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk/mentoring to find out more and to sign up as a mentor or mentee.

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CPD

CPD SAMPLING As you may know, the Institute of Water prides itself on providing CPD opportunities for our members and encourage everyone to actively participate in development. In order to be able to award the various professional registrations that we offer, the registration authorities (Engineering Council, Science Council and Society for the Environment) expect us to sample CPD from a cross-section of our members who hold a professional registration every year. We also select some of our corporate members who aren’t on a register, demonstrating the importance we place on CPD. This year’s sampling exercise is about to begin. Those selected will receive a letter informing them and explaining what needs to happen. There’s plenty of time - as in previous years, submissions need to be in by December. We have a team of volunteer assessors who will assess all the submissions we receive and provide a little constructive feedback with ideas for further enhancing members’ approach to professional and personal development. The best CPD records we receive will be put forward for the Institute’s annual CPD award.

Matt Bower, the Institute of Water’s CPD Champion explains further: “We’d want participation in the CPD monitoring process to be a positive experience for our members. It’s an opportunity to show IWater what you’ve been up to and have your CPD reviewed by your peers across the water industry. The feedback from our assessors can often be very insightful and is designed to help members take their development to the next level.” If you are selected to submit your CPD, don’t worry - CPD records come in all shapes and sizes to suit the individual’s needs and those of their employer. Just submit your CPD record in whatever form you have it. Ideally we’d like to see all the elements of the personal development cycle in there, but the important thing is that you submit something. The requirement to submit CPD if selected is mandatory - it’s a commitment we all make when we become a Corporate Member of the Institute of Water and/or join a professional register.

IWater’s Online CPD Tool makes the process even easier. Simply respond giving the IWater permission to access your online record, and we’ll do the rest. When responding, it may be helpful to set your learning in context with a few paragraphs outlining your learning aspirations for the year and any planning that you’ve done. “I know some members can find it quite daunting to be called on to submit their CPD record, especially if it’s not as up-to-date as you’d like it to be. If you are stuck or feel that you need a hand to get your CPD in shape, please don’t suffer in silence. Sarah at IWater’s Head Office can offer advice or put you in touch with someone who can help. We’re all really friendly and we are keen to support our members in developing to their full potential. Have a look on the IWater’s website too, where you can find further guidance to help you through your CPD journey.”

ANNUAL CPD AWARD Congratulations to Ben Tam, who won the Annual CPD Award. The award was announced at the President’s Dinner in Glasgow on the 21st June. On being told about winning the award, Ben said: “I remember clearly the session Ian Limb ran for our team and his principles stuck with me, so a big thanks to Ian and the Institute of Water for the effort they put into CPD. “In that session I learnt that the core of the CPD process is about identifying areas where you have a gap or development need and then finding a logical way to get that experience or knowledge. It can be tough to keep track of everything or become overwhelming if left for a long time so I keep it simple and aim to have a small set of goals, but which will have a bigger impact. Setting goals has kept me on track and I find it a useful way to reflect on what I’m doing at work and also outside of work.

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It has really helped with making decisions about my career especially when it comes to identifying the next role to apply for and what I can learn from each role I do. “I’m thrilled to have won the award this year and will continue to be an advocate for CPD and how it is instrumental to career development.” Further congratulations to Dr Phillippa Pearson, Head of Water Services Science and Gemma Williams, Catchment Risk Coordinator, both from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water were awarded as highly commended Runners-Up. R2L: IWater Chief Exec, Lynn Cooper presents Gemma Williams her Runner-up award.

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COMMITTEEMEMBERS

SPOTLIGHT ON OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS The Institute of Water has over 100 volunteers across the country, taking up various roles which are imperative to supporting the work the Institute of Water does to help members develop their careers. Volunteers play a crucial part in the work the Institute of Water does, and without them we would cease to exist in the same way. A number of our volunteers are on Area committees.

Joining a committee is a commitment but it’s also a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, hone a variety of skills and capabilities and gain insight into areas of the industry you wouldn’t normally encounter.

What is your current role on the Area committee? I have recently joined the committee as Portsmouth Water’s representative. At the 2018 AGM I was made Treasurer. I will also be running one event this year on the supply demand balance and supporting in numerous others.

Why did you join the Area committee?

Jamie Jones

Job title: Distribution Project Manager Company: Portsmouth Water Area committee: South East Time on committee: 7 months

I joined the committee to give back to the Institute. I feel that the Institute of Water is a great institute that provides a superb platform for people in the water industry to gather knowledge and meet other professionals. I have been a member since 2012 and through the Institute I have been able to do these things through the events that have been organised, and this has helped further my career. I now want to ensure that others are given the same opportunity.

What is your current role on the Area committee? I currently don’t have a named role on the committee but have previously acted as Area Secretary and Chair.

Why did you join the Area committee? To try and give something back after enjoying a number of local and national Institute of Water events.

Mark Hitchmough

Job title: Managing Director COGNICA ltd, Executive Member WRc Company: WRc Group Area committee: South West Time on committee: c. 15 years

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What have been your personal highlights from your time on the Area committee? There are so many! A few I can think of are; playing a part in changing the balance of our committee towards one that is more representative of the industry in terms of age and gender, the introduction last year of Water Industry awareness seminars for students

We spoke to three committee members to find out what encouraged them to join the committee and what their role involves.

What have been your personal highlights from your time on the Area committee? I was particularly impressed with the South East Area Committee Strategy Day held in January 2018. This event helped to set out what was expected of committee members and generate an action plan for the year ahead. It was a great day where committee members were able to brainstorm and bounce ideas of each other.

What would you say to anyone thinking about joining an Area committee? I recommend joining the committee to anyone who wants to give back to the Institute. Not only does it provide a platform for helping to shape and organise further events, it also provides an opportunity to develop further skills that might not be part of the day job.

who had no idea of the breadth of careers the industry can offer, organising numerous iterations of the Dr Allen Bolton Golf Day without ever getting close to winning and without ever caring that I don’t get close to winning and finally, interviewing the nominees to be the South West Area Rising Star is a hugely rewarding experience and it’s great to see the talent and enthusiasm available to the industry.

What would you say to anyone thinking about joining an Area committee? It’s a great way to learn about the industry, informally and from a range of viewpoints. A lot of information is shared that can support a career development path or can provide support for your business role. Committee meetings have the all the best parts of a family gathering and working to deliver a seminar or event can be very rewarding.

Sophie Straiton

Job title: Production Solutions Engineer Company: Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Area committee: Welsh Area Time on committee: 5.5 years What is your current role on the Area committee? My current role on the area committee is Vice Chair. This role involves me supporting the Chair of the Welsh Area, Dominic Scott, and ensuring that the committee is delivering for our members. I became Vice Chair in April 2018. Previous to this, I was Chair of the events committee from January 2015 and prior to this I was a member of the events committee.

Why did you join the Area committee?

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I joined the area committee for a number of reasons that have allowed me to develop both professionally and personally. These reasons included, to increase my network of contacts within the industry and to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, to allow myself to learn from them; to gain a broader understanding of the water industry and to give me the knowledge and understanding of what is involved in running a committee which has allowed me to improve my leadership, team-working, time management and communication skills. I also joined the area committee so that I could influence what the area committee was providing for its members that are new to the industry.

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DRILLINGANDTAPPING

DRILLING AND TAPPING TURNS 30 AT UTILITY WEEK LIVE

2018 marked the 30th year of the Institute of Water Drilling and Tapping Competition and what an intense event it was. After a year of planning for this year’s competition, teams from the UK and Europe gathered at the NEC Birmingham on the 22nd-23rd May to battle it out for the coveted trophy. The 2018 competition brought together 11 men’s teams and 1 women’s team to simulate the real-life application of an under-pressure mains tap for a new service. Representing Europe, Groningen and Waternet both entered a team and we welcomed back water company teams including, Scottish Water, Anglian Water, Bournemouth Water and Northumbrian Water [NWL] alongside Clancy Docwra representing contractors in the industry.

Day1 Tuesday was the first day of the competition where we saw the 12 teams compete in the knockout stage to earn a qualifying time and a place in the final on Wednesday. Each team completed two runs under the close eye of the judges, an average time was measured and any penalty points added for leaks or incorrect fitting of the pipes, leaving teams with their qualifying time.

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The qualifying stages saw Anglian Water and Bournemouth Water get through with only 1 second difference in their times of 2mins 47secs and 2mins 46secs earning them both a place in the final. 3rd place in the qualifying stages went to NWL Team Wear with a time of 3mins 22secs. Scottish Water, Waternet and Groningen took 4th, 5th and 6th place and all earnt a place in the final. Unfortunately Clancy Docwra narrowly missed out on a place in the final with a time of 4mins 18secs. There was no women’s competition this year due to the lack of teams, however, the women’s Waternet team completed their run in 6mins and 36sec and were awarded the Mueller Women’s Champions. As day 1 came to an end the tapping community came together at the Genting Casino Sports Bar for the annual Tapper’s Reception, sponsored

by Z-Tech Control Systems. The teams, judges and sponsors enjoyed an evening of networking with colleagues and friends.

Day2 Wednesday was finals day and the 6 qualifying teams stepped up to complete to become National Drilling and Tapping Champions 2018. After their first run, Bournemouth Water took the lead with a time of 2mins 37secs beating their qualifying time and delivering a quality tap with no penalties.

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The second half of the final saw a change in the frontrunners with Bournemouth incurring a 30 second penalty, making their second run time 2mins 48secs. After an incomplete run on their first tap the Anglian Water team pulled all the stops out to deliver a great tap, however, they also incurred a 30 second penalty making their final tap time 2mins 49secs. Underdogs NWL Wear gave a magnificent performance in their final run of the competition and delivered a winning time of 2mins 24secs, this complete with a ‘quality tap’ put them in 1st place making them this year’s champions of the IWater Drilling and Tapping Competition 2018, sponsored by Talis. Second place was secured by Bournemouth Water and third place went to Anglian Water. By winning the National competition the NWL team also secured a place at the American Water Works Association Drilling and Tapping Competition in Denver in June 2019 and will be representing the UK in the World Water Cup against Holland and America the same year. Drilling and Tapping not only requires the necessary skills and dexterity to deliver a quality tap, incredible teamwork and excellent communication are vital. Senior Judge, Michael Taylor, comments on the competition turning 30; “The Drilling and Tapping competition is great way to bring together a wide range of people and capabilities from the industry and the success is down to the people, from the teams to the organisers – it’s a great way to collaborate and showcase the expertise of our industry not only in the UK but internationally too”. This competition would not be able to take place without the dedication and commitment of all those involved from setting up, to our sponsors and the teams and organisation’s that dedicate their time to participate in such an exciting tournament.

NWL Wear Tapper Colin Pearson said; “It was a fantastic opportunity to be given the chance to compete once again in the 2018 Drilling and Tapping competition. “After finishing 3rd last year we were determined to make this year’s final and hopefully finish in the top 3 again. However, day one in the preliminary rounds didn’t go so well and after achieving good times we incurred penalties and just scraped through to the final in 4th place out of the 6 finalists. The other teams had clocked good times and clean runs so the pressure was on. Everything came together for our second run where we achieved a time of 2mins 24secs with no penalties placing us in 1st position with 4 teams left to go. After a nervous wait we were over the moon to collect our winner’s trophy. “We are very much looking forward to representing the UK in next year’s International competitions in America and Holland and can’t wait to do it all again. Alan and I would like to thank everyone involved in putting on such a fantastic competition and for the great camaraderie between all the teams and judges, Fingers crossed we come home as international champions in 2019!”

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WATERAID

CHALLENGES FOR WATERAID Supported by their donators and their volunteers, WaterAid are renowned for getting much needed clean and wastewater facilities into many disadvantaged parts of the world. Taps and toilets are usually relatively simple to install. But as every water engineer knows, to ensure a permanent sustainable service requires the backing of an effective water and sanitation system. WaterAid is working with governments and local authorities in developing countries to help build and strengthen these systems through training and joint planning.

Margaret, how did the concept of ‘sector strengthening’ come about? At WaterAid we found that the biggest problem in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector is sustainability. We looked at why such facilities we were installing were failing three to five years down the line and we realised that it was a whole system issue, where policy, formulation, institutions, regulation and capacity - the very building blocks of an effective water and sanitation system were not there. WaterAid now go beyond service delivery to try and address the route problem to the lack of sustainability. We call this Sector Strengthening. It is that strategic underpinning that WaterAid is now doing and is the basis of all our programming.

That’s a big challenge. Where do you start? The Institute of Water caught up with Margaret Batty, Global Director of Policy and Campaigns for WaterAid to talk about ‘sector strengthening’, a strategic approach that mostly goes unseen but will help create a lasting clean water and sanitation legacy for years to come.

Wherever we are working, WaterAid analyse the sector at a national and local level and then work with utilities, regulators, and ministries, to see where the areas of weaknesses are. We then explore ways to bring together our industry partners and water utilities in the countries where we work to share skills and

knowledge and strengthen the capacity of their water and wastewater service providers. For a country to exit from aid dependency, robust national and local systems must be in place and water and supply companies in the UK can play a part by laying the foundations for development.

This is all very strategic but how can our members help with this? Whenever you are in a conversation or there’s any opportunity to influence WASH investments in developing countries it would be to say that it’s not all about installations or service delivery but to encourage conversations to move into that more systemic, sustainable approach, which we take for granted in the UK. Together, we make a far bigger impact than we could by acting alone. Between us, we have the commitment, experience, resourcefulness and connections to change millions more lives. If there is a partner in the Institute of Water who feels they have that kind of capacity, ability and interest then please get in touch with WaterAid.

CASE STUDY: 20 TOWNS CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT Together with WaterAid Ethiopia, Yorkshire Water, and the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electric, WaterAid have strengthened key aspects of the water and sanitation services in 20 towns in Ethiopia. The aim of this work is to improve service delivery and access to water and sanitation services by implementing an urban model capacity-building programme, which can be adapted and applied in other towns through the national ministry and other actors. It is an approach WaterAid are already replicating in other countries, where they partner with other UK water companies, as well as between high performing utilities in countries like Uganda and developing utilities in other countries.

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There have been significant changes in the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of service provision in these towns because of WaterAid’s work to strengthen the water, sanitation and hygiene systems.

Zelealem tried to develop his learning by observing others but the utility was suffering from leaking pipes, poor revenue collection and unserviceable water meters, resulting in loss of revenue. This meant the utility could not invest in developing new water resources and meet increasing demands. “The Utility was going down a negative spiral. The service was bad, the revenues were not coming in and the water generated was not enough for the ever-increasing demand. To make matters worse, a third of the treated water was lost before it even got to our customers. But we didn’t even know that until we got training from WaterAid and Yorkshire Water about non-revenue water.

As Debre Tabor Municipality Manager, Zelealem Assefa had established a reputation as a strong and forward thinking manager.

“That’s the gap WaterAid and Yorkshire Water filled for me personally and for the Utility in general.”

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FEATURE: INNOVATION

SPARKING CHANGE - HAS OFWAT INSPIRED THE WATER SECTOR TO GO FURTHER ON INNOVATION? Earlier this year Ofwat embarked on a creative campaign to engage and inspire the water sector to be more innovative. Here we look at what the campaign achieved. Back in February 2018, at Ofwat we decided we needed a fresh approach to inspire the water sector to think and act differently on innovation. Innovation is a key theme of our 2019 price review1 and our aim for customers to get more of what matters. But innovation is so intangible and ephemeral. How do you even begin to talk about it?

An innovative approach to talking about innovation Out of this was born Spark! our digital innovation channel. It featured: ■■

■■

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

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

■■

a host of both original and shared social media content, such as blogs, graphics and gifs; and email marketing and engagement with our audiences.

The campaign and interviews served up some fascinating insights from our experts - as well as some clear messages. ■■

Every sector is grappling with the opportunities and challenges of innovation.

■■

Innovation is more than just technology and it can benefit everyone.

■■

Successful organisations have a culture of innovation to create ideas and make them a reality.

■■

Many organisations are collaborating with others to innovate

■■

The scale and pace of change means no sector should wait to innovate.

Sparking change?

While we wanted to ‘spark’ discussions and inspiration - we also hoped those discussions would lead to companies offering up more innovation for their customers.

Our campaign was aimed at water company employees of all levels, retailers and innovators from within and outside the sector. We wanted to inspire them to engage in conversations with each other about innovation.

Clearly that is an ongoing aim. It is not just for the next five years alone; or solely restricted to monopoly service provision.

The social media analytics were certainly impressive - almost doubling the previous reach of other Ofwat campaigns. But success isn’t just about tweets or likes. Did it really hit home where it mattered? We carried out a survey among water companies. We found that: ■■

78% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that Spark! was presented in a useful format – and provided useful content.

■■

67% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that Spark! promoted a wider conversation within their organisation about innovation.

A number of companies highlighted they were likely to do things differently as a result of Spark! Others highlighted it had added weight to discussions they were already having with their employees - from their Boards downward. Most agreed it was useful to see that we supported innovation and valued it. So, mission accomplished right? Well, almost.

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The business retail market.

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Emerging markets for bioresources and water resources.

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Other forms of competition – such as direct procurement.

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The supply chain.

They all have role to play in delivering more of what matters for customers over the coming years. That said, we are looking forward to 3 September with interest. That is when the 17 companies must submit their plans to us for services for 2020-25. Those plans will require them to address challenges such as climate change and population growth. And we will specifically be testing their plans - among other things - for innovation for the first time. We’ll be publishing more information about how we check and challenge those plans as well as short videos about the plans from the companies themselves. So in the words of Spark!, “Stay tuned!”.

Ofwat’s campaign has been shortlisted for the Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR) PRide awards

So, what happened as a result of the campaign? 1. 2019 price review, Ofwat: https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulated-companies/price-review/2019-price-review-final-methodology/

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ANGLIAN WATER’S INNOVATION SHOP WINDOW LEADS THE WAY IN NEWMARKET

Water is crucial to life, and recent hot weather has seen certain areas of the UK looking like patches of the Sahara Desert. Innovation is the key to tackle the toughest challenges facing the water industry today, with population growth, climate change, water quality and scarcity, to name but a few. By exploring new ideas, collaborating with partners, and piloting the best products, Anglian Water is achieving exciting advances and building an ever-more resilient system, all whilst reducing the cost of customer’s bills. Based in Newmarket, Suffolk, Anglian Water’s Innovation Shop Window is an industry first,

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real-world test-bed that allows the organisation to trial the latest technology, systems and processes to create the water company of the future, today. As one of the fastest-growing, and driest, regions in the country, planning for the future and improving resilience is a top priority. Ghislain Juvanon, programme manager for the Innovation Shop Window, said: “Our Shop Window has become a breeding ground for some of the most exciting technologies within the water industry today. We are building a

microcosm of our future business and joining our efforts with partners, organisations and suppliers is showcasing how much more can be done when we collaborate together.” “By concentrating our work in one location we are accelerating our learning and finding solutions to challenges faster. The key to this is discovering synergies between new technologies and different ways of working, showing that they are more effective when combined, rather than individually. Engaging with the local community

FEATURE: INNOVATION of Newmarket has seen other benefits - we’ve seen a significant improvement in customer satisfaction, with over 16,000 customer engagements and an increased community awareness of the Shop Window by 270 per cent. We’ve also given our customers an opportunity to influence their future.” Currently operating with over 105 different partners and suppliers on 101 projects, Anglian Water’s Innovation Shop Window is helping to embed the most exciting, brand new technology into the man-made water cycle.

Technological Advancements In the dry region that Anglian Water operates in, water conservation is essential. Recognised as a global leader in leakage reduction, an intelligent technology-driven water network is being created in order to eliminate bursts and detect leaks. Pressure Reducing Valves are used to calm pressure within the system, drone equipped with thermal imaging cameras detect leaks, and Anglian are now using advanced noise loggers and pressure monitors to pinpoint leaks even more accurately. In a bid to generate a truly circular economy, energy consumption has reduced through purchasing cheap, green energy and generating more renewable ‘poo’ power. This has helped halve carbon emissions in just five years, supporting the organisation’s ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. In a global industry first, vibration capture technology has been used to harvest energy from vibrating assets such as motors, pumps or pressure reducing valves, eliminating the need for wiring new sensors or replacing batteries in remote areas. The innovations on show in Newmarket go beyond just energy saving, maintaining the high standards of water quality is also high on Anglian’s agenda. Technology from the pharmaceutical sector is used to spot microscopic chemicals and bacteria in water, with a view to removing the need for chemical treatment in future. Smart in-sewer aerators feed oxygen to the good bacteria, encouraging it to treat the sewage while it’s in the sewer, before it becomes septic. “At Anglian Water, we don’t stand still. We’re a leader within the water industry for innovation. Innovation involves taking risks, and sometimes these risks don’t work out. That’s ok, and if anything, it is still valuable learning. Creating a safe environment to fail, all the while managing our risks and celebrating failure, enables us to strategically roll out successful solutions, ensuring that we are prepared to meet future challenges and satisfy the core of our business - our customers”, Ghislain said.

Smarter Drop The same approach to innovation is replicated in Anglian Water’s approach with engaging the community of Newmarket in this ground breaking test bed - culminating in the customer-facing campaign known as Smarter Drop which has been designed to inspire local residents to change their water habits. Providing technology is not the only solution to the issues the water sector currently faces. The Smarter Drop campaign also focuses on the implementation of behaviour change, with its focus on water efficiency becoming one of the most ambitious programmes ever launched in the UK. If results continue, Newmarket will become the water saving capital of the UK, helping to guard against the impacts of drought and climate change, which are likely to hit this region hardest. Smart meters are helping customers track and understand the amount of water they use on a daily basis, helping to keep customer’s bills affordable. One year into the campaign, Anglian has already seen customer satisfaction and engagement soar, and people’s average water use drop by 6 per cent. Ultimately, the company aims to help customers reduce their usage to just 80 litres per person per day - making Newmarket one of the most water efficient places in the world.

been fitted to slow the flow of rain into sewers during storms, significantly reducing the risk of flooding. Anglian Water is currently working with developers to explore how SuDs can be integrated within future builds, making new houses water saving havens. In addition, near real time modelling can predict the impact of storms on sewers. Using smart storm tanks and intelligent water butts with automated valves, extra capacity can be added by self-emptying tanks, reducing the pressure on sewers, and reducing the risk of flooding. Furthermore, predicting the impact on sewers allows teams to be deployed before there is any impact to customers or the environment. This innovation hub of Newmarket provides valuable insight for the Anglian Water region as the successful learning’s from these trials are rolled out on a much wider scale. For example, thermal imaging technology used to identify and locate leaks has been rolled out to Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex having been pioneered in the Newmarket Shop Window. By allowing innovation to culminate and thrive in one location, Anglian Water can achieve more and learn faster than ever before, finding the most innovative solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. As global warming increases and the demand for water continues to rise, Anglian Water is putting itself at the forefront of the industry, building the water company of the future, today.

Smart meters also allow leaks to be spotted proactively within homes, preventing unnecessarily high bills. Anglian Water has already slashed leakage in Newmarket by 23%, saving 126 million litres per year. Other in-home technology like the water saving shower head, which flashes different colours according to how much water has been used, provide a fun visual clue to encourage people to take a shorter shower. Despite living in a dry area, the flat nature of the region means flooding is not uncommon. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs) have

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CLIENT SIDE CHASM CROSSING...

South East Water has been looking at technology to help combat the effects of climate change, rapid urbanisation, aging infrastructure and frugal budgets for years. by Tertius Rust

Innovation Lead at South East Water Traditional approaches in leakage, demand management and water supply have been exhausted. To ensure South East Water remains competitive in a dynamic environment, where decentralised water technologies are becoming a real possibility, working more effectively with existing infrastructure is a matter of survival. With many new and disruptive technologies maturing in the market at the same time, South East Water is creating an ecosystem where the benefit of each could be combined to supplement or replace traditional methods of working. Although results of these types of trials usually take the spotlight as the shiny new thing that is going to revolutionise the water industry, the work done to get to the stage of testing new innovative projects is often neglected. While companies are excited by the potential benefits of a new solution or technology, the Board always has to balance this with the risks involved, particularly when considering an industry which provides a vital public service such as water, and where safety and security of the long-term future of the product is the highest priority - this sets the innovators in the water sector a challenge. Achieving this is no small task, but sustaining an innovative culture, through enabling agile and design led

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innovation, is the Holy Grail for companies. A staged approach was used to achieve this goal. The initial step was to create a position that would promote, communicate and coordinate innovation throughout the company. This enabler does not take ownership of ideas or take credit for what it solves, but understands the underlying technology and knows how to communicate this to all levels within the organisation. This role provided a bridge between the business as usual activities and new technology and solutions occurring in the industry. This new role empowered South East Water to look outwards to solutions in the market, although not focusing on solving specific problems. A solution looking for a problem might sound like a bad idea, but some innovation techniques promote this approach. A lot was achieved by allowing vendors the opportunity to showcase what they can do and where they can provide benefits by using the latest technologies. This quickly identified that for complex problems no one vendor can leverage the technology required to achieve the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals and consortiums or partnerships would be required. Once this process of external reviews was complete South East Water turned inwards. It looked at internal experts, shared knowledge of what was available in the market and how to enhance existing plans to solve key needs.

Turning inwards enabled the company to narrow down a project scope and link it with an existing need. The next step was to involve global leads in the respective fields. This supported a concrete implementation strategy, staged integration, agile change management and sustainable benefits realisation plan while de-risking the known issues experienced elsewhere. Starting at the end, South East Water knew what it wanted to achieve. Working all the way back to each technology enabler and involving specialists in the field was critical to de-risking new innovative projects for board member approval. With a fully engaged executive team pushing further enhancement and benefits on innovative projects, the company is moving into the last phase of the innovation implementation, which is sustaining the innovation momentum and continuous improvement. For this aspect we incorporated the support of consultancy firm +Add Strategy that delivers this through a dedicated programme of staff training, tools and techniques to monitor and support innovation. The future at South East Water is extremely exciting, with new and innovative projects in the pipeline for delivery and a strategy in place to ensure a long-term future for continuous innovation.

FEATURE: INNOVATION

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EGREMONT

DESPERATELY SEEKING SIMPLICITY

Why Frugal innovation Could Be the Answer by Dean Wheeler Egremont Group

In an increasingly complicated world it is easy to see why the complex solution is often seen as the only way to solve complex problems. The water industry, challenged with the need to inject innovation into its business operations, can often rely on the same thinking. But innovation doesn’t need to be flashy and expensive to succeed, in fact sometimes frugal innovation is more likely to work. The Ivanhoe Reservoir in Los Angeles where scorching sunlight was reacting with the chlorine added to the water and naturally occurring bromide to create harmful chemicals is a prime example. Instead of relying on a massive capital outlay

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or advanced chemistry they used an elegantly simple solution: adding millions of jet black plastic balls to the water, which covered the surface until a more permanent solution could be created. That’s not to say frugal, or even simple, innovation is easy to achieve. It is hard to truly simplify a complex problem. How often are the phrases ‘machine learning’, ‘big data’ and ‘artificial intelligence’ bandied around at the moment? While all have their place, for a water company that needs to move forward and change working practices right now, the simplest solutions should be the first port of call. When embarking on an overhaul of working practices and old systems, the idea that a

wonderful new IT system could solve all the company’s problems is a seductive one. Yet the sheer monetary and time investment needed to get it right often consign these plans to the bottom of the pile before they have even started. How much better would it be to apply a continuous improvement (CI) approach that can allow the company to realise benefits within the organisation when that perfect IT solution just isn’t available or affordable.

Creating a Continuous Improvement Mindset Focusing on the simple details of a process such as how the work really gets done today and mapping out the interrelated issues that need

FEATURE: INNOVATION resolving sounds easy in principle but is often hard to achieve. This is because we often look for complex solutions such as IT for simple problems when we have not really understood the initial problem in enough detail. For example, a person who feels tired all the time might insist that their doctor check their iron levels while ignoring the fact that they are unambiguously sleep deprived. Doing something now that makes an incremental difference soon is always better than waiting for the ideal solution to (possibly) come later. This does create a leadership challenge, as we naturally want a perfect solution and our bias is always to the complex. By opting for impenetrable / complex solutions, we sidestep the need to understand the problem. It is a means of turning away from a problem and labelling it as too confusing and a job for someone else to fix. By focussing instead on understanding the fundamentals it is often possible to solve most of the problem. Software developers usually find that 90% of the code for a project takes about half the allocated time. The remaining 10% takes the other half. Writing — and any other sort of creative work — is much the same. When we succumb to complexity bias, we are focusing too hard on the tricky 10% and ignoring the more important 90%. Setting simple tasks allows teams to use tools such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to understand the true cause(s) of a problem. From there the team can develop workable solutions themselves, the result it often practical strategies that fit with the culture of the workforce and the constraints they are working under.

Try It, See if it helps The next stage is the trial. Only by trialling the solution is it possible to really know if it works. Ideas which the team think will work may in practice be only partially successful. This is hard because despite ubiquitous phrases about “fail fast learn faster” people hate failure because of how it makes them feel. Facilitating a team to take a cold hard (objective) look at why it didn’t work over and over again takes a lot of leadership effort. The easy route is to write it off or assume the first go was good enough. Instead, make time to focus on understanding what did and didn’t work, and plan for it to take at least 3 trials before the way forward is clear. The key here is that the actual team members are finding out what works for them. They are invested in the final solution as they have designed it themselves and they bring their technical and practical knowledge with them when suggesting a new way of working. They have really thought about ways to make their own jobs easier and found a way to do that.

How this Works in Practice A water company was looking to assess risk at a site level so they could manage that risk more effectively. This was a complex undertaking with multiple sites, unique asset configuration, unique site design and poor data quality. The level of complexity was huge before even considering the local environment such as proximity to water courses, bathing water etc. It was just too complex, in fact it wasn’t pragmatically possible. The business was looking at the problem from the wrong perspective. Performing this task centrally using systems data the problem looked too complex. If you look at the problem from a local site level the problem looks much simpler. Asking each site to perform a standard assessment of local risk makes the data collection simpler. Proving a simple process

with pre-defined assessment criteria and using local site knowledge it’s possible to gather the same data quickly at low cost. Not only can you gather all the information you need, but you gather much ‘richer’ data as local teams understand their risk more than anyone else. Aggregating this data can be done through simple spreadsheets that can be centralised. A complex problem has been fixed using a simple (and very cheap) new process by thinking deeply about how to look at the problem from a different perspective. The team then started trialling practical improvements to refine the system and make it work even better. Innovation is not always about embracing the complex. By looking at a problem with fresh eyes and implementing continuous improvements, the simple ideas can facilitate big changes and drive effective results.

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NWG INNOVATION FESTIVAL 2018

From dog bogs and smart toilets to plastic pledges and underground maps - how the NWG Innovation Festival 2018 is going to change the world. Described as “Glastonbury meets Bake Off meets the best tech demo show on Earth” the NWG Innovation Festival 2018 saw more than 500 companies from across the globe come together to help change the world through innovation. Around 1,900 people per day descended through the gates of Newcastle Racecourse to take part in thirteen “sprints”, two data hackathons and four STEM workshops that were aimed at coming up with solutions to help solve major social and environmental challenges. Over the course of the five-day-event innovation experts, scientists, engineers, designers, local businesses, Universities, schools, artists and NWG customers worked together to come up with and explore innovative ways to help change the world. Throughout the week festival goers were joined

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by festival guests and inspirational speakers such as TV Star and Pointless host Alexander Armstrong, BBC Business expert Steph McGovern, DEFRA Permanent Secretary Clare Moriarty and senior directors at the Environment Agency and OFWAT. Over 600 school pupils took part in activities, challenges and workshops and more than 70GB of data was crunched in our flooding and leakage hackathons. Social media messages around the festival reached more than one million people. Highlights to come from the festival include interactive smart toilets, underground maps, dog bogs and plastic pledges... you’ll be hearing lots more about these in the coming months at www.innovationfestival.org Festival organiser and NWG IS group director, Nigel Watson, said: “Following the success

of 2017’s inaugural Innovation Festival, Northumbrian Water Group decided to do it all over again, but in the true spirit of innovation we doubled the whole thing in size and made it much, much bigger! “Twice as many sprints, twice as many big challenges to solve and twice as many people to try and solve them. It was an incredible and amazing week and it’s been just fantastic to see people come from all over the world to join us here in the North East to focus on innovation and to help us make the world a better place. “I’m very excited about the results and can’t wait to see what comes out of the festival. Last year we saw some amazing ideas come to life - like the moss tree in Newcastle - but I’m confident having seen what the sprints have come up with this year that we’re going to change the game completely.”

FEATURE: INNOVATION Some of the exciting ideas that will be taken forward from Innovation Festival 18: Sprint 1: Starting from scratch: How do we create the perfect water company (Sponsored by IBM) If UBER did water, how would they disrupt it? If we pushed it as far as it would go, we would only use harvested rainwater, but the price would be too high. What we can start to look at however is the harvesting and re-use of greywater.

a carbon positive company? (Sponsored by BT) The Dog Bog (or Power from Pooches!) will help to tackle dog mess on UK streets and also the amount of dog waste to landfill. There are 510,000 dogs in the North East alone and 93,000 wet tonnes of dog poo per year. This could power 14,000 homes a year, full time if it is captured into the sewer network.

Sprint 2: Going deeper underground: Can we build an underground map of the UK? (Sponsored by Ordnance Survey) To help save billions of pounds for the UK economy, this design sprint has developed a plan to creating a useable underground map of utilities, reducing the amount and duration of roadworks and related congestion issues.

Sprint 8: Smiling happy people power: How can we create a happier more productive workforce? (Sponsored by O2) When people feel happier, healthier and safer at work they are up to 20% more productive. This big idea is to create a digital employee experience through a suite of apps that support people to improve their physical, mental and social wellbeing. The app recognises different triggers and life events and different wellbeing apps for menopause and bereavement support as well as a happiness box and a peer to peer support app have been designed.

Sprint 3: Smart objectives: Smart devices are filling up our homes. How do we improve customer’s lives by making the most of Smart technology? (Sponsored by CGI) The ‘Barnacle’, bringing The Internet of Toilets to the home. A low cost sensor that can be installed in customers’ toilet systems to help detect and infer leaks in their homes and in the wider network. Sprint 4: Fans for life: How to build advocacy with our communities and customers (Sponsored by Explain Market Research) An app that allows Northumbrian Water to give rewards to customers for their time, rewards that are personal to them, not a one-size fits all model. Using systems like Alexa and Geofencing we can engage customers with our messaging in a way that uses time more effectively and is specific and relevant to them. Sprint 5: Testing the water: How can the use of digital twins improve our future? (Sponsored by Newcastle University) Dynamic live modelling. The idea will utilise live data and feed it into a series of applied processes. The models will drive more efficient operating decisions visualised through a variety of platforms be that conceptual or physical and can be applied to different parts of the business. Sprint 6: Future of transport (Sponsored by Northern Gas Network) Over 30 percent of emissions in our towns and cities in the North are from transport. Future Fleet are focusing on making our air cleaner and are creating a North Clean Air Group, who will lobby against north east industry, with north east industry and transport for the north to make things happen. The sprint also designed a future fleet technology centre of excellence app, in the style of Tripadvisor, where customers will be able to trial and rate a vehicle on various aspects such as the level of comfort, how it drives and will it do the job. Sprint 7: Green planet: How can we become

Sprint 9: Building blocks of the future: How can innovation and tech improve design construction operation and maintenance (Sponsored by Interserve and Wood) This big idea utilises robots to improve health and safety, including drones and traced vehicles. The sprint proposed gathering asset need statements using digital platforms and modular construction including standardised product lists. Sprint 10: Vision of the future: How can we improve the lives of people who are visually impaired? (Sponsored by Northumbrian Water Group) Not one but four ideas have been designed to improve the lives of people with visual impairments. These were: ■■ Travel Buddy - airport app with audio description and real time assistance to guide users to facilities and gate information. ■■ See Me - an e-hailer bus stop system to enable visually impaired people to travel independently. ■■ Insight - offering independence through experience and online support. ■■ Smudge - retrofit smart fridge and virtual assistant. Sprint 11: Every drop counts: How and why do we need to save water? (Sponsored by The Big Bang Partnership and Waterwise) This sprint looks to take forward three initiatives that will improve engagement with customers and encourage them to make decisions that will help them reduce the amount of water they use each day from 140 litres to 110 litres. They are: ■■ ‘Drop Swap’ - A web based platform targeting teenagers and young adults, helping them to save water, earning rewards for doing so that can be reinvested back into the local community. ■■ An app for primary school children

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encouraging them to save water. Including educational resources for teachers, with game-ification and rewards for young people. #ToiletTuesday – Social media based campaign encouraging people to identify leaky loos, as 1.3million litres of water are lost in the UK every day due to leaks.

Sprint 12: Blue Planet Teenager sprint: How can we reduce the impact of single use plastics? (Sponsored by Isle) 150 young people have already signed up across the North East to the hashtag #PlasticPledge. These young people are acting as the legacy from the Innovation Festival 2018, spreading the message far and wide to friends and family about plastic pollution, and getting them to make their #plasticpledge by committing to reduce plastic use both at home and at work. These young people have also created an app where beach cleans and the like can be plotted on a map and also includes recipe ideas for a zero waste lunch. Sprint 13: 2019 Year of Green Action (Sponsored by Durham University) Four ideas have been developed into prototypes. They are: ■■ An app for sharing environmental projects to enable greater partnership working between groups companies, local authorities and community groups. ■■ A gaming app to engage young people in environmental issues, offering incentives for things like recycling and green travel. ■■ An app that matches communities with available green and brown field space, encouraging local groups to engage with the local environment more. ■■ A green procurement platform, to give sustainable businesses a competitive advantage in the procurement process. Hackathon One: Flooding data hack (Sponsored by Hitachi) ■■ Produced a range of data science solutions from data sets that will help to reduce flooding from our sewer network. ■■ This includes artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics and visualisation to provide some real insight to our operational crews. ■■ Three different organisations have come together to come up with the best possible solution to reduce sewer flooding. Hackathon Two: Leakage hack and share (Sponsored by Wipro) After analyzing 67GB of data, 70 data scientists used advanced AI, Big Data and predictive analysis to predict where leaks will be in order to get there quicker. This gives Northumbrian Water a chance to show and predict on a map where leaks might occur, meaning teams can get there quicker and have the right equipment when they get there.

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THE BIG BANG PARTNERSHIP

LEARNING HOW TO LEAD INNOVATION IN THE WATER INDUSTRY An idea happens when different thoughts connect for the very first time. [Water efficiency innovation with Waterwise at Northumbrian Water’s Innovation Festival]

by Dr. Jo North

Managing Director The Big Bang Partnership Limited The ideas that we have are what make each one of us, our teams and our businesses different and special. Our level of success depends on the quality and effectiveness of our ideas. A deep understanding of how to have more and better ideas, and how to make those ideas happen, is what leading effective, positively impactful innovation is all about. Fortunately creativity is not an exclusive, fixed ability that only some people have. Of course your environment, your own unique perceptions and how your individual brain is structured do impact your personal levels of creativity, but you have much more flexibility to improve and grow your innovation capability than you might think. Innovation skills can be learned and developed. Like other aspects of how we are made, our brains are inclined to take the path of least resistance, and do what comes easiest and most naturally to us. So we literally can get into a rut with regard to how we think. It’s also very easy to be influenced by what is common practice in our industry and environment, so that seeing things differently in the future from how they are today can be a challenge. Knowing that means that we can develop strategies and use techniques to think more creatively. To be purposefully creative, it often helps us to deliberately disrupt how we normally approach

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things, to challenge our brains to take on new information and work from different perspectives. This can sometimes feel uncomfortable and awkward at first, but that’s good news because it means that we are waking up different parts of our minds! The more we challenge ourselves, and the more we disrupt our thinking, the better and more fluid our thought processes become, because healthy brains have the characteristic of plasticity, meaning that we can always grow and improve. It’s never too late. In the UK water and wastewater sector, with its focus on innovation, customer experience, efficiency, resilience and affordability, industry professionals need to continuously develop and enhance their creative thinking skills and competencies more than ever. Customer demands are changing at speed, environmental and political change is ongoing, and new technology solutions are coming thick and fast – especially with regard to 4IR, or the ‘fourth industrial revolution’, created by digital opportunities. We need to do more than just follow and keep up with the trends. We have a genuine opportunity to continue to create world-class water and wastewater solutions, lead the way in creating much bigger opportunities, and solving really significant challenges. Northumbrian Water Group’s Innovation Festival in July 2018 was a brilliant example of how the industry is coming together with stakeholders, supplier partners and customers to generate new solutions, create opportunities and innovate.

To make the most of the potential from innovation in today’s fast-changing world, knowing how to participate in and lead innovation are essential items in the toolkit of water industry professionals. ■■

From an individual perspective, understanding your own innovation style preferences can be of significant benefit to not only optimising your own thinking, but also understanding your impact on others in your innovation or problem-solving teams, and how you can improve it.

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For teams, understanding collaborative innovation processes, co-creation and collective, interactive innovation techniques and approaches can measurably improve performance and delivery outcomes. Also knowing how to work together with customers, supplier partners and stakeholders in new ways to find better solutions together is an absolute necessity.

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At the business level, opportunity recognition and creation, open innovation and developing a more entrepreneurial approach to future strategy are also key success factors.

The Big Bang Partnership Limited has a range of programmes designed to grow professional innovation skills. These can be found at www.ideatime.co.uk, or you can contact us direct at hello@bigbangpartnership.co.uk.

CMY

FEATURE: INNOVATION

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JACOPA

INNOVATION = ADDED VALUE It’s no longer sustainable to think that what you did yesterday will be alright tomorrow.

by Alex Lloyd

Managing Director, Jacopa Many people think of innovation as a radical change in concepts and practices. Yet in the mature and cautious water industry, innovation is unlikely to take the form of some radical new invention. Arguably, it’s not since the advent of the likes of membrane technologies or UV disinfection that a significantly new approach has been found and rather than being ‘game changing’ most innovation has centred on incremental improvements to solutions in terms of their efficiency and cost. A more modest, but nonetheless most appropriate definition is therefore that innovation is in reality the business of adding value. As Einstein once said, “If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” Jacopa, believe that innovation means continuously bringing forward new, often quite small-scale ideas, to generate improvements in project delivery, with an emphasis on early collaboration to mitigate risk and realise opportunities. This approach is vital to ensure that the industry as a whole can be more sustainable and meet increasingly demanding environmental and cost challenges. Jacopa foster innovation and add value by sustaining a high level of expertise and offering best-in-class customer support. We are committed to adding value through rationalisation, modularisation, and fabrication of systems offsite to ensure simple, quick installation and ease of use wherever possible. We also leverage value by carrying an extensive inventory of spare parts and continuously improve our ERP (enterprise resource planning) system to ensure customers enjoy the best possible response to their repair needs, and by offering world-class maintenance facilities and practices.

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The modular CS7002 Copa raked bar screen is ideal for retrofitting Our focus on rationalisation, and configuration of standard products and solutions for individual applications, is an important aspect of innovation. Through standardisation, we are able to offer solutions that create the best possible value for our customers, which is for them a key driver. We have also focused on innovation through market-leading design tools that ensure that the development of products for customer projects is undertaken effectively and efficiently. Our library of products is continually growing with documentation to the level required for building information modelling (BIM) standards, which enable the building and workflow of projects to be significantly improved. Innovation can also help to solve the industry’s productivity challenges in many significant ways and for us this entails continuous product development and improvement. We believe in identifying risks early and communicating both with clients and the supply chain to ensure that the framework for the design and scope of work, the interface with the supply chain, and the programming of work activity all generate ideas about how to innovate in the detailed planning and execution of work. Innovation is an integral part of what Jacopa does day to day and we recognise that innovation must always deliver a client win. In such a mature market, it is unlikely in most cases that there will be game changing innovation. However, on a smaller scale, we

Jacopa’s modular RBCs are easy to install and maintain

constantly strive to bring forward ideas to deliver improvement by collaborating early to bring ideas to the table which both mitigate risk and realise opportunity. This approach is imperative to ensure that the industry is both sustainable and can deliver necessary output improvements and cost savings in the future. The simple product focused business model is now unsustainable and clients are rightly calling for more. Today’s market demands a customercentric, digital, agile and collaborative way of working that delivers tangible, practical benefits on each project and it’s certainly no longer sustainable to think that what you did yesterday will be alright tomorrow. www.jacopa.com

We’re full of bright ideas We believe in continuously striving to deliver improvements and ideas which add value and that it’s no longer sustainable to think what you did yesterday will be alright tomorrow. And we don’t stop after one good idea, we illuminate and innovate every day.

• Build off-site - factory thinking • Product standardisation and configuration • Modular solutions - RBC units - Combined inlet works - Tertiary treatment

• Improving resilience

- Pump and down-stream process protection - Grit plant optimisation

• Network and stormwater solutions - Screens retrofit • Biological treatment - Cost effective MBR - High performance SAF - Filter bed distributors

• Project management

- Early collaboration - Continual improvement in QHSE - Leveraging skills, experience and knowledge

Innovation in Wastewater Call: +44 (0)121 511 2400 or visit: jacopa.com instituteofwater.org.uk

ELIQUO HYDROK

LEADING THE WAY WITH MECANA FOR LOW EFFLUENT P CONCENTRATIONS Although there has been a significant reduction in the amount of Phosphorus discharged to rivers from Wastewater Treatment Works in recent years (from 21,000 tonnes in 1995 to 8,000 tonnes in 2015), Phosphorus remains the main cause of water quality failures with the primary source still being wastewater discharges. Consequently, it is expected, due to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive, that over 700 Wastewater Treatment Works will require Phosphorus removal during AMP7. consent, a 0.2 mg/l Total Phosphorus consent (the lowest in the Severn Trent Water region during AMP6), and a tight iron consent of 2.5 mg/l. The design team were subject to a series of challenges, including the presence of mine workings, cost reductions and the possibility of ‘out performance’ to deliver 7 ODI points worth £7m to Severn Trent Water. A key part of this success is the adoption of a two-stage Mecana installation with iron salt dosing, which when commissioned in early 2019, will be the largest such application in the world, treating 719 l/s; Eliquo Hydrok are providing and installing the four flocculation tanks, six SF21/105 Mecana units and all the associated pipework. Eliquo Hydrok have worked closely with the main contractor, Mott MacDonald Bentley, and Severn Trent Water throughout the project to ensure the project delivers high quality effluent at the right price. The Pile Cloth Media Filter was developed by the Mecana company in Switzerland during the 1990s, with over 50,000 m2 of cloth now installed around the world. Eliquo Hydrok brought this technology to the UK in 2013 and since this time have been at the forefront of its development. This has included, what was then, the largest ever installation at Deephams Wastewater Treatment Works (Thames Water) in 2014, treating up to 4,200 l/s, and the world’s first large-scale two-stage application at Cirencester Wastewater Treatment Works (Thames Water) in 2016 as part of the Chemical Investigation Programme trials. This trial clearly demonstrated the capabilities of the Mecana process as, with ferric salt dosing, it proved able to achieve <0.1 mg/l Total Phosphorus discharge continuously and reliably. No other process in these nationwide trials proved capable of emulating this achievement. Severn Trent Water realised the benefits of this technology and have committed heavily to it during AMP6 with some eleven projects deploying the Mecana process, one of these

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being at Goscote Wastewater Treatment Works, serving Walsall in the West Midlands. This site requires a significant upgrading due to the imposition of a stringent new ammonia

For further information regarding Eliquo Hydrok Tertiary Treatment solutions visit the website; www.eliquohydrok.co.uk or email, Lewis O’Brien, lewis.obrien@eliquohydrok.co.uk, 01726 861900.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESSES Tailored design and manufacturing of fine-bubble aeration systems, Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge (IFAS) systems and Mecana Tertiary Filtration (PCMF) systems for wastewater treatment plants throughout the UK and Ireland.

Enhanced biomass fixed bed system

Meeting the phosphorus removal challenge

Bespoke off-site construction in stainless steel tanks or into concrete chambers

Off-site manufactured for speedier installation

Pile Cloth Media Tertiary Filtration

Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge (IFAS)

Phosphorus and tertiary solids removal

Used in conjunction with fine-bubble diffusers

Standard cloth – less than 0.5 mg/l Ptot

Increased performance and sludge reduction

Micro-fibre cloth – less than 0.1 mg/l Ptot

Reduced energy requirements

Micro-pollutant ‘priority substance’ removal

No blockages of the textile curtains

Complete packages including mixing, flocculation and access walkways

Excellent nitrogen elimination

WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

CLEAN WATER MANAGEMENT

SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT

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

WASTEWATER TREATMENT

SLUDGE TREATMENT

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

DE NORA

COBB COUNTY EXPANDS “EXCELLENT PRODUCTION OF POTABLE WATER” WITH NEW CLORTEC DN OSHG SYSTEM As the second largest provider of potable water in the state of Georgia, the Cobb CountyMarietta Water Authority (CCMWA) prides itself on using the latest technology and innovation in water treatment to ensure optimal efficiency and safety in its operations. by Carmelo A. Maquiran Project Engineer De Nora

As the second largest provider of potable water in the state of Georgia, the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority (CCMWA) prides itself on using the latest technology and innovation in water treatment to ensure optimal efficiency and safety in its operations. CCMWA relies on two water treatment facilities: the James E. Quarles Treatment Plant in Marietta, which treats water from the Chattahoochee River, and the Hugh A. Wyckoff Treatment Plant in Acworth which treats water from Allatoona Lake. Together, the treatment plants prepare water for wholesale distribution to 11 retail water suppliers, as well as industry and institutional customers. The Wyckoff Water Treatment Plant, built in 1965, has grown to keep pace with regional water needs in northwest Georgia and evolved to address public health and safety issues. While chlorine gas had traditionally been used as an effective method for water disinfection, its hazardous potential became a real concern for water treatments facilities across the country. CCMWA was quick to address this through a major investment that included the installation of an onsite sodium hypochlorite generation system in 2012. Following a review of available systems on the market, CCMWA selected the ClorTec® 2x CT1500 PPD OSHG system from De Nora Water Technologies. This ClorTec set-up had proven its ability in numerous installations to drive benefits including the elimination of bulk chemical storage, fewer disinfection byproducts, and a notable reduced threat to the safety of employees and the public at large. Delivered in August of 2012, the ClorTec system, consisting of the1,500 pounds per day on-site sodium hypochlorite generator and associated equipment, was an ideal fit for the plants, with the flexibility to meet the space restrictions and allow for expansion. Several years later, after experiencing consistent

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operational improvements thanks to the new system, CCMWA determined the need to expand the system by adding a third onsite generator. “We were very pleased with the two existing generators and their productivity and were concerned that if one of them were to stop functioning properly, as can happen in the lifecycle of this type of equipment, it would be difficult for us to maintain our preferred operational level and quality,” said Terry Wilson, Division Manager of the Wyckoff plant. As the technology has continued to develop in recent years, Wilson and his team were also drawn to the new brine pump added to the ClorTec DN generator, which helps improve water pressure levels. The latest generation of De Nora’s on-site sodium hypochlorite generation system incorporates best-in-class brine electrochlorination technology, allowing operators to more accurately control and adjust the amount of brine to the system. Replacing less efficient mechanical sensors, the new version also includes analog flow sensors for water and brine, as well as a water temperature readings transmitted to the programmable logic controllers. It also offers the highest efficiency in the industry and the guaranteed lowest consumption of salt and electricity, with an upgraded instrumentation panel for greater

operator control. Installed in Spring of 2017, the additional new 1,500 pounds per day ClorTec DN generator is now part of a cycle through which the three generators alternate in use, two at a time. “The addition of the latest generator has upgraded our entire system, with clear enhancements made by De Nora to improve operations,” said Craig Scheibel, Process Control Programmer with CCMWA. “The new instrumentation panel and specifically the analog signals enable us to have not only greater flow control, but also better diagnostic capabilities should a fault occur.” As CCMWA proactively maintains its commitment to providing sustainable, reliable drinking water while also ensuring public health and safety in the region, it has found a practical solution through on-site onsite sodium hypochlorite generation. “Even in the high-demand season of summer, we’re pleased to report seven to nine hour run times and excellent production of potable water for our satisfied customers,” said Wilson. www.denora.com

FEATURE: INNOVATION GA Valves are manufacturers and distributors of valves to the water and sewage industries

UK Distributors and Technical Support of Dorot Flow Control Valves

Suppliers and Manufacturers of: • • •

Air Valves Gate Valves Check Valves

• • •

Control Valves Butterfly Valves Flap Valves

• • •

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Fire Hydrant Marker Post & Plate Systems Blackeborough & Wolstenholmes - Valves & Spares

• • •

T: 01484 711983 F: 01484 719848 E: sales@gavalves.co.uk www.gavalves.co.uk

Providing trusted performance Before It is the duty of Scottish Water to provide 1.34 billion litres of drinking water every day, a serious challenge particularly with the diverse landscape for an area its size. So when Water Process Solutions were asked to assist in an upgrade project for a treatment facility in Rawburn, Duns, we were very pleased to get involved. Scottish Water were looking for a smart approach to replace lime feeders coming to the end of their working life with a proven, robust, reliable and supportable system - ideally with increased capacities but most importantly the ability to operate within the existing site control and global monitoring systems. Working closely with Scottish Water and their nominated contractor, Ross-Shire Engineering, (RSE are a large and very well respected contractor based in Scotland) WPS were able to provide two complete replacement batch

make-up systems to suit not only the larger feed and storage requests but retain much of the existing pipework, installation support structures and the existing control and monitoring systems, therefore enabling the project to be completed at a faster rate and reduced cost.

After

The supply and overall execution was quick, without any delay or issue, with final commissioning and switch over going without a hitch to leave Scottish Water with a clean, tidy and fully functional system with ongoing support from WPS. For further details please contact Aran Bray on 07557 363 728, 01622 719 945, or email aran.bray@waterprocesssolutions.com

01622 719 945 | enquiries@waterprocesssolutions.com

www.waterprocesssolutions.com

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PANTON MCLEOD

DEMYSTIFYING THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION ‘It does not have to represent a huge transformation for water companies, nor indeed require millions in new investment. Digital Innovations, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, digital twinning and simulation can be delivered as straight forward bolt-ons to existing everyday processes in the UK water industry.’ Jim Panton, CEO of water quality engineering company, Panton McLeod, explores and demystifies the role of emerging digital and software opportunities, particularly focusing on how water companies can translate existing processes and technologies, partnered with new software, to reduce asset failure across the network.

by Jim Panton

CEO, Panton McLeod I previously managed to walk away from two catastrophic helicopter crashes. As long as twenty five years ago, as a helicopter pilot with the British Armed Forces, I suffered two critical incidents, where failures on my part led to catastrophic crashes. One was the un-noticed build up of ice on the aircraft that eventually led to us dropping out of the sky like... well, like a big lump of ice. The other was a very bold and risky manoeuvre, pulled in an attempt to dive out of heavy clouds... that drove us right into the side of a mountain. Luckily for me, it was only my ego and pride that were severely dented as both events took place in a full motion simulator! Significant lessons were learnt from both events. Even further back - in April 1970, during the incredible Apollo 13 mission and rescue, Ken Mattingley, the mistakenly grounded Command Module Pilot painstakingly ran repeated scenarios

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in the simulator to develop the methodology for optimum power conservation during the wounded ships re-entry and recovery. Essentially, re-creating and trialling things in a virtual environment before testing them in a real environment - simulation- is nothing new. With the more recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twinning software, however, significant opportunities for UK water companies to combine existing everyday processes with new technology are now being identified. For the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT), predictive maintenance of machinery and equipment is the first application demonstrating wide commercial acceptance. In Brazil, tractor manufacturer Stara is using digital twins to modernize farming. By outfitting its tractors with IoT sensors, the company can increase equipment performance. With real-time visibility into how its tractors operate, Stara can proactively predict and prevent equipment malfunctions and improve asset uptime.(Source, Digitalist Magazine, June 2018)

Digital Twins The digital twin combines an industrial asset’s digital and operational data with a software platform, simulation and analytics to gain insight into present and future operations. The result is improved output, reduced costs and accelerated innovation. A digital twin begins with a basic model that describes the asset, a simulation model that predicts expected behaviour based on physics algorithms, or recommendations from analytics created using machine-learning techniques. The model also can include service logs of maintenance, and defect and solution details, capturing the entire life cycle of the asset. Digital twins provide accurate operational pictures of assets. There is a significant business value in identifying underutilised devices, so analysing twin information can lead to optimal usage. By predicting potential problems, operators can schedule maintenance to minimise service disruption. Once the information is codified across a system of assets, the team

can take that knowledge and turn it into actions that will obtain the desired outcomes. Building a twin model at the outset is the key to creating a rich set of applications that produce asset-related outcomes. A full-featured twin makes it easier to develop and deploy applications later. The physics, analytics and simulation information within the model pave the way for machine learning. Many digital twins linked together produce a mass of actionable industrial knowledge. The latest IIoT challenge is how to make such sophisticated technology user-friendly so endusers, such as engineers and asset managers, but not programmers, can solve business problems.

Machine Leaning One example of this is where sophisticated software can now be “taught” to automatically identify flaws in assets. It can “recognise” other similar digital patterns in surveys once a recognised flaw, like a crack in concrete, has been programmed into the software. This reduces the total reliance on humans to find these flaws and instead puts humans in a verifying role based on what the software identifies.

The Future Although digital twins can be practically applied in most industries, saving companies millions of pounds by bringing together data, simulation, platform, cloud-based functions and machine learning, it does not have to represent a huge transformation for water companies, nor indeed require any huge investment, as AI technology combined with digital twinning can be delivered as a bolt-on to everyday processes which are already the norm in the UK water industry. Have a read of our case study, which showcases a new partnership between Panton McLeod and Australian Abyss Solutions, which simply uses existing Underwater ROV surveys, including an option for converting the HD video into interactive surveys and digital twin models with AI and machine learning that accurately replicate physical assets.

FEATURE: INNOVATION

CASE STUDY: INCORPORATING AI INTO PRE-EXISTING PROCESSES AND TECHNOLOGIES

[Underwater ROV] Fast, safe and cost-effective water quality inspections identify key risks, help plan maintenance, reduce the cost of whole life ownership and drive better asset performance. Asset data is either captured while the asset remains full and / or in service using dedicated potable water robotic equipment or during planned shutdown using confined space entry.

Pressure has never been higher on the water industry to improve water quality while also reducing overall cost. Key to this challenge is the ability to accurately prioritise investment. Our team can assist by providing standardised asset reports grading condition, all data is captured electronically and held centrally for later assessment.

Underwater ROV surveys now include the option for converting the HD video into interactive surveys and digital twin models with AI and machine learning that accurately replicate physical assets.

Using HD cameras assets can be inspected while in operation, while fully loaded any stress related defects can be seen in their true state. The removal of often lengthy and costly isolation planning means that large numbers of assets can be inspected within a short period allowing investment prioritisation ahead of a proactive funding period.

The software learns common faults and can then automatically locate those on digital models across the network and compares fault changes over time to predict the best time for intervention. See the video for more information: http://pantonmcleod.co.uk/inspection

[3D Model]

Where appropriate the ROV can also be used to trace expected leakage route, DWI approved tracers can be injected at the point of suspected leakage while the asset is full and under full loading.

[3D Model with faults detailed]

Other benefits include : ■■

High-quality imagery in turbid waters no one else can provide that in the market

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Digitalisation of your entire asset

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Precise location for interesting features, enabling site revisitation

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3D visual models of assets, above and below water

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Change detection over time using both acoustic and visual data (Examples: increase in bio-fouling or corrosion over time - rates of deterioration, change in sedimentation, change in bathymetric profiles)

For more information on how Panton McLeod can help your water company achieve these benefits contact 01896 663330 or email info@pantonmcleod.co.uk

[Automatic Fault Identification]

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FEATURE: INNOVATION

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INNOVATION AND DIGITAL DISRUPTION FOR UTILITY COMPANIES TODAY

[Augmented Reality GEO application]

Digital transformation has led to a fundamental shift in the way consumers interact with their utility providers. by Erik Kuiper

Creative Director Atos AIR Atos Benelux & The Nordics With an increasingly competitive market enabled by emerging technology, there is a need for utility companies to adopt innovative methods in both their approach to customer experience and workforce management.

Customer experience Today’s consumer may have more choice than ever before, but many are time poor, meaning suppliers need to demonstrate understanding of their lifestyles and priorities – whether financial, technological or environmental. The most effective way for digital transformation to have a measurable and positive impact on CX is to gather a detailed understanding of how consumers want to be treated and then designing a process centred on these needs. For this, data is crucial. But it is equally imperative to interpret insights within the data and then turn this into actionable intelligence. A good first step involves linking front-end and back-end systems to help employees gain a holistic view of a customer’s journey and enable first-time resolutions and greater productivity. With nearly seven million smart meters already installed in the UK, as well as the number of IoT

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enabled devices in the home growing by more than 16% year-on-year, the potential application of this data is immense. Customers can expect greater billing transparency and providers can start utilising data to better personalise goods and services for each customer.

Augmented Reality It is no secret that AR has provided a new perspective on how we can effectively train our workforce and also enhance our end-customer experience. If we take the example of a Field Engineer, one of the key challenges they will face working with underground pipes and cables is that as those assets are not directly visible. The individual is therefore heavily reliant upon highly technical drawings which are often hard to interpret and results in valuable time wasted. This very specific issue can rapidly compound a more serious emergency once it arises when a quick response is needed. Our solution to combat this is an Augmented Reality GEO application, built in-house. This application uses the camera of the field engineers’ device whereby when the individual uses the camera they can see the world around them with pipes and cables projected over the

[Digital twin through the Hololens] camera image. Here, the field engineer can rapidly detect where specific pipes and cables are located and allows for further rapid diagnosis and attention. What is particularly interesting to think about is how we can combine mobility, augmented reality, and contextual information, and how we can augment the quality of information support for field service teams everywhere. Using the HoloLens we have developed applications to bring contextual service data and documentation directly from digital archives to the point of use. Bringing documentation to a technician is great, but it is now just as easy to hook-up with a remote expert to talk you through the details of the job with our Augmented Reality solution. https://atos.net/en-gb/united-kingdom/ industries-uk/utilities-uk

Accredited training for water and environmental industry practitioners in Flood and Coastal Risk Management Flexible and accessible postgraduate training that works around you Learn how to apply practical skills and best practice techniques for modelling, understanding and managing risk with this professional qualification. • CIWEM accredited • Flexible delivery enables you to continue working whilst studying • Start at any time throughout the year • Gain technical skills and knowledge that can be directly applied to a wide range of roles and disciplines in the water, environment and flood risk management sector

• Leads to a Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits) with options to progress to a Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) or an MSc (180 credits) • Single core modules can also be taken as CPD The next module is Coastal Erosion and Flood Risk Management and runs 14-16 and 29-30 November 2018

• Delivered by practitioners who are experts in their field

“Really enjoyed the course and thought the lecturers were friendly, knowledgeable and very approachable.” Engineering Technician in Flood Risk, St Helens Council

“It was very useful to be tutored by experts in the field with in depth and practical knowledge of the module content.” SuDS and Development Control officer, North Yorkshire County Council

Start your journey to a professional qualification now Dr Nick Chappell, Director of Studies E: n.chappell@lancaster.ac.uk T: 01524 593933 www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/floodrisk

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GRUNDFOS

HYDRAULIC DESIGN JUST GOT BETTER

Pumps account for no less than 10% of the world’s electricity consumption, so it’s essential that pump systems are optimised to their full potential. The long-standing experience that Grundfos has with energy optimisation specifically for pumps is a unique asset. Every year, new Grundfos products increase energy savings by 300 million kWh. As we introduce high efficiency motors into more and more of our products and integrate these with a wider focus on electrical, mechanical and of course hydraulic efficiency, this figure will rise and the cumulative effect of energy savings will increase, year on year. Meeting challenges head-on, Grundfos develops and implements technologies that meet the challenges facing the water supply and wastewater industry. Owners are experiencing rising energy costs and increasing green taxation, and CO2 emissions need to be reduced. Pressure is on the industry to lower operating costs for Water Utility businesses and strengthen the search for optimised water solutions.

Are your pumps costing the earth? At Grundfos, we understand that resource efficiency starts with the pump. We lower product lifecycle costs, ensure sustainable water management and build optimised equipment into the application. The measures we take for resource efficiency are from the outset designed for pumps and pump systems only, ensuring high reliability, continuous operation and superior performance. We need to reduce costs without compromising the reliability demanded of critical water supply and wastewater operations. From new installations to refurbishment and replacement of vital components, optimising resource efficiency has a positive impact on the reliability, overall performance and lifecycle costs of water supply and wastewater operations.

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We are all aware that effectively treating wastewater has always been complex but today, with major changes in wastewater composition, this challenge is even greater. The introduction of the Grundfos S-tube® technology six years ago was a very welcome addition to the pump solutions available to the industry as until that point, a choice always had to be made when selecting wastewater pumps, as to whether to focus on free passage to obtain reliable operation or high efficiency to achieve low operational costs.

[An S tube impeller in a Grundfos SE pump]

Making a difference where it matters And things are getting even better for the many Grundfos wastewater pump ranges that benefit from this technology such as the SE/SL families of submersible pumps. Whether you wish to select from the 1-11 kW or the 9-30 kW options you can bank on: ■■

Improved fibre handling: the vaneless design means smooth and reliable operation. Reducing the risk of jamming and clogging.

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Better wear resistance: an improved design offers a robust seal between the impeller and volute. This ensures much-improved durability against wear and tear.

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Energy efficiency: these wastewater pumps offer the highest wire-to-water efficiency as well as uncompromised free spherical passage.

Reliability is at the core of operations that are involved with the transfer of water and wastewater in network pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants.

And this is what you can expect when today’s Grundfos S-tube® is involved. You don’t have to take our word for it as right now there is now an installed base of thousands of pumps that are all enjoying the many advantages that this S-tube® technology brings, up and down the country in terms of both reduced operating costs, as well as lower environmental risks. A real ‘win/win’ situation. If you would like to find out more about this range and the many other engineering advances that are available, visit us at www.grundfos.co.uk or email at grundfos-uk@sales.grundfos.com because at Grundfos innovation isn’t just a word, but a way of life.

FEATURE: INNOVATION

IChemE Forms of Contract An internationally acclaimed series, developed to reflect best practice in the process industries

The Red Book – Lump Sum Contract The Green Book – Reimbursable Contract The Burgundy Book – Target Cost Contract The Yellow Book – Subcontract

The Brown Book – Subcontract for Civil Engineering Works The Orange Book – Minor Works The Silver Book – Professional Services Contract

Available in hard copy, PDF and editable word document formats. www.icheme.org/shop

Learn more about contracts We offer two courses that are ideal for anyone involved with engineering and construction contracts

What Engineers Need to Know About Contracts 18–19 September 2018, Rugby, UK Examine contract law for engineering and construction contracts and learn how it is used to help deliver successful projects.

www.icheme.org/contracts

IChemE Forms of Contract 17–18 October 2018, Rugby, UK

MB0072_18

You will look at the structure, main provisions and features of the IChemE forms and learn how best to apply them to your projects.

www.icheme.org/forms-of-contract

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Proud members of

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REFLECTIONS ON OFWATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OUT IN THE COLD REPORT

The recent Ofwat publication Out in the Cold made for fascinating reading - painting a scene of real differences in preparation and activity before, during and after the cold snaps of early 2018 across the UK water industry. It also demonstrates that we have a long way to go in understanding resilience issues - not least in how we can invest for network resistance and resilience, and in understanding triggers for changing from business-as-usual practices.

by Carmen Snowdon

Principal Consultant Asset Management Solutions Team WRc

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Out in the Cold calls for greater preparedness when multiple utilities are affected at the same time. In this extreme weather period, the collaboration of Bristol Water and Wessex Water is highlighted as delivering real mutual benefit in mitigating the risks to security of supply from an increase in asset failures. Further, the report reflects the need for further collaboration with external stakeholders, with Yorkshire Water praised for this. The report does not go into detail regarding the non-water industry stakeholders included, but at WRc we reflect that other utilities will have similar emergency plans in place and there could be significant benefit

in exploring how a pan-utility group might reach consumers most effectively through co-operation and sharing of contingency plans and delivering consistent messaging to its consumers. For business customers, Ofwat also highlights shortcomings with retailers who have the main relationship with business customers - many of whom may have been providing critical services to customers during the extreme weather period. It would be fruitful to compare and contrast the different types of stakeholders that each company has engaged with, and also with other utilities that deal with similar scenarios e.g. electricity (following widespread storms, for instance). There could be local delivery bodies that some focus on whilst others ignore. In a similar way to open calls for help with water resource planning solutions, companies could extend their contingency planning and

FEATURE: MAINS TECHNOLOGY engagement to include community groups and third sector organisations to help respond and coordinate activities locally in extreme situations. For instance, during the recent cold weather spell, there was news coverage of a Scout hut that opened up to serve hot drinks when people were stuck away from home. I wonder if the industry has really explored all of the support networks that might be able to offer help, and have plans in place for being able to contact them during emergencies. Further, I suggest the water industry should consider how these groups may be acknowledged and rewarded for their participation on an ongoing basis, not just after an emergency, as this can bring about improved engagement and relationships between water companies and the communities they serve. I believe it is vital to focus further research on the social impact of the events that took place as, at an individual level, customers suffered real hardship due to the lack of supply. Whilst there are some impacts that can quantified and included within planning - such as traffic disruption - there are many other impacts which are less well understood, not least the impact of a supply interruption on consumers’ physical and mental wellbeing. How different might the industry response have been different if we could accurately value all such impacts on affected customers? In some instances social impacts may have been exacerbated by the way in which communication channels are used to reach customers with updates. Ofwat provided praise for companies that ‘provided regular and timely information... using different communication channels’, whilst criticising those who have become over-reliant on social media. It is undeniably a difficult balance to strike. It is well-known fact that in emergency situations we take risks and act on judgement, getting rid of red tape and taking the right decisions to help customers. Often this occurs through strong leadership, and United Utilities are highlighted by Out in the cold as involving their Executive early in their cold weather preparation. A positive corporate culture is invaluable for creating the right environment in which everyone can pull together, irrespective of traditional hierarchy, to mitigate and respond during emergencies. It would be worthwhile exploring how companies can safely embrace this type of decision-making and use it to remove inefficiencies in existing systems and processes. An example of process improvement is reflected in Ofwat’s reference to advanced models that predict leakage. It is quite possible to develop advanced leakage and burst models that forecast accurately the extent of potential problems due to extreme weather - indeed WRc are working with a number of companies on just this topic. But it takes more than just a model to deliver change as the insights have to be part of the

decision-making process for resourcing and targeting on the network. We can’t hide behind frameworks and procurement as a reason not to deliver change and act on the insights that these models deliver. Whether it is a company’s own staff, or contractor, we have to enable access to the data in simple and easy-to-use formats so that the best decisions can be made in both office and field. Empowering field staff with real-time information and an ability to model the network in near real time could be part of the resilience solution and emergency response. Ofwat highlights that Anglian Water intend to ‘improve real-time modelling and make it easier for engineers to respond where intervention is needed’. Products emerging on the market such as WRc’s ReadyWaterTM enable rapid hydraulic simulations to be run by staff in the field and could be part of the solution. Out in the Cold highlights succinctly the very dramatic demand rises that can be seen after sudden freeze-thaw events. Historically there has been much focus on drought preparedness with monitoring, triggers and escalation plans incorporating communications teams. It is interesting, therefore that there is no detailed requirement for companies to have published plans for cold weather events. Although the nature and duration can be of a very different scale to drought, for individual customers affected, the impact can be much more severe and, often, coupled with loss of other critical infrastructure such as gas or transport. There are, of course, differences in the type of triggers that would escalate cold weather planning. Whilst for drought it is the raw water source levels that tend to be monitored for the trigger levels this cannot be directly duplicated for cold periods. This is why resilience scenario stress-testing using a truly integrated catchment model such as WRc’s SIMPOL ICM could be so important - because it is has been shown that the failure in water distribution systems could be caused by a constraint elsewhere on the supply network. For example, Ofwat highlights examples of loss of supply from service reservoirs that couldn’t keep up with downstream demand: Severn Trent Water, Southern Water, South East Water, Thames Water and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water were identified with this issue. It is important to ask ourselves how many of those could have been predicted and prevented by adopting insights gleaned from such a model? A winter resilience plan demands scenario testing to be carried out in a controlled fashion to identify what the escalation triggers should be. This kind of modelling also helps companies understand asset criticality under extreme conditions and how to manage networks from a systems perspective. Ofwat acknowledges that planned outages of water network assets are

needed. But arguably a company cannot plan them in effectively if they don’t understand the scenarios under which the assets could become critical to supply. At WRc we believe resilience planning must incorporate network stress-testing using climate-driven network models such as SIMPOL ICM. Out in the Cold includes reference to all companies increasing water production in advance of the ‘Beast from the East’ to prepare for expected increases in demand but if we don’t have trigger-driven winter resilience plans in place how can we have confidence the right decisions are being taken at the right time? The scale of water network demand increase during the recent cold spell was extraordinary. Thames Water was able to rapidly increase production by about 15% of their total distribution input. To put this in context, this is equivalent to rapidly finding enough water to supply another 2.8 million people each day - equivalent to serving the entire population Greater Manchester. No review of Out in the Cold would be complete without acknowledging both the differences in technology deployment across the industry currently, and the huge potential that smart networks have in helping the industry predict and respond far more rapidly and to have resource in the right locations at the right time. If Out in the Cold achieves one thing it should be to provide a compelling reason for us to all revisit the business case for smart networks and all the associated technologies, software and processes that could evolve how we manage and operate networks. How could the business case be supported by inclusion of resilience issues? Ofwat says that “better performing companies used processes and technology more effectively to understand how their network was being impacted and where the problems were”. Whilst real-time network information helps identify some issues, if many of the problems occur on the customer’s supply pipe then we will need something akin to a consumer smart meter to signal continuous low flows to provide the best information to pinpoint problems rapidly. Despite the evident shortcomings in a number of company responses, Ofwat does recognise the hard work of individuals in their report, acknowledging that, “all companies worked exceptionally hard during this period to go the extra mile for customers - often in very difficult conditions”. So perhaps now it is time to reward these hard-working staff with the capacity and funding to explore the issues raised and ensure that the next time we suffer from a wintery cold snap we are better prepared, better equipped and able to communicate more effectively with customers.

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INNOVATIVE PROCESS IN THE PIPELINE

When it comes to ensuring a top quality supply of clean drinking water, Northumbrian Water has an innovative process in the pipeline. The North East firm is responsible for transporting 695 mega litres (695,000,000 litres) of drinking water around its vast 16,965 kilometre water network to some 2.7 million customers every day.

the water network, by looking at a number of different factors. This includes flow rates, (predominantly velocity), pressure, size of the pipe, the pipe material and the work that is being undertaken.

Over time, a harmless sediment, comprising predominantly of iron and manganese oxides, can build up and stick to the inside of the pipes, causing discoloured water when disturbed by changes in flow or pressure.

Northumbrian Water was among the first in the industry to integrate the research findings and by using best practice and theory, allowing it to introduce new processes to tackle discolouration more successfully than ever before. It is also sharing this best practice with other water companies on their respective cleaning programmes, as well as undertaking new schemes in its Essex and Suffolk operating areas.

Traditionally, cleaning the pipes was always the go-to method for managing discolouration, but now the company uses the theory of an innovative network-modelling approach called PODDS (Prediction of Discolouration in Distribution Systems), which helps to extend the regeneration time within the network and eliminate the need for a rigorous cleaning programme. The PODDS process, which came about from ground-breaking research by Sheffield University into the root causes of discolouration to customer’s supplies, helps to predict potential discolouration during planned works within

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The use of electrically operated valves (EOVs) are one such measure that utilise the PODDS approach to maintaining clean pipes. They are installed in locations across the mains network by a Pipeline Management team, who have looked at designing specific cleaning schemes as part of the existing network over the last three years. The EOVs are installed in the most suitable position on the network, where there is

infrastructure available to operate them, such as power, telemetry and control kiosks. They protect against discoloured water by allowing the regional control centre to remotely control the flow of water through the pipes, from the water’s source, to the customer’s taps, increasing or decreasing incremental flows in a controlled manner. This helps to protect against any pressure changes that could disturb the settlement build-up on the pipe wall and affect customer supplies. The installation of the electrically operated valves, make up part of Northumbrian Water’s source to tap discolouration strategy. Emma Jennings, Strategic Network Manager said: “We’re committed to managing and improving our assets in order to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction when it comes to our water supply. “By having the ability to predict discolouration we’re able to create an improved service, applying cost-effective and efficient strategies to prevent it. The remotely operated valves help

FEATURE: MAINS TECHNOLOGY us impact on future customer savings, through a capital cost reduction anticipated to be in the region of 90% against traditional mains water cleaning process.” While the PODDS approach helps to guard against discolouration, it hasn’t completely eliminated the need for cleaning. In some cases, traditional cleaning methods are still used. This includes the use of a giant sponge, spring-loaded metal scrapers or the most frequently used, high pressured jets of water. The technique chosen to clean pipes depends on what the pipe and its lining is made of, its diameter and whether it is in a rural or urban location. Back in 2013, Northumbrian Water led the way nationally when it successfully trialled the pioneering use of ice to clean a stretch of large trunk mains, as part of a £66 million cleaning programme.

sediment off the inner pipe walls as it goes. The sediment-laden ice is then flushed from the water main and collected in a tanker, while any discoloured water is returned to a nearby sewer for treatment.

The innovative technique, called ‘ice pigging’, has also been adopted by the water company since the trial, and involves injecting ‘slush-like’ ice slurry into an isolated section of pipe, before allowing the water to start flowing again.

Ice pigging allows the firm to clean the section of pipe without emptying it, meaning it uses less water and is much quicker than conventional methods, typically taking just a few hours to clean a two kilometre section of pipe, which would normally take up to three weeks using alternative methods.

The pressure of water on either side of the slush compacts the ice, creating an ‘ice pig’ and forces it through the pipe, scraping the

As well as being more cost effective, the excavation pits needed to access the pipes are also much smaller than other methods,

resulting in less disruption to customers and the surrounding environment too. Between 2010 and 2016, more than 400 kilometres of pipe across Northumberland and Tyneside were cleaned, and 80 kilometres of them were ice pigged. Emma added: “The fact that we were one of the first organisations to trial ice pigging is testament to our commitment to using the most innovative technology. “Going forward, we’re confident that the PODDS approach will help us maintain our top quality supply of water, right the way through from source to tap.”

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RPS

WATER NETWORK CLEANING

Managing and reducing the risks of discolouration in water networks is a key priority for water companies. Eric Hutchison, Regional Director and Michael Conaboy, Operations Manager, discuss an innovative approach to cleaning water networks developed by RPS. Innovative Approach to Customer Service The industry drive to reduce bills, improve customer service, be more resilient and accelerate innovation are key drivers in our response to improving water quality. Our innovative approach to network cleaning improves customer service, resilience and reduces cost. The traditional approach to reducing water network discolouration complaints has been through conventional mains cleaning and rehabilitation techniques including relining, swabbing, scouring, pigging and jetting. Over the past 5 years, RPS has been working closely with its clients to develop innovative maintenance techniques to reduce network discolouration. This has been achieved by working across the full project cycle from investigation and design, through to planning and delivery. As a result, we are providing cost effective solutions that allow benefits to be delivered more quickly with minimal customer disruption, reduced environmental impact and lower costs.

Why clean the water network? It is well understood that over time, sediments, biofilms and other materials accumulate on pipe walls throughout the water network. Under normal flow conditions, these materials remain attached to the pipe walls. When the flow exceeds normal operating conditions, such as increased customer demand or bursts, the increase in sheer stress can cause the top

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layer of material to be removed, suspended and transported downstream where it can cause discolouration, water quality complaints and failures. This has been identified as the cause of a significant percentage of water quality complaints.

Why look at alternative mains cleaning techniques? Conventional mains cleaning techniques have proven successful at removing accumulated material, however they are expensive, require excavation and insertion of materials into the distribution network and can cause significant disruption to customers. Timescales to design, plan and deliver these techniques can be lengthy, resulting in customers experiencing discolouration for extended periods of time. There is also evidence that material can begin to accumulate and/or biofilm will grow onto cleaned pipes. We are improving our understanding of mains cleaning return frequencies and targeting specific problem areas to move towards a more pro-active cleaning approach, reducing discolouration risk before customers experience issues. Working collaboratively with our clients, suppliers and industry experts from the University of Sheffield, we have investigated and developed an alternative mains cleaning approach with the aim of providing: ■■

More cost-effective solutions.

■■

Quicker resolution of customer issues.

■■

Less invasive solutions, reducing disruption to customers during delivery.

■■

Evidence to confirm the need and to understand the results and benefits when delivered.

■■

Repeatable solutions, should they be required.

There are two innovative mains cleaning techniques that RPS has been developing and delivering with our clients:

Uni-Directional Flushing (UDF) ■■

Developed from conventional mains flushing, uni-directional flushing is recognised as a more targeted and effective method of cleaning distribution networks up to 8” in diameter.

■■

UDF requires a design and hydraulic assessment to be undertaken in advance so that sections of the distribution network can be isolated to optimise cleaning.

■■

Valves are operated to create isolated sections of mains and hydrants opened to discharge predetermined flows from the network moving clean water downstream.

■■

This isolation allows increased flows to remove material accumulations from the pipe walls and ensures material is discharged and not transferred to other areas of the network.

Trunk Mains Conditioning (TMC) ■■

Trunk Mains Conditioning is a relatively new cleaning technique developed from Prediction of Discolouration in Distribution Systems

FEATURE: MAINS TECHNOLOGY (PODDS) research at the University of Sheffield, similar to uni-directional flushing but suitable for larger diameter mains. ■■

TMC is non-invasive and uses the water within the network to increase sheer stress to remove accumulated material on the pipe wall.

■■

TMC requires the flow in a pipe to be increased incrementally using a stand pipe or existing asset such as a service reservoir.

■■

The flow is increased incrementally during peak demand while monitoring turbidity.

■■

This increased flow creates an increase in sheer stress and can remove the surface accumulations from pipe walls.

■■

Real time turbidity monitors are installed and allow close control of material removed, reducing the risk of discoloration if the material is transferred downstream.

For both techniques, detailed processes have been developed to investigate needs, identify the most appropriate option, design solutions and plan and deliver the cleaning intervention. There has been a process of continual improvement, with close collaboration with client stakeholders, suppliers and industry experts to agree our approach and optimise design and delivery processes. As an example, we are currently undertaking chlorine dissipation studies to better understand decay rates over different ground types to mitigate risks to the environment. This will allow a risk-based approach to be taken to the dechlorination of discharged water, and potentially reduce the costs associated with dechlorination techniques.

A Strategy to Operations approach RPS has a blend of technical consultancy and field-services staff which enable us to support our clients through a unique “strategy to operations” approach. We have employed this approach not only in delivering the cleaning interventions but across the full project lifecycle. RPS site engineers have supported our design and planning teams through water quality sampling investigations and surveys to understand asset operability, discharge risks, traffic management needs and enabling work requirements. Electronic data capture and analysis processes have been implemented, improving the quality and consistency of the information captured, and allowing an efficient transfer of data between site and office-based teams. This also supports an important aspect of the work undertaken; the capture and analysis of water quality data both during and after cleaning including flow, pressure, turbidity, free and total chlorine residual and colour grading. This allows the effectiveness of cleaning to be understood and subsequent actions or process improvements identified.

Delivering Benefits Over the last 5 years, over 19,000km of mains cleaning has been delivered by RPS for our clients, including over 200km of trunk mains conditioning within the last 12 months. We have proven that when designed and delivered to the correct standards, these provide low cost and high value solutions to remove accumulations from the distribution network.

Significant reductions in customer contacts have been achieved and discolouration risks mitigated at costs of less than 10% of conventional techniques. These techniques have also provided a much quicker delivery route to clean mains and reduce the risk of discoloured supplies, whether through planned works or reacting to emerging problems. An average sized DMA or zone can be cleaned within 1-2 weeks, in some cases working at night to minimise customer impact.

The Future As we look to the future, we are continuing to work in a collaborative manner with our clients to meet their needs. RPS has been at the forefront in developing and delivering uni-directional flushing and trunk mains conditioning projects for over 5 years but there is still much to do. We are creating a mains cleaning centre of excellence to allow best practice to be shared across our teams and clients and act as a focal point for further improvements and initiatives including the development of digital tools to streamline our processes. We are also improving our understanding of mains cleaning return frequencies and targeting specific problem areas and mains to move towards a more pro-active cleaning approach, reducing discolouration risk before customers experience issues. We are challenging ourselves to continually improve and innovate. Water companies have demanding customer service targets, and through the development of more effective and efficient end-to-end mains cleaning approaches, RPS is determined to support them to achieve these.

Cost Effective, Efficient & Innovative Mains Cleaning RPS is at the forefront in developing and delivering Uni-Directional Flushing (UDF) and Trunk Mains Conditioning (TMC) projects. Over the last 4 years, over 19,000km of mains cleaning has been delivered by RPS for our clients. UDF and TMC techniques provide low cost and high value solutions that when designed and delivered to the correct standards, are proven to reduce discolouration risks in the network. For more information, please contact: Michael Conaboy, Operations Manager T: 07771 765612 E: michael.conaboy@rpsgroup.com

rpsgroup.com/water

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AQUA CHECK

A NEW APPROACH IN NON-DESTRUCTIVE PIPE CLEANING Decontaminating internal pipework has always presented a problem. The processes used can be messy or ineffective, which often leads to a complete replacement and the resulting cost and disruption that causes. Severn Trent encountered a problem with an industrial unit in Nottinghamshire. Initially it seemed that the only solution would be to ask for all internal pipework to be replaced. The customer, happy to prevent the disruption to his new manufacturing premises, welcomed the opportunity to trial a new process.

Following routine sampling in October 2017, an issue was found with organic compounds in the supply. See Table 1 below. Table 1 Test Date TARGET REPORT

4.10.17

11.10.17

8.2.18

Unit Sample

Boundary Box

POE Tap

2nd Tap

Compound The concept is simple, a combination of highpressure air and water is sent through the pipework. The vortex of air bubbles and water creates a scouring action that cleans without causing degradation of the internal surface of the pipes. Richard Christopher, Director of Pipeline Testing Consultants, devised the process. Working with Aquacheck Engineering a mobile compressor was modified to produce the desired effect. The single unit is fully mobile and self-contained. All that is required is a vehicle with a tow bar, an accessible water entry point and a few litres of clean water. The mess caused at a customer’s property during high pressure flushing is a major issue. To negate this problem a catchment unit was developed to contain the expelled water. The ‘lampshade’ is constructed of rotating fins, which dissipate the high-pressure air. The effluent water and contaminants are collected in the container at the bottom of the unit. As such small volumes of water are used in the cleaning process all of the waste can be removed from site in this unit. The process is still undergoing trials to establish the most efficacious operating procedures, but results to date have been promising.

Case Study 1: Hydrocarbon contamination Background: A new development of industrial units has been erected on reclaimed land, previously a coal mining area. The site consists of some reclaimed green space and footpaths, with the case study unit at the edge of existing development. The unit houses an engineering company with manufacturing space, office space, toilets and a kitchen / canteen area.

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AMOUNT ug/l

Bromodichloromethane

12.6

13.6

14.6

12.7

Dichloroacetonitrile

1.9

1.1

LT 0.1

1,1-dichloro-2-propanone

0.8

0.4

0.1

Dibromochloromethane

4.6

4.2

5.2

4.4

0.4

0.6

0.5

Phthalic acid, bis-butyl ester

Tribromomethane

LT 0.1

0.8

0.6

Toluene

LT 0.1

0.2

Ethyl Benzene

10.5

LT 0.1

0.1

m and p Xylene

15.4

LT 0.1

0.2

0.3

LT 0.1

0.2

o-xylene

The initial conclusion was that the MDPE supply pipe from the boundary box to the property, might have been laid in contaminated ground and hence was the source of the contamination. The supply pipe was replaced with Polyguard Barrier pipe, and the water retested in February 2018. The contamination issue was not resolved. It was concluded that the contaminants had spread throughout the property and that the only solution would be to replace the internal plumbing. The customer was reluctant to undertake this work, citing cost and disruption, and so was amenable to an untested cleaning system being trialled.

Trial 1: Prior to the trial, the internal plumbing system was pressure tested, to ensure no damage would be incurred during cleaning. On arrival, it was found that the boundary box was damaged and leaking. It was decided to clean the internal plumbing by cleaning from the Point of Entry Tap. The Serviclean unit was connected to the Point

of Entry Tap, and the cleaning process began at the tap furthest from the entry point. The mezzanine floor toilet tap was fitted to the collection unit and the air pressure set to 3.5 bar. The water and airflow was increased to 45 CFM. The exhausted vapour was found to be a lower volume than expected and was exiting the tap as a fine mist, hence it was determined that the collection unit was not required. This enabled the three upstairs taps to be cleaned at one time. After 10 minutes, the kitchen/canteen tap was opened; finally the workspace tap closest to the point of entry tap was fitted with the collection unit. 15 litres of clean water was used, and the total clean time was approximately 90 minutes. Water Samples were taken pre and post testing from the kitchen/canteen tap. Organic compounds were significantly reduced. See Table 2. However, the reduction was not sufficient to meet drinking water standards.

Table 2 Compound Bromodichloromethane Dichloroacetonitrile 1,1-dichloro-2-propanone Dibromochloromethane Tribromomethane Phthalic acid, bis-butyl ester

Pre Clean Post Clean 26/04/18 27/04/18 AMOUNT ug/l 12.5 7.2 0.2 0.2 Lt 0.1 0.2 7.1 4.9 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.6

The principle of the technique had been established and the leaking boundary box was deemed a possible source of contamination, so a second clean was scheduled.

Trial 2: Following the replacement of the boundary box the second trial was scheduled. The cleaning process began with the supply pipe from boundary box to the unit entry point, after that the cleaning process was repeated as Trail 1. Using air pressure of 3.5 bar and water and air flow of 60CFM. Approximately 10l of water was used in the initial clean, which took 45 minutes. Following the clean, the system was chlorinated, using 2l of chlorine solution at 1000 ppm (2 tablets). Finally the system was flushed. Water Quality samples were taken pre and post testing from the kitchen/canteen tap as the previous trial.

Compound Bromodichloromethane Dibromochloromethane Tribromomethane Phthalic acid, bis-butyl ester Adipic acid, bis-2-ethylhexyl ester Phthalic acid, bis-1-octylester

Pre Clean During Clean Post Clean 29.05.18 29.05.18 w29.05.18 AMOUNT ug/l 2.9 6 4.1 1.7 3.4 2.5 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.7 LT 0.1 0.3 LT 0.1 LT 0.1 17.5 0.2 0.3

Table 4 Formal Sample 05.06.18 Compound Bromodichloromethane Dibromochloromethane Tribromomethane Phthalic acid, bis-butyl ester Adipic acid, bis-2-ethylhexyl ester Phthalic acid, bis-1-octylester

Upstairs Tap Downstairs Tap AMOUNT ug/l 9.2 6.8 5.4 4.1 0.7 0.4 0.5 LT 0.1 LT 0.1 LT 0.1 LT 0.1 LT 0.1

Table 3

ServiClean a new, innovative method of non-destructive pipe cleaning. ServiClean creates a high pressure air/water vortex that quickly and efficiently cleans pipe interiors. From discoloured water to hydrocarbon contamination, ServiClean has been demonstrated as a no fuss, no mess method of non-destructive cleaning of pipe interiors.

Conclusion Ultimately the ServiClean process has achieved an acceptable set of results that has allowed the water restrictions placed on the property to be lifted and the customers supply returned to normal. Using the ServiClean unit has proved to be a far less disruptive and a much speedier solution than replacing all of the internal pipework. On review this solution could have been achieved with in a mornings work allowing a speedy return of the water supply back to the customer. The ServiClean unit is configurable to control the pressure and flow, to allow just clean air, clean air and water at different concentrations or even clean air and intensely chlorinated water to achieve a reduced contact time to speed up the disinfection of the system. Severn Trent will be extending the trial of the ServiClean unit and anticipate that it will be added to the portfolio of resources that are utilised to resolve customer supply problems.

For further details contact

Tel: 01706 522916 | sales@aqua-check.co.uk

www.aqua-check.co.uk www.pipelinetesting.co.uk

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R2M

KEEPING THE INNOVATION PIPELINE FLOWING

When it comes to introducing new innovations to the UK Water Industry, few other companies are as active, prolific and enthusiastic as Lancashire’s R2M. ‘Bringing new products and methods to the market is in the blood of our people’ says Lee Vicker, Managing Director of R2M. Innovation doesn’t just turn up in a marketable form though and R2M’s team have become experts at listening to customer’s requests, unravelling what new product or material could tick the industry’s ‘wish list’. Looking at the vast array of challenges the industry faces, the difference people involved, it is clearly a complex and moving target, even before an idea gets off the ground. ‘We could map the process, but it’s so different every time when we’re looking at either developing and inventing something to fulfil a need we’ve identified, or perhaps introducing a fully developed product that is used successfully in other parts of the World’ says Will Garrod, Technical Sales Director. One of the most recent from R2M is the Thelen Connector Clamp. This is a repair clamp, like many others, but with a cleverly designed and simple seal overlapping feature, which allows 2, 3 or an infinite number of clamps to be connected together. This means that in cases where an engineer is faced with a leaking blow hole, crack or area of corrosion which is longer than a standard repair clamp (typically 250mm),

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the Thelen Connector Clamps can be used by linking units together. As things are currently, a leak which is longer than the repair clamp, often results in a ‘shut off’ and ‘cut out’, which disrupts customers supplies and risks penalties for the water company. The problems associated with the shut off don’t stop there and by taking the water out of an old main, there are water quality risks, the costs of flushing and sampling, as well as the simple fact that taking the pressure out of an old main can often provoke further leaks. All these issues make the Thelen Connector Clamp more interesting and during R2M’s recent 2 week tour of ‘Roadshow’ travelling demonstration events around the UK, the Thelen Clamp attracted a very high level of interest. Thelen themselves are based in Solingen, Germany, part way between Cologne and Dusseldorf. They are a premium manufacturer using 100% German castings, German moulded seals and high grade stainless fixings. The seal is a moulded part, giving typically a tolerance range of between 8 and 12mm dependent of the size. It can cope with angular deflection

of up to 3 degrees and can even cope with a circumferential gap or ring fracture of up to 2cms. The chassis casting also has full side flanges where the bolts are fitted, so there are no lugs to snap or break off. It has a long standing WRAS approval on the seal system too and a good history of use in the German, Austrian and Swiss markets where the demands for quality and high performance are exceptionally high. ‘When we meet a manufacturer with a product that ticks the boxes on our customer’s wish list and they are manufacturing in Germany, we know its going to be robust and well engineered’ says Will, ‘we find people are comfortable with the assurances of quality straight away’. Now, with R2M’s round of Roadshows almost complete, and the feedback looked at, field trials for the Connector Clamp are being planned all over the UK. To find out more about this great new product, or any of R2M’s other great innovations, please visit R2M’s brand new website www.r2mltd.co.uk or call 01282 778030

AVT EZ Valve Live Valve Insertion

Valve, where there was no valve, no shut off, no problem!

Encapsulation collars for almost any size from 3â&#x20AC;? to 54â&#x20AC;? - and beyond.

Just keep the water on

Thelen Connector Clamp

The leak is longer than your repair clamp just use the Connector clamp and extend your repair!

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

Z-TECH

HEAT WAVE - LEAK DETECTION It’s been a HOT summer and with ground movements, many water companies have seen a rise in leakage and increased usage. In August, Z-Tech teamed up with a local contractor to support commercial customer side leakage at a decommissioned RAF Base. The base is 1200 acres in size and is undergoing a regeneration plan which sees a massive amount of work undertake on site every day, maintaining water supplies is crucial for operations. Z-Tech utilised drone aerial photography to find leaks: with an otherwise barren landscape, areas of green oasis highlighted underground irrigation from leakage. Z-Tech’s civil teams dug offending areas to uncover the leaks which were fixed with repair clamps.

Danny Burton, Z-Tech Senior Site Supervisor said: “We keep our stocks of flowmeters, PRV’s and associated kit on this ex-RAF base and we get on well with our landlords - when he found out we

could help him with his leakage and water supply issues, we were soon contracted to assist: which is great as it’s a bit different from the teams fitting a 1200mm Flowmeter in central London!”

Z-TECH HANDED ROSPA PRESIDENT’S AWARD (10 CONSECUTIVE GOLDS) FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES Z-Tech Control Systems Ltd has achieved a President’s (10 consecutive Golds) in the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK. The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. Jeremy Bull, Z-Tech’s CTO said: “I’m delighted that Z-Tech’s approach to Health and Safety has been consistently awarded the RoSPA Gold Award and to receive the President’s award puts our practices with the very best in the industry. We’ve consistently developed our

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working practices with the introduction of new technology and we will continue to do so.” Julia Small, RoSPA’s Head of Qualifications, Awards and Events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most highly-respected in the health and safety arena, with almost 2,000 entrants every year, and allow organisations to prove excellence in the workplace, demonstrating a commitment to the wellbeing of not only employees but all those who interact with it.”

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WHY CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT IS CRUCIAL TO MINIMISING COMPLAINTS DURING EXTREME WEATHER Although water firms go to great lengths to prepare for extremes in weather, few could have expected this year’s dramatic shifts in temperature that saw ‘The Beast from the East’ leaving several feet of snow across the UK in March, followed by the longest heatwave for decades throughout July. In this context, there is an opportunity for water companies to embrace this focus and embed truly customer-centric approaches into their business plans. Some companies are already stepping up their ambitions in this area, while others have further to go. Regardless, focusing on clear communication and keeping complaints to a minimum, while ensuring value for money, will be key to customer satisfaction.

by Alex Prentice

Sector Lead, Utilities, Huntswood This unusual chain of events brought unique challenges for water companies, which were left to deal with the effects of the freeze-thaw and are now faced with the prospect of hosepipe bans. We may not be able to predict the weather but building resilience within the water sector is crucial. Companies must be prepared for these types of events, ensuring they have robust processes in place to deliver support to customers at times of need. While a quick and effective reactive response is necessary, the water industry should also be embracing ongoing proactive customer communication to build trust and prepare for unexpected challenges. This is something that Ofwat is increasingly pushing for, by using regulation - both incentives and penalties - to encourage the highest levels of customer service. In the context of the upcoming PR-19, customers are front and centre of the regulator’s plans for the industry, while resilience, affordability and innovation also feature heavily.

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In particular, trust between the industry and customers is crucial. Water companies are service providers, delivering a vital commodity direct to homes and businesses across the country. The fact that geographical monopolies allow companies to develop long-term relationships with customers should bring with it a strong understanding of the needs of customers and is central to addressing issues of affordability. As a true public service, a strong relationship between water company and customer is vital. Ongoing proactive communication ensures that this relationship is maintained and protected, and can then be supplemented by clear and effective reactive engagement when unforeseen circumstances dictate. There will always be pinch points, but the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) found that during the freeze-thaw companies that used all their communication channels and showed a presence on the ground received lower levels of complaints. In addition, recent events demonstrate that while some suppliers respond well to challenges and keep customers top of mind via ongoing business planning and effective communication, others have improvements to make. External customer engagement experts can provide that outside perspective for companies seeking to more effectively anticipate customer needs and ensure high-quality complaints handling, which reduces costs over the long-term. This may be the opportune time for water companies to

consider every avenue to improve relationships with customers, rebuild trust and reduce complaints. There isn’t a quick fix, but effective communication will help improve understanding of customer issues, and will protect the reputation of water companies and their licence to operate. Moreover, finding a place at the top of a customer satisfaction table will provide a competitive advantage in a challenging political environment, while also reducing costs associated with dealing with complaints. Expertise and experience are central to communication that keeps customers happy. Business processes that ensure the ongoing delivery of high-quality customer service, as well as the ability to deal with unexpected increases in complaints should be supported by effective resource planning. At Huntswood, we also know that it’s not just about having enough frontline staff, but also about seeking improvements across the culture of the business and in the design of customer journey. While many water companies are making progress in these areas, there is more that can be done to meet the high expectations of customers. With unforeseen weather events likely to increase, combined with high ambitions set by Ofwat, there has never been a better time to strive for the highest levels of customer engagement. Huntswood Outsourcing provides its clients with a wide range of services that deliver good customer outcomes and business efficiencies.

Personification

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AQUAM

SMART INVESTMENT WILL DELIVER RESILIENCE After a summer of concerns about water scarcity in England, Ofwat is asking utilities to ramp up resilience. Aquam’s managing director Tim Bowen says working closely with the supply chain is the best way to deliver the outcomes required by the regulators, water companies and their customers. Everyone in the water industry has heard loud and clear warnings from the Environment Agency’s about water shortages in England, but the public’s willingness to moderate its water use is likely to be substantially compromised if the significant losses of water from the transmission and distribution systems are not addressed. In the wake of the summer heatwave, which brough the threat of hosepipe bans in England, the message grew stronger. Ofwat chief executive Rachel Fletcher said the industry must to redouble its efforts to ensure the resilience of its assets and infrastructure. On 23 July, she tweeted, “Ofwat wants to see a game change on leakage in the water sector. We’ve thrown down the gauntlet for water companies to cut down on leakage by 170 billion litres a year – enough to meet the yearly needs of everyone in the cities of Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff combined – 3.1 million people.” Ofwat says it expects the water sector in England and Wales to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025, making a “step change in efficiency”. Such a transformation cannot be delivered by traditional approaches to water management while the cost of produced water is too low to make a simple economic case for significant investment in network resiliance. Where the very availability of water is in question, the cost to the environment is unquantifiable and the need for action is all the more urgent. The public is not necessarily going to pay any more, and the assets are not getting any younger. This makes it imperative that investment is targeted at the right assets at the right time, which can only be achieved with a deep understanding of the condition of the infrastructure. Aquam is already working closely with a number of utilities to develop this understanding to ensure the integrity of their pipeline assets.

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The company’s suite of pipe inspection and condition monitoring technologies and services is helping its clients be much more analytical in the ways they assess what needs to be done and when. Huge efficiencies are made possible by identifying weaknesses in pipes in advance, calculating the likelihood of bursts and leaks, and planning proactive maintenance. The data-rich environment for asset management is made possible by smart technologies, which can mitigate catastrophic events altogether along with the accompanying water loss, heavy fines and high repair costs associated with reactive events. Examples including Aquam’s LDS 1000 and Investigator leak detection and pipe inspection systems, which can be inserted into live potable water mains in lengths up to a kilometre. Thousands of real-time data points can be captured by the sensor head, which combines high definition CCTV, a hydrophone and a high-powered sonde. The data outputs can be analysed to assess pipe condition and pinpoint areas of interest requiring closer attention. They can also be scaled and synchronised with standard industry GIS platforms for asset location purposes. With the launch of Amplus this summer, Aquam is taking the technology further. This data-driven remote operated vehicle (ROV) technology provides a self-propolled platform that can host a range of sensor technologies, representing a new era in analysis and preventative assessment of pipe infrastructure. Amplus’ allows Aquam to provide customers with remaining pipe lifespan calculations through ultrasonic assessment of residual pipewall thicknesses, high resolution imagery and pinpointed real-time data, enabling customers to develop informed maintenance and replacement strategies that optimise limited financial budgets. Customer bills will not rise if these advanced techniques are widely implemented - and they could even come down! Such a roll-out would make utilities much more efficient in how they invest - no longer needing to replace perfectly good water mains or reactive spend on unexpected bursts.

The customer would also benefit from resilience of supplies, which is critical in a water-scarce world. Our clients are already alert to these benefits and Amplus is set to be deployed by Aquam service providers with commercial, residential, utility, and municipal customers in the US and UK in the coming months. Utilities can further capture the benefit of advanced technologies like Amplus by taking that highly auditable data analysis and using it to develop structured delivery programmes of works for their supply-chain partners. This approach is probably the most efficient way to deliver the resilience demanded by the regulator. The scale of investment involved and the overwhelming need for innovation mean that the sector needs to go much further in exploring what is possible. We cannot allow barriers to innovation to prevail. We must work together to focus our efforts on the most pressing issues and find ways to undertake trials and iron out any issues in ways in which public health and safety remains paramount. The industry must find a workable balance between very large companies managing huge and ageing asset bases that must consitstently deliver safe and reliable water supplies with smaller companies of far fewer resources that are often the source of much of the innovative creativity that will unlock the step change in efficiency required. Such agreements would build resilience into the supply chain and facilitate the transition from reactive to proactive and preventative maintenance – using rich digital data to make timely calculations and prioritise investment towards the right assets at the right time. As an integrated technology company delivering world leading pipeline diagnostics and rehabilitation services, Aquam will be doing its bit to ensure the integrity of the asset base as a partner to its utility clients. Aquam is ready and able to assist utilities with their propositions to Ofwat for the next AMP cycle, so that smart network asset management and resilience is built in at the outset and infrastructure is built to last.

CMY

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DO YOU KNOW YOUR NETWORK? Barrie Light, uses his 40 years of industry experience to discuss whether innovation in refurbishment techniques or network renewal is best for our ageing infrastructure.

by Barrie Light

Network Asset & Leakage Manager at Bournemouth Water (part of South West Water) With innovation driving us forward every day, are we in fear of leaving behind the main infrastructure we rely so heavily upon. Much of our infrastructure is now well past its sell by date (over 100 years old in a lot of cases), but we seem obsessed with trying to find new equipment or techniques to find leaks faster on our networks. Of course, there will always be a good business case to do this and there are some very good techniques already out there ; Step testing, correlators and noise loggers and we’re moving towards more and more fixed networks to react to leakage before it gets out of control. But let’s take stock and look at the bigger picture, how much of the infrastructure is replaced or refurbished each year? In many companies, this is declining each year, so pipes will continue to fail and at a greater rate. Yes, we are all investing in pressure management, clever controlled PRV/PMVs to reduce the strain and calm our network down but this is only a one time solution. Leakage detection teams across the country are all struggling to do leakage the traditional way as more mixed materials and slip lined pipes are installed. Is MDPE the answer? Who knows, but again leakage technicians are struggling to trace and locate this material. Yes, we have hydrophones and pressure sensors to help us but it doesn’t help the fact that the network is creaking.

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Platelets, internal robots and many other things have been developed and tested and we need to continue down this road as money won’t be there to upgrade everything, but more does need to be done on upgrading our existing ageing networks.

and fix, or refurbish and renew. Either way everyone has a part to play on safeguarding the future innovations that will deliver faster more economic ways of finding and possibly preventing leaks.

Cast Iron mains are coming to the end of their life span and we have tried steel, ductile iron, asbestos cement, PVC, MDPE and now HPPE; will this be the saviour of the water industry, who knows? But what is known is leakage will only get worse and we will have to get smarter and more efficient.

Consultants will offer more innovative ways of condition assessment to maintain the network, models will run thousands of equations to tell you there is a leak about to break out but is that the answer, who knows?

Ofwat will continue to challenge water companies to drive leakage down lower and lower and of course this is correct. Innovation will continue to make finding leaks quicker and more efficient but we must not lose sight of the bigger picture that is our infrastructure, it is the bread and butter of water companies. Let’s also not forget our customers in this as they play the biggest part. They will be ringing in before we can get there, complaining that water is running down the road again and again and with this summer being the hottest since 1976 look back at how much of the infrastructure has been upgraded or replaced since then, not a lot I guess. To put things into perspective I know we won’t have anywhere near the funding we need to upgrade our networks to future proof them for the next generation; so do we spend on find

Everyone will have their own view on what is not always the best answer but is the most efficient for their business.

FEATURE: MAINS TECHNOLOGY

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T TAKE RISKS WITH WATER QUALITY With increasingly more brownfield sites being redeveloped to allow a greater volume of housing to be constructed, reliable pipelines are required to transport large volumes of drinking water for new homes. However, with contaminants often present in the ground, there is lots of debate around the best solutions to ensure a safe drinking water supply is maintained. Protecta-Line, from GPS PE Pipe Systems, is the original barrier pipe system that has been trusted by water authorities, housing developers and contractors to safely transport drinking water through contaminated land for more than 20 years. The most widely installed barrier pipe system in the UK, Protecta-Line has a tough multi-layer construction incorporating an impermeable aluminum barrier layer wrapped onto a central core of PE80 or Excel (PE100) pipe.

This reassures customers that the system provides proven protection against all known recognised brownfield contaminants, both organic and inorganic. Being impervious to contaminants in the soil also means no costly soil samples or excavation work is required, significantly reducing project costs. Protecta-Line is a fully integrated barrier pipe and fittings system and offers a wide range of dedicated fittings, designed to work with the barrier pipe, including mechanical compression, mechanical, electrofusion, pupped and ferrule fittings. In addition to the high quality performance, Protecta-Line also offers considerable

installation benefits. The lightweight nature of PE pipe, combined with the quicker and easier electrofusion jointing process, saves significant time and costs on site. While the smooth bore of PE resists corrosion, ensuring flow is not restricted over the lifetime of the system, offering optimum operational efficiency over the lifetime of the system. Offering ultimate flexibility for customers, Protecta-Line offers the largest size range available on the market, with pipe available in sizes up to 630mm. For further information about Protecta-Line visit www.gpsuk.com or call 01480 442600.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAFE TRANSPORTATION OF DRINKING WATER CHOOSE PROTECTA-LINE Over the last 20 years Protecta-Line has helped supply clean water through contaminated land for every leading water utility

BARRIER PIPE AND FITTINGS SYSTEM

Protecta-Line is a major award winning, fully integrated barrier pipe & fittings system

BARRIER PIPE AND FITTINGS SYSTEM

Protecta-Line is the most widely used barrier pipe in the UK

BARRIER PIPE AND FITTINGS SYSTEM

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT WWW.GPSUK.COM OR CALL 01480 442600

BARRIER AND FITTINGS THE TRIEDPIPE & TRUSTED BARRIER SYSTEM SYSTEM

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EXPECT… AVK

DN800 RESILIENT SEATED GATE VALVES FOR DALMACOULTER RESILIENCE SCHEME AVK UK Limited was awarded a contract for the provision of four DN800 Series 55 Resilient Seated Gate Valves along with nine DN900 Metal Seated Gate Valves by the Caledonia Water Alliance (Morrison Utility Services Limited and AECOM) on the Dalmacoulter Resilience Scheme for ultimate client Scottish Water. The valves are the first of their kind ever to have been supplied on a UK scheme having only been available and supplied up to DN600 before this order. Discussions began early 2016, and the valves were delivered to site in October 2016. The Caledonia Water Alliance, formed by Morrison Utility Services Limited and AECOM, was named in 2014 as the preferred bidder to support the delivery of Scottish Water’s water infrastructure element of its capital investment programme. The contract included programme management, together with the design and construction of works associated with the water network across the whole of Scotland along with new assets, renewals, modifications, maintenance and refurbishment of water networks and pumping stations. The Dalmacoulter Resilience Scheme is for the construction of a 1000mm diameter HPPE pipeline approximately 6km in length running from Cumbernauld to Airdrie. The pipeline is being constructed in duplication to the existing pre-stressed concrete pumping main to ensure the resilience of supply to 185,000 people. The pipeline is being constructed in duplication to the existing pre-stressed concrete pumping main to ensure the resilience of supply to 185,000 people. It was established that on two of the DN800 Gate Valves, there would not be enough headroom for the valves to sit in the vertical position. One of the key advantages of the AVK Series 55 Resilient Seated Gate Valve is that you can install them vertically or horizontally as standard without any modifications required to the valve. This allowed us to easily overcome this challenge whilst giving the customer the flexibility to install in either position.” The valves were manufactured at AVK’s state of the art machining facility in Anhui, China. “The usage of the DN800 Series 55 not only solved the immediate challenge but also provided the client

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with other additional benefits. The AVK Series 55 Gate valves have a lower operating torque in comparison to a Metal Seated Gate Valve which is significant for the gearing or actuator size resulting in cost savings to the client, the valves are designed to be 100% drop tight which cannot be achieved in a metal seated valve. They are the optimum valves for this scheme.” Wilson continued. AVK UK Limited is continuously developing new products to meet the ever-increasing demand within the sector. Work is already underway for the development of DN900 and DN1000 diameter Series 55 Resilient Seated Gate Valves that should be available early 2018. Wilson concluded, “Our development and manufacturing teams constantly liaise with market leaders to identify new ways of doing things and new products.”

For further details on this scheme, please contact: Wilson McPhail, Business Manager - Scotland AVK UK Limited Mobile: 07515 576658 E-Mail:wimc@avkuk.co.uk

EXPECT... LASTING INNOVATIONS TO COMPLIMENT OUR LARGE DIAMETER VALVE RANGE WE OFFER

DISMANTLING JOINTS, UNIVERSAL STRAIGHT COUPLINGS, STEP COUPLINGS, FLANGE ADAPTORS AND TENSILE RESISTANT FLANGE ADAPTORS AND COUPLINGS

Series 258/60 Tensile Resistant Coupling DN800-1200

Series 258/30 Straight Coupling DN350-1600

Series 265/30 Dismantling Joint DN300-1600

Series 260/60 & 61 Tensile Resistant Flange Adaptor DN350-1200

Series 260/30 Flange Adaptor DN350-1600

Series 265/50 Dismantling Joint DN300-2200

The AVK Series 265/30 and 265/50 Dismantling Joints: • Available in size range DN300-2200 # • Longitudinal adjustment 60mm • PN16 drilling available as standard. • Other drillings available to order. • Blue fusion bonded epoxy coating. • WRAS approved component materials. • Coating complies to WIS 4-52-01. • EPDM seals – BS681-1 as standard. • Nuts and bolts coated to WIS 4-52-03. • Emergency service available.

Series 259/30 Stepped Coupling DN350-1600

The AVK Series 258, 259 and 260 Couplings and Flange Adaptors: • Available in size range DN350-1600. • Manufactured to specified pipe OD. • Sealing tolerance of +2/-5mm which offers flexibility on installation. • 7mm sealing tolerance means product is quick and easy to install. • WRAS approved component materials. • Blue fusion bonded epoxy coating. • EPDM seals as standard. • Deflection (at each end): DN350 – 600 4° DN700 – 800 3° DN900 – 1600 2° • Coating complies to WIS 4-52-01. • Nuts & bolts coated to WIS 4-52-03. • Emergency service available. Flange adaptor only • PN16 drilling available as standard. • Other drillings available to order. • Cogged flange adaptor version to suit ‘special’ drillings. Adaptors can be notched.

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

Series 258/61 Tensile Resistant Coupling DN350-700

The AVK Series 260/60 & 61, 258/60 and 258/6X Tensile Resistant Flange Adaptors and Couplings • Available in size range DN350-1200. (Series 260/61 DN350-700, Series 260/61 DN800-1200) • End restraint is obtained by individual grippers independently torqued • Full tensile (end-load) capabilities. • When fitted on polyethylene pipe, heat blankets are not required offering cost savings on installations. • EPDM seals as standard. • Blue fusion bonded epoxy coating to WIS 4-52-01. • Emergency service available. • The range is capable of connecting majority of pipeline materials such as ABS, cast iron, ductile iron, epoxy coated steel, Polyethylene PE80 and PE100 and PVC. Flange adaptor only • PN16 drilling available as standard. • Other drillings available to order. • Cogged flange adaptor version to suit ‘special’ drillings. Adaptors can be notched.

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SELWOOD

PROVIDING ROBUST SOLUTIONS IN £300M PIPELINE PROJECT Selwood’s team of pump solution specialists are playing their part in one of the biggest and most complex water infrastructure projects in the North of England for many years. Selwood is providing robust pumping solutions during a major project by United Utilities to build a £300m pipeline to connect Thirlmere Reservoir to West Cumbria. The principal aims of the work are to safeguard drinking water and protect wildlife because Ennerdale - which currently supplies drinking water to towns in West Cumbria - will have its abstraction licence withdrawn by the Environment Agency in 2022. The 62-mile pipeline from Thirlmere and associated works will secure water supplies for thousands of homes and businesses, as well as support protected species at Ennerdale. The six-year project will also involve a new water treatment works at Williamsgate, two underground service reservoirs and a pumping station. Selwood has been working closely with a number of leading contractors on the project. Led by pump specialists at Selwood’s branch in Workington, the bespoke service has included technical on-site discussions and surveys to determine the optimum rental solutions. World-leading Selwood diesel “D” drainer pumps and “S” solids handling pumps, precisionengineered for the rigours of rental, have been providing multiple pumping solutions across large distances as pipe has been laid or relined. Since the spring of 2017 10 miles of pipe has been completed and up to 14 pumps have been in operation at any time. As the pace of work steps up a gear this year, up to 20 pumps may be rented to cope with the demands of the applications. The ‘D’ and ‘S’ pumps benefit from the following features: ■■

High-efficiency centrifugal pumps designed for high-volume fluid transfer.

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Emission-compliant engines to help protect the environment.

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Ideal for use in applications with water clean, with fine or larger solids.

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Super Silent option offering the most up-to-date noise attenuation and ideal for use in semi-urban or environmentallysensitive areas.

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Built to the Selwood’s first-class standards for quality, reliability and durability.

The proximity of the branch in Workington has

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also had advantages as Selwood has been able to quickly supply accessories needed for the project, including Selwood Silt Traps, Settlement Tanks, wire armoured hoses, and lay flat hoses. Contractors on site have benefited from Selwood’s maintenance services, backed by a genuine 24/7, 365 days-a-year emergency callout system. Selwood’s experts have also delivered toolbox training to those working on the project, with 50 contractor employees taking part in a recent session. Abigail Southwell, pump rental specialist at Selwood’s branch in Stanley Street, Workington, said: “As one of the leading suppliers to the civil engineering and water sectors, we are delighted to be part of this significant infrastructure scheme in the North West. This is a highly complex project involving several different contractors and we are pleased to have been

able to provide each one with robust and reliable solutions, along with our technical expertise. “The project is still in its relative infancy, but we are pleased with what has been achieved in the first year and look forward to many more years of partnership working to tackle the challenges this scheme brings.” Selwood represents the international benchmark in pumping solutions with its unique position as both a manufacturer of pumps and the number one pump rental provider in the UK. Selwood’s people are proud of the company’s 72-year heritage that means every pump is backed by decades of research, development and experience in the water, environmental and construction industries. For more information visit www.selwood.co.uk

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HUBER

WASTEWATER CASE STUDY AT MINWORTH STW HUBER Technology recently completed a project at one of the largest inland sewage treatment works in the UK, Minworth STW. Minworth serves a population equivalent of 1.75 million from Birmingham with full flow to treatment of 1,070Ml/d. The works treats sludge arising from a population equivalent of 2.3 million which is made up of indigenous sludge plus imported sludge from the nearby Coleshill STW and various works in Staffordshire and north Warickshire. Good early engagement from all the concerned parties helped enormously to discuss all the possibilities and deliver a good solution.

[Minworth STW STRAINPRESS® Installation]

Project Profile This project was part of the installation of the Cambi THP Plant at Minworth, Severn Trent Water’s largest sewage treatment works, as part of the improvement to their digestion process to further enhance renewable energy production from biogas. A solution needed to be found as the Cambi Plant required screening sludge to 6mm in 2 directions. Early involvement and the use of Collaboration software 360 BIM was used by all parties, which helped to manage the design side of the project.

Objective The primary sludge at Minworth is collected from the individual primary tanks and pumped into two buffer tanks, the sludge is then fed through STRAINPRESS® units to protect the downstream CAMBI process from screenings and other solids. The STRAINPRESS® screen prevents solids greater than 5mm two directions passing into the downstream flow before compacting them and dropping them into the skips located underneath the gantry.

Solution The contractor wanted to capture lessons learnt from previous THP installations so a visit to Cardiff STW was set up so that they could see a similar HUBER packaged project with STRAINPRESS® mounted on gantry operating. Benefits could then be seen using this pre fabricated off site package plant solution, where all the in house electric testing and some of the dry commissioning can be undertaken. This all leads to a much shorter and safer installation time on site.

Product Profile BIM 360 Design Package

HUBER Technology Supplied 6 x HUBER Sludgecleaner STRAINPRESS®290 6 x HUBER Control Panels

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HUBER STRAINPRESS®- Sludge Screening - To remove solids and rags from imported municipal sludge prior to thickening or dewatering. Benefits include high solids removal, low energy consumption, 366 UK reference sites, simple robust design and fully automated operation.

For more information please contact Rachael Harvey on 01249 765000, email Rachael.Harvey@huber.co.uk or visit our website www.huber.co.uk

“The high profile nature of the project meant that it was imperative we engaged early and effectively so that a suitable innovative solution could be agreed.” Richard Willis - Area Manager

“The DfMA solution worked extremely well and the attention to H&S, quality and detail was excellent. Severn Trent Water were very happy with the access provided and ease of maintenance of the product. With the 6 x STRAINPRESS® designed and manufactured off site, the installation on site was quick and easy, just like a lego set” Richard Thomson - MWH

FEATURE: WASTEWATER

SENSOR TERMINAL BLOCK PACKS TWICE THE SIGNAL DENSITY INTO A 7 MM FOOTPRINT A sensor terminal block from WAGO fits double the signal density into a smaller space on the DIN rail while reducing cabling requirements. Two signals can be connected to each 7 mm wide TOPJOB SÂŽ sensor terminal block, providing a 3.5 mm signal density in a more robust housing. It saves money and installation time by using push-in jumpers rather than wires for commoning power across to each block in an assembly, rather than having to feed live and neutral wires separately into each one. Push-In CAGE CLAMPÂŽ spring pressure connection eliminates the risk of loose or faulty wiring, making TOPJOB S ideal for connecting sensors in areas subject to frequent vibration such as in heavy industrial environments. A supply terminal block ensures that live, earth and neutral only need to be fed into an assembly once, as the power supply can be commoned across to other terminal blocks using standard

jumpers. These are available in a range of pole configurations for added flexibility, while colourcoding simplifies assignment of potentials. Consequently installers can save a large amount of time and money by reducing the amount of wiring used in an installation. At effectively 3.5 mm per sensor connection, more signals can be connected within a smaller space, making the TOPJOB S sensor terminal ideal for confined control cabinets. The terminal blocks feature several potential levels and one signal level. The potential levels are for power supply and, if necessary, sensor grounding or shielding. The signal level is for through signal transmission from the sensors. A single terminal block housing accommodates two interconnected potential terminals with double spacing on the lower levels, and two independent signal pathways with single spacing on the upper levels. Space is provided within the terminal block for engineers to install a PCB, for instance to facilitate LED voltage indicators.

The structure of the terminal block ensures that jumpers, wiring and LEDs (if applicable) are always visible, while the marking system is one of the fastest on the market. The blocks can be marked on the top and the side, while a snap-on marker carrier is available to allow marking to be retrofitted after the assembly has been installed. WAGO Limited Visit: www.wago.com/gb Telephone: 01788 568008 Email: ukmarketing@wago.com

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FUTURE APPROACHES TO INVESTMENT IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT [Himalayan balsam overcrowding river]

By South West Water From the water used to supply customers with drinking water to the watercourses that receive treated wastewater, the condition of the environment is central to the resilience of the services provided by a water company. The importance of a healthy environment is recognised in South West Water’s PR19 business plan, 25 Year Outlook and new Environment Plan with long-term aims in line with the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan “to leave the environment in a better state for future generations”. The activities in the PR19 plan and beyond to deliver this, and a more resilient and betterquality service to our customers, are far-reaching, innovative and the foundation for bringing the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan into action in the south west. They include work with communities on natural capital and catchment-based planning for both water and wastewater services, which we see as pivotal if the sector is to move away from traditional end-of-pipe solutions to ones that deliver multiple benefits to customers and the environment. David Smith, South West Water’s Upstream Thinking and Biodiversity Team Leader, looks at how 3 elements of the company’s PR19 plan – catchment management, invasive non-native species (INNS) and wider biodiversity initiatives – fit together to deliver more.

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The Upstream Thinking Approach to using Natural Capital for Catchment Management Catchment management and natural capital approaches have been highlighted by OFWAT as requirements for PR19 investment plans, alongside planning for resilience and the use new market-led mechanisms for delivery. South West Water’s innovative and longestablished Upstream Thinking catchment management programme has developed many of the approaches now being promoted by OFWAT. There are two areas of work, lowland farms and upland peatland, focused on farm engagement and infrastructure investments alongside direct investments in habitat restoration. Both are part of a long-term sustainable approach to managing costs by investing in natural capital as a way of reducing maintenance or delaying capital investments, helping to keep customers’ future bills down. Upstream Thinking is built on the principle of using trusted third-party organisations as brokers between the water company and landowners / managers. Farm advisors, from our delivery partners in Cornwall and Devon Wildlife Trusts, Exmoor National Park or Westcountry Rivers Trust, approach the farming community on the twin basis that they are not figures of authority from the water company or Environment Agency and that they have some thing to offer that will

benefit their business. Both are important for starting the conversation and developing trust. The advisors offer advice on how to manage spending on resources such as nutrient inputs, how to improve infrastructure to reduce risk around slurry management, and advice on habitat creation or management. This is backed up with match funding from South West Water to put the infrastructure in place, in return for future commitments on sustainable farm planning and the delivery of cleaner sustainable run-off from the farms. This is, in the new language of Natural Capital approaches, a “Payment for Environmental Services and Goods”. The investment that leads to the delivery of these services is an investment in Natural Capital, be it a direct investment in a fenced riverside buffer strip or an indirect investment in a larger slurry store that leads to better decisionmaking around when to drive on the land to apply it, with resultant better soil condition, reduced compaction and less soil run-off into rivers. Catchment-scale thinking has evolved considerably since Upstream Thinking started and going forwards it will use market led Ecosystem Service payments and other innovative incentives for delivery, as well as the development of catchment management for natural flood risk management, catchment offsetting in wastewater and other future applications.

FEATURE: CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT Extending the Upstream Thinking Approach into the biodiversity investment plans Alongside Upstream Thinking, a forwardlooking biodiversity management plan has been developed for the company’s own land, assets and the natural environment it directly impacts upon. This will deliver on the various Habitats and Biodiversity Regulations including the Duty of Care to biodiversity outlined in section 40 of the NERC Act of 2006, which states that South West Water is expected to go above and beyond statutory duties in the case of ecologically sensitive or significant habitats or species. As with Upstream Thinking, South West Water will use internal expertise and external partnerships in a programme of investigations, strategy development and capital improvements that deliver mitigation for the impact of South West Water’s operations. The aim is a strategic approach to the management of biodiversity, across all of south west water’s sites, which will reduce the risk of legal non-compliance whilst maximising the benefit to wildlife across our operational area. This scope of work has been considered to ensure a balanced cost benefit to customers. See Figure 1. South West Water owns and manages nationally and internationally designated sites with recognised biodiversity features which we have a statutory duty to protect and manage. In addition, we own and manage sites without any statutory protection but which may support important habitats or species. Day-to-day

operational decisions as well as longer-term investment decisions can all impact on biodiversity in positive or negative ways.

Enhancing bio-security, both within South West Water’s land holding and the wider catchments Although invasive non-native species (INNS) are not a new problem they are increasing in number and range, due to increased travel and trade. 40% of INNS are aquatic and these are potentially the most problematic species for water companies as significant landowners of wetland habitats. The freshwater environment is critical to our business, and INNS pose a key risk to operations and services to our customers and the environment. Freshwater systems are particularly vulnerable to INNS due to the wide range of potential transmission pathways. For example: Water Supply ■■

F ilters, tanks and structures – Japanese knotweed grows through structures

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P ipelines and service reservoirs – Zebra mussels block pipes

Wastewater and sewage ■■

C ollection – Japanese knotweed affecting pumping stations

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Treatment – Crassula clogging trickling filter

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ecycling – Rhododendron adjacent to sludge R lagoons and damaging structures

It is estimated that costs to the water industry from INNS is currently about £7.5 million p.a. South West Water’s aim is to enhance biosecurity

to protect the water and land we manage and operate to ensure we have a healthy, safe and productive environment now and in the future. We have already played a leading role in the sector on INNS and biosecurity and our plan contains significant investment to ensure we continue to have a vibrant and healthy environment for current and future generations. ■■

Delivery of £1.5m of schemes to prevent deterioration by reducing the risks of spread of INNS and reducing impacts of INNS

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Delivery of 19 investigations into the pathways of INNS to enable a long-term reduction in the risk in our operating area

Partnership working is critical on INNS to increase the reach and understanding of the issues and access broader delivery networks. Working across catchments is also critical, a silo approach inside our own boundaries will not tackle the problems at their root cause.

Bringing it all together in the investment plans The common themes running through these 3 different areas of work are partnership working and investment in infrastructure or the environment to protect and develop the natural capital of the South West region. To help understand and monitor progress South West Water has introduced a biodiversity score card, developed in consultation with local NGOs and community representatives and reflecting customer investment preferences and the outcomes set out in the Government 25yr Environment plan.

Figure 1: key elements of South West Water’s activities that will deliver biodiversity outcomes

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RISING TO THE FUTURE CHALLENGES OF CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT

[Rural catchment in South Shropshire]

Stakeholder engagement, public pressures and government regulations are shaping the water companies approach to their long-term thinking on catchment management. perspective on the environment. It also shows that it wants to change the way that we manage our catchments. This will have significant implications for how water companies, local authorities, regulators and consultants work in the future. It will bring challenges, but there are promising signs about how well-equipped water companies are to adapt and create change.

The 25-Year Environment Plan crystallises a number of emerging themes that are starting to affect how decisions about water resources and water quality are made, and how these ‘natural assets’ are valued, managed and protected:

by Paul Daily

Director - Water Group Stantec Environmental Services The problems facing the UK’s water environment have developed over many decades, or even centuries. Likewise, solutions to these problems will take many years to identify, design, implement and realise. These long timescales do not fit comfortably within water company funding cycles, Water Framework Directive (WFD) River Basin Management plans (6 years) or electoral cycles (<5 years). In its 25-Year Environment Plan released earlier this year, the UK Government signalled that it understands the need for taking a longer-term

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1. Catchment based approach: managing catchments holistically and avoiding expensive end-of-pipe solutions. 2. A focus on enhancing natural mechanisms for controlling flood and water quality risk, rather than relying solely on concrete and technology. There is an increasingly robust evidence base for where and how these solutions can work – and where they don’t. 3. Stakeholder led approach, connecting people with the environment to improve health and wellbeing and ensuring that work is managed and delivered at a local scale. Nearly 4.5 million people, or one in 10 UK adults, is now a member or supporter of Britain’s environment and conservation groups. This shows that there is widespread support for community engagement with environmental

projects although some communities remain hard to reach. 4. Using natural and social capital accounting to ensure that decisions reflect costs and benefits more broadly rather than with simple monetary accounting. These themes provide a clear direction of travel away from familiar, regulator-led environmental management. We’re now moving towards an approach which aims to identify, value and deliver multiple potential synergies by managing catchments and their resources holistically through broader stakeholder engagement. The benefits of this approach will need to be balanced against the resultant, more diffuse, allocation of responsibilities as more parties become involved in delivery of benefits and the higher levels of uncertainty when working with natural processes, as opposed to ‘hard’ engineering. We are in the early days of what will be a revolution which will have significant implications for how environmental improvements are delivered in the future and how water companies and their regulators are structured and deliver their core services.

What now for water companies? Many water companies are already making progress in the four areas discussed. For example,

FEATURE: CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT Figure 1: Flow diagram of assessment method to support natural and social capital accounting

most water companies are now employing catchment advisors to help them deliver ambitious catchment management programmes.

Catchment Management Programmes These are designed both to improve raw water quality and to offset pollution loading from waste water treatment processes where these are not cost-beneficial to improve. These programmes are using a wide range of incentives to influence land management practice, including grants, outcomes-based payments and some innovative trading approaches. It’s clear that one size doesn’t fit all. More progress has been made in rural catchments where land ownership and pollution issues are relatively straightforward, compared to the more complex multi-pressure, mass stakeholder urban catchments. However, to deliver the full range of improvements required under the WFD, there now needs to be more focus on such complex catchments.

Experience and relatable knowledge key in stakeholder relationships Water companies are learning how to communicate with stakeholders and most now employ catchment advisors who are actively engaging with farmers and other land users. Farmers generally appreciate visits and advice from people who know about their business and can give practical and appropriate advice. As we start to focus on urban catchments, the ways in which we work with stakeholders may need to evolve, especially with respect to hard to reach communities who stand most to benefit from some of these measures.

Will Natural & Social Accounting drive future decision making? Natural and social accounting is still a new area for water companies, but OFWAT has made it clear that these have significant contributions

to make to two of its four key themes for PR19: resilience and innovation. Water companies are therefore starting to investigate how these could become tools for ensuring that impacts on these important aspects are built into the decision-making process. Natural and social accounting offers a real prospect of becoming an effective tool for assessing and comparing options that involve a wide range of environmental benefits, particularly where direct valuation of the benefits is difficult. As water companies continue to move forward with this approach, it is likely that the optioneering process in PR24 will be very different from previous business planning cycles, with environmental aspects becoming fully integrated into the process.

Catchment Management Declaration The recently announced Catchment Management Declaration is one of the most promising signs of the water industry’s determination to move these areas forward. The Declaration emphasises collaboration and engagement as key elements of sustainable catchment management. This echoes the themes in the Government’s 25-Year Plan, demonstrating that water companies are committed to moving forward in line with the Environmental Plan. The Catchment Declaration includes commitment to reconvene in 12 months to share progress, best practice and to demonstrate positive action. A year is a short time in environmental planning terms and it will be interesting to see how much progress can be made in this timescale.

The collaboration challenge Looking at challenges, perhaps the greatest of these will be working together to manage

catchments holistically as this will involve key stakeholders giving up some of their control of specific aspects of the system. This demands unprecedented flexibility from all parties and this will be essential if a full catchment-based approach is to be implemented. An example of where this has been successfully working is ‘Natural Course’, a £20m, 10year North West wide European Programme aiming to join up organisations with similar interests to develop and deliver projects in the most efficient way to meet the challenges of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). One of the solutions used to achieve this is catchment permitting, which has been developed in the Petteril catchment and may well be used elsewhere when it is right for the specific situation. The Environment Agency and United Utilities are developing this new approach, aiming to explore opportunities to drive natural capital investment across catchments, whilst still delivering regulatory requirements and value for money. They’ve worked together to overcome challenges and develop a more flexible regulatory approach to deliver wider environmental improvements and promote innovation in catchment management. Despite all these challenges, the themes highlighted in the Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan have planted catchment and environmental management firmly in the minds of the water company directors. They are now asking for answers on how to deliver on the visions laid out in the Plan. Also, they are seeing the benefits of their customers being more engaged with environmental considerations too and not just those relating to water. We have a unique opportunity to rise to the challenge.

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CATCHMENT FIRST: CREATING CLEANER, MORE RESILIENT WATER RESOURCES FOR A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY AND A HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT

Southern Water’s Catchment First strategy is about bringing together a range of organisations to identify and implement cost-effective solutions to tackling pollution that can affect water quality in specific water source (catchment) areas. It ensures protecting these resources are at the heart of our decision-making and delivery process. Rather than the traditional approach of building new assets and creating new treatment processes to deal with water quality issues, we’re looking to solve some of our key water quality and supply challenges together with local partners, creating more sustainable solutions with wider environmental, societal and economic benefits. In developing and expanding our Catchment First programme we’ve actively listened to our customers and stakeholders who have both said they want us to develop more holistic catchment management solutions. Customers want their water to be as natural as possible, and they are starting to see it as a precious resource that should be looked after for future generations. Stakeholders have also said that a resilient, low carbon and low environmental impact water supply should be a priority. Southern Water already has Catchment First initiatives under way to solve raw water quality issues, reduce the impact of the removal of water (abstraction) on our rivers and to protect

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bathing water quality. Alongside these schemes we’ve also launched projects to look into the benefits of natural capital, ecosystem services and the role of our supply chain in protecting drinking water sources. Currently our main focus is on catchment investigations in areas where we abstract water for drinking water supplies. Our region covers a large number of catchment areas, both large and small, and we have a wide range of projects, approaches and delivery partners depending on the specific challenges, for example, in large river catchments such as the River Medway, the Rother and the Arun, or small catchments for individual groundwater sources. Catchment Monitoring and Investigations: To understand key water quality challenges and risks we’ve started a programme of wide-ranging water quality monitoring and desk based investigations, which draw upon various data sources to generate a risk-scoring matrix for each catchment. This information is then linked to the Drinking Water Safety Plan (DWSP) process. At the same time, we’ve begun a review of all our abstraction licences and their potential

to affect river flows and ecology. Catchment Walkovers: Our team of in-house Catchment Officers is getting to know the catchment areas, landowners, stakeholders and delivery partners by systematically visiting each of them. This review covers 96 groundwaters and nine river systems from which we abstract water for public supply. Reactive Catchment Compliance: Our Catchment Officers are also reacting to water quality issues as they happen, working with stakeholders to identify any risks before they become issues for water quality and water supply. Long-Term Strategic Catchment Projects: As well as more reactive catchment compliance work, we have a number of more strategic programmes under way looking at long-term water quality and water resource issues. For example, we’re starting to address rising nitrate levels in groundwaters, pesticide levels in river systems and low river flows caused by drinking water abstraction.

FEATURE: CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT

CATCHMENT FIRST EXAMPLES OF SURFACE WATER WORK Metaldehyde programme: Southern Water is working with farmers in surface water catchments to reduce spikes of metaldehyde, an active ingredient used in slug pellets in the agricultural sector and on a smaller scale for domestic use. Metaldehyde is seen as a useful product in the agricultural sector, but it’s extremely difficult to remove in the water treatment process. Since 2015 we’ve been working with farmers to tell them about the risks of using metaldehyde and offering them incentives to switch to ferric phosphate, an alternative product. At the moment, we’re working with Natural England Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers to get this message out to a wider audience, using a tried and tested approach to delivering a reduction in diffuse pollution. We’re also working directly with an established farmer group in West Sussex, who have agreed to a target to stop using metaldehyde in the Western Rother by 2021.

Oil Seed Rape Pilot: In the River Beult catchment on the East Sussex/Kent border our raw water sampling programme has identified risks to water quality from pesticides associated with growing oilseed rape (OSR). A Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer, funded by Southern Water, is building relationships

with arable farmers and agronomists to promote best practice. In this area we’re also piloting an enhanced offer for farmers, including funded pesticide training, machinery calibrations and a capital grant scheme. Water quality results are also being shared with farmers and their advisers to gain buy-in to the scheme.

CATCHMENT FIRST EXAMPLES OF GROUNDWATER WORK Our two key nitrate groundwater projects are CHaMP and the AAFG Collaboration - both are similar in terms of what they aim to achieve, but the two projects are being implemented using different approaches. The Brighton Chalk Management Project (CHaMP for short) is focused on working within the catchment to improve water quality and reduce the amount of nitrate getting into underground water reserves (aquifers). This project is a collaboration between several large organisations - Southern Water, the South Downs National Park Authority, the Environment Agency, Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Brighton - and covers the Brighton Chalk Block, north of

We see catchment management as a long-term commitment and it’s written into our Water Resource Management Plan, as well as a number of DWI Undertakings and NEP Schemes. Water quality risks will always be present in catchments, but if we can work with stakeholders

Brighton and Hove. The project team works with farmers on the South Downs to understand how nitrate fertilisers are used, with a view to reducing the amount of agricultural nitrate getting into to the aquifers. The other aim of this project is to reduce the amount of nitrates getting in to aquifers from urban areas through the introduction of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). These SuDS can intercept surface water run-off from urban areas, allowing contaminated water to filter through ponds, planted areas such as reed beds and the soil before reaching the aquifer.

Similar CHaMP, the Arun to Adur Farmers Group (AAFG) project is targeted at reducing the amount of nitrates reaching the aquifer in the Worthing Chalk Block, west of the Brighton Block. This is a farmer-led project that works closely with us. The group was formed using funding from The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to promote biodiversity in farming systems. The group approached us wanting to build water resource protection into their project and we’ve been able to help by funding soil tests and a precision farming trial. We’ve also looked at historical use of nitrates to try and understand what impact they’ve had on groundwater quality and how this compares with current practice.

to reduce or react to risks, then we can help create a resilient future for water in the South East. To find out more about Southern Water’s Catchment First strategy email: catchmentmanagement@southernwater.co.uk

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ARVIA

ARVIA AND THE INNOVATION PROCESS Whilst biological processes are usually the most cost-effective methods for the removal of organic contaminants from effluents, the presence of toxic and/or non-biodegradable organics can render these processes ineffective. This means that advanced chemical/physical methods are required. Whilst there are a number of treatment process available, all are expensive, use toxic or hazardous compounds, generate a further waste stream or are still under development. To achieve a high-quality effluent, adsorption is recognised as one of the most cost-effective conventional techniques, with activated carbon being the most widely used adsorbent material. However, after adsorption the loaded carbon must be disposed of (landfill or incineration) or regenerated. Regeneration is widely used as it is often the most environmentally acceptable option. Industrially, a high temperature thermal regeneration process is used but it is a high energy/high cost process resulting in a 5-10% loss of material. Additionally, except for the very largest users, the process requires off-site transportation to specialist companies.

The feasibility of any adsorption process depends greatly on the cost of regeneration of the spent adsorbents. An alternative approach developed by Arvia is a simple, rapid and low-cost regeneration process, based on a non-porous adsorbent material. The adsorbent Nyex™ material used in this process has a high electrical conductivity, allowing effective electrochemical regeneration. The use of non-porous material increases the rate of adsorption as it eliminates intra-particle diffusion and facilitates electrochemical regeneration as the electrochemical effects are restricted to the external surface. This process not only concentrates the pollutants onto the adsorbent surface, it provides a mechanism for their destruction, rather than merely transferring the pollutants from one phase to another. There are two key elements to the innovative

process: 1. A novel, non-porous, highly conducting carbon-based material for the adsorption of organic contaminants to low concentrations, capable of rapid electrochemical regeneration 2. A continuous treatment process, which is the first device in the world capable of adsorption and regeneration within a single unit. The process is simple to maintain and operate, easy to scale-up, and has no moving parts The potential benefits of this approach include: ■■

Pollutants are adsorbed and destroyed, with no sludge produced

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Fast on-site regeneration at room temperature and pressure with low cost

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No secondary effluent produced

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In most applications, no chemicals are dosed into the Nyex system to enable safe water reuse

NYEX CASE STUDY: PESTICIDE REMOVAL (METALDEHYDE) Man-made organic contaminants of concern include commonly used pesticides, such as metaldehyde. Poor management of herbicides and pesticides means residues can and do end up in drinking water, leading to breaches of EU regulations. Horticulture, gardening and agrochemical manufacture also pose a risk to the environment and water sources. In fact, research indicates that a single drop of pesticide can breach the drinking water limit in a small stream for up to 30 kilometres. In 2017, Arvia began a long-term ongoing project with a major UK utility with the objective of removing metaldehyde to below the 0.1 µg/L regulatory limit stipulated for drinking water. A combination of the seasonal use of pesticides and changes in weather conditions causing run-off results in ‘spikes’ of these contaminants in waterways, sometimes over the 0.1 µg/L regulatory limit. Due to advances in analytical

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capabilities, utilities now have more data to determine when these spikes will occur and can better prepare when water is abstracted for drinking purposes. A suitable solution for this short-term reoccurring issue is a transportable ‘plug and play’ system like the Nyex process. Nyex systems are designed in scalable modules to suit varying flow rates and can be stored inside a shipping container for ease of manoeuvre and integration into a treatment train. This means that during the period that the system is not needed, it can be shut off, drained and conveniently stored off-site. During initial trials on-site at the utility, the Nyex system demonstrated effectiveness at treating trace levels of metaldehyde from 0.085 µg/L to below 0.02 µg/L - these remaining low levels (although not quite in breach of the regulation) have often resisted traditional treatment processes and are the most recalcitrant remaining organics.

Arvia have conducted further trials at their in-house laboratory facility on a wide range of pesticides, some of which have been banned for several years (eg. atrazine) but are still found in waterways; demonstrating their recalcitrant nature. The results demonstrate the capability of the Nyex system against a variety of contaminants, an achievement which cannot be costeffectively sustained by several traditional treatment processes. Many of the world’s aquatic ecosystems are already vulnerable to agrochemical pollution caused by intensive food production. Improving water quality and removing contaminants is vital to healthy populations and supporting that same food supply Nyex now makes it entirely possible.

Arvia Technology

Advanced water and wastewater treatment for the modern world. Arvia’s Nyex™ solution allows for effective treatment of organics (COD), micropollutants and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) as well as colour from water and wastewater streams. The system works as a stand-alone solution or to complement existing treatment processes to reduce costs, preserve resources and comply with strict regulation.

The Nyex™ process can be adapted and optimised to treat:

Contaminated raw or inlet water

Process water for recovery and reuse

Final wastewater effluent

Get in touch with one of our application experts to discuss your treatment requirements today. Arvia Technology Ltd

Call: 01928 515 310 Email: info@arviatechnology.com arviatechnology.com

An Arvia Solution

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FLUIDION

RAPID MICROBIOLOGY FIELD INSTRUMENTATION: SOURCE TRACKING IN SENSITIVE AREAS The UK Environment Agency is pioneering the use of the latest E.coli field quantification technology for pollution monitoring and source identification in sensitive areas. By Matthew Loewenthal, Andrew D. Newton (Environment Agency, National Laboratory Service); Steve Wright, Claire Campbell (Environment Agency, Yorkshire); Andy Crossley (Scarborough Borough Council); Andreas Hausot, Dan E. Angelescu (Fluidion SAS) Surface water quality has a direct impact on the safety of water supply for drinking, agriculture and aquaculture applications, and also to ensure the safety of recreational water users. At sensitive areas such as drinking water catchments, bathing and aquaculture sites, in addition to standard water quality parameters (temperature, turbidity, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations), frequent monitoring of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB: Escherichia Coli and/or enterococci) is also required. FIB can be naturally present in waterways through presence of birds and other warm-blooded animals, but most commonly large contaminations can be traced down to contaminated effluent from wastewater plants, to untreated sewage infiltrating from failing infrastructure or poor sewage connections, to agricultural run-off in rural areas, and, in certain cases, to sewage from boating activities.During heavy rain episodes faecal contamination can be greatly amplified by sewer and sanitary overflow phenomena. Through high-resolution time series monitoring of FIB it is possible to provide an early warning in the case of contamination events, or to map out the bacterial concentration distribution to identify its sources. Traditionally, FIB concentrations have been measured using spot sampling and culturebased laboratory techniques, such as membrane filtration (MF) and plating, or most-probablenumber (MPN) techniques, which both involve significant logistics and manpower: manual spot sampling, rapid transportation to a lab in refrigerated conditions, running the measurement protocol, and reporting results. These constraints result in remote locations being very difficult and costly to monitor. Furthermore, results are generally only available 24 to 72 hours after the

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[Figure 1: Environment Agency agent Karen Irwin using a Fluidion ALERT LAB for E.coli field measurements.]

moment of sampling, often too late to enable effective preventive or curative actions. A number of rapid measurement techniques and instruments have been developed in recent years for quantifying bacteria online1, ranging from simple fluorescence measurements, to enzymatic activity assays, to complex DNA or RNA-based techniques. Many of the reported instruments are unfortunately poorly adapted to fieldwork, being either too complex, too fragile, or having specific infrastructure requirements (power, communication, weather protection). More importantly, they are often not sufficiently specific to viable and culturable target organisms, which are the focus of water quality regulations. Very recently, a new generation of ultra-portable instruments has become available from French instrument manufacturer Fluidion. The Fluidion ALERT analysers implement a novel quantification method based on real-time defined substrate technology, which is highly specific to viable and culturable E.coli bacteria and can be applied to both fresh water and seawater samples to provide full quantification results in less than 12 hours. The method has been thoroughly validated scientifically, with results showing good accuracy and excellent correlation (r=0.90) against laboratory MPN measurements over multiple orders of magnitude in concentration2,3. More importantly, the ALERT analysers are

[Figure 2: Environment Agency water quality monitor deployed at Scarborough Harbour. The Fluidion ALERT System is visible at the bottom right.]

highly adapted to field use through rugged waterproof construction, fully autonomous battery operation, remote configuration and data transmission capability. Data are transmitted in real time to Fluidion’s secure web-based platform, allowing visualisation, reporting, archival and automatic alert generation. The analysers are available in portable version (ALERT LAB – a shoe-box size instrument, with capability to measure up to six samples concurrently) or in situ version (ALERT System – integrating vacuum sampling and capability to perform 7 analyses). The UK Environment Agency performed a thorough evaluation of Fluidion’s ALERT technology over several months in 2017. Following successful trials, multiple systems (both portable and in situ units) have been operationally deployed since early 2018 to equip fixed monitoring stations, or be used at various remote locations which were prone to contamination. A good example of using such instruments in the field comes from the Scarborough area. Scarborough South Bay Bathing Water was classified as having poor water quality in both 2016 and 2017. The Environment Agency carried out a large monitoring program within South and North Bay during 2016, which identified a number of possible sources of FIB including sea birds, dogs, sewage and industrial effluent. However, traditional spot-sampling monitoring

FEATURE: CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT programs proved limited in both spatial and temporal resolution, and often did not provide enough evidence to determine precise sources of contamination. The availability of the new ALERT System and ALERT LAB instruments enabled the Environment Agency to develop a complete monitoring platform combining high-resolution real-time water quality with fast FIB concentration results. It comprises of a lightweight transportable aluminium kiosk housing a peristaltic pump delivery system and flow-through cell. Hourly measurements of conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ammonium and turbidity are made by a YSI EXO multi parameter sonde fitted within the flow-through cell. The Fluidion ALERT System is mounted directly above the cell, and FIB measurements are triggered as needed. Real-time data from the sonde were fed to the Agenciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; web-based viewer. Communication with the Fluidion ALERT devices was performed wirelessly using the GSM network, with all data transmitted for viewing in real-time on the Fluidion web-based platform. The monitor was initially deployed at Scarborough Harbour to investigate potential sources of contamination with respect to rainfall, tidal cycle and working practices. The results confirmed that the harbour was not a contributor to bathing water failures and by process of elimination allowed the Agency to quickly focus its investigation elsewhere. The unit was subsequently deployed at a freshwater location near North Bay called Scalby Beck. The river drains an agricultural area, so deployment at this site had significant interest, with the primary purpose being to investigate

the relationship between ammoniacal nitrogen and FIB concentrations. Previous investigations had been inconclusive at this site, with low reported values of ammoniacal nitrogen and high FIB counts. In addition, there was also some evidence suggesting that on high tides organic pollutants were entering this freshwater watercourse, most probably from the sea. The monitor was deployed into Scalby Beck in such a position as to allow monitoring of both fresh and seawater depending on tidal cycle. Data from the site confirmed that no FIB contamination was in evidence in the freshwater phase at the site, and indeed water quality with respect to the physical and chemical parameters was also good. However, measurements from the real-time monitor combined with additional FIB concentration data acquired using the portable Fluidion ALERT LAB did indicate significant water quality issues in the seawater phases at certain points within the bay. On-going investigations are taking place to further narrow down the

pollution source. The operational deployment of a combination of ALERT System and ALERT LAB instruments at this and other sites has allowed the Environment Agency to clearly identify locations where sources of FIB resulted in water quality problems, and to better focus recourses on those areas. The results demonstrate that Fluidion ALERT technology can provide rapid and reliable bacterial measurements in operational field conditions, greatly improving contamination source tracking in sensitive areas and enabling improved protection for all water users. References 1. Lopez-Roldan, R. et al. (2013) On-line bacteriological detection in water. Trends Analyt. Chem. 44, 46â&#x20AC;&#x201C;57. 2. Angelescu, D.E. et al. (2018) Autonomous system for rapid field quantification of E. coli in surface waters, J. Appl. Microbiol. doi: 10.1111/jam.14066. 3. Huynh, V. et al. (2016) An autonomous field sensor for Total Coliform and E. coli monitoring at remote sites.IEEE Oceans Conference Proceedings.

[Figure 3: Map of monitoring locations around Scarborough that are described in the article]

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Lakes & Water Courses

Fabrication

Water Turbines

Water Play Parks

Water Features

LEADING WATER ENVIRONMENT CONTRACTORS, FOR CONSTRUCTION, RESTORATION & MAINTENANCE OF LAKES & WATER COURSES CONSTRUCTION/RESTORATION/MAINTENANCE: LAKES - RIVERS - CANALS - WATER FEATURES - WATER PLAY PARKS FLOOD ALLEVIATION - ASSET MAINTENANCE - DE-SILTING - FISH AND EEL PASSES - AQUATIC WEED CONTROL FISHERIES MANAGEMENT - AQUATIC WEED HARVESTING FABRICATION: STAINLESS STEEL - MILD STEEL - HARDWOOD SOFTWOOD - RECYCLED PLASTIC - GLASS REINFORCED PLASTIC (GRP) CONSULTANCY: ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS & SURVEYS - PLANNING APPROVALS - ECOLOGICAL & WASTE PERMITS - PROTECTIVE SPECIES SURVEYS - WATER QUALITY INVESTIGATION - RIVER HABITAT SURVEYS - AQUATIC PLANTING SCHEMES

Kingcombe Stonbury - The Cropmead Estate, Crewkerne, Somerset, TA18 7HQ t 01460 279200 e kingcombe@stonbury.co.uk www.kingcombestonbury.com

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Clean Water

Waste Water

Water Courses

Civils

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

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UNIVERSITY OF BATH

NEW DEVICE WILL HELP PROTECT VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA FROM UNSAFE WATER

An international collaboration between the University of Bath and Universidad de los Andes has developed a low cost, portable and user-friendly multi-sensing device for detecting heavy metals and measuring physico-chemical parameters in water sources. The ‘Water Monitoring in Colombian Vulnerable Communities in a Post-Conflict Scenario’ project, financed by the Newton Fund Institutional Links, has developed an integrated sensing device for testing water which can easily be used by nonexperts. The device not only provides a simple and real-time way of testing water systems, it can also simultaneously upload the findings to a web-based platform via a mobile app. The online resource stores the information and visualises the sampling location on a map. The acquired data is public and can be accessed anytime from anywhere in the world. The device measures four key physico-chemical variables in water, including pH levels, conductivity, temperature and dissolved oxygen. It also monitors the presence of heavy metals in water, including mercury.

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Colombia is the third most mercury-contaminated country in the world, largely due to intense illegal metal mining. The mercury significantly pollutes the water and sediments of rivers, including parts of the River Amazon. The pollution builds up in the food chain, primarily within fish consumed by local people, but it can also reach fruit and vegetables through irrigation. In the dry season, river water becomes the major source of drinking water in many areas. Rural indigenous communities are particularly suffering from mercury pollution. Large numbers of rural municipalities and indigenous territories in Colombia are currently affected by this contamination, with high rates of mercury-related diseases resulting in foetus malformations and brain disorders, rates which are increasing every year.

The multisensing device was tested with the indigenous community of the Resguardo Santa Sofia, located at the southern tip of the Amazonas region of Colombia. The research team spent nearly three weeks in the Amazon testing the sensor to ensure it met their needs and was easy to use. Project leader and Senior Lecturer in the University of Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr Mirella Di Lorenzo, said: “Due to the lack of financial resources and technology, communities like Santa Sofia in the Amazon have no means of checking if the water they are surrounded by is safe to use. This multi-sensing device can have a massive impact to these communities, allowing them to easily check if the water they are using is safe to do so.” The researchers expect that by being able to map out areas of water affected by mercury as well

FEATURE: CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT as providing water users with key water variable readings, this approach will help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases. Their vision is that communities are empowered with a means of testing a water supply themselves whilst authorities are provided with evidence of water affected by illegal mining allowing them to act and mitigate this activity. Dr Alba Graciela Avila Bernal, Associate Professor at the Universidad de los Andes, and Co-Investigator in the project commented: “Humans have contaminated many regions in the world and it is a particular shame we have contaminated the Amazon. “By combining our expertise in participatory design and humanitarian engineering with the sensing expertise at the University of Bath, we have provided this community with a reliable and affordable way of testing the water they so heavily depend upon.”

of a vulnerable community in one of the most remote parts of Colombia: the Amazon.

This multidisciplinary and multi-cultural project, funded by the Newton Fund Institutional links, has brought researchers from the University of Bath’s (UK) Water Innovation & Research Centre (WIRC @ Bath) and Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT) together with researchers from Universidad de los Andes’ Faculties of Economics and Engineering, combining their expertise to the benefit

The researchers are now aiming to further improve the device by making it more intuitive and smaller; thereby making it easier for a technology that can be used by rural communities. The researchers are hopeful that Water this potentially life-changing device can be Innovation produced on a large scale and that collected & Research Centre data could be used by leaders in the communities and policy makers.

A short feature film ‘Water Sweet Water’, which showcases the work of the research team during their time spent with the Santa Sofia community, can be viewed at www.monitoreociudadano.uniandes.edu.co

We can help you reimagine your water R&D

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

We can help you reimagine your water R&D

Through the Water Innovation and Research Centre at the University of Bath our experts work with industry, academia, other stakeholders To explore a partnership with water research experts andand students at the to tackle the fundamental issues surrounding sustainable water. Through University of Bath for your organisation, contact water-research@bath.ac.uk. WISE, our Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Informatics: Science and Engineering, we work with collaborative partners to train the next go.bath.ac.uk/water-research 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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PORTSMOUTH WATER’S CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME - NEXT STEPS…. This is an update to a previous article featured in the IWater Magazine, “The Search for Spikes – Portsmouth Water’s Catchment Management Programme”, in which details were set out describing the process behind dealing with nitrate via the Catchment Management element of Portsmouth Water’s new business plan. Figure 1. Portsmouth Water’s area of supply

As a brief recap, Portsmouth Water has circa 700,000 customers and supplies an area of almost 870 km², through south east Hampshire and the western reaches of West Sussex. All of the Company’s public water sources are reliant on the chalk aquifer of the South Downs – from the chalk-fed River Itchen, the Havant and Bedhampton Springs, to the numerous abstractions directly from groundwater. Its main issue is rising nitrate in its groundwater sources; five sources have already breached the Drinking Water Standard of 50 mg/l. In the short term, risks are being managed by blending water from high nitrate sources with those with lower levels.

Catchment Management programme Since 2008, the company has been in partnership with Catchment Sensitive Farming (Natural England) and the Environment Agency via the Downs & Harbours Clean Water Partnership, which has been providing free services, advice and workshops – e.g. specialist soil management, infrastructure and pesticide handling advice – to farmers to reduce diffuse pollution, particularly nitrate, that affects drinking water, local harbours and the Solent. Through the 2015-2020 Asset Management Plan (AMP 6), Portsmouth Water is building on this to deliver its Catchment Management Programme to address such failures of the nitrate standard and to protect sources, particularly those that are used for blending. It also undertakes various environmental commitments under WINEP (Water Industry National Environment Programme). Catchment Management represents a far more cost-effective alternative to the traditional engineering approaches favoured by the water sector – e.g. nitrate removal plants – and provides synergistic benefits to the greater environment. Nitrate modelling by AMEC Foster Wheeler (now the Wood Group) suggests that up to 40% of nitrate loading is derived from agricultural sources, with winter wheat being the largest contributor – typically 13-15%. Other sources of nitrate include landfill (in specific catchments),

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managed and rough grassland, woodland, leakage from mains water and sewerage systems. The modelling also showed a strong historical context with nitrate levels, particularly related to large applications of agricultural fertilisers and slurries in previous decades. Natural reduction of nitrate in groundwater was calculated to take between 30-40 years, following an initial peak. Building upon the research work describe in “The Search for Spikes – Portsmouth Water’s Catchment Management Programme”, AMEC Foster Wheeler was also commissioned to produce a cost-effectiveness report that considered the various mitigation techniques that help reduce nitrate loading into groundwater. Forestry was calculated to be the leading mitigation practice and cover/catch crops was considered as an effective approach that should also be promoted, bearing in mind that it is a practical approach for farming and that it has been adopted across Europe and increasingly investigated and used in the UK. In 2017, Portsmouth Water became a participant of a three year Interreg Channel Payments for

Ecosystems Services (CPES) project that involves six case study areas, three in southern England and three in northern France, to determine the practicalities of a business-based approach to enhancing the environment. Using the Downs & Harbours Clean Water Partnership to help deliver CPES outputs, Portsmouth Water is running two pilot studies applying PES to improve groundwater quality, as defined by WFD and Drinking Water Standards. It has already established a working group comprising 18 farmers (the South Downs Farmers’ Group) covering 5139ha. It is a Portsmouth Water supported, farmer-led initiative that aims to deliver the following objectives: ■■

Stakeholder engagement to assess the appetite for PES and the appropriate interventions/market mechanisms to improve groundwater quality;

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Development of interventions and payment mechanisms;

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Field trials of interventions;

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Engagement of other potential buyers of ecosystem services;

FEATURE: CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT ■■

Economic assessment of the PES approach; and,

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Use of outputs to inform our future Business Plans ensuring sustainability of PES and increased uptake across our supply area post CPES.

The two trials comprise a cover crop pilot study run in conjunction with ADAS, already under way, and a second trial with the Forestry Commission. The former not only recaptures lost nitrate but enhances soil function that delivers a large variety of ecosystem and other services (see: http://www.fao.org/soils-portal/about/en/) as well as promoting long-term sustainability of soil health and farming.

of trees, woods and forests – all of which can directly and indirectly benefit farming as well as absorbing otherwise lost nitrate. The joint approach of Portsmouth Water and the Forestry Commission is also pioneering an initiative that has strong economic benefits at its heart (e.g. both short-term coppice cropping and long term wood production). Figure 3. Example of Forestry Commission planning potential tree/woodland/forestry sites in existing arable fields

Figure 2. The Portsmouth Water/ ADAS cover crop trial design

Research – e.g. by Forest Research (Forestry Commission) illustrates the multiple benefits

Outcomes of the Interreg CPES project will help inform Portsmouth Water’s catchment management delivery in the next business plan. The most pressing area of interest is in the eastern part of its supply area, (unofficially) the ‘Eastergate group’ of boreholes that supply the Bognor region. The outcome of the trials undertaken via the Interreg CPES programme will be initially - but not exclusively - focused here, see Figure 4. Portsmouth Water also hosts its own Capital Grants Scheme that funds farmers up to £10,000 for infrastructure improvements or equipment (e.g. precision farming) in its drinking water source areas. Its principal focus is nitrate but funding is also supplied to reduce the risk of other pollutants, including pesticides and oils. It will continue to support specialist visits and other initiatives where possible. This includes 1:1 equine waste and pasture management visits with regard to the large number of equine enterprises in the company’s and Downs & Harbours’ operational area. It is also seeking funding for further expert soil management visits.

With its aim of reducing nitrate losses to groundwater, much of Portsmouth Water’s catchment management approach not only involves deeper partnership with farmers, other land owners and other stakeholders but also a move towards incentive-based initiatives and a particular focus on economic benefits on top of the existing voluntary approach of the Downs & Harbours programme.

From 2020, when the new AMP period commences, Portsmouth Water’s Catchment Management programme will be enhanced with a much greater injection of its own funding and will be in a position to launch initiatives that it is currently trialling. Alastair Stewart Project Manager, Downs & Harbours Clean Water Partnership, Portsmouth Water Catchment Management

Figure 4. Capture zone of Eastergate of the ‘Eastergate group’ - Eastergate, Westergate, Aldingbourne and Slindon

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WATER SUPPLIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY With water supplies under pressure from both the weather and the demand for more homes to be built - especially in areas where water supplies are already under stress; there is clearly a need to provide a practical and cost effective solution to manage our diminishing resources. by Steve Leigh

Managing Director Groundbreaker Systems The climate is changing – it is a fact! Winters appear to be milder with the occasional severe storm and summers are predicted to be hotter and drier, all of which in turn leads to a more restricted catchment “window” either for groundwater or river abstraction. To compound this, the Government has recently announced plans to raise the number of properties being built by 100,000 units to 300,000 units per year - mostly in areas where water supplies are already under stress – i.e.

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LoFlo Check Valve

south of a line roughly drawn between the Humber and Severn Estuaries.

taken by inconsiderate consumers, irrespective of environmental concerns.

Clearly the impact of the above has not been lost on the regulators and interested parties (EA, C.C.Water, etc.) as almost every publication in recent times has been advocating the need to conserve the precious asset which is our drinking water.

The only reference to inhibitors to water services is in Section 63 of the WI Act, whereby the statement is made that there should be no impediment to a domestic water supply if debt is to be managed, but as most water undertakers already manage the debt of their customers, this doesn’t apply to “normal” drinking water supplies.

Whilst the Water Industry Act clearly states water supplies to a domestic dwelling should be a minimum of 10 litres a minute at one bar, there is no upper limit defined in legislation, meaning that without care or effective water management, volumes greater than this could be

What is proposed is to “cap” or maximize the volume of water to any property, this would be set at a reasonable limit so as not to interfere with normal daily operations, but to “attenuate”

Standard (full flow) Check valve Documents reproduced with kind permission of Watts Industries

or restrict water services to an average of say 25 litres a minute depending on local water pressures. To achieve this, it is a simple matter to insert a smaller capacity check valve between the water meter and the manifold in any underground or surface mounted water meter enclosure. By this straightforward action (at for example, meter exchange time) water services can be managed effectively without expensive excavation or retrospective activity.

any such apparatus must be WRAS or at least Regulation 4 Approved and be clearly identifiable to the end user - essentially by “flagging” the apparatus with a marker visible from ground level.

boxes at zero cost – this is where the alarm in the smart meter installed in older meter enclosures flags up a back flow problem. Simply by installing a functioning check valve saves the great expense of digging out the boundary box.

Peripheral benefit of the system would be that on installation the unit would immediately provide whole site protection against back flow to fluid category 3.

Our NRv2 and NRv2LoFlo products as shown below meet all the defined criteria, and are used extensively across the whole of the UK water supply network – whether that be North of Scotland or down into the Channel Islands.

The system also remedies failing boundary

As will be seen from the details below, the difference in flow rate between a reduced flow device with a 15mm aperture is around 50% of “standard” (full flow) check valve; the practice is not dissimilar to arrangements currently used for domestic plumbing to reduce pipe diameters to “manage” demand. The recording of installations made in this manner should be straightforward and easy, with a “tag” on each fitting installed and/or a note on the consumers billing detail/tariff as appropriate. Clearly, to ensure water quality is maintained,

The Introduction to the UK Water Industry course has been designed to develop a detailed understanding of all aspects of the water cycle, its management and delivery. This course gives delegates the information they need to develop their careers and to better understand the interaction and impact the various stakeholders have on the water sector. Introduction to the UK Water Industry is for all levels including those working in operational, technical, scientific, customer service, management, financial, and regulation areas. During the two-day course, delegates will:

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Learn about all the functions involved in the delivery of a water service

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Gain a comprehensive overview of the UK water industry

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Identify the key regulatory drivers and economic value chain in the water industry

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Expand existing knowledge of the water industry

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Explore issues affecting the future of water service provision

For further information, dates and locations of upcoming courses, or to discuss a tailored course at your workplace, go to www.instituteofwater.org.uk/uk-water-industry-course

”

Excellent! A very informative two days and presented brilliantly. I will highly recommend this course to my colleagues. Lucy Freeman, Security Analyst, Severn Trent Water

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WASTEWATER

MILESTONE MOMENT IN GROUNDBREAKING VISION FOR WASTEWATER RESOURCE RECOVERY Severn Trent is about to break ground on its full scale demonstration test-bed site at Spernal STW in Redditch and embark on a journey to embrace the circular economy. Five years ago the company set out its vision and commitment to changing the way they deliver wastewater services – to make the most of resources which are becoming scarcer over time - and providing more innovative services for customers in urban catchments. In delivering those ambitions, Severn Trent will deliver energy neutral processing, recover the resources found in wastewater and create products and materials for use in other sectors. Pete Vale, technical lead on the project, explains: “As we move into a world where the resources required to effectively treat wastewater such as energy and chemicals are in increasing demand, we are looking to redefine and reimagine the way we deliver wastewater treatment. Our test-bed offers us the exciting opportunity to evaluate energy neutral wastewater treatment and to recover valuable materials contained in wastewater - such as fertilisers, bio-plastics and cellulose - that will drive revenues, by selling back to industry and ultimately cost savings for our customers. “The test-bed will allow us to gain handson experience of new technologies and how they interact at full scale. Through a long term programme of trials we’re aiming to establish design standards and operational and maintenance routines for the new technologies needed to deliver our resource recovery vision. “The initial focus of our trial programme will be low energy treatment and we’re excited by the potential of mainstream anaerobic treatment which we have been developing with one of our research partners, Cranfield University, over the last decade. Anaerobic treatment is already successfully used in warm countries like Brazil, but recent research breakthroughs with anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) have developed

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a process capable of efficient treatment in temperate climates like the UK’s. Next year we’ll be testing the first full scale AnMBR system in Europe.” An AnMBR treats wastewater by creating the perfect conditions for anaerobic micro-organisms to thrive at low temperatures. Wastewater is initially mixed with the bacteria held in a sludge blanket at ambient temperature. The bacteria break down the organic pollutants into biogas before being separated from the treated wastewater by an ultrafiltration membrane. Finally the treated effluent is passed to another membrane where any dissolved biogas is extracted, so it can be used as the renewable energy source to power the treatment process. This strategy has developed into a programme that has secured grant funding and one that will shape the future of wastewater management. Paul Knuckle, external funding lead for Severn Trent, takes up the story: “In support of our Figure 1: Anaerobic MBR

innovative ‘NextGen’ wastewater treatment programme, we’ve secured £453,000 worth of funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 Innovation Fund – the largest external grant Severn Trent has ever secured. NextGen – a new European consortium, consisting of over 30 world-leading partners from across the EU, is setting out a four-year programme to evaluate and champion circular economy solutions and systems in the water sector. “By unlocking external funding we have the potential to create products and services. These will generate revenue streams and provide the ongoing investment required to change the way we deliver wastewater services and enhance our ability to squeeze value from the planet’s limited resources. Starting construction on the test-bed is just the beginning of Severn Trent’s journey towards embracing the circular economy, edging closer to becoming a carbon neutral business that values and preserves our precious resources.

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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

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EASTERNAREANEWS

TECHNICAL VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE WATER RECYCLING CENTRE Graham Powell, Anglian Water, organised a technical visit around Anglian Water’s largest Water Recycling Centre, on the outskirts of Cambridge. The Water Recycling Centre was built in 1895 and has had many upgrades to support the growth of Cambridge, ensuring the tightest water quality standards for the River Cam. Amongst the upgrades on site include a gas digester with CHP plant and state of the art screening process. The visit also sparked interest for a further session on ‘Polluting Plastics and War on Wet Wipes’ for later in the year: as Institute of Water attendees saw the tonnes of waste removal from the screening process – see picture!

DRAGON’S EASTERN AREA DEN PRESIDENT’S DAY Disruptive Technologies were the winners of the Eastern Area Dragons Den Innovation event for 2018 with their pitch on the world’s smallest connected sensors taking the top prize from the day. The sensors have a 15 year battery life and have the potential to revolutionised data capture from a variety of different applications including water and water recycling operations. At 2mm thick and highly robust (IP68) these tiny sensors can be deployed at scale addressing parameters such as; temperature, liquids, touch and proximity. Sensors communicate to a secure cloud platform allowing the exploitation of connected monitoring.

Z-FEST - PARTY IN THE PARK

The Eastern Area teamed up with Z-Tech’s company festival to offer a summer family party at Milton Country Park on Saturday 21st July. Milton Country Park is a charity organisation on the outskirts of Cambridge and offered paddle boarding, canoeing, forest school, as well as Z-Tech’s traditional bouncy castle, food and drink.

Alex Storey from Disruptive Technologies receiving the award from Jason Tucker, Eastern Area President.

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Over 200 people attended the event, the biggest on record – the Eastern Area sponsored Hog Roast didn’t stand a chance!

NORTHERN IRELANDAREANEWS

AGM AND SITE VISIT TO DUNGANNON WWTW Northern Ireland Area had their AGM in the Tullylagan Hotel Co.Tyrone on 14th June. It was well attended and the committee gave thanks to dedicated members Jenny Thompson and Lilian Parkes. It saw the end of an era with Bill Gowdy stepping down as Area President to be replaced by Ronan Larkin. Following the AGM we had an informative presentation and site visit to the new Nereda process at Dungannon WWTW. This is the first Nereda plant to be trialled in Northern Ireland! Bacteria cultures are grown in an onsite lab and then feed into the activated sludge to combat shock loading and reduce sludge production. It is an exciting new process which allows for a smaller footprint and modular construction.

SCOTLAND STUDY TOUR In May, a group of members went to Scotland on a study tour hosted by the Scottish Area. The feedback from the trip was very positive. “A fantastic warm welcome from everyone at Scottish Water, and was very impressed with Shieldhall WwTW, both with the operators and the energy saving innovations.” Gavin McCready “An excellent opportunity to meet and network with our hosts from Scottish Water. They gave us informative talks and tours on aspects of their work. Great hosts, great weather and great fun” Lynne Martin “Thank you to IOW for yet another fantastic, well organised study tour to Scotland Area. Participating in this tour gave me an opportunity to extend my knowledge on real time monitoring, photo voltaic technology and associated risks with managing these. Of course there was also a social aspect, with an opportunity to meet ISW President and Scottish Water colleagues, fostering stronger links with NI Water.” A Halpany

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SOUTHWESTAREANEWS

RAINWATER HARVESTING, GREYWATER AND WASTEWATER REUSE A review by John Vinson, President South West Area The Institute of Water South West Area event held in July at the offices of Bristol Water heard from a water resources specialist, a water process expert, an academic, a systems supplier and a water company installing on this interesting and topical subject. With increasing populations, more uncertain weather patterns and future license changes impacting on volumes of water available for abstraction, the question was what other options are there for water supply? How could, or will, rainwater harvesting systems, greywater recycling and wastewater reuse help to ensure reliable and resilient water supplies going forward, especially in water stressed areas? Firstly, we heard from Dr Abraham Negaresh of WRC who gave some interesting statistics on the availability of water - currently water is being used faster than restored by the water cycle and the effect of population growth. He then went on to detail the widely varying rate of wastewater reuse around the world with Spain and Italy jointly accounting for 60% of the total EU treated wastewater reuse volume. Dr Negaresh then went on to describe some of the current technologies used for treatment of wastewater and some of the current innovations such as

Forward osmosis and biometric membranes. Our next speaker was Rob Lawson, Water Resources Director at Artesia Consulting who spoke on rainwater harvesting and in particular about a project in North West Cambridge. A 150-hectare university development providing 1,500 homes for university staff as well as other private homes, schools, shops etc. All homes will be built to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 - 80l/h/d, hence the need for rainwater harvesting. The site will be served with potable water and non-potable water collected onsite and treated with sand filters, followed by UV. The aim of research on the site to determine if rainwater harvesting can help achieve a potable household water consumption of 80l/h/d. Next up was Luke de Vial, MD of Albion Water who took a different direction to the problem of reducing potable consumption. Luke argued that recycled waste water was a more efficient and reliable method of providing a non-potable supply. He detailed how their development at Chigwell was able to produce circa 30% of total requirements from recycled water using on site collection and treatment. Luke went on to describe that the current regulatory system was acting as a barrier to a wider take up of the technology. Effectively inherent cross subsidies in how new development connection, requisition and works capacity charges are levied by incumbent water companies means that Albion’s on-site solution can appear artificially high to

developers albeit a potentially cheaper solution for customers overall. Our penultimate speaker was Lutz Johnen, Managing Director of Aquality. Lutz advocated a holistic use of non-potable water management in commercial buildings. By combining requirements for attenuation storage, firefighting and rainwater storage into one combined uni,t significant savings could be made on space required and the cost of construction, without the need for multiple tanks and equipment. This approach has been successfully deployed at multiple sites making considerable financial water use savings. Our final speaker was Dr Peter Melville-Shreve from Exeter University. He described the current research into utilising rain water harvesting to mitigate droughts, flooding and to reduce water demand. This involved using harvesting units to also provide flood attenuation and actively monitoring, managing and modelling the system to evaluate harvesting systems. In the lively Q&A session there was a clear recognition that the technologies and approaches in this area face regulatory and implementation barriers. The various government departments and bodies need a joined-up approach in order to develop a future water strategy for the UK.

SW INNOVATION AWARDS The South West Area Innovation Awards were held on 27th April at WRc Offices in Swindon. A total of ten projects were presented during the afternoon which ranged from the development of completely new treatment processes and analytics to clever applications of existing technologies for leak detection and sewerage infrastructure management.

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instituteofwater.org.uk

Winner ■■

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Optimisation of waste activated sludge, South West Water

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ReadyWater, WRc

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Wessex Water’s new optimiser, Wessex Water

Love your Loo, South West Water

Finalists ■■

Real Losses Modelling (ReaL.M), WRc

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MOSS SewerBatt, South West Water

Other Innovative projects presented ■■

UV Disinfection, Wessex Water

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‘Lift and shift’ leak detection, Wessex Water

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Mayflower Street Pile Capping, South West Water Delivery Alliance

South West Water were worthy winners and they went on to win the national final in Glasgow in June. Congratulations to Paul Ineson who is the manager of this award winning project.

MIDLANDSAREANEWS

DR ALLEN BOLTON GOLF DAY 2018 The Dr Allen Bolton Cup returned to Marlborough Golf Club in Wiltshire for a tremendous day of competition. An exciting morning scramble was won by the team from LinesearchbeforeUdig, ably supported by Paul Holton of Southern Water. After a quick lunch, and with rain threatening, the main competition began. Jonty Stead, Portsmouth Water, was unable to defend his title but finished a respectable 10th as the competition for the top 3 places intensified over the back 9. In the end the top 7 were separated by only 5 points with Fionn Wardrop – LinesearchbeforeUdig – taking the trophy with an excellent 37 points, just one ahead of Simon Bennett – Bristol Water. Many thanks to the club for being such great hosts and to the weather, with the rain setting in just minutes after the last group left the course. The Welsh players headed out to explore Swindon for the evening, we can only hope they get back in time for next year’s renewal. I’m sure all the competitors would like to acknowledge our three sponsors; Primayer, Portsmouth Water and COGNICA, enabling us to host such a great social event.

ANNUAL PRESIDENT’S DINNER On the 20th July, the Midlands Area hosted their annual President’s Dinner at St George’s Park, nestled within the National Forest. St George’s is home to all 24 English football teams and is an inspirational centre for coach education. The black-tie event included welcome drinks, a three course meal and entertainment. 90 people attended from a range of companies, with dancing and mingling lasting well into the early hours. Pete Aspley, the current Midlands President, gave a summary of the key events of the year, including the Midlands Development Day, the tour of Cambridge’s Rain Water Harvesting site and a tour of South Staff Water’s UV disinfection plant in Lichfield. He also thanked the committee for their support throughout the year and the work that Tim Parkinson has carried out to improve the Midlands membership offering. He then introduced the new president Bob Stear, Deputy Chief Engineer at Severn Trent. Bob welcomed the new year ahead and said he was particularly looking forward to reinstating the annual Innovation Awards, introducing a

meet and great evening for new members in the Autumn, and bringing in some other new and exciting events. He also set the ambitious target of becoming the best Area Committee by

learning from Tim Parkinson’s research, delivering an exciting events plan, and most importantly having fun!”

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SOUTHEASTAREANEWS

CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT EVENT A review by Michael McConway from Southern Water. n 26th June, the South East Area held a ‘Catchment Management – the future of water treatment?’ event at Bewl Water, chaired by Kathryn Nye from Southern Water. As a fairly new member of IWater, this was the first function I have attended. I was unsure of what to expect but it was held in an informal and relaxed atmosphere in a great venue, the Boat House Bistro, with a superb view of the reservoir. There were four presentations, two from the regulators, the DWI and EA and two from the water companies, Portsmouth and Southern Water. The main catchment ‘culprits’ are nitrate, metaldehyde and microbiological. Milo Purcell (DWI), kicked off proceedings giving an overview of the history of catchment management from a DWI perspective and also their future expectations, which was really

interesting. Water Companies have a lot to do in this area! Alistair Stewart (Portsmouth Water) then talked about what they had achieved over the last ten years, particularly with regard to high nitrates as part of the voluntary ‘Downs & Harbours Clean Water Partnership.’ Catchment management issues are being used as evidence to inform their PR19 business development plan. Claire Neale (Southern Water), spoke about bringing region wide catchment management into the strategic decision making process via Catchment Stakeholder Engagement and Communication. SWS have commenced a new Catchment Compliance programme to proactively risk assess and feed directly into the Drinking Water Safety Planning process already in place within the company. Finally, Jan Hookey (EA), ran through some groundwater issues in the Kent catchments, one example of high nitrates

So all in all, a very enjoyable and informative afternoon out with plenty of opportunity for networking and quizzing the various presenters on their topics. Oh, and mustn’t forget - the pastries were really tasty!

A SEWER TRIP NOT TO BE SNIFFED AT

INTERACTIVE WEEKEND SCHOOL 2018

In May a group of South East members went underground to experience one of Southern Water’s unique Brighton Sewer Tours.

A unique development opportunity in communication and leadership.

After an initial talk and video the experienced guides took our intrepid members to see and smell the beautiful and vast brick tunnels that to this day still transport huge volumes of sewage. The group learned how treatment has improved over the past hundred years, as the initial tidal design of the sewers became redundant following the construction of the brand new sewage treatment works at Peacehaven. The Southern Water employees leading the tour have all had hands on roles helping to keep the sewer system clean and mobile, and they gave good descriptions of some of their worst days at work. There were also plenty of opportunities to see the raw sewage and get a much better understanding of the scale of the problem caused by fat, wet wipes, rag and other detritus that enter the network, which were clearly visible throughout.

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in Thanet was particularly interesting as there are old adits which have sewers running through them! Various AMP schemes have steadily addressed this issue however, with the sewers being lined. With constant new developments being built, often with inadequate drainage provision, and widespread non –compliance with discharge consents, the EA are fighting an uphill battle to keep on top of things.

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Key Note Speaker: Piers Clarke, Chairman Isle Utilities

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Neuro Linguistic Programming and Your Personality by 2000 Weeks

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World Class Communication Training by Debate Mate

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Vocal Coaching by Fyrefly

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Meet the Leaders

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Lucha Wrestling Workshop by Squire Stage Combat

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Debate Competition, judged by senior industry leaders

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Evening Networking Events

Date: Thursday 20 - Saturday 22 Sept 2018 At the conclusion of the tour everyone was issued with a complementary gift bag containing more information on what to flush, biodegradable bin bags and a very handy gunk pot for cooking fats. Our thanks go to Southern Water for hosting this event, and the tour guides for an incredibly informative trip.

Location: CIM Moor Hall High Street, Cookham, Maidenhead SL6 9QH Cost: (includes meals & accommodation) IWater Members: £700 +VAT Non-Members: £900 +VAT Register: For information on how to register and sponsorship opportunities please contact mandhy@fyrefly.global.

NORTHERNAREANEWS

THE FUTURE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT An evening seminar was held at Grundfos manufacturing plant in Sunderland in June.

the event. Robbie said: “The event was very informative. CSC Services work across a number of sectors, including the water and power industry and it was a useful insight into how the fundamental principles to project management can be applied to any business setting.”

The evening was hosted by Barry Cooper, Treasurer of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management, and Director of Synergy Business Transformation, a local business working across all sectors improving performance in QHSE, Risk and Project Management. It gave attendees the opportunity to debate the current and future direction of project management techniques in a lively debate format.

Following the presentations, debates and buffet, small groups were given a guided tour around the plant which designs and manufactures pumps for domestic and commercial uses and has operations all over the world.

Robbie Maughan, Project Manager from local contracting company CSC Services attended

Thanks to all involved especially Bjoern Graeser from Grundfos for supporting the event.

DISCO TIME

Full details and programme to be announced in due course.

Sponsorship is a fantastic way to raise your company profile within the region and to engage with water industry professionals on a regular basis.

£500 TOWARDS YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

We are pleased to announce we have secured two grants of up to £500 to contribute towards your personal development. Please note that this is available to Northern Area members only.

If this is an area of specific interest and you would like to contribute to the event please get in touch with Paul Henderson in the first instance at paul@waternow.co.uk

A reminder that there are still a range of sponsorship opportunities available.

The event will be held at the Imperial War Museum-North in Manchester on Saturday 29 September. A great opportunity to catch up with colleagues from across the area. Flares, medallions and glitter attire is encouraged! Visit the Institute of Water website for more information. Discounts for group booking are available.

We are really keen to support members with an opportunity to gain some personal development in an area not specifically related to their current role. This could be as simple as buying some text books, online course fees, having a coaching session, etc.

The Northern Area are planning a leakage focussed event in the Northumbrian Water region around December time.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

If you haven’t yet booked your tickets for this year’s President’s Dinner, make sure you do. Sponsored by Morrison Utility Services and R2M, the evening promises to be lots of fun with games, prizes, live entertainment and a 70’s inspired disco party until late.

At the Northern Area Committee, we are passionate about supporting members in the Area and have been looking at ways in which we can provide members with further benefit to their Institute of Water membership.

HAVE YOUR SAY ON LEAKAGE

To apply to be considered for a chance to receive the first grant, tell us in no more than 500 words: ■■

What your current job role is and how you are focusing on personal development

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What personal development activity or tool you would be interested in

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What you hope to achieve by receiving the grant

Please send your application to northern@instituteofwater.org.uk by 26 October 2018.

Packages start from as little as £300 and give businesses the opportunity to showcase themselves at events, feature in all area literature and meet key decision makers and budget holders to further understand their priorities, helping to improve the relevance of your business services and relationships. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of sponsoring IWater Northern Area please contact Paul Henderson at paul@waternow.co.uk

The successful applicant will work with the Northern Area Committee during their personal development journey and will be involved in sharing their experience and the benefits of this scheme. A second grant application process will also launch on 1st January with submissions required by 29th March 2019 and awarded in May 2019.

We plan to announce the lucky member in December.

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AGM NEWS - 24TH MARCH AT THE RADISSON BLU, GLASGOW After a wine reception the business of the 63rd AGM of the Scottish Area was conducted. The business of the day was chaired by Paul Maxwell as his last duty as Scottish Area Chair, handing over to Belinda Oldfield. Claire Chapman, Acting Hon Secretary reported healthy numbers but a reminder that there were opportunities to gather more and that the issue of retention was once again prevalent. Paul reported on the successful events from the year, highlighting the Presidents Dinner and the Autumn Seminar and the number of lunch and learns through Webex. Vivienne Dell, Hon Treasurer reported a healthy profit for the year, one full conference place including travel and accommodation and one place at the Autumn

Seminar for the Rising Star was supported as well as the study tour. James Sommerville, Area Rep delivered the National Report. Mark Wilson, Veolia was installed as Vice Chair and the mantle of President was passed from Jim Panton to Mark McEwen, Scottish Water. Jim moved to Past President and gave his final address thanking the committee members leaving, paying particular homage to Paul Maxwell, resigning from Chair and Alex Rae, resigning from committee and welcoming the new members on-board. He also thanked the committee for their commitment and support to deliver a successful year.

Mark McEwen accepted his role of Scottish Area President with a pledge to continue the good work of the Scottish Area and looked forward to his year. All business was concluded within the one hour target and we all eagerly left for the festivities of the Presidents Dinner.

PRESIDENT’S DINNER 2018 The Radisson Blu, Glasgow was the fantastic setting for this year’s President’s Dinner on the 24th March. A pre-dinner drinks reception was provided by the Radisson, before the 350 guests were seated in a beautiful function suite and served with a fantastic three course dinner. The new Chef at the Radisson and his team surpassed themselves with the quality of the food and the speed of service. He even had time to carve an ice sculpture for the drinks reception area - talented man!

thanked the committee for a very successful year and the sub-group who pulled together this event. He introduced Mark McEwen to the guests as the new Area President. Mark pledged to make the coming year a great success - building on some great work of the committee and previous Presidents. He also took the opportunity to introduce Mark Wilson as the incoming Vice President.

Jim Panton thanked everyone for coming and the main dinner sponsor, WGM Engineering as well as the companies who took tables. He introduced our compere for the evening, Ms Terry Neason. Terry was born in Glasow and has had a successful career as an entertainer, singer and actress, winning several awards including the Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe. She has worked in television and had her own show with STV, but loves working in theatre with a company or with her one woman show.

CoCo (Comrades of Children Overseas) is a charity very close to Jim’s heart as he cofounded the charity with Steve Cram OBE. CoCo works to provide sustainable education to children living in poor communities, with part of that involving providing clean drinking water to communities so that girls don’t have to collect water from wells that are miles away and can attend school instead. Lucy Kendall, CEO CoCo explained the work of CoCo and shared a recording of Steve Cram thanking everyone for their donations. He was sorry not to be there but was otherwise engaged in the Commonwealth games on the other side of the world.

After dinner Jim thanked the companies who contributed to the table brochure and the chef and his staff for a wonderful dinner. He

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Thanks to all those who donated a raffle prize. As always this is appreciated as are the donations that people make in their envelopes. We raised the amazing sum of £4405 for CoCo! Terry Neason then entertained us with wit and songs, even inviting Jim up to the stage to perform! This was a first - Mark, we are looking forward to your party piece next year! Kathy Auld surprised Paul Maxwell, retiring Chair, with a very much deserved Fellowship of the Institute. Paul was speechless but very honoured with the Award. Our well known band for the evening, Callanish, did a fantastic job in filling the dance floor by playing an eclectic mix of Ceilidh, old classics and new songs to dance the rest of the night away. Much wobbly juice was consumed and much waffle was spoken, but all agreed that the night was very much a success and enjoyed by all. Date for your 2019 diary - President’s Dinner and Innovations Awards 27th April!

SCOTTISHAREANEWS

INTRODUCING OUR SCOTTISH AREA INNOVATION AWARDS 2018 WINNER… Alex Napier from Scottish Water’s Sewer Response Team developed a hose guard and trap to improve high pressure water jetting safety. Alex was awarded Runner-up at the National Innovation Awards, held in Glasgow back in June. Congratulations to our other finalists who attended the President’s Dinner at the Radisson Blu, Glasgow on Saturday 24th March where the overall winner was announced: Scottish Water: Scott Young ‘Pressure Transient Understanding’ Scottish Water: Water Process Science Team ‘Using Flow Cytometry to Optimize Water Treatment Processes’ This year, there were 15 applications in total and the Master Judging Panel (consisting of Jim Panton, representing the IWater Scottish Area Committee, George Ponton, Head of Research and Innovation at Scottish Water and Barry Greig, representing Hydro Nation Scottish Government) all agreed it was a very tough decision.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to apply and we hope that you submit another entry in the future as it could be you!

On behalf of the Scottish Area Committee, congratulations to all of our applicants!

DISTILLERY AND PITLOCHRY DAM VISIT

This was a lovely day in the heart of Scotland with ice-creams all round for the walk back to the cars. Bells Distillery in Pitlochry was founded in 1798 and is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland. The tour took the group round the different buildings and rooms that house the process and storage of the Bells whisky and learned from their guide that the distinctive taste of Bell’s comes from bringing together a select blend of grain and

fine malt whiskies, all matured in selected oak casks for a richer flavour. The group thoroughly enjoyed their tour and had a great hour with their knowledgeable guide. The group then took a stroll over the River Tay and up the other side to the Hydro Dam. After crossing the Dam they had a lovely lunch at

the new visitors centre, overlooking the Dam before perusing the exhibition. The exhibition took us through the history of the Dam and some personal recollections and artefacts from history. There are interactive exhibits that show how energy is used and you can even have a go at designing a hydro scheme of your own!

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WELSHAREANEWS

INNOVATION AWARDS 2018 This year’s Welsh Area Innovation Awards were held on 19th April at the National Museum in Cardiff. 250 guests attended a ‘Night at the Museum’, celebrating success in innovation. Past President, Alun Shurmer, welcomed BBC presenter Jason Mohammed, to host the ceremony. This year, award categories were aligned to the new technologies being developed within the water industry. The winners of the four main categories were: ■■

Clever Data - Robert Pennant-Jones Rising Main Asset Health, Resilience and Performance Monitoring

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Collaborative Working - Ben Cale and Glen Peek - The Interactive Works Operating Manual (IWOM)

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Entrepreneurial Ideas - Piers Morgan-Harvey - Vehicle Fit

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Market Adaption - Danielle Ingleson - Have Your Say Panel, Our Online Community

The President’s Award which captured the imagination of the judges, was presented to Donna Evans, from Welsh Water’s Water Services Science Catchment Team, for the “In-step With Catchments: New Developments in Raw Water Sampling” project.

Piers was invited to represent the Welsh Area at the National Innovation Awards on 21 June, which was hosted this year by Scottish Area at Glasgow Caledonian University.

The Continuous Professional Development Award was presented to Gemma Williams, who is a catchment risk co-ordinator, also part of Welsh Water’s Water Services Science Team. The overall innovation award went to Piers Morgan-Harvey, from Welsh Water’s Business Information Services (BIS) team, for “Vehicle Fit”. This technology enables colleagues, who usually spend most of their day driving and in the field, to work safely and make the most of their mobile devices.

NATIONAL SLATE MUSEUM IN LLANBERIS

GREAT BRITISH BEACH CLEAN Join the Institute of Water Welsh Area and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) on 15th September in Swansea for the 25th annual Great British Beach Clean and be one of the thousands across the UK doing their bit to help turn the tide on litter!

The Welsh Area are hosting an event at the Welsh National Slate Museum on 8th September. Step back in time and get a real insight into what quarry life was like during the 19th and 20th centuries. Visit the Chief Engineer’s House, refurnished to reflect life in 1911, and take a fascinating tour of the workshops, forges, iron and brass foundry.

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Meet Una in the loco shed, a 1905 built steam engine which is still fully operational and steamed on a regular basis. See the water-powered machinery in motion that made the tools for quarrying slate, and the magnificent Waterwheel that gives them life - the largest handmade Waterwheel on the British Mainland.

Some of our best-loved marine wildlife are under threat from the waste and litter in our seas, with hundreds of species accidentally eating or becoming entangled in litter. It’s also dangerous for people and damaging to our tourism and fishing industries.

The event is free but please bring some money along if you wish to reward yourself with tea and cake afterwards. Families are welcome but please note that the Institute of Water and MCS cannot be responsible for under 18s. For more information on both events, please visit instituteofwater.org.uk/events

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