IWO - 165

WINTER2010 ISSUE165

IN THIS ISSUE: Price Review Mentoring Copenhagen and Water

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1 INSTITUTE OF WATER JOURNAL

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CONTENTS

Introduction This is the last time that I will write the Journal introduction as National Chair, so it is tinged with some sadness.

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It has been a busy and rewarding 2 years in post for both myself and President Jack Carnell and our best wishes go to Maureen Taylor and Sam Phillips for their forthcoming terms of office. You can get to know a little bit more about Sam as he takes the hot seat for our 60-second interview!

This is the first Introduction for the new ‘Institute of Water’ Journal, so it is also an exciting time. I hope that you agree with me that this is a great time to be involved with this Institute as we move ahead with the Water Futures programme and look to raise our profile within the industry.

You can read more about some of these developments inside which include on-line networking for members, a special offer promoting free professional registration for engineers and the development of a mentoring scheme.

Quite a comprehensive member survey was sent out before Christmas. Many useful suggestions were made about the contents of this Journal, and following your feedback we will look to include more case studies of ongoing work within the industry.

In this Journal we have a case study by Severn Trent Water on mains replacement in Rugby and details of United Utilities £125 million West to East Link Main Project. Both are very good examples of innovation and liaison with all stakeholders. Tracey Viney of Portsmouth Water looks at how things have changed over the last 50 years with regards planning a new reservoir.

Tony Hoyle of ABB voices his concerns surrounding the AMP cycle. This is a hot topic for discussion – so why not have your say? At the time of writing the company I work for (Bristol Water) has announced it has appealed to the competition commission over the final determinations.

Thanks again for all your support and best wishes over the last 2 years. It has been a real pleasure to carry out this role, and I look forward to seeing the Institute develop over the years to come.

Simon Bennett, Institute of Water Chairman

Features

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Mentoring Price Review Copenhagen and Water Planning a Reservoir United Utilities Case Study

Regulars

4-6 8-11 14-15

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News in Brief Members Update Engineering News Environment News Area News

Next Issue Traffic Management Act

“This is the first Introduction for the new ‘Institute of Water’ Journal, so it is also an exciting time”

Water Industry Workforce Planning Water Quality

Institute of Water HQ: 4 Carlton Court, Team Valley, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear NE11 0AZ Website: www.instituteofwater.org.uk President: Jack Carnell Chairman: Simon Bennett Chief Executive: Lynn Cooper Editorial, Marketing & Events Manager: Lyndsey Gilmartin Tel: 0191 422 0088 Fax: 0191 422 0087 Email: lyndsey@instituteofwater.org.uk Advertising: John Neilson Tel: 0191 478 83 00 Email: john.neilson@distinctivepublishing.co.uk Designed and produced by: Distinctive Publishing Tel: 0191 478 83 00 Email: production@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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Representatives from Wessex Water collecting Award.

Awarded for commitment to vulnerable customers Wessex Water has been praised by a national charity for the way it works with vulnerable customers. Citizens Advice awarded the water company the Best Customer Service award for demonstrating genuine concern for customers’ welfare.

It said Wessex Water was “exceptionally engaged and committed” to working with the advice sector to help their most vulnerable customers.

The water company was one of six to be shortlisted and beat companies including Capital One and T-Mobile to scoop the national award.

Sue Lindsay, head of consumer affairs for Wessex Water, said employees at Wessex Water and its billing company Bristol Wessex Billing Services Limited (BWBSL) were thrilled to receive the award.

She said: “We are pleased that our approach to dealing with customers on a day to day basis has been recognised by Citizens Advice.

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“Some customers have severe financial difficulties and genuinely struggle to pay utility bills. It is those customers who we support through a variety of schemes making it easier for them to pay their water bill.

Citizens Advice praised Wessex Water for its innovative work in providing the range of schemes that prevent customers from being forced into poverty because of their inability to afford their water bills.

“We were the first water company to have a formal social tariff based on customers’ ability to pay and we have other payment plans to help people who are in debt get back on track”

David Harker, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said: “During our 70th year we have introduced these annual awards to duly honour the hard work, passion and tenacity of other organisations and individuals who share our principle of ‘fair treatment for all’. Citizens Advice Bureaux across England and Wales consistently report that Wessex Water is the best water provider to work with.”

“Since we have been running our affordability schemes we have heard numerous success stories where people who were not paying their water bill have changed their lives around and now not only make a contribution but are no longer in debt.”

NEWSINBRIEF

New MD for Sutton and East Surrey Water Winners of the NJUG Partnership Award 2009

NJUG Awards 2009 – Winners Industry recognises high standard of street works at NJUG Awards 2009 The winners of the 2009 NJUG Awards were presented during a prestigious reception held in the House of Commons yesterday, 1 December 2009. The event offered an opportunity for utilities and their contractors to show case high standard case studies demonstrating innovative methods used to improve the efficiency and quality of street works. The winners themselves were congratulated by the Minister for Transport, Rt Hon Sadiq Khan MP, during his keynote speech.

The event was hosted by Louise Ellman MP, Chair of the Transport Select Committee, and sponsored

by Virgin Media. Prizes were awarded to utility companies and contractors who provided a case study demonstrating their delivery of one or more of the objectives of the NJUG Vision for Street Works. The winners were:

NJUG Category

Institute of Water National Chairman Simon Bennett was at the ceremony with colleagues from Bristol Water, Daniels, and Bath and North East Somerset Council to pick up the Partnership Award for the A37 Road Works scheme. Speaking about the Award, Simon Bennett said: “This is a perfect example of how Utilities and Local Authorities can work together to minimise the disruption to the customer when carrying out statutory duties. We will continue to look for opportunities to do this.”

An award was also presented to Fraser Pithie, Senior Operations Manager at Severn Trent Water, for his individual contribution to the delivery of the NJUG Vision, in recognition of his work at driving forward improvements in the way the utility industry deliver street works operations.

Winner

Anthony Ferrar has taken over as Managing Director of Sutton and East Surrey Water following the retirement of Nick Fisher at the end of December.

Anthony joined Sutton and East Surrey Water in 2008 as managing director designate.

For the previous 15 years he was Finance Director and Company Secretary of Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water Plc. Anthony has previously worked in UK and overseas contracting, manufacturing and service industries.

Nick Fisher held senior positions at Sutton and East Surrey Water for 20 years. He joined the company in 1989 as Chief Accountant and was appointed Finance Director of East Surrey Holdings and East Surrey Water in 1994. He played a key role in the merger of East Surrey Water and Sutton District Water in 1996 and all the other acquisitions and disposals the Group has made.

Deryk King, Chairman of Sutton and East Surrey Water, said: “On behalf of the Board, shareholders and staff I would like to thank Nick for the enormous contribution he has made to the past, present and future success of the business.”

Case Study

Safety Award EDF Energy Networks Street Works Refresher Training – DVD “On Any Workday” Avoiding Damage Award

Infotec

Virtual Trialholes

Partnership Award

Bristol Water plc, Daniels, and Bath & North East Somerset Council

A37 Road Reconstruction Nr Bristol

Quality Award

Laing O’Rourke

X-plo’re web portal

Sustainability Award Thames Water Ltd

VMR Recycling and Strategic Waste Action Group

World Class Award

Our approach to ZERO HARM

Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions

Nick Fisher and Anthony Ferrar

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NEWSINBRIEF Northumbrian Water announces new Chief Executive Officer Heidi Mottram has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Northumbrian Water and will join the Company on 1 March 2010 from Northern Rail Limited where she has been Managing Director for five years.

In 2009 she was named Rail Business Manager of the Year at the annual Rail Business Awards for “being an inspirational leader who makes a huge personal difference to passengers and staff.”

Heidi will formally take up her new position on 1 April 2010 when John Cuthbert retires.

Sir Derek Wanless, Chairman of Northumbrian Water, said: “Heidi has extensive experience of a complex regulated business with a large customer

base, having spent over 20 years managing all aspects of rail services. The Board and I believe that this background and experience will be invaluable as Northumbrian Water strives to maintain its position as a leading player in its industry and within the regions it serves. She has the qualities to meet future challenges and build on the success of the business to date.”

Heidi Mottram said: “Northumbrian Water is a great company with a fantastic reputation and I am delighted to join the team. I am looking forward to working with colleagues throughout the business to ensure we continue to meet the needs of customers, shareholders, employees and its many other stakeholders.”

Watertrain at Severn Trent Water With a need for employees to learn the most current sewerage maintenance skills, Severn Trent Water has recently commissioned Utilise TDS to help. Utilise partners with Bolton College and TTE (Training Tomorrow’s Engineers) in a partnership called ‘Watertrain’. The partnership offers apprenticeships and industry specific training to companies in the utility sector.

Roland Leslie, Regional Sewerage Delivery Manager at Severn Trent Water, explains that Utilise TDS was chosen because of its sound track record in delivering water industry training.

“Utilise TDS employs expert trainers and assessors who have significant practical experience in their field of expertise, which is great as they can

relate to our learners and put them at ease,” he said. “We have agreed a 2 year programme with them which will enable us to train 160 leakage technicians and 86 sewerage technicians.”

A number of Severn Trent Water employees have recently undertaken the L2 NVQ Sewerage Operation and Maintenance programme with Utilise TDS. The 22 candidates began training in June 2009 and within six months some of the candidates had already completed the course.

CABWI (Certification and Assessment Board for Water Industry Awarding Body) has confirmed that Severn Trent Water has the first three candidates in the UK to achieve the qualification and that Utilise TDS is the first training provider to

New Managing Director for Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water company for nearly 19 years. Mr Harrington, a chartered civil engineer, is currently BWHW’s Technical Director, responsible for the company’s operational and engineering strategy. Born in Poole and educated in Wimborne, he has more than 30 years’ experience in the engineering, operations and general management of water services.

Roger Harrington and Tony Cooke Roger Harrington has been appointed Managing Director of Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water (BWHW).

He succeeds Tony Cooke who is to relinquish his executive duties in April after heading the water

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Mr Harrington said: “I am extremely pleased to be offered the chance to take over the reins of Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water.

“Tony Cooke is a hard act to follow but I am committed to ensuring that we continue to provide an excellent water supply, efficiently and at good value for money for customers in this essential service.”

Mr Cooke joined the company as General Manager

gain self certification status for the qualification.

As Roland says, this is a fantastic achievement for both companies.

“To have our employees become the first in the country to qualify is great. Together with Utilise TDS we are leading the way in setting what I hope will be the standard for people working within the waste water sewerage network industry,” he commented.

The training package includes a number of days of classroom training, one-to-one coaching, completion of a work portfolio and regular assessment by Utilise TDS. The training is designed to equip employees with the skills to deal with blockages, restore sewers and ancillaries to an appropriate condition, and carry out inspections and operational maintenance of sewers.

in May 1991 and was appointed Managing Director in October the following year. He is one of the longest serving chief executives in the water industry and has led BWHW through significant change. His accomplishments at BWHW have included bringing together and combining the management of the two former companies – Bournemouth and District Water & West Hampshire Water in the 1990s – as well as continuously improving efficiency. The company is one of the most efficient in the sector. Under his leadership BWHW has seen significant improvements in water supply and customer service. It is currently ranked as the top performing water company for service delivery in England & Wales by industry regulator, Ofwat.

Jim McGown, BWHW’s Chairman, said: “Tony has done an outstanding job. He has achieved a great deal for which the Board is grateful and now stands down with our warmest thanks and best wishes for the future. I am confident that Roger will continue to drive the company forward to ensure that our customers remain at the forefront of everything we do.”

Tony was President of the Institute of Water 2003 – 2004 and we wish him well in his retirement.

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Iwex

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NEW FOR 2010

A British Water and IWEX Summit for the UK Supply Chain: Working in a Innovative Changing Water solutions for Industry today’s water and effluent concerns

Countless networking opportunities

Leading speakers in FREE comprehensive seminar sessions

The IWO Drilling and Tapping competition

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IWEX 2010 is supported by

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05/11/2009 15:51

High profile speakers to address key water industry challenges Some of the biggest issues facing the UK water industry are to be addressed at the 2010 Annual Conference being held at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast from 13 – 15 May. Global Challenges – Local Solutions, will explore the scale of financial, environmental, security and developmental challenges facing the industry.

Chris Mellor, chairman of Northern Ireland Water, will deliver the keynote speech while David Lloyd Owen, one of the leading global experts on the water and waste water industry is also confirmed as one of the main speakers.

With over 20 years’ experience of advising governments, corporations and investors,

n Martin Kane

n David Lloyd Owen

David will address the financial and economic challenges facing the industry. He will consider the key issues for statutory water authorities as well as possible solutions.

Martin Kane from Severn Trent Water will examine issues relating to flooding, while John Carstensen, chief executive of the Society for

the Environment and Andrew Cook, Deputy Chief Executive of WaterAid, will speak on developmental challenges.

Delegate places are still available and full details of this event and the other speakers can be found at www.instituteofwater.org.uk

On-line Networking for Members The Institute of Water website is soon to be expanded to provide members with on-line networking and information sharing opportunities.

Members will log-in to the ‘Water Network’ site in the same way that they would to view the restricted areas of the current website, but will now have a profile page, and be able to communicate and contact other members on-line.

Members will be able to add information about them self to their profile page (such as where they work, what they do, what their interests and hobbies are) and update this page regularly if they wish to do so. There will be the opportunity to view other members’ information, write status updates and send messages.

A key part of the new site will be a discussion area, where members will be able to engage in online discussions and debates on topical issues and also create their own topics to exchange opinions

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and comments on. A live news feed will notify members of new topics added and comments made on discussion walls, in the same way that many of the popular social networking sites work.

There will be a range of security settings available, and members not wishing to use this service will not be affected in any way. All members will be notified when the service is up and running and will be given guidance on logging in and making the most of the service.

If you have any questions or comments about this project please contact Lyndsey Gilmartin in the first instance. E-mail: lyndsey@instituteofwater.org.uk

MEMBERSUPDATE

CASH REWARDS FOR RECRUITING INSTITUTE OF WATER MEMBERS To encourage Institute of Water members to sign up friends and colleagues so they too can enjoy the benefits that the Institute offers, cash rewards of £75, £50 and £25 are given out four times each year.

Winners of the Winter Award are: £75 £50 £25

Lynn Cooper for introducing Katrina Charles, Surrey University Clive Ingram for introducing Matt Roberts, Severn Trent plc Ian Limb for introducing Sam Olby, Portsmouth Water

Don’t miss your chance to win! Each time you recruit a new member they will enter your name onto the membership application form which asks which member introduced them to the Institute of Water. These contact names are recorded and four times during the year, three names will be chosen at random to receive £75, £50 and £25. The more new members you introduce the more times your name will be entered in the quarterly draw. Winners’ names are printed quarterly in the Journal.

FREE PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION OFFER Careers prospects for engineers in the water industry are being boosted by an offer of free professional registration to Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Engineering Technician (EngTech) status.

The Institute of Water is waiving its usual £164.50 professional registration fee until the end of June.

According to the Engineering Council, there has been a marked increase in demand for professional registration and, given the economic climate, the Institute of Water is now aiming to help more engineers to progress in their careers.

“Becoming registered is an increasingly important career move for engineers,” said chief executive, Lynn Cooper.

“Not only does registration improve job security and career prospects, but average salaries are much higher than those of non-chartered engineers. The difference can be around 40 per cent for a 45-year-old.

“The Institute of Water is dedicated to supporting the careers of people working at all levels across the industry and has made this offer in

recognition of the challenges many engineers face given the current economic climate.”

Michael Fowle, vice president engineering added: “In today’s business environment the achievement of engineering registration makes sense for both employers and employees.

“For the individual, recognition of achievements is particularly satisfying and in a market where many jobs are at risk, registration makes an individual more employable and again can be a differentiator.

“I have been a Chartered Engineer for 34 years and was one of the first to transfer my registration to the Institute of Water.

“Water engineering is an essential part of tackling climate change and thus the need for water engineers is as great as ever. The registration service provided by the Institute of Water is of great benefit to the industry.”

NEW yEAR HONOURS Professor Alan Alexander, OBE Professor Alan Alexander, who was President of the Institute of Water 20052006 and last year was elected a Fellow member, was awarded an OBE in the New Years Honours list 2010. The citation was ‘for services to social science’ but in addition to his academic work, Alan held senior positions in the water industry from 1999 to 2006, first as Chairman of West of Scotland Water (1999-2002) and then as the first Chair of Scottish Water (20022006). He is also an Honorary Fellow of CIWEM and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Alan said: “This came as a complete surprise, but a very, very pleasant one!

I always regarded my work in the water industry as ‘applied social science’ given how vital water is to a healthy society. So maybe my work in Scotland’s water industry is recognised in the award.”

Norman Whereat, MBE Honorary retired member Norman Whereat has been awarded an MBE for services to the community for helping to raise £400,000 for a local hospital.

Norman Whereat, of Cirencester, campaigned tirelessly for 20 years while chairman of Cirencester Hospital’s League of Friends. He was at the forefront of a long-running campaign that opposed privatisation to patient services and his fundraising efforts financed medical equipment and the renovation of an operating theatre.

“I’m honestly really honoured, it’s a nice reward for the work I’ve done,” said the 86-year-old.

“My family are very pleased for me and my wife vera is very happy but they said they weren’t surprised because of what I’ve done over the years,” he added.

“Fundraising and doing all I could for extra patient care was very important to me.”

Mr Whereat is excited about going to Buckingham Palace and just hopes he can take his family to share in the celebration.

Norman was National Chairman of the Institute of Water in 1983/84.

To apply for the free offer, engineers should email info@instituteofwater.org.uk or telephone 0191 422 0088 for more information and application forms.

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No drips allowed at annual water skills contest Water engineers will be put under pressure at the annual Institute of Water Drilling and Tapping Championships. The contest, which takes place at IWEX from 20 – 22 April, challenges contestants to pit their precision skills against their peers, and is now open for entries.

Contestants will be hoping for no unexpected showers as they bid to be crowned national champions by successfully drilling and tapping a high pressure water main.

The winning team will go on to represent the UK at the America Water Works Association competition in the USA, thanks to sponsorship by Saint Gobain PAM. The contest is held as a showcase for the profession and we are inviting teams of two

to sign up. The pair will drill and tap a 150mm diameter ductile iron main under pressure at 40-70psi and connect a service tap. The challenge will be complete once water discharges from the tap but teams will be penalised for leaks and breaches of safety and technical rules.

“The Institute of Water National Drilling and Tapping Championship attracts people to IWEX who might not normally attend an industry

exhibition,” said Chief Executive, Lynn Cooper.

“It’s a fun way to focus attention on some of the key skills that are necessary within the industry, while enabling teams to meet their peers from other water companies and contractors.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the competition please email info@instituteofwater.org.uk

“It’s a fun way to focus attention on some of the key skills that are necessary within the industry, while enabling teams to meet their peers from other water companies and contractors.”

IWEX PREVIEW

Working with water at IWEx From floods to metering to wastewater, rarely a day goes by without water featuring somewhere in the news agenda, providing both challenges to be addressed and opportunities to be seized in today’s water sector.

All these issues and more will be addressed at the International Water and Effluent Exhibition (IWEX) 2010. Taking place at the NEC Birmingham from 20-22 April, IWEX is set to be the biggest show of recent years and is the leading event for the UK water industry.

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Supported by the Institute of Water; BPMA; British Water; CIWEM; The Pipeline Industries Guild; SBWWI; Water Aid; Water UK; WET News and WWT, IWEX continues to stand as the UK’s largest water and effluent gathering and along with sister shows Brownfield Expo (BEX),

Environmental Technology (ET), The National Energy Management Exhibition (NEMEX) and Sustainable Business (SB) – The Event, comprises Sustainabilitylive!, the UK’s biggest gathering of excellence and innovation in the water, environment, energy and land sectors.

MEMBERSUPDATE

IWEX Seminar programme Guided by the Steering Group, which brings together the leading experts working in today’s industry: Black and Veatch; British Water; CIWEM; SBWWI; Siemens; Veolia and Water UK – the IWEX seminar programme addresses 10 of the key issues facing the water sector.

The programme opens with a session on flood management, with SUDS, metering, innovation, carbon reduction, water and wastewater treatment, private sewers, asset management, grey water recycling and sustainable water management also being addressed. Speakers will be drawn from a range of policy makers including DEFRA and OFWAT, and business leaders from

companies such as Hyder, ABB and Veolia Water and Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies – who are additionally sponsoring the IWEX seminar theatre and will be presenting its STAR process control system in the carbon reduction session – along with representatives from water utilities and UKTI to name but a few.

British Water Summit British Water, in association with IWEX, will be running a two-day summit – Working in a Changing Water Industry – discussing the challenges facing the industry today, and aiming to increase the supply chain’s knowledge of how the UK and international markets are working in an ever changing industry.

Day One focuses therefore on the UK market, with topics including innovation, procurement strategy, carbon footprinting, and impact on the supply chain, while Day Two looks at the international perspective, with water scarcity, risk management and market selection all on the agenda. Day One speakers include Water UK, TSB – Innovation, Anglian Water Services and Yorkshire Water while Day Two features representatives from Pinsent Masons, ABB, British Chamber of Commerce and UKTI.

To register for free attendance and get up-to-the-minute news on exhibitors and the features programme, or to exhibit, visit www.sustainabilitylive.com or call +44 (0) 20 8651 7106.

Member survey Thanks to all members who completed the on-line membership survey before Christmas.

Nearly three hundred pounds was raised for the Cumbrian Flood appeal.

The member database update has enabled us to segment members more effectively and as result separate versions of the survey were sent out, asking different groups of members different questions. The results of the survey will be used to inform important decisions about some of the future propositions outlined in our Water Futures Programme.

A range of very useful suggestions were made about the Journal, website and events, and will be taken on-board by staff members and committee members. Members were also able to express an interest in becoming more involved in many aspects of the Institute (including involvement on area committees; speaking at events and a mentoring scheme) and this too will be followed up accordingly. As a direct result of the survey a mentoring service has been set up.

OBITUARIES Jerry Cooper 1972 – 2009 Words by Paul Seeley

It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Jerry Cooper who was a member of the Institute of Water and employed as Head of Asset with South East Water since December 2007. Jerry joined the business just as the former Mid Kent Water and the former South East Water merged and was key in developing and playing an active role in the final business plan for the merged business. He was a dedicated member of staff with a jovial personality. He will be missed by many and we send our thoughts to his wife, Sarah, and the family at this time.

John (Jack) Edward Parrott 1923-2009 Words by Malcolm Hall

John (better known as Jack to Institute of Water Members), was born in Southwark, south of the Thames. An early sadness was the loss of his father at home, through a direct hit on his house by an enemy bomb. A short time later, Jack joined the RAF (Transport Command), servicing Dakotas and Lancaster Bombers.

After WWII, Jack joined the Metropolitan Water Board Distribution Dept. He and his family moved in the 1960’s to Chelmsford, Essex and he gained appointment on the water undertaking of the Rural District Council. The Mid and South Essex Water Undertakings merged in April 1971, to form Essex Water Company and Jack served successively as Chief District and Chief Waste Inspector until his retirement in 1986.

Jack was a staunch supporter of the Institute of Water and WaterAid, and was an ever present attendee at South East Area events. Jack’s wife Joan died several years ago. Jack leaves three children (Howard, Jacqueline and Ian) and grand children. He shall be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.

Full details about this can be found on page 12.

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New Mentoring Service Launched The last Journal brought news about the Institute of Water name change and detailed the work that Accenture Marketing Sciences had done in terms of reviewing the proposition and market positioning of the organisation.

To take this work forward a comprehensive membership survey was conducted at the end of last year. One potential proposition this covered was a mentoring service. There was a very positive response to this, with 63% of members saying they would be interested in such a service. As a direct response to this the scheme has been put into place with immediate effect.

Speaking about the new initiative Lynn Cooper, Chief Executive, said: ‘We believe members will achieve better levels of professional success if they have the guidance and help of a mentor. This is particularly true when members are pursuing professional registration and can receive help and guidance from a registered member, but it also applies in other situations. The survey findings confirmed this was the case and there was overwhelming support for a mentoring service.

The new service will form part of an overall learning, developing and networking framework that supports and develops the careers of members.

As well as encouraging younger members and those new to the industry to apply for a mentor, we are encouraging and supporting the more experienced members to become mentors, so that they can share their knowledge and experience to help other members develop and progress. I am heartened by the uptake by experienced members who have responded to the call for mentors in the survey.’

The process of matching respondents who have expressed an interest in being a mentor with those that have requested a mentor has begun. Many mentor relationships have been confirmed and we are now opening the scheme to all members. Following feedback, this has been based where possible on the area and location of both parties, the mentee’s career direction, registration status of mentor (if applicable) and the qualifications and employer of both parties.

Some information about the scheme is given below, detailing how each party can expect to benefit. Further advice and guidance will be given to members as they sign up to the service.

What is a mentor?

A mentor is a person who assists another to grow, acquire new skills and insights, and develop his or her potential. The mentoring relationship builds confidence and helps the mentee to take responsibility for his or her own development.

What does a mentor do? n Volunteers time to take a personal interest in others n Listens actively n Questions and finds out what is important to the mentee, exploring their skills and aspirations n Creates an open and candid relationship, to encourage the growth of trust and confidence which assists the learning process n Regards all the mentee says as confidential n Avoids mentoring those in a direct reporting line n Is fully aware of their own limitations and is able to overcome them as well as those of the mentee n Has appropriate experience for the role n Is aware of the professional qualifications that the Institute of Water offers, and is able to advise whether these are relevant to the mentee

Benefits of mentoring: n Satisfaction from helping others and seeing them progress n Deeper, broader knowledge of the industry

To request a mentor or if you would like to volunteer to become an Institute of Water mentor, please call 0191 422 0088 or e-mail: info@instituteofwater.org.uk. As there are a number of mentors and mentees on file there is no better time to apply!

n Opportunity to practise and develop management skills n Job enrichment and the chance to build wider networks n Increased self confidence and higher visibility within the industry

“We believe members will achieve better levels of professional success if they have the guidance and help of a mentor”

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FEATURE:MENTORING Key Skills and Responsibilities

n Approach each meeting fully prepared

Personal organisation: Before you volunteer, consider the amount of time you are willing to give. Is it the level of commitment that your mentee expects? Can you give time on the phone?

n Be open to ideas, suggestions and different perspectives n Be open and honest about what works and what does not

Communication skills: You will need a range of interpersonal skills including: n Listening attentively and non-judgementally

Benefits of having a mentor

n Giving and receiving feedback

Most of us benefit from having someone with whom we can discuss our hopes, plans and problems. A mentor can offer:

n Questioning skills to encourage your mentee to talk and think through issues

n A different perspective n Challenges based on experience

n The ability to challenge constructively Flexible attitude: Being flexible means that you respond appropriately to your mentee’s changing needs and are open to new ideas and different ways of doing things. Flexibility comes with increased awareness of your own behaviour and attitudes and those of others.

Expectations: You will need to think beforehand about what you want from the mentoring relationship. For instance, who will be responsible for the practical aspects of the process, who will organise when and where to meet and who will initiate reviews of the relationship?

n Encouragement n Help getting motivated when the going is tough n Help with setting goals and defining how to achieve them Members who have used mentors in the past have found that the relationship has: n Enhanced their training and career development n Significantly influenced their attitudes and professional outlook n Guided them round major procedural obstacles and pitfalls

The Mentee

n Improved their results by challenging their assumptions

The success of the mentoring relationship depends on the attitude and commitment of the individual being mentored. He or she should: n Understand that the role of the mentor is to challenge and encourage but not to provide answers n Guard against becoming dependent on the mentor

Interested?

To request a mentor or if you would like to volunteer to become an Institute of Water mentor, please call 0191 422 0088 or e-mail: info@instituteofwater.org.uk

60 SECOND INTERvIEW Each issue we will be featuring a 60 second interview with a well known figure from the Water Industry. In this issue, Sam Phillips Institute of Water President Elect and Director at Scott Wilson takes the hot seat.

My failsafe way to de-stress is to walk on Portballintrae Beach near the Giant’s Causeway on Northern Ireland’s beautiful North Coast.

I do my bit for the planet by trying to minimise waste and recycling what I can.

My guilty pleasure is enjoying the freedom of an open road in a nice car.

If I could be anyone for a day, I would be a surgeon friend of mine who works in a remote mission hospital beside the Zambezi River and who saves lives on a daily basis.

The best advice I have ever been given is you have two ears and one mouth - listen twice as much as you talk!

I’ve learnt the hard way that no man is an island – teamwork is essential.

I am the Institute of Water President Elect because I was honoured to be invited. I believe that IWO has been the industry’s best kept secret and has uniquely served the UK Water Industry for 65 years. Our re-launch as the Institute of Water with our very exciting water future’s development programme gives us the opportunity to share this secret with our colleagues who work in what I consider to be this most essential of all public services.

The 2010 Annual Conference promises to be a great event because the topics are highly relevant to today’s industry; the speakers are experts in their fields and the Belfast welcome will be very special!

My favourite holiday destination is Africa, especially Zambia, where I have made many friends and where a little effort to help can go a long way.

I work in the water industry because as a civil engineer I am continually challenged to be innovative. I’ve never had a boring day in the last 30 years!

I believe the biggest challenge for the water industry is to continue to deliver acceptable levels of service at the minimum financial and environmental cost …AND… to provide clean water and sanitation for the millions on our planet who don’t have it!

My proudest moments were the day I married my wife and the birth of my daughter.

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No Digging in Rugby

By Clive Ingram and Phil Bryden, Severn Trent Water

The Challenge Ashlawn Road is in the Hillmorton area of Rugby. It is a busy road and bus route. Running beneath the surface of the road is an old 8 inch water main. This had recently suffered from a high number of bursts causing customer service issues, such as loss of supply, discolouration, low pressure and general disruption to traffic and pedestrians. Numerous repairs had been carried out, each having to be risk assessed and scheduled, with customers being warned in advance before each isolated burst could be repaired. The repairs of the multiple bursts were also adding to operational maintenance costs.

It was decided during 2009 that a long term permanent solution was required and that the work needed to be carried out as soon as possible.

There is a large secondary school on the route and the local authority was keen for the work to be done during the summer holidays.

The Solution In order to resolve the problem it was determined that 860 metres (just over half a mile) of 8 inch main would need to be renewed. As well as the constraints imposed by the traffic and the school, the main is a single feed serving more than 1,300 domestic and industrial properties including customers with individual needs and two hospitals. There are also mature trees growing along the route and the protection of encroaching tree roots would need to be taken into account.

However, the biggest challenge was to renew the pipe whilst maintaining supplies through

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the existing pipe. Typical solutions to replace large diameter pipes include open trench type replacement and in some cases, it is possible to ‘slipline’ the existing main or to ‘pipeburst’, in other words, forcing a new pipe through the existing pipe. However, all of these methods could necessitate shutting off the existing main or laying a temporary bypass main, which would potentially cause other problems with water quality and pressure.

During feasibility studies, a suite of surveys were commissioned including a ground penetrating radar survey to locate other utilities’ underground apparatus and ground investigation to assess subsurface material type and composition. Various options were considered before it was decided to opt for a ‘directional drilling’ technique.

This technique is not widely used for large-size diameter mains in urban streets.

Directional drilling involves drilling a hole underground using steel rods from a launch pit to a reception pit which are excavated approximately 100m apart. The rods are then withdrawn and a larger boring head is inserted. This is done several times with bores of increasing diameter until the required diameter hole has been bored. Flushing water is jetted out of the boring head to help it traverse through the ground.

The next stage is to winch the new pipe through the bored hole and begin to drill the next section.

The length of pipe being pulled into position will weigh several tons (in this case nearly two tons) and has a ‘sacrificial’ polypropylene skin which is designed to protect the polyethylene pipe from damage caused by abrasion and scoring.

Many tons of force is used to pull the section of pipe through the bored hole underground. The type of soil/material beneath the carriageway construction has to be suitable for drilling otherwise there is a risk that the boring head will not drill effectively and there could be ‘heave’ effects - which would show on the carriageway surface in the shape of raised sections along the bored pipeline route.

The Outcome The works were successfully completed in just five and a half weeks. The method chosen resulted in a much improved and reduced programme of works when compared to more conventional open trench type renewal methods which could easily have doubled construction timescales. The method chosen also resulted in far less inconvenience to customers as the existing main remained in service during the works until final connections were made.

“This project demonstrates the integrated teams’ ability to risk assess, design, plan, implement and commission a long length of large diameter water main using a low dig technique. The no-dig directional drill method has resulted in notable construction and programme gains, which have in turn led to significantly-reduced impacts on road users and, importantly, our customers,” said Ian Collins, Area Manager, Asset Creation, Severn Trent Water.

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Directional drilling rig - anchored to carriageway

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Directional drilling head emerging from reception pit

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Pipe emerging from reception pit

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250mm diameter PE pipe being pulled into drilled hole

ENGINEERINGNEWS

The Future of Engineering Bright Prospects for Engineering Graduates

By Nigel Horan, Reader in Public Health Engineering, The University of Leeds Nigel Horan is Reader in Public Health Engineering at the University of Leeds. He is also Chairman of Aqua Enviro Ltd and a member of the Institute of Water’s Engineering Board. In 2009, the University of Leeds launched a major new water research initiative called water@ leeds which pools the talents of over 100 water experts drawn from across the fields of natural and social sciences, engineering, technology, management and the arts. It is the largest university research group in the UK. The School of Civil Engineering is also one of the country’s largest civil engineering departments and provides considerable engineering research input into water@leeds as well as providing three year BEng and four year MEng programmes which offer modules in Sustainable Engineering Solutions, Wastewater Engineering and Water Engineering. It also offers two specialist one year MSc (Eng) courses in Environmental Engineering and Project Management and Solid Wastes Management.

More information about water@leeds is available at http://www.wateratleeds.org/ and further details about the School of Civil Engineering, including all courses and ongoing research, is available from http://www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/civil/.

Over the past 20 years the water industry in England and Wales has invested around £80 billion in improving water supplies and services. Much of this expenditure has been employed in the construction of new infrastructure and the maintenance and repair of existing facilities. The list of water industry physical assets is large, including reservoirs; treatment works; mains and pumping stations for potable water; sewers; pumping stations and treatment works for wastewater. Clearly therefore the engineer has a crucial role to play in keeping the water industry working and so it is unsurprising to find that the industry is a major employer of engineering graduates and has developed graduate training and career paths in place.

Within the UK universities there is no undergraduate equivalent to the Sanitary Engineering or Public Health Engineering first degrees that are offered in other countries.

However many undergraduate degree schemes offer the opportunity to take specialist modules in related subjects such as water and wastewater engineering. The water industry itself offers opportunities for graduates from a range of the traditional engineering options, such as civil, electrical, mechanical and environmental engineering degree disciplines. In addition there are a wide range of excellent Masters’ level specialist courses, both for engineers who wish to gain particular specialist skills and for graduates from related, non-engineering disciplines who view them as conversion courses and thus an employment route into the industry. Such courses generally offer intensive, practical teaching and training, often in close collaboration with water companies and the Environment Agency and with dissertations that can involve a level of on-site work or placements.

The past decade has been a golden age for investment in the university sector and with record numbers of students across all disciplines.

Engineering itself has witnessed a renaissance after some lean times in the 1980’s and 90’s. The many high profile engineering projects, such as Jumeirah Islands and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Beijing Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium, and closer to home the continuing development of our own Olympic stadia, have made the profession an attractive option for potential graduates. In addition the publicity given

to the shortage of high-level engineering skills in the UK and the detrimental impact of this on the pace of investment in new projects, has convinced many that an engineering degree offers a secure future. Indeed throughout the last decade full graduate employment has been a feature of most engineering degree schemes.

In order to meet the growing demand for graduate engineers and also in line with government policy on increasing student access, the universities have been more flexible in their entry requirements.

There has been a clear move away from the traditional entry requirements that have relied solely on maths and science “A” levels, to a more inclusive approach that considers inter alia, QAA ‘kitemarked’ Access Courses, the International or European Baccalaureate Diploma and in some cases, work based qualifications such as NvQ’s. For engineering faculties in particular this exercise has proved a difficult balancing act between delivering on government access targets and the requirements of the large engineering institutions to maintain quality of graduate output.

Built in to the curriculum of engineering degree courses is the necessity to produce skilled people with integrity and who can deliver value for money to potential employers. Unfortunately such values are in short supply in the banking profession and the present financial crisis has meant that the next decade has not started with the optimism of the previous one. The recent announcement of a one-off cut in the Universities’ budget of £398 million for 2010-11 has led to many universities revising their entry requirements in order to protect budgets. Undoubtedly applicants this year can expect an increase in the UCAS tariff points’ entry requirement, as universities take this opportunity both to reduce student numbers and increase their position in the league tables.

On a more optimistic note this move should help to increase the employment prospects for new entrants as a much contracted industry starts to move out of recession in the coming years. Debt is of course a cloud that now hovers over the student graduation ceremony, with overdrafts in excess of £20,000 not uncommon. Thus recent proposals to consider reducing the length of the traditional degree to as short as two years, will be greeted with more enthusiasm by potential students than the

universities themselves. But inevitably a number of universities will see this as a marketing niche and so the shortened degree is likely to prove a future opportunity for students to reduce the cost of graduating.

Despite the apparent gloom there is a lot for engineering graduates to look forward to in the future and anyone considering an engineering degree should take a longer term view as to their employment and career prospects. That there has been an over reliance on the financial sector to maintain this country’s GDP is now apparent to all and this has helped to highlight the needs to diversify and rediscover the engineering skills for which the UK was once renowned worldwide. The recent Cave Review into innovation and competition in water markets recognises that, although the industry has achieved a lot over the past 20 years, climate change and population growth are key challenges to the sector with more innovation required if they are to be met.

The potential economic benefits from engineering innovation are also recognised by the government who has identified the environmental sector as a springboard for growth. In particular it considers that the UK has a lead in developing carbon neutral technologies. Indeed this is an area in which the UK water industry is a world leader and its record in applying innovative technologies to develop renewable sources of energy is exemplary. This provides an example of the government’s vision for a low carbon economy creating wealth and jobs and it is a vision in which the Universities have been quick to participate. Engineering teaching and curriculum development at all of the leading research universities is now research-led. Basic engineering principles are used to underpin an understanding of key environmental issues such as adaptation to climate change, sustainable engineering, resilient infrastructures, flooding and drainage, and zero-carbon housing.

As long as human populations require a source of clean water and wish to render their wastewaters environmentally benign, then they will require engineers to deliver this. As water becomes scarcer and populations continue to grow, the challenges to deliver these vital needs will increase. Graduate engineers need not fear the future as the essential skills they provide will always be in demand.

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ENVIRONMENTNEWS

COP-15 Expectations were high ahead of the Climate Change Conference (COP-15) in Copenhagen in December. Many countries, including the UK, had signalled the importance of significant cuts in CO2 emissions in the medium and long term to ensure that the world would have a good chance of avoiding dangerous climate change and be able to keep a global average temperature increase below 2 degrees.

Every day more than 15,000 people followed events in the conference centre and the host country provided interesting examples of what a low carbon future would hold.

The conference also offered a wide range of presentations by businesses and prominent individuals who do not normally appear on the environmental scene. The common theme from all of these participants was the opportunities that pursuit of a low carbon society would offer. Every day around 50 side events organised by global insurance companies, carbon trading entities, bio-technology and energy providers as well as media and non-governmental organisations offered insight into these opportunities.

Particularly the EU countries demonstrated innovations around buildings, transport, renewable energy and financing of green technology.

The final outcome of the meeting, however, did not live up to the expectations and in environmental terms the global community is very far indeed from agreeing measures that

will even provide a 50:50 chance of staying below a 2 degree increase. The outcome is, even with the pledges made by the EU and Japan, only marginally better than the IPCC scenario of “Business as usual”. A clear indication of the financial impacts of the outcome was the immediate drop in the price of carbon credits.

One of the consequences will be that the cost and effort to adapt our society to future climate change impacts will be even greater and around us the vulnerable and often poorest countries in the world will require even more support.

SocEnv CEO, John Carstensen, who followed the two weeks of negotiations, said: “The World is worse off today than before the climate summit. It is disappointing that the UN negotiations could not agree on clear and binding commitments to reduce CO2 emissions to ensure that climate change could be kept under control. It is even worse that the lack of global responsibility has left vulnerable countries at their own peril with a weak promise of unspecified funds to meet their climate challenge.

SocEnv CEO, John Carstensen I am confident that the UK in the short term will be able to cope with the increased burden of adapting to climate change, but the demands on Chartered Environmentalists and others who seek environmental professionalism to climate proof our future is now even greater than ever. The lack of firm action and unambiguous targets will make it even costlier and more difficult for our society.

It may be too late for vulnerable countries in Africa and the small island states.”

Without clear guidance by politicians globally the challenge to Chartered Environmentalists to help guide developments towards a low carbon, sustainable future is even greater.

John Carstensen, CEO of the Society for the Environment, was in Copenhagen and posted regular updates on the SocEnv website.

You can view these at http://www.socenv.org.uk/ home/climate-change-conference-copenhagen/ cop15-daily-updates/ John will be speaking on Day 2 of our Annual Conference in Belfast.

Rt Hon Hilary Benn praises the work of the Society for the Environment Referring to the summit in Copenhagen as “without any doubt at all the most important meeting in human history”, Mr Benn said that tackling climate change was “fundamentally a political choice for the world”.

Hilary Ben and John Brady As the Climate Conference opened in Copenhagen, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn, spoke of the importance of the UK’s environmental professionals in tackling the challenges that lie ahead.

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Mr Benn was speaking at the Annual Christmas Reception of the Society for the Environment (SocEnv), where he presented former Chair of the Society John Brady with an Honorary Fellowship, in recognition of his outstanding service to sustainability and to the Society. John began his career as an environmental professional in the water industry and was elected Chairman of the Society for the year 2006/07.

“The reason I was so keen to come here today was to thank you and all of your members for the work that you do,” said Mr Benn. “Your work is part of

showing people what the nature of the problem is but, most important of all, what we can do about it.

Your skills, your knowledge, your expertise is exactly what we need to succeed.”

The Reception followed the SocEnv December Board meeting and was attended by Tim Boldero and Lynn Cooper (Institute of Water representatives on the SocEnv Board) and guest Chartered Environmentalists Simon Bennett (Institute of Water Chair) and Jim Marshall (Executive Business Adviser, Water UK). Simon said: “I was pleased to hear the Minister recognise and praise the good work carried out by SocEnv and its member bodies like our Institute on important environmental issues.”

VEOLIAWATER

Candles – a shining example in the leachate treatment world Greg Turner, Technical Director at Veolia Water, talks about the development of new, sustainable approaches to leachate treatment and their potential application across many other industrial processes.

Here in the UK, landfill is one of the most common methods used to deal with municipal and industrial waste.

Contaminated rainwater The rainwater that falls onto an open landfill is essential to the biodegradation of the organic matter it contains. However, as the water filters down to the bottom of the landfill, it becomes contaminated with soluble minerals and pollutants.

The effluent this forms over time, - known as ‘leachate’ – may contain toxins capable of having an acute or chronic impact on the environment, including a considerable reduction in biodiversity. This is why local authorities have put stringent requirements in place for the treatment of leachate prior to its release to sewer or open water course.

Ground-breaking technology Veolia Environmental Services has operated the Candles landfill site in Shropshire to the highest

environmental standards since 1997. It is used for the disposal of domestic and industrial waste.

In 2000, the company enlisted our help to manage the leachate and build a new treatment plant. The aim was to remove contaminants and harmful chemicals (commonly found in leachate); and lower the overall environmental impact and carbon footprint of the plant.

As far as we are aware, this is a UK first in terms of the application of this technology.

Over the last 10 years, the Veolia Water team has not only developed ways to effectively treat the leachate, but they’ve taken it to the next level and made the plant fully sustainable.

We have also benchmarked the plant’s operational costs against the market price for tankering leachate offsite for disposal at licensed facilities.

The results of this benchmarking exercise proved that the new approaches aren’t only the most environmentally friendly option; but they make good economic sense too.

Sustainable solutions

Award winning processes

Rising to the many challenges presented by the Candles plant, our team has developed a really innovative, successful solution, implementing many new sustainable processes and technologies:

We’re very proud that our work at Candles has been recognised by the industry and authorities.

In January 2009, the Environment Agency awarded the plant Best Available Techniques (BAT) status, providing official confirmation that it is going the extra mile to reduce the release of hazardous emissions and to lower its overall impact on the environment. In December 2009, we also won the national Environment Award at the prestigious Utility Industry Achievement Awards ceremony in London.

Biogas extracted from the landfill used to be burnt off, but is now used to generate electrical power, which is exported to the National Grid.

Heat is taken from the exhaust gases at 950 kilowatts per hour and at 450-500˚C into two waste heat boilers that generate a tonne of steam at six atmospheres (six bar pressure) The steam is then used to power the ammonia distillation process.

The ammonia is then concentrated to 12% w/w for export from site for NOX suppression in flue gas discharges.

Greg Turner

because ammonia purchased from the Candles plant would otherwise have been taken from natural resources.

The distilled ammonia solution is sold commercially – another sustainability ‘plus point’,

I’m confident that the technology we have developed at the Candles plant can be easily replicated for many other industrial processes requiring this type of separation technology.

And that’s especially good news for the UK water industry and the environment.

For more information visit: www.veoliawater.co.uk or email: industrialservices@veoliawater.co.uk

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AMP – Let’s Have Some Common Sense Tony Hoyle, Flow Products Manager, ABB and also Chairman of Sensors for Water Interest Group (SWIG), voices his concerns surrounding the AMP cycle.

According to a quote I read recently, “common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.”

When it comes to AMP, the UK Government is sadly scoring in the ‘must try harder’ region of the common sense spectrum.

Even to the lay person, shutting down an entire industry every five years makes little sense. In the time between the peak spending of AMP periods, skilled labour is lost to other sectors and equipment suppliers wind down their operations. When the new AMP period kicks in and spending starts to increase again, the result is always the same – it becomes that little bit harder and more costly to find the right workers and equipment.

The logic of continuing this approach at a time of economic recession is even harder to fathom.

How about some financial stimulation?

Earlier this year, the Government promised to inject extra investment into the UK’s infrastructure projects to help stimulate economic activity.

Despite delivering proven benefits for other sectors, most notably the UK car industry, nothing so far has materialised for the water industry. In fact, Ofwat has again over-ruled the requests from water operators for more money and called on them to cut their water prices.

This begs the question of where the money for investment is meant to come from. Unless money is injected into the industry, the danger is that water companies will ultimately move to protect their shareholders, cutting new projects and storing up potential obstacles for the future or paying less attention to leakage and the wasted water and energy associated.

So, for the benefit of the common-sense challenged, here are some suggestions for how the AMP process should be run:

My suggestion would be that water companies should be given financial incentives to get projects started early, or at the very least, allowed to get their AMP funding at special low interest rates if done during 2010 before the traditional peaks of mid AMP (2011 and 2012) period.

Staggering

Benefit from competitive labour

Firstly, why not give water companies their own five year timeframes?

Whenever an AMP period peak finishes, it becomes steadily more costly to retain skilled workers, who are understandably lured away by the promise of work in other sectors.

Staggering AMP periods would create a situation where some companies are peaking when others are slowing down, giving constant employment for skilled workers within the industry.

Given that many of the more prepared water companies had their draft plans ready months before AMP 4 even ended, this approach shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve.

Either staggering AMP periods perhaps north and south or giving water companies early and assisted access to their AMP funding could help overcome this problem, creating an environment where work was ongoing and smooth rather than being subject to the peaks and troughs of AMP spending.

Listen to the water industry!

Restore Scotland’s AMP timetable As an extension to the above, why not restore Scotland’s AMP equivalent spending timetable so that it is once again out of phase with that of England and Wales?

Though it was undoubtedly done for all the right reasons, the decision to align Scotland’s spending periods with the rest of the UK has actually made things worse.

Previously, Scottish projects offered gainful employment for out of work contractors and suppliers when the English and Welsh AMP periods went quiet.

Why not return to this position at least?

Much of the above is what the water industry has been saying for years. Yet the message still doesn’t seem to be getting through.

It boils down to this. There is another way to approach AMP – the question is whether the Government is interested in taking it and helping the UK economy now, before it’s too late.

We asked the Society of British Water and Wastewater Industries (SBWWI) if they felt this view was representative of the supply chain.

Without agreeing with every detail of Tony’s suggestions, SBWWI did empathise with his position and felt there was merit in challenging the status quo.

“common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.”

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FEATURE:PRICE REVIEW

Time for a Reality Check We also invited an alternative view from Ceri Jones, Regulation and Scientific Services Director, Northumbrian Water Ltd. Ceri is an economist [BA (Hons) Economics & International Relations and MBA (Distinction)] with almost 20 years’ experience in the water industry. He is a Chartered Environmentalist and has been a Corporate Member of the Institute of Water since 2001 Many industries would crave an agreed five year plan that sets out the key objectives and the associated financial allowances, particularly in the current tough financial climate and in the wake of the economic turbulence created by the credit crunch. A five year cycle may not be ideal. However, many industries would regard this as long-term planning whereas in the water sector the five year business cycle is firmly set in the context of much longer term strategies, as outlined in companies’ Strategic Direction Statements, and underpinned by a range of longer term planning frameworks such as Water Resource Management Plans.

It is not always possible to deliver a flat investment programme as the required timing of outputs may be ‘lumpy’. Clearly peaks and troughs in investment can cause difficulties for the supply chain but “shutting down the industry every five years” is surely an exaggeration. Some of the peaks have been driven by statutory deadlines for quality investment. The pattern has not always been uniform across the sector since companies are affected to different degrees by various statutory drivers which can determine the scale and timing of peak investment. “a higher proportion of maintenance work should help to reduce the scale of peaks and troughs.”

Looking ahead an increasing proportion of water industry investment is capital maintenance. There is always considerable debate at price reviews as to what the appropriate level of maintenance investment should be. However, there is a base load of maintenance that is not in dispute and which water companies should be able to plan ahead as the minimum requirement regardless of the regulatory settlement. For this reason a higher proportion of maintenance work should help to reduce the scale of peaks and troughs.

Staggering price reviews across companies is not a credible option. It would be impossible to create a level playing field across companies if price reviews were staggered. Investor returns are critically determined by the allowed cost of capital which would itself be determined by the timing of the review.

Some have argued that the cost of capital could be set for a fixed period for all companies but the investment programme agreed on a staggered basis.

However, the cost of capital has to reflect business risk and a key component of this is the required level of investment. Without knowing the investment plan it is not possible to determine the cost of capital or to test for financeability.

Setting the cost of capital and the investment programme for different periods makes no sense.

It is true that at the depth of the recession government expressed interest in the impact of additional infrastructure investment in stimulating the

economy. But government cannot direct private sector investment and it never considered providing public money. The timing of Scottish reviews is one for colleagues north of the border to consider rather than for UK Government. “ultimately Ofwat conceded that it had pushed too hard in the draft settlements and achieved a more acceptable balance in the final determination.”

At price reviews Ofwat must consider both the requirement for investment and the impact on bills. This is a difficult balancing act and the recent review was a tortuous and at times frustrating process. But ultimately Ofwat conceded that it had pushed too hard in the draft settlements and achieved a more acceptable balance in the final determination.

The regulatory settlement sets clear targets for output delivery, and for service measures such as leakage, with robust penalties for failure to deliver. Water companies simply don’t have the choice to back away from agreed investment projects and it would be most unwise for any to attempt to do so.

“Companies must raise money in the financial markets and the interest rates on debt are not set by Ofwat or even the government but by the market.”

The concept of “assisted access to AMP funding” is misconceived. Ofwat does not provide finance to companies. It simply sets prices that reflect its view of the revenues that companies require to fulfil their obligations. Companies must raise money in the financial markets and the interest rates on debt are not set

by Ofwat or even the government but by the market.

Water companies are accustomed to regulators responding “they would say that wouldn’t they” when raising concerns regarding risk and return. Perhaps the same could be said of suppliers looking for bigger, more certain, more predictable investment programmes to bid for. Certainly, water companies can do better at communicating with the supply chain and at planning to avoid unnecessarily pronounced peaks and troughs in investment. But it would be wrong to seek to rearrange the entire water industry regulatory process in an attempt to make life easier for the supply chain. In an uncertain and volatile world water remains a relatively stable and predictable sector.

We need an improved dialogue between water companies and suppliers to gain a better mutual understanding of needs and concerns. This must move beyond a simplistic plea for guarantees of stable and predictable workloads.

Instead we should be focusing on managing risk, encouraging innovation and promoting dynamic and flexible planning in an uncertain and changing business environment.

“Companies must raise money in the financial markets and the interest rates on debt are not set by Ofwat or even the government but by the market.”

If you have a view or would be interested in taking part in a wider debate on the Price Review process please email lynn@instituteofwater.org.uk

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Integrated Asset Management

Who we are

What we do

n Field Services

RPS Water is the leading provider of professional services to the water industry. It is part of the RPS Group, an international consultancy with around 5000 staff that provides advice on:

RPS Water helps its clients achieve performance improvements through the provision of operational support and strategic, planning and managerial consultancy. We offer a unique blend of both desk-based and and in-field expertise that can successfully undertake complex programmes and projects. Our size and stability provides our clients with reassurance that their long-term projects will proceed smoothly to completion.

n Information Management

n The development of land, property and infrastructure n The exploration and production of energy and other natural resources n The management of the environment

Our expertise covers:

n The health and safety of people

n Integrated Asset Strategies & Management n Regulatory Advice

RPS trades in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Australia and Asia and undertakes projects in many other parts of the world.

n Operational Planning n Programme & Project Management n Feasibility & Design n Environmental Consultancy

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n Health & Safety Consultancy

We currently support all the Water & Sewerage Companies (WaSCs) and the majority of the Wateronly Companies (WoCs) in the UK. Our dedicated focus on the industry ensures that we remain at the forefront of best practice and our clients receive the most up-to-date, innovative advice.

How we do it We employ enthusiastic, talented people who together generate a unique blend of skills and experience that enables them to provide imaginative and pragmatic advice. We have a widely acknowledged reputation for meeting the challenges posed by large, complex projects and problems and for conducting our business in an open and responsible manner.

RPSWATER

Strong corporate governance is fundamental to protecting our clients’ and our own business interests. Accordingly, we have invested heavily in strengthening our business via an Integrated Management System (IMS).

The system brings together our Health & Safety, Quality and Environmental management systems into one IMS with the following accreditations:

Our business success has been built around strong regional presences through industry-leading Client Managers supported by technically-expert Services Leaders. This gives our clients the best blend of reliable delivery through local focus and responsiveness together with best practice and innovation from around the world.

Our efforts have been recognised by awards for;

Standard

Accredited To

Date of Registration

Integrated Management System

PAS99

19/12/2008

Health and Safety Management System

BS OHSAS 18001

22/09/2008

Environmental Management System

BS EN ISO 14001

01/02/2008

n Training Provider of the Year n Best in Innovation (x3)

Quality Management BS EN ISO 9001 System

30/01/2008 (Renewal)

The combined system further differentiates RPS Water from its competitors and demonstrates our commitment to robust corporate governance. It has been received positively by our clients who appreciate how it firmly underpins the professional support they receive from RPS Water.

n Best People and Best Team n Outstanding Contribution to the Water Industry.

The Future Our Integrated Asset Management approach enables us to focus on the longterm aims of our clients. We have assessed the long-term business direction of our clients through inter alia 25 year Strategic Direction Statements. We have then supported the WaSCs and WoCS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the current business planning/regulatory review processes.

In doing so, the vast number of industry challenges have been taken into account, including: n Climate Change n Affordability & Debt

Our business philosophy is based on achieving complete client satisfaction through the unfailing provision of top quality services and advice. This enables us to provide rewarding careers for our staff and make a genuine difference to the environment and the economy. In turn, this generates long-term value for our shareholders and allows further investment in our business and our staff.

How we make a difference

n Population Growth n Competition n Legislative & Regulatory Change e.g. Flood & Water Management Bill; Water Framework Directive; Private Sewers; Metering; Carbon Reduction Commitment etc.

n Helping Southern Water achieve the lowest leakage level in the UK;

We are preparing to support our clients in the effective, efficient delivery of those plans, working diligently to ensure that they stay on track for achieving those longer-term objectives. We believe that this is hugely important for the future success of our clients, our business, the environment and the economy.

n Helping Thames Water save £000’s via Drainage Impact Assessments of new property developments;

Trevor M Hoyle, Managing Director, said

Recent examples of how we have helped our clients achieve success are:

n Providing environmental consultancy support on the proposed raising of Abberton Reservoir for Essex & Suffolk Water; n Helping Scottish Water devise and deliver its strategic infrastructure improvements, covering 2 million properties and 29 000 km of network;

“In the last five years we have built an outstanding, highly-motivated team.

We are hugely excited about the myriad challenges facing the industry and our ability to work with our clients to meet them.”

n Helping Southern Water secure unbilled monies by surveying over 2 million properties, significantly improving revenues, cash-flow and network understanding; n Integrating Social, Environmental and Carbon effects into the setting of Sustainable Economic Levels of Leakage for OFWAT; n Development of innovative products and techniques including Accuflow™ (a portable valve flow-meter); Pinpoint (a mobile-working system saving £000’s/annum) and Waternet (the industry-leading Water & Wastewater Network Asset reporting system).

“In the last five years we have built an outstanding, highly-motivated team. We are hugely excited about the myriad challenges facing the industry and our ability to work with our clients to meet them.”

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SCOTTWILSON

AMP5 and Scott Wilson…

Following a range of AMP4 water based environmental studies and Water Cycle Studies, Global Consultancy Scott Wilson is well placed to provide the necessary expertise to support Water Companies in delivering their AMP5 programme.

The Environment Agency’s National Environment Programme for PR09 included a large number of water quality and water supply projects and investigations to be undertaken across the country. The large number and array of schemes is reflective of the need for our waterbodies to begin to move towards meeting ‘Good Ecological Status’ under the EU Water Framework Directive by 2015, as well as the need to protect designated ecological sites under the Habitats Regulations.

These requirements have risen up the agenda since the completion of the Water Framework Directive River Basin Management Plans and as the Review of consents for abstractions and discharges under the Habitats Regulations comes to a conclusion.

Scott Wilson completed and managed a range of environmental studies for Water Companies during AMP3 and AMP4, covering low flow studies, drought permit environmental assessments and fish pass assessments. These projects were undertaken as standalone commissions as well as framework projects such as the current Water Resources Framework for Dwr Cymru Welsh Water.

As an example, Scott Wilson was commissioned by Thames Water Utilities Ltd to complete a series of preliminary Environmental Assessment Reports for each of Thames Water’s potential Drought Permit abstraction options as identified in their draft Drought Plan. Thames Water have been using the preliminary Environmental Assessment Reports to prioritise baseline monitoring for

AMP5 and complete their Drought Plan for publication in 2010.

The assessment was required for a total of 23 Drought Permit abstraction options to enable Thames Water to define potential impacts and prioritise a monitoring programme to support any applications for permits during future droughts.

The Drought Permit options investigated included local groundwater abstractions from the headwaters of the river Thames.

Each preliminary Environmental Assessment Report identified: • the main environmental receptors associated with each Drought Permit abstraction and their sensitivity; • potential impact pathways between the abstraction and relevant receptors; • the environmental sensitivity of potentially affected receptors; • a priority ranking of the Drought Permit options based on likelihood of use and environmental sensitivity; • an outline Environmental Monitoring Plan and Mitigation Plan for each Drought Permit option; and • anticipated analysis that would be carried out when the full Environmental Assessment Report is undertaken.

Scott Wilson has also delivered several Water Cycle Studies which investigated the capacity of water supply, wastewater infrastructure and the water environment to meet the demands placed on it by the additional housing and employment targets set out by the Regional Spatial Strategies.

The Water Cycle Studies have been completed in collaboration with Water Companies and the Environment Agency across England identifying when and where upgrades are required to networks, treatment works, pumping stations and water resource schemes over the next 15 years.

The Water Cycle Studies has given Scott Wilson an in depth understanding of where investment in wastewater treatment, sewerage network, water resources and water supply infrastructure will be required over AMP5 and beyond in order to deliver the ambitious housing targets planned up to 2031 and still meet with the requirements of key legislation such as the Water Framework Directive.

Key Water Cycle Studies commissions have included: • The Black Country; • Milton Keynes; • Greater Norwich Development Partnership; • Northumberland; • Breckland District; and • Thames Gateway South Essex.

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AVK UK

Helping Leakage Prevention – an holistic approach

The high cumulative cost of curing leakage whether through equipment failure or a pipe-burst incident where the expense of interruption of supply to the consumer, road closure, excavation, repair and time are considerable, has put prevention and cure at the top of the water industry’s agenda.

Should a leak occur, AVK believes that there are a number of solutions to this multi-faceted issue; • The first being prevention through design.

• The second being prevention through maintenance.

• The third is the fast efficient repair with the least possible disruption to the customer, the road network and surrounding environment.

AVK is a global leader in the manufacturer of valves, hydrants, pipe fittings and accessories for the water, sewage and gas industries. AVK products are highly innovative and comply with the highest standards of safety and quality, with long asset life and low ‘whole life cost’ being key drivers. With manufacturing in influential global regions, AVK offer products in most relevant legal standards such as BS, ISO, CE, DIN, AWWA. AVK have a global philosophy of aligning ourselves with our customer’s strategic drivers and as an industry specialist supplies support, products, and solutions to their issues ranging from leakage management and prevention through to carbon reduction initiatives.

Prevention through design AVK valve products ranging from sizes DN32mm to DN4000mm are designed not to leak over their design life and are 100% tested prior to packaging and dispatch. UK standards for products such as gate valves, hydrants and swing check valves demand type testing that take the product to considerably beyond their designed application in terms of life cycles and pressure tests with the greatest aspect of failure or success of the test being leakage. All AVK products are successfully tested beyond these criteria in order to enhance their asset life and decrease the ‘whole life cost’.

The AVK Series 29 fire hydrants are fitted as standard with auto-frost valves which prevent six litres per minute of water being lost when the hydrant is in use, not much but every little helps.

The seals used in all the AVK products are engineered in our elastomeric manufacturing unit AVK Gummi. They are designed to not suffer the degradation across the life of the product; this being an historic cause of leakage.

As well as designing out leakage in its product, AVK also supplies a number of product ranges that help prevent catastrophic failure in water mains.

A major cause of pipeline failure is as a result of air contained in water mains which creates a perfect environment for corrosion in metallic mains and then provides the force required to rupture the pipes where corrosion has made them weak. Additionally, the well publicised inaccuracy and wear caused to analogue water meters is also real issue. The AVK Series 701 is the most comprehensive and innovative range of air valves designed to address all air entrapment issues for any part of the water cycle.

The major strategy in the prevention of leakage has been to manage the system pressure more effectively by reducing the mains pressures whilst maintaining full service to the customer. To assist in this level of control AVK supplies one of the most modular and comprehensive ranges of pressure reducing valves , the Series 710, through our association with Bermad.

Efficient repair Should a pipeline failure occur AVK produces a full range of standard and bespoke repair fittings for all ferrous and rigid plastic pipe systems from ½” to DN1200mm with a range of service offers from planned repair to a complete emergency response.

Having these key initiatives in place, AVK will continue to work with our customers to deliver solutions to address their strategic issues.

The AVK website provides full product information and data-sheets plus up-todate Group news. www.avkuk.co.uk Contact sales on 01604 601188.

Prevention through maintenance All AVK products are designed to be as maintenance free as possible and as such offer extended warranties. However if maintenance is required it can be carried out quickly and costeffectively due to their design.

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• Cuts ductile iron, cast iron and clay pipe • No wood cutting chainsaw training/PPE required • Faster and safer than a cut off saw • Faster than a pipe cutter • Single point access • Diamond grit abrades material away • Vastly reduces time and operator effort • HAV’s for hydraulic saw is 4 m/s freehand

• • • • •

Greatly reduces size of excavation and backfill Reduced digging out by hand underneath the pipe Reduced carbon footprint Safe cutting method with reduced operator effort Extremely rapid cut, typically 1.5 to 2 minutes

for 250 mm D.I. pipe.

•

No fumes in excavation with hydraulic saw

Demonstrations To organise an on site demonstration of this innovative new product please give ec hopkins a call on 0121 506 6095.

HYDROSAVE

Management of strategic trunk mains leakage & asset serviceability Prepared by: S Mobbs, Technical Director and R Tod, Project Manager

The Problem

Contingency Planning

The cost of satisfying the legal and regulatory requirements for risk management on trunk mains can be prohibitively high. Targeting expenditure is dependent on detailed knowledge of the network, its assets and their condition. Obtaining this information is, in itself, extremely costly, requiring highly skilled and therefore expensive resources.

Those assets that have been determined as being of a high or medium consequence of failure are given priority when preparing mitigation in the form of a contingency plan.

Objective Our objective is to determine a simplified, cost effective, prioritised and practical programme for leak detection that encapsulates existing operational asset management functions and risks. The process builds upon recent success in leak detection correlation technology and links the overall approach to ensure best practice for achieving operational levels of service, performance and reducing risk.

Concept The strategy considers a number of serviceability indicators headlined into four main activity groups:

The plan for each asset group will incorporate a standard template detailing the risk, extent of supply, operational factors, controls, placements, associated assets, alarm triggers, expectancies, alternate supply provisions, historic events, contacts and escalation process.

Survey10B - a burst main, close to a main rail link, could not be shut off at the primary or secondary valves as the valves were seized. We tracked the pipeline for 7km before a working valve could be located.

In addition, pipelines will also incorporate material class, size, strategic valves, repair methodology, plant, suppliers, specialists and recovery options.

The plan is intended to be a term of reference when reacting to an operational incident whilst establishing the principles for containment, control and recovery.

Survey & Analysis The prioritisation of survey activities are determined from the evaluation of the criticality and flow monitoring process.

The four activity groups have a shared dynamic and can be individually associated to existing strategic business objectives for service provision, risk and capital maintenance planning.

The first step in the process is to prepare a criticality model for each water supply zone. The model uses both physical characteristics and historic performance in order to categorise each pipeline asset into the likelihood of failure and associated consequence, thus determining their inability to deliver a prescribed service level in terms of life expectancy and the next potential failure event.

The consequence of failure is then differentiated into safety, social, environmental and economic impacts in order to distinguish the drivers for renewal, monitoring, survey & analysis and contingency planning.

Monitoring

The asset survey plan is carried out using a template for data collection focusing on condition and accessibility of isolation valves of high-risk areas and physical inspection of associated meters, air valves, wash outs and service connections. All tapping points giving access to the flow of water are inspected to assess the appropriateness for the application of leak detection technology.

Leak Detection utilises technically advanced leak noise correlation and specialist trained personnel. Our experience has shown that leak noise on large diameter mains is normally of very low frequency, often below 50Hz and within extremely low band widths. With Hydrophones low frequency sounds can be detected as low as 1 to 2 Hz. The process requires PC based analysis and significant post processing from specialist engineers.

The success of the correlation process is not limited to pipe diameter but more to the available tapping positions. Where access points are not possible we will recommend the installation of survey points, and where appropriate, the position of permanent monitoring sites or early warning systems at strategic points.

In our experience a successful flow balance on a trunk mains network is difficult to achieve, no matter how many meters are installed on a network.

This is predominantly associated with the volume of flows and metering confidence. We therefore use the water balance as a prioritisation and comparison process, rather than an accurate assessment of volumetric water loss.

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The Water UK view

The consequences of the failure to agree a meaningful climate treaty in Copenhagen will be felt far and wide. Water UK was among those hoping for much more than the Accord 1 which includes no legally binding commitments or timetable for action. reducing emissions. People and businesses with an eye to the future will now be hoping that 2010 brings a new momentum and a legally binding, global treaty.

By Bruce Horton, Environmental Adviser, Water UK Climate change has to be tackled urgently. The impacts are already being felt in the UK and around the world. The window for action to reduce emissions sufficiently to head off the worst future impacts is closing. What we needed was a great leap forward, what we got was a shuffle of the feet.

Some progress was made however, including a goal to limit climate change to two degrees above pre-industrial levels and an additional funding commitment for developing nations. A number of nations, including Australia, Japan, Canada and of course the United States are expected to come forward with national targets and mechanisms for

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Aside from the moral, social and environmental imperatives associated with protecting the planet, the economic justification for action is increasingly clear and the repercussions from the summit could be severe. Businesses seek certainty in order to plan appropriately for and invest confidently in the future. Copenhagen was an opportunity for nations to come together and take a view on the scale of likely climate change impacts that we and future generations are willing to accept, and the emission reductions needed to achieve this. But the lack of ambitious or binding targets means that people and businesses all over the world will find it hard, despite best intentions, to plan for and invest in reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to the consequences of climate change.

Immediately following the talks, the carbon price in Europe fell by around ten per cent. This reflected a lack of conviction that the EU would

raise its target for emission reductions from twenty to thirty per cent against 1990 levels by 2020. (The higher target was conditional on other developed countries committing to making comparable reductions under a global agreement).

Despite the setback, climate change will remain a key and increasingly important driver for business. All companies need to plan for the future and will need to take account of the impacts of climate change on supply chains, markets, customers, staff, assets, operations and availability of finance.

The water industry is at the forefront of many of these impacts2 and, in a world where assets can last for a hundred years or more, water companies need to plan for the long term. They will continue to integrate climate change across business and investment planning to ensure that the provision of water and wastewater services is not adversely affected. Further research into the effects of climate change, including on behaviour and people, will be needed.

FEATURE:COPENHAGEN AND WATER

Continued action will also be needed to manage greenhouse gas emissions from business. As more and more countries develop plans for reducing emissions, national carbon markets will emerge and connect. The UK government expects the water industry to play a full role in meeting national greenhouse gas reduction targets and to maximise the potential for renewable energy use and generation3. All businesses will increasingly need to invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency measures and other mitigation measures4. And the clean technology sector will expand – in water this presents further opportunities for renewable energy and for lower carbon water and wastewater management techniques.

So climate change action is not a ‘nice to have’. It is a ‘must have’. Of course, there is a great deal of uncertainty around the scale, nature and timing of key impacts. Sadly, the effect of Copenhagen will be to exacerbate the uncertainty around future emissions and the kind of adaptive actions needed. But businesses that want to prosper and gain a competitive edge will need to work with

this uncertainty, rather than use it as an excuse for inaction.

Our government can help. The carbon price may remain low without ambitious national targets.

The EU and UK must maintain their commitment to legally binding targets, and work with other nations to reduce the risk of carbon leakage, where emissions are outsourced to other parts of the world. For their part, businesses will respond by more accurately and transparently measuring and reporting emissions, including from the supply chain.

ambition. World leaders are already talking up the prospects of further commitments over the next few months and agreeing an ambitious and binding treaty during 2010. We all have a duty to ensure that no more time is lost.

The government can also push ahead with initiatives that make good economic sense anyway, regardless of (but reinforced by) climate change, such as controlling pollution at source and reducing emissions from buildings through stricter standards for water efficiency. Such measures will help tackle both mitigation and adaptation, and show how the UK continues to lead the way on climate change.

It is not too late. Copenhagen has at least given us a base to build on and there is no shortage of

1 Copenhagen Accord http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/cop_15/application/pdf/cop15_cph_auv.pdf 2 Water UK Climate Change briefing http://www.water.org.uk/home/policy/climate-change 3 Defra: Future Water (2008) http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/water/strategy/pdf/future-water.pdf 4 Renewable energy generation in the UK water industry increased by 40% from 2007/08 to 2008/09 (Water UK Sustainability Indicators http://www.water.org.uk/home/news/press-releases/sustainability-indicators-2008-09/sustainability-2009.pdf)

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New Digital Chlorine Dioxide Testing From Palintest Palintest Ltd, the leading water analysis technology company, has developed a completely new method for testing Chlorine Dioxide levels in water. The ChlordioXense provides accurate testing without relying on subjective analysis for results.

The instrument eliminates the potential for user error giving precise, consistent results whatever the operatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s level of experience.

Developed from the successful electrochemical sensing technology in their ChloroSense digital chlorine sensor (now EPA approved), the ChlordioXense is very easy to operate. Simply insert a disposable electrode along with the water sample and close the lid to start a test. The instrument works for a wide range of concentrations, from 0.02 - 50 mg/l, with sample temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, with results given clearly on the LCD screen in less than a minute.

Compared to the US EPA-approved Lissamine Green test method, the ChlordioXense gives accurate results with greater consistency. This means that the time taken and the training needed to get results is significantly reduced, benefiting a wide range of applications from food processing to paper mills and building services.

The unit stores up to 500 results in its on-board memory, and can be connected

by USB to a PC for simple downloading. Powered by AA batteries and weighing less than 1kg, it is truly portable and offers effortless Chlorine Dioxide measurement for any situation.

Tel: 01225 837000 filters@crossmanufacturing.com www.crossfilters.com

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How Things Change

By Tracey Viney,Project Manager, Portsmouth Water

In the 1960s, when the site at Havant Thicket (near Rowlands Castle) in Hampshire was first identified as a potential reservoir site, the planning application was a mere two pages long accompanied by a plan and cross-section and it took the local authority just nine months to consider and approve the application.

Rutland Water wetland view from hide

Back then the main considerations in selecting a reservoir site were the underlying geology to provide materials for engineering the embankments and safe containment of the water, as well as the close proximity and sufficiency of the water source, the Havant and Bedhampton Springs.

How things have changed. While engineering and sufficiency of water are still key to site selection, in the 21st century we must now look much more closely at the: n Sustainability of the water supply n Environmental impacts (including traffic, noise, water quality & drainage) n Ecological and landscape impacts We anticipate that the new planning application will be accompanied by at least two boxes of supporting information. In advance of making an application, relevant statutory bodies; the public and other stakeholders must all be actively consulted and engaged to address site specific concerns and develop a scheme which meets many needs. This includes minimising environmental impacts where possible, maximising the potential for increased biodiversity and working with the local community to identify opportunities for new facilities and other benefits.

Forty years ago the new reservoir at Havant Thicket was not progressed by Portsmouth Water because the Water Resources Board (the body responsible for water resources planning

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at that time) encouraged the development of an alternative site, a new abstraction point and water treatment works close to the tidal limit on the River Itchen near Southampton. Following a recent Habitat Directive review the Environment Agency has determined that existing abstractions on the River Itchen are not sustainable at periods of low flow due to potential impacts on this important chalk stream ecosystem. New stricter limits on existing abstractions in conjunction with a rising population and other factors, including climate change, mean that new water efficiency measures alone will not be enough to meet future consumers supply needs in SE Hampshire and West Sussex. Current forecasts show that by about 2021 a new source of water will be needed to meet peak demand. A review of alternatives has shown that the Havant Thicket Winter Storage Reservoir will be a key element in Portsmouth Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most cost effective solution.

The reason that the reservoir option provides a sustainable source of water is that it represents a form of indirect rain water harvesting on a community scale. Water falls as rain on the chalk downland north of Portsmouth, where it drains through the ground to the chalk aquifer below, passing through cracks and fissures to emerge at a spring line close to the coast at Havant.

Climate change predictions indicate that we will experience wetter winters and drier summers.

Portsmouth Water will be able to capture the fresh water emerging at the springs in the winter, before it passes out to sea, through its existing collection chambers and pump it 3 km to the

north to the new reservoir for storage. During periods of peak demand such as long dry hot summers, the water can flow by gravity, with no need for energy for pumps, back down to the existing pumping station in Havant and from there via existing infrastructure for treatment.

No new abstraction licence will be needed as only water within the existing abstraction licence limits will be removed, thereby ensuring protection of the important downstream coastal habitats.

Not only is the source of water environmentally friendly, but the site for the reservoir is also sustainable, as the area is underlain by significant depths of clay. Material can be excavated from below the site to create a deeper basin, with the clay removed used to engineer the embankments and create new landscape features. This will reduce the need to import materials to the site lowering the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carbon footprint and minimising environmental impacts on the local community.

The reservoir will be 1 mile (1.6 km) from east to west and 0.5 mile (0.8 km) from north to south.

No houses or farms will be lost to the construction as the site comprises predominantly low grade pasture. There are no large rivers at the site, just three small watercourses which largely run dry in the summer. The water from these streams will be captured by a new wetland to be created on the north side of the reservoir where there are no embankments. The wetland will be created with islands for nesting and roosting birds, as well as a wide variety of fauna and flora, contributing to

FEATURE:PLANNING A NEW RESERVOIR an overall increase in the long term biodiversity of the site. When water from the main body of the reservoir is drawn down the water in the new wetland will remain protected by a linear retaining structure. Wetland habitats have declined in the UK and creating a new wetland site is seen as being an important benefit by the local community and wildlife groups, who view this as a positive opportunity not only to create an ecologically diverse habitat, but also an enormous educational opportunity for local school children and people of all ages, by providing hides and interpretation.

No new development can take place without causing some adverse impacts. As a result it has been very important to gain a thorough understanding of the existing habitats and the fauna and flora using them. Ecological survey work started in 2004 and the nature of the surveys was guided by local wildlife experts.

Initially a Phase 1 survey was undertaken to establish what wildlife is, or was likely, to be present. This identified the need for more detailed surveys to assess the species and population of bats, reptiles, as well as which areas of woodland dormice were using, so that appropriate mitigation measures could be identified. The surveys revealed that more than ten species of bat were using the site, particularly the woodland areas on and around the site for feeding. Natural England asked that the bat survey be extended out to woodland blocks within 3 km of the site, to assess the significance of the populations of some of the more unusual bats making use of the site.

Information from habitat and wildlife surveys undertaken over five years will now be used to inform the mitigation strategy.

Other work undertaken in association with the ongoing environmental impact assessment needed to support the planning application has included the following: n Five traffic surveys covering different locations and times of year to inform the Traffic Assessment. n Background noise surveys at ten locations. n Monthly water quality monitoring to assess the impact of the reservoir. This has shown that the current downstream water quality is quite poor and initial modelling has indicated that the high quality chalk spring water stored in the reservoir will result in an improvement to downstream water quality.

a large infrastructure project is very broad. It is important not to underestimate the amount of time needed and the costs associated with gathering robust survey data to inform the environmental impact assessment.

The other key issue which is fundamental to the pre-application process is public consultation and engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders.

Since 2004 Portsmouth Water has been working with a Stakeholder Group comprising local authorities, wildlife organisations, the Environment Agency, the Consumer Council for Water and local landowners. This resulted in a preferred reservoir layout being selected for wider public consultation, which aimed to maximise the volume of water which could be stored, while minimising the impact on the local woodland to the north and south.

In 2008 the Company undertook a major public consultation exercise: n 17,000 letters to local residents n Notices placed at the site, in local libraries and shops n Creation of a dedicated project website n Public exhibitions at three different venues over 10 days attended by more than 850 people n A community workshop n Presentations to community and special interest groups The public response to the proposal for a reservoir has been very supportive, with the majority of people indicating that they viewed it as a potential benefit for the local area. Many indicated that it was important not to waste the opportunity that the planned reservoir provided. However, Portsmouth Water recognise that the local people value this rural area and its wildlife on the edge of their urban communities, with many residents using the open land as an important space for leisure. Consequently, the Company is continuing to engage with the local community through presentations to local groups and the website.

Feedback from the public consultation has been shared with the Stakeholder Group and used to develop a way forward which will ensure improved public access for cycling, horse riding and walking, especially for the elderly and disabled. A visitor centre will be included in the proposal, with toilets, interpretation and space for education. The public did not support the use of the reservoir for high activity uses which would change the rural character of the area, or been seen as exclusive. As a result the planning application will promote the use of quiet recreational pursuits such as bird watching, angling, picnic and children’s play areas. Only supervised use of the water for quiet activities will be promoted through local schools, colleges and community groups. This will limit the number of people using the water at any one time and help to minimise potential conflicts with other users and wildlife.

Many water companies and conservation organisations such as the Hants and Isle of Wight wildlife Trust have been extremely helpful in providing very useful advice about their experience of developing reservoir sites, especially feedback on what works well and what causes conflict. This has been extremely useful in developing the best way forward for the water company, the local community and future users of the reservoir site. Key issues which need further work prior to submitting a planning application include determining the location for car parking, developing the wildlife mitigation strategy, as well as landscape and heritage issues.

Things may also change further before the planning application is submitted with the introduction of the new Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC). When the new planning regime is ‘turned on’ by the Secretary of State for the water sector any new reservoir with a capacity of more than 10 million cubic meters will be required to be submitted to the IPC.

Further information can be found at www.infrastructure.independent.gov.uk.

For more information on the project visit www.havantthicketreservoir.co.uk

n Flow monitoring to help determine the requirements for the compensation discharge to the stream. n Rainfall modelling has indicated that the reservoir will reduce the risk of downstream flooding during storm events. n An archaeological assessment.

Further work is needed to complete a landscape and heritage assessment due to the site’s proximity to the boundary of the South Downs National Park and a Grade II listed Park and Garden. The diversity of information now needed to support a planning application for

Future aerial shot of area.

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New premises opening ceremony

Leading UK specialist pipe coupling manufacturer Teekay Couplings Ltd. has officially opened a new premises in Milton Keynes, UK, increasing current manufacturing floor-space by 80%.

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; symbol of UK manufacturing success

The opening ceremony was attended by 150 people, consisting of employees and key suppliers in order to recognise this important milestone in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current period of expansion. The new premises accommodate Final Assembly, Production Testing and Despatch Departments and also includes storage facilities suitable for housing a stock in excess of 20,000 pipe couplings.

With a 25% increase in staff over the previous year, 2010 is set to be an exciting year at Teekay with greater levels of production and higher demand for product anticipated. The company was formed in 1961 and began producing pipe couplings in 1975. Today it produces more than 250,000 couplings a year.

e Repair Coupling

nd leakages er pressure! air Coupling to carry out ied pipelineRepair underground leakages remotely and under pressure! at groundThe Remote Repair Coupling allows the Teekaycontractors to carry out repairs to a buried pipeline whilst remaining upling only aat ground level. By using the Teekay

The Teekay Remote Repair wrap-around hinge mechanism and is constructed from stainless steel. This allows the coupling to be easily The Teekay Remote Repair Coupling manipulated and installed over still maintains a wrap-around hinge the leak.mechanism and is constructed

Remote Repair Coupling

the

Remote Repair Coupling only a small localized excavation is required, resulting in less inconvenience to public and better preservation publicthe of the surrounding environment.

onment.

tel: +44 (0)1494 679500 36

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from stainless steel. This allows the coupling to be easily manipulated and installed over the leak.

Developed in close cooperation with Morrison Utility Services in in 2006,2006, thethe patented patented TeekayTeekay Remote Repair Coupling has been in for Remote Repair Couplingusehas over 3 years.

been in use for over 3 years.

www.teekaycouplings.com

Pi launches the World’s first in-situ self-verifying Dissolved Oxygen Meter The UK based instrumentation company Pi, is to launch another world’s first - the world’s first in-situ self-checking Dissolved Oxygen Meter.

Combining Pi’s award-winning electronics with In-Situ’s acclaimed RDO® sensor, Pi believes it has a world beating combination especially when you include the brand new self-checking functions included by Pi and In-Situ.

The sensor comes equipped with a self-cleaning mechanism (requires air or water), which also allows the instrument to check its calibration response (patent pending) without needing the Dissolved Oxygen probe to be removed from the aeration lane/oxidation ditch.

The In-Situ Rugged Dissolved Oxygen® sensor is based on luminescence and includes many improvements over existing light-based Dissolved Oxygen sensors including; typically 12 months between maintenance, typically 12 months between calibration, improved ruggedness of the lumiphore, improved resistance to abrasion, in-situ sensor verification and self-cleaning.

Mike Riding, Managing Director of Pi today said: “The key to good process control is good process instrumentation, and the key to good process instrumentation is to use the best sensors coupled with the best electronics… and that is what we have with the CRIUS 3200 Dissolved Oxygen Meter.”

“There is no such thing as a ‘fit and forget’ instrument, particularly in the harsh environment of an aeration lane or oxidation ditch, but this instrument is as close as it gets with typically 12 months between calibration and maintenance.”

Pi has been providing instrument solutions since 1998 and supplies through Distributors, under Private Label/OEM agreements and to End Users within the Water, Waste, Chemical, Paper, Pool and Leisure industries. With offices, a laboratory and new manufacturing facilities in Burnley, Lancashire, Pi operates globally with customers in Europe, America and the Middle East, including; Technostar (Egypt), Scottish Water (UK), Crow Wood Leisure (UK), Northern Ireland Water (UK), and Chemtrac (America). More recently Pi has received awards for innovation and has quadrupled its turnover in three years.

For more information on the latest innovations in water instrumentation, please visit www.processinstruments.net or contact:

Mike Riding Process Instruments (UK) Ltd, Process House, Dominion Court Billington Road, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 5UB Tel: 01282 422 835 Email: mike.riding@processinstruments.net

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Quantum Controls Ltd - Supplier of ABB Variable Speed Drives, AC and DC Motors, HVAC Equipment, UPS Equipment and a Full Design, Manufacture and Install of Electrical Control Panels Quantum Controls Ltd was formed in 1989 to specialise on the sale of Variable Speed Drives and Motors. While this remains part of the core of our business, we now have Hire, Service and Control Panel Manufacturing departments and a wider range of products to offer to our clients including Uninterrupted Power Supplies, ABB / Siemens Instrumentation, ABB Control Gear, Rockwell Plc Systems.

Quantum Controls provides focus, flexibility and responsiveness to customers without compromising the high safety and quality in everything we do, which is pre requisite for success in the water industry.

Our goal is to create a brand that will be synonymous with ‘Excellence as Standard’, that will be recognised throughout the UK and thought of the benchmark to which our competitors must strive to reach. This is evident in our superb Achilles Verify scores.

We are a unique company specialising in the supply of ABB Variable Speed Drives and SoftStarts, ABB Motors Rockwell PLC’s & Siemens Instrumentation, and in-house manufactured electrical panels built to your specification.

Because we are engineers, we understand your requirements and are committed to offering solutions to your problems. Our highly skilled staff are amongst the best in the business,

having vast experience in all of the Utilities. We supply technical expertise and applications know-how which is second to none, backed by the largest stock holding in the country. The result is an elite distribution company offering levels of service never seen before.

visit us at www.quantum-controls.co.uk or come see us at the IWO conference in May

“The fast reaction and support we received from Quantum Controls meant that we had no disruption to service on one of our major sites in the North East. I would not hesitate to recommend Quantum Controls and will happily continue to use them.” - John Fielding, NW

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QUANTUMCONTROLS CASE STUDY

John Fielding, Acceptance Engineer, NWL

Quantum’s fast response keeps Northumbrian Water pumping Quantum Controls took only two hours to solve a problem for Northumbrian Water (NW) when it needed to hire a drive at very short notice.

NW called Quantum Controls at 3 pm one Friday afternoon with a request to hire a variable speed drive to replace an existing drive at one of its pumping stations. By 5pm the same day, Quantum Controls had a pre-tested, 440V, 500kW drive on site, together with three engineers to complete the installation.

Because the site ran on 660V, Quantum Controls also needed to supply and install a step-down transformer to match the supply to the drive, together with a step-up transformer to match the drive’s output to the needs of the water pump.

Another factor was the limited space available at the site, due to the size of the existing equipment. Because of this, the hire drive and transformer could not be placed as close together

as they normally would, requiring Quantum Controls to use longer cables.

NW is a frequent customer of Quantum Controls and is a major user of variable speed drives.

John Fielding, Acceptance Engineer for NW, says: “The fast reaction and support we received from Quantum Controls meant that we had no disruption to service on one of our major sites in the North East. I would not hesitate to recommend Quantum Controls and will happily continue to use them.”

With over 350 variable speed drives available for immediate hire, Quantum Controls can supply drives in ratings from 5.5kW to 800kW and voltages of 240V, 415V, 690V and 3.3kV. Quantum Controls are the only company in the UK to offer

this level of drive hire service on this scale and can supply an equivalent variable speed drive to replace a unit from any manufacturer’s range.

Hire periods can range from a couple of weeks to several months depending on need.

Hire drives can be used to trial and prove the benefits of variable speed drives before purchase.

Some companies use hire drives to prove energy savings before applying for a loan from the Carbon Trust. Their other main use is as an emergency replacement for a failed drive.

To minimise disruption, Quantum Controls can have a hire drive on site within hours depending on location, together with an engineer to carry out installation and commissioning.

Dan Fitzsimons E: d.fitzsimons@quantum-controls.co.uk T: 01661 835566 M: 07970884790 instituteofwater.org.uk

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West to East Link Main Project – United Utilities

By Steve Mackellar (Jacobs Engineering) and Ahmed Esat (United Utilities)

Large diameter, long distance aqueducts and pipelines do not arise very often and hence there is considerable interest in one of the largest pipelines being currently constructed for United Utilities.

The £125 million West to East Link Main (WELM) project is the collaboration of United Utilities (UU), Jacobs Engineering, Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH), John Murphy & Sons (JMS), Atkins and Nomenca.

It has been recognised for a number of years that inspection, cleaning and remedial works would be required on the large aqueducts feeding Liverpool and Manchester. Unfortunately, the aqueducts are so important that they cannot be taken out of service for long enough to undertake the work.

Currently, Lake District water supplies Manchester via Thirlmere (TA) and Haweswater (HA) aqueducts, where the HA terminates at Woodgate Hill Service Reservoir (SR) in Bury. Lake vyrnwy water supplies Liverpool along the vyrnwy and Dee Aqueducts, terminating at Prescot Water Treatment Works (WTW).

n Regulatory Large Diameter Trunk Mains (LDTM) outage programme drivers – planned outages of the TA, HA and Dee Aqueduct for cleaning and maintenance.

A lengthy period of optioneering settled on the solution to connect the Manchester and Liverpool systems together giving huge flexibility in the aqueduct network and allowing the required maintenance work to be undertaken.

Separate systems are supplying water to Liverpool and Manchester with no flexibility in the system. There are several reasons why the WELM project is needed:

Begun in earnest in autumn 2006, UU teamed up with Jacobs and MWH to begin the lengthy and complex process of detailed optioneering and route selection.

n Key stakeholder undertaking outside of the Price Review process.

By early 2008 the outline route had been selected sufficiently for the Scope of Work to be drafted and contract documents prepared. By this stage the project estimate was established as around £125 million. In the summer of 2008 three tenderers made their submissions and the detailed evaluation commenced to determine the technical sufficiency and commercial benefits.

n Full support from OFWAT, Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and Consumer Council for Water. n EU Directives / Policy (Habitats Directive, Water Framework Directive). n Impacts from Climate Change and safeguarding our future generations. n Security and Emergency Measures Directive (SEMD) – ability to maintain water supplies in the event of a major incident or attack.

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The diligence, skill and perseverance of the team is reflected in the fact that out of 55km of pipeline through this densely populated region, there is less than 1 km of it is along public highways.

FEATURE:UNITED UTILITIES The ÂŁ125m WELM project statistics summary: n A Bi-directional 55km steel buried pipeline, 1.2 metre diameter.

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n From Woodgate Hill SR, Bury to Prescot WTW â&#x20AC;&#x201C; crossing through 5 golf courses.

n 23 major tunnel crossings â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 railways, 4 highways, 3 motorways, 6 rivers, 1 canal, 1 metrolink tram, and one pipe bridge. n A number of techniques will be used to lay the main: Open Cut, Directional Drilling, Tunnelling, and Crossings for motorways, water courses, ancient woodlands, other utility services (Oil, Gas, Water, Wastewater and Electricity). n Almost 50% of the pipe route has to deal with previous mine workings.

In December 2008 John Murphy & Sons (JMS) were appointed as principal contractor to design and deliver 55km of 1200mm welded steel pipeline and a c 2MW pumping station to connect two of UUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest service reservoirs, Prescot, near St Helens and Woodgate Hill, near Bury.

Construction commenced early in 2009.

JMS are renowned for their expertise in pipeline and tunnel engineering, and made an excellent start on the Western end of the pipeline, at times working on up to 6 tunnels at a time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to complete the mammoth challenge of constructing the entire pipeline in just two pipe laying seasons.

Employing several subcontractors as well as their own teams, JMS have successfully used all manner of pipe jacking and tunnel machines including auger borers, digger shields, road headers and closed faced micro tunnelling machines, to name a few.

For ease and speed of welding, a socket and spigot system was employed that required only welding on the exterior of the joint and no internal repairs. Early coating difficulties delayed getting into full swing with this system but there is no doubt that the concept is sound.

Since the Woodgate Hill reservoirs are some 65 metres higher than Prescot reservoir, control of the gravity flows West to Prescot is achieved by means of two slotted needle valves, specifically designed to destroy the energy whilst avoiding cavitation issues. Sadly, the intermittent pattern of use of the pipeline in gravity mode means that

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with laser levelling devices that keep them exactly at the right depth and gradient at all times along the trench.

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There is insufficient space here to report the environmental issues such as great crested newts, bats, badgers, bluebells, Japanese knotweed to name a few; nor the specialist engineering involved in tunnelling, cathodic protection, high voltage pump drive systems, hydraulic modelling, telemetry, grouting of mine workings, pipe coatings, welding, security, disinfection systems, phosphate dosing plant or reservoir safety.

the installation of turbines to capture this energy is not economically viable.

Considerations of pipe route and the challenges faced with the aim to minimise disruptions:

To transfer the water the other way east from Prescot, two huge pumps standing 5m tall (including their motors) and absorbing nearly 2MW of electricity will deliver over a tonne of water per second, or some 90 Megalitres in one 24 hour period. A new 11 kilovolt substation is being built to handle the additional power requirements.

n Environmental constraints and complex Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).

To ensure the pumps would work efficiently within the restricted space available in the existing valve building at Prescot site â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a 1/6th scale physical model of the reservoir outlets, suction tank, pipework and pumps was constructed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; resulting in a full working see-through Perspex model twice the size of a large static caravan.

n Archaeologically sensitive areas.

Accurate flow meters at either end of the pipeline will monitor flows and determine if and when leakage occurs. Remotely controlled line valves, situated along the pipeline will be fitted with sensors to monitor the pressures along the pipeline and determine where any leaks are occurring and if necessary shut the pipeline down with ease.

The WELM involves a kaleidoscope of specialists all working as a team towards the goal of having everything in place for April 2011 when the pipeline goes on stream. Then it will start its 60+ year asset life serving the North Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two principal conurbations of Manchester and Liverpool with clean water as successfully as our Victorian forebears who built the great aqueducts from the Lake District and North Wales over a hundred years ago.

The nerve centre of the finished project will be located at Prescot Water Treatment Works (WTW) where all the pressures, flows, pump controls and valve controls will be monitored and programmed either from within the WTW or remotely from UUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central network control centre.

During peak construction periods there will be over 400 people working on the pipeline. To witness a pipe laying operation in full swing is an awesome sight as kilometre after kilometre of pipeline is strung out across the countryside.

A troupe of 6 or 7 gyrating excavators dig, level, lift, riddle, place, compact and profile to install the pipeline, weighing around a tonne every 3 meters, at depths of up to 5m. When completed, this army of excavators will have shifted around 2 million tonnes of soil, over 90% of which is recycled, and installed over 20,000 tonnes of pipe.

n Major 3rd party engagement and noticing to a large number of high profile people including landowners, planners and local authorities. n Geology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Peat, Alluvium deposits, mines and Rock strata.

n Sterilized areas of land over pipeline â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for future protection to the main from damage and prevention by build-over work, and also allow free access for inspection and maintenance. n Hydraulically optimum area.

Once complete the WELM will be able to transfer 94 Megalitres per day (Ml/d) by gravity from East to West (Bury to Prescot) and nearly 100 Ml/d pumped from West to East (Prescot to Bury).

In comparison, to transfer 100 Ml/d along the M6/M61/M62/M60 motorway infrastructure would require 4,000 tankers per day (thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite a lot of Carbon emissions), estimated at costing a staggering ÂŁ110 million per year in transportation costs alone!

On the ÂŁ125 million UU WELM project, Milo Purcell, DWI, sums it upâ&#x20AC;Ś..â&#x20AC;&#x153;A brilliant scheme and a once in a generation chance to improve the water supply situation in the North Westâ&#x20AC;?

To eliminate air from the pipeline some 80 automatic air valves will continuously bleed air from the crown of the pipe. For this to work effectively the pipeline must be laid to a precise gradient of at least 1:300. Any shallower and the air may not escape and will cause problems with the flow. Going steeper means huge additional costs of excavating unnecessarily deep. Thus to optimise construction, the excavators are fitted

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NI Water’s Belfast Sewers Project – Tunnel vision

1 Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) is currently in the final stages of a major Stormwater Management project in Belfast – the Belfast Sewers Project. This is aimed at improving water quality in the River Lagan and reducing the flooding risk within the inner city.

Belfast has a mainly Victorian sewer network and this was suffering structurally from old age and was struggling to cope with increasing demands as Belfast continues to develop. NI Water is investing £160million on the rehabilitation and upgrading of the sewer network and the construction of a new stormwater tunnel.

The four-metre diameter stormwater tunnel stretches for almost 10 kilometres through Belfast, 30 metres below the ground, culminating in a massive, 40-metre deep, 37-metre diameter shaft that forms the below ground part of the terminal pumping station. This shaft on Northern Ireland Water’s Belfast Sewers Project is the largest excavation work of its type ever undertaken in Ireland.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Belfast Sewers Project has captured imaginations like few engineering projects in Ireland have done before.

Press coverage has helped to promote the project,

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with television programmes featuring the works, particularly Top Gear, with Jeremy Clarkson’s ‘Italian job’ in a Renault Twingo showcasing one of Europe’s biggest engineering projects to an audience of millions.

The Stormwater Management Contract includes the construction of some 9.5km of tunnels ranging from 4.0 metres to 1.8 metres in diameter under city centre streets at depths ranging from 10 to over 30 metres below ground level. Along the tunnel route there are 19 access shafts with varying diameters between 6 and 15 metres.

The largest shaft excavation, the one for the terminal pumping station of 37 metres in diameter and 40 metres in depth is located beside Belfast Wastewater Treatment Works. The pumping station is designed to pump flows up to 16 cumecs which represents excess stormwater overflows from Belfast’s sewer system for a once in 30 year return period storm event.

This is discharged following screening treatment to the Herdman Channel through an outfall diffuser.

The terminal pumping station has two low flow pumps and six short coupled centrifugal storm pumps. The larger pumps are rated at 950kw each operating at maximum capacity on a 5 duty and one standby basis. The storm flow is screened through 2 nr 8 metre diameter drum screens which provide two dimensional screening to 6mm. Screenings are automatically washed and compacted before being discharged into skips for removal and disposal. The dry well of the pumping station is fully ventilated and is enclosed within a building which houses the electrical control panels and an overhead gantry crane to aid pump removal and maintenance.

Tunnelling specialists Morgan Est joined forces with locally based Farrans Construction Ltd to form a fully integrated Joint Venture to carry out

FEATURE:NORTHERNIRELANDWATER

3

2 the construction works of the project. The Joint Venture company has worked closely with Atkins Consultants, NI Water’s designated Project Managers, to achieve the desired outcome for the client.

Progress throughout the project has been excellent overall, particularly given the complexity of the geology of central Belfast which has presented a challenge to the project team on several occasions. A key factor in the success has been the partnering process and close co-operation between the parties in dealing with a number of ground related problems whilst maintaining the project programme.

This project will bring significant environmental benefits to Belfast by providing a modern effective sewerage system with the reduced the risk of flooding.

1

Tunnel Vision - An engineer from Northern Ireland Water’s £160m Belfast Sewers Project inspects the end destination of the fourmetre diameter tunnel running almost 40metres below the city – the width of an average football pitch!

2

Cutterhead of the tunnel boring machine

3

Belfast Sewers Project Pumps up - Pictured are six giant pumps, weighing up to 15 tonnes each. With the power needed to drain an Olympic sized swimming pool in less than two minutes, each pump will play an important role in reducing flooding and helping to keep the River Lagan and its tributaries clean.

4

An engineer inspects the interior of the tunnel

4 Key Facts – Belfast Sewers Project at a glance: • The Belfast Sewers Project represents an investment of £160 million.

• The project will give Belfast a modern, effective sewerage system.

• It is one of the largest and most important infrastructure investments in the city.

• The Belfast Sewers Project consists of two key contracts: Sewer Rehabilitation Project and Stormwater Management Works.

• The Sewer Rehabilitation Project has upgraded some 500 sewers in poor condition.

• The Stormwater Management Works involved the construction of a 9.4km tunnel up to 4m in diameter.

• The Terminal Pumping Station is capable of pumping up to 4,000 gallons of water per second.

Key Benefits • Enhance water quality in the River Lagan.

• Reduce the risk of flooding.

• The stormwater tunnel system will significantly increase the capacity of Belfast’s sewerage system.

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Career Development Opportunity Applications are now being accepted for the USIT Business Skills Award. Utilities and Service Industries Training Limited (USIT) is a charity providing grants and bursaries for education and training for the utilities industries.

Sponsorship of up to £7,500 is available for individuals to attend an established academic or training course in the UK which is relevant to the Utilities Industry.

This includes distance learning and career change programmes, provided these are relevant. The award is designed to assist individuals to benefit from opportunities that would not normally be available to them from their employer’s ongoing training and development support arrangements.

Awards will be made based on industry needs as assessed by the Trustees. USIT will adopt an inclusive definition of the utilities industry to encompass partner organisations which have framework agreements or period contracts in place for at least three years. The definition also includes regulators.

Awards will be limited to £7,500 and it is recognised that employers may need to finance additional costs. Employers can top up the money offered by USIT, provided the employer’s contribution is no more than that made by USIT. In other words, with your employer’s agreement, you can apply for £7.5k from USIT to attend a UK course costing up to £15k.

The award will concentrate on assisting individuals of any discipline and level who are striving to develop their career in a manner which is seen to be of benefit to the industry.

Download an application form from http://www.usit.org.uk/ and submit your application by email or by post by 15th March.

How previous members have benefited from winning an award formal training course. The week long Water Law short course was a module of a Water Management Masters programme at Cranfield University and best fitted in with my work commitments.

Simone Medonos Lead Environmental Scientist, MWH Edinburgh Water Law (Short Course), Cranfield University

I received a USIT Business Skills Award for a short course on Water Law at Cranfield University which I attended in February 2009. In my current role I am seconded into Scottish Water Solutions as an Environmental Advisor. To assist in my role and gain a better understanding of the implications of EU legal system on my work I had been trying to find a

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I was very pleased to find the USIT award scheme, which assists in funding courses not normally possible through employers training programmes. I was honoured and excited when I received the Business Skills award to both fund my place on the course as well as contribute to subsistence. Cranfield University has an excellent reputation in Water Science research and education, so I was very grateful to be able to attend a course at such a prestigious institute and knew that the training would be of high quality. The course was valuable and gave me a good overview of EU legislation and how the English and Scottish legal system compare with respect to water law. We had guest lecturers from the regulators and experts in the industry and the lecture notes and handouts have continued to be of use in my role. The only downside was that we were snowed in at Cranfield and all the flights were grounded so it took a long time to get home at the end of the week!

I am very grateful to USIT for this opportunity and I highly recommend applying for a Business Skills Award if you work in the utilities industries and are interested in furthering your knowledge through a specific training course.

Simon Cyhanko Distribution Operations Controller, Northumbrian Water Professional Coaching from Julie Stewart, Coaching & People Development Solutions

The award I received from USIT has enabled me to obtain some professional coaching from a training organisation. I have found it really useful having this relationship with somebody not employed within the same organisation - my coach really has therefore offered a different outlook and perspective on many things. My coach has challenged me and we have set targets for me to achieve in both my personal and professional life. I have therefore approached some of these challenges in a new way and I am sure that the coaching will help me achieve more than I might otherwise do.

FEATURE:USITAWARDS

Clive Ingram Asset Creation, Severn Trent Water Ltd MSc in Environmental Quality Management, De Montford University

Having completed civil engineering and management qualifications, I went on to study for the CIWEM Diploma (DipWEM) to broaden my industry knowledge. It soon became apparent that much more importance was being placed on high standards of environmental practice and I decided to further develop my environmental knowledge. I embarked on this by securing a place on a MSc course and passed the first part (which I self funded). However, because of ever tightening budgets, I could not secure funding from my employer to continue with the study. When I read the USIT leaflet I realised that I probably satisfied the criteria for an award for further education and I was extremely pleased when I was approved for an award to complete the MSc. In terms of my personal development, this piece of learning will build upon my current experience, knowledge, qualifications and training and equip me with a recognised ‘senior qualification’ within the environmental field.

David R. Warren Graduate Design Engineer, South Staffordshire Group – Walsall PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner Course

I am always looking for ways to better myself within my industry and the Tier 2 award offered by USIT was an ideal opportunity for applying for training.

Being relatively new to the business I felt that the PRINCE2 qualification in project management was ideal for extending my knowledge of methods and approaches for this purpose.

When I received the call to say I had been awarded the funds to complete the qualification I was very pleased.

The week long course was hard work yet insightful and my awareness of how to handle my projects has significantly improved. I would like to extend my thanks to USIT for the opportunity they have given me and would highly recommend this award to anyone wishing to gain such qualifications.

Stephen Smyth Customer Service, Northern Ireland Water HNC in Water Operations with Management, Cardonald College

For some time I had been concerned that I did not possess any qualifications specific to the industry that I have chosen to devote my career to. The USIT Skills award has enabled me to study for an HNC in Water Operations at Cardonald College. I have worked for NI Water in both the scientific and customer service sections of the business however I always felt that I needed to develop a more rounded knowledge of the industry and the HNC in Water Operations will give me that overview. Even though I only started the course in August, I am already beginning to see the benefits in my day to day activities within NI Water as my confidence and general industry knowledge increases. I will always be grateful to USIT for giving me this valuable opportunity.

Download an application form from http://www.usit.org.uk/ and submit your application by email or by post by 15th March.

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ENERGY&UTILITYSKILLSLTD competence of managers. The ‘Transformation Toolkit’ was developed and implemented to enhance the interpersonal and leadership skills of staff and managers.

In 2009, Scottish Water for developing the Scottish Water Distribution Operations Maintenance Strategy (DOMS) and taking the lead in the design and delivery of this innovative skills initiative. The programme has been extensive in nature, has been based on effective delivery through a partnership and is the first of its kind in the UK water industry.

Julia Stevenson, Head of Organisational Development at Scottish Water comments:

Scottish Water Winners of the Business Skills Award 2009 L – R Tim Balcon – EU Skills, Julia Stevenson – Scottish Water, Paul Campbell – Scottish Water David Hellier – EU Skills

Be a Winner in 2010 Winning an award can boost your profile with customers and colleagues, so celebrate your excellence by entering for the prestigious 2010 Business Skills Awards. All shortlisted entries will be invited to join Energy & Utility Skills at the Institute of Water Annual Conference and Exhibition President’s Dinner, the winners will be presented with their trophies at this prominent ceremony, surrounded by senior figures from the water industry.

Entries are judged by an independent panel of leading experts from the industry, including key stakeholder organisations and water company representatives.

The Business Skills Awards are divided into two categories;

• Business Skills Award • Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – sponsored by the Institute of Water When entering the Business Skills Award, submissions should describe an initiative which

has been wholly or partly undertaken in 2009, and which contributed towards business skills.

For example, projects which include; resourcing, restructuring, upskilling, productivity drives, innovation and introduction of new technologies.

Previous winners of the Business Skills Awards have included; Clancy Docwra, Alfred McApline Infrastructure Services, Northern Ireland Water and in 2009 Scottish Water. Some examples of winning submission include:

“This extensive training programme has involved collaboration with self lay organisations, contractors, the Sector Skills Council and external training providers. So far 6,138 people have been trained across 494 different companies, which is an amazing achievement, and has contributed to, amongst other things, improved drinking water quality for the people of Scotland. I am delighted that Scottish Water’s role in leading this initiative has been recognised by this prestigious award.”

The CPD is for individuals who can demonstrate commitment to continuous learning and improvement. Individuals who are entering are expected to belong to a professional body but not necessarily the Institute of Water.

The EU Skills CPD Award, sponsored by Institute of Water, was won in 2009 by Nicola Houlahan of Sutton & South East Water Plc. Nicola recognises the need for CPD and has taken ownership, producing an action plan with objectives and targets with clear dates, this was an excellent record of CPD with clear targets and future planning in place.

To download an entry form then please go to: http://www.euskills.co.uk/water/ business-skills-awards/ For further information then please contact, Andrea Allison, Communications Manager, Energy & Utility Skills at; andrea.allison@euskills.co.uk Finally, good luck.

Northern Ireland Water, for developing a ‘Transformation Toolkit’ that has not only received a Level 5 Award in Leadership from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), but has also seen an increase in competitive advantage as staff morale has increased the confidence and

“I am delighted that Scottish Water’s role in leading this initiative has been recognised by this prestigious award”

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New Online Leak Mapping For PermaNet Through Your Web Browser The PermaNet system from Halma Water Management (HWM) receives data from Permalog+ noise loggers deployed on water pipes to listen for leaks, and transmits this information wirelessly to an office computer. A new development called ALMOS (Acoustic Leak Monitoring Online System) now enables live, onscreen display of PermaNet data tracking from the PermaNet system from any internetconnected PC with using a new graphical interface and the latest digital mapping technology – without the need for any specialist software.

Users of the system simply have to visit the website (www.almosleak.com) and log in to see the precise location, condition and noise levels of their deployed Permalog+ loggers.

This information can be displayed either in a list form, or overlaid onto a detailed map, terrain or satellite view of the area. Loggers in a non-leak state appear in blue on the map, those transmitting a leak alert are shown in red, and those with anomalous readings display a yellow warning sign. Each logger can be individually highlighted to view more detailed information,

including its serial number, noise level, signal strength and acoustic spread. This enables problem areas to be quickly and accurately identified, and offers the potential for in-depth analysis of the leak situation. The list view allows loggers to be sorted by a number of variables, and historical leak data for each one is available at the click of a mouse.

Users can be set up to have different levels of access to data and administrative functions, so several people can view the data simultaneously but only administrators will be able to make changes to it. A demonstration of the system is available at www.almosleak.com, which shows a district of Copenhagen where the system has been used for several months successfully to achieve and maintain a 10% reduction in leakage.

The ALMOS system can be used to view and manage integrated data from several sources, including PermaNet and Automatic Meter Reading Readers (AMR’s) systems, with all data running through an extensive web server-based algorithm analysis post processing function (patent

pending). This offers currently unparalleled water management functionality to save time, water and money.

Water suppliers can now monitor 100% of their distribution system confidently and effectively, knowing that the combination of Permalog® technology, PermaNet data communication and ALMOS online data presentation enables them to identify potential leak sites quickly, accurately, conveniently and automatically.

Pipeline Technology Ltd. is the only supplier of the original Talbot range of underpressure Drilling & Tapping Machines.

The Pipetech No.1 retains its heritage and is the UK’s No.1 choice for live Ferrule insertion into metallic pipes.

Pipetech has an extensive stock of the original No.1 machine, including spares and parts.

Pipetech also offers a full service capability to restore machines to their original specification Pipetech also offers a range of pipe tooling and equipment and the UK’s biggest range of Underpressure Drilling and Tapping equipment.

Pipeline Technology Ltd 6 Albany Business Centre Wickham Road, Fareham Hampshire, PO17 5BD UK

Tel: Fax:

+44 (0) 1329 234888 +44 (0) 1329 231717

E-mail: martin.topps@pipetech.co.uk Web: www.pipetech.co.uk

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MIDLANDSAREANEWS

President’s Day

By Clive Ingram

Liz Swarbrick the Midlands area President invited members and guests to enjoy the ‘Severn Valley Experience’ back in July. Guests assembled at Chelmarsh Sailing Club, and were then taken by coach to Bridgnorth Railway Station which is managed by the Severn Valley Railway Company (SVR). From there we enjoyed a 16 mile trip being pulled by a steam locomotive. On the way, we stopped at Highley Station and went to the newly opened SVR museum, which contains various old steam engines, and amongst other things, a Post Office sorting carriage where the sorters would sit and sort the mail on route to the various destinations. We then boarded another train and continued on our way to the end of the line which is Kidderminster station which is also owned and managed by SVR. There is a Network Rail station adjacent to the SVR station. (In fact in July, Chiltern Railways ran a ‘one off’ service from Bridgenorth to London, Marylebone.)

along the way. Elephants can also be seen as you pass the West Midlands Safari Park!

On reaching Kidderminster, we were coached over to Hampton Loade water treatment works for a tour. The works is managed by South Staffs Water and is a principal source for its customers (as well as Severn Trent customers in the Wolverhampton area). Briefly the works abstract water from the

River Severn and pumps it to Chelmarsh Reservoir which is a ‘bankside’ storage reservoir by the river. This facility allows the company to control the quality of the water before it is pumped through the treatment processes. One of the highlights (for me!) was viewing the very large pumps which pump water to Sedgley reservoir which is some 12 miles away and approximately 200m higher that the works. Not surprisingly the electricity bill is pretty big!

Following the tour, it was back on the coach and over to Chelmarsh sailing club for a delicious pig roast, and excellent views across the reservoir.

The route passes through the beautiful Severn Valley and there are views of the river Severn

Business Strategies in a Recession (or how to make sure you’re still there in the end…..)

The 11 November saw another very well attended presentation kindly hosted by Severn Trent Water with three excellent speakers delivering differing views and strategies on the affects of the recession. The evening was started with the usual buffet and networking opportunity that only an event of this nature can provide.

The theme of the evening was very apt to the economic climate and the realities of the current pressures that every business in the world is feeling in one way or another. All of the presentations offered thought provoking and informative detail about the challenges and opportunities facing the supply chain in the recession and time of credit crunch.

The three speakers: Gareth Mawdesley (Purchasing Manager, Severn Trent Water), Jean Smith (Head of Supply Chain Management, South Staffs Water) and Andrew Underwood (Performance Advisory Partner, KPMG) all gave excellent presentations giving differing strategies from different size water companies and experience from other sectors.

Gareth’s presentation detailed how Severn Trent Water had carried out a risk assessment of their supply chain and categorised the suppliers based on the level of risk they posed to STW’s ability to maintain the delivery to the end customer. Gareth reviewed how STW changed the way in which they managed the supply chain and are now starting to work closer with the suppliers to ensure the continued service to the end customer.

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Gareth went on to stress the importance and criticality of Supply Chain Management in both good and bad times and that the underlying themes are the same at both times.

This was mainly down to the requirement of communication with the supply chain developing relationships, trust and a partnership approach.

He also detailed that it is not about supporting unviable business but keeping an eye on the post recession supply chain. STW are also continuing to monitor and mitigate risk with the ultimate goal of protecting their supply to the end customer.

Jean’s presentation gave the audience a slightly different view from a smaller water company (South Staffs Water). The theme of the presentation was that as a smaller water company South Staffs have a very different supply chain dynamic than larger water companies with encouragement and attractiveness needed for larger suppliers. They also have to compete to become a ‘customer of choice’ with only a fairly small spend in comparison to the larger water companies.

Jean detailed how South Staffs are making a step change in delivering the services and have reviewed 8 of their key contracts in order to drive efficiency in AMP5 and develop much more joined up contracts to build in the flexibility required to react to the economic conditions operating in partnerships with suppliers.

The final presentation by Andrew provided a global view of the impact of the recession and

By James Burgess

some of the strategies being developed.

Andrew’s presentation was split into three themes: the global economic slow down and its impact on corporations, the lessons that the UK water industry can take from these experiences and it addressed the bigger question which is sometimes posed: shouldn’t we be doing this anyway.

Andrew detailed how the speed of the economic downturn had been a shock yet the reaction to the downturn was not in that CAPEX programmes were cut, production volumes reduced, margins were cut and head counts reduced. Andrew then went on to detail the global business response and the impact of the recession on the pensions funds, investments and cash flow pressures. Another feature that has been seen from business is the requirement to make existing assets work harder, getting more from less.

It was then detailed that supply chain and procurement strategies have changed globally from a ‘source of saving’ to being a ‘competitive differentiator’. This has led to procurement becoming integrated into the strategic core of a business.

All of the presentations offered an interesting insight into the strategies that have been adopted in this time of recession and some of the ways in which the water companies are changing to react to the global downturn.

WELSHAREANEWS

4

1

5

2

3

6

Welsh Area Innovation Awards Professionals from the water industry have been awash with awards thanks to the Welsh Area.

The Institute of Water Innovation Awards were open to everyone working in the water industry in Wales and this year judges received strong entries from all parts of Welsh Water, its partners and supply chain.

The winner of the customer services category was Welsh Water’s team in North Wales for its work in establishing a Drop-in-Process in response to flooding in Prestatyn in 2007 and 2008.

The Drop-In-Process comprises five stages including a flood forum, resident interviews and newsletter.

The people category identified innovations relating to business practices in the field of human resources or relationships. It was won by instrument and electrical engineers, Celtic Process Control, for the company’s effective change management programme to enable growth, efficiency and profitability.

The product category was won by Welsh Water’s South West team for its innovative solution

for treating storm water. Using ultra violet disinfection, the team treated storm water before discharge, resulting in the achievement of bathing water standards.

Utility company, Kelda, won the operational project delivery category for its Pollution Reduction Strategy.

This has been a groundbreaking joint venture between Kelda, United Utilities, Daniel Contractors, Carmarthenshire County Council and Welsh Water.

The recipient of the Chairman’s Award was Ben Cooper Woolley of Arup. Ben received the award for his work on the Cardiff Bay Realtime 3D Hydraulic Model.

Tony O’Shea is the Wales Area President. He said: “This is our fourth year hosting these awards and the standard of entries has remained exceptionally high. This is testament to the wealth of talent that is out there in the water industry.”

7 1

Chairmans Award and Tony O’Shea

2

Celtic Process Control

3

North Wales Team

4

South West Team

5

President and committee members

6

National Chariman and Area Reps

7

Wesh Water Kelda Winners

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SCOTTISHAREANEWS

Glendoe Hydro-Electric Project

By Scott McCrae

Cavern Construction

On 16 November the Scottish Area received an informative and well attended technical paper on the Glendoe Hydro-Electric Project. The Paper was presented by Richard Appleby of Jacobs Engineering UK Ltd who had been the Senior Resident Engineer on the scheme, working on behalf of the promoters, Scottish and Southern Energy plc.

Glendoe is located in the Monadhliath Mountains near the South West corner of Loch Ness close to Fort Augustus. This was the first large scale conventional hydro scheme to be built in the UK for almost 50 years. Its potential was identified in hydro studies during the 1960’s and 1980’s, but the conception of the present scheme started in autumn 2001. Consent for the development was granted in June 2005 and construction of the 100 MW facility commenced in January 2006. It was completed in December 2008, two months ahead of programme.

Water for the scheme is supplied from a new reservoir impounded by a 35m high by 960m long

concrete faced rockfill dam at an elevation of 630m (Photo 1) with a total (direct and indirect) catchment area of 75km2. The large indirect catchment of 60km2 is diverted to the reservoir by 17 river intakes, 4.5km of 2m diameter pipeline, and a 7.9km 5m diameter aqueduct tunnel. An 8.1km long 5m diameter power tunnel excavated by tunnel boring machine leads from the reservoir to an underground power station (Photo 2) and on to Loch Ness. The power station, which is 250m below ground level, incorporates a single 100MW Pelton turbine, generator and transformer. The choice of a single turbine with no standby was made on considerations of Whole Life Cost taking account of the mode of operation of the project which, like many hydro schemes, is intended to be used to react quickly to times of peak demand, and hence higher tariffs, on the Grid.

two leading tenderers from stage 1 submitted their own designs for the scheme. An NEC 2nd Edition Option A contract was adopted using, fixed price with activity schedule. Various adjustment mechanisms were incorporated in the contract to allow for anticipated risks, most notably in the tunneling. The design and build contract was awarded to Hochtief Glendoe Joint Venture (Hochtief UK in JV with Hochtief Germany). Their designers were Poyry from Switzerland, the TBM was supplied by Herrenknecht, and the principal generation plant sub-contractor was VA Tech Hydro. There was significant local sub-contractor input, in particular from Highland Quality Construction Ltd of Inverness on road construction and dam earthworks.

The work force peaked at 680 operatives and staff.

A camp with for 400 people was constructed near to Loch Ness and a second camp for 200 people was constructed close to the dam at an altitude of 640m. This enabled work to continue throughout the winter periods despite the adverse weather conditions at this high altitude.

The final capital cost of the project was around £160M and average annual output of 175 GWh is predicted.

The technical paper was both informative and topical for the 30 members attending, providing an insight into the major water engineering project which has enabled a sustainable solution for generating clean energy that utilises the power of water.

Dam Construction

The procurement process was based on a two stage tender exercise. In stage 1 a reference tender design was prepared by SSE’s engineering advisers, Jacobs Engineering UK. In stage 2, the

Changes, Challenges and Champions

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The Scottish Area held its Autumn Seminar on 23 and 24 October. Within the delightful and relaxing setting of Tulliallan Police Training College delegates gathered to listen, debate and have fun with the theme of ‘Changes, Challenges and Champions’ in mind.

Holloway (Quality and Standards co-ordinator, SEPA). The evening was rounded off with a fantastic dinner and a very rowdy quiz, run by the infamous Stan Wardle. The WaterAid raffle that evening raised £300. Thank you to all who donated prizes.

Two papers were delivered on the Friday. Mark Dickson (General Manager, Scottish Water) and Garry Womersley (CE Waterwatch Scotland) spoke about ‘Serving our Customers’, and Alan Scott (Head of SR10, Scottish Water) presented a paper on ‘The Challenges of Operations in Scottish Water’. This was followed by a comprehensive Q&A session with a range of special guest speakers including: Ronnie Mercer (Chairman, Scottish Water); Michael Martin (Chief Operating Officer, Scottish Water Solutions); Chris Banks (Commercial Director, Scottish Water) and Dave

There were a range of papers delivered on Saturday under the session headings Career Development, Climate Change and the Challenges of Major Events. This included a paper from Alan Russell (Glasgow City Council) on the preparations on infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games Village. It is hoped we will hear more from Alan at future events as we approach 2014. Thank you to all speakers for their hard work in preparing and presenting such high quality papers.

instituteofwater.org.uk

The team building exercise this year focused on building a skid to attach to a remote controlled

By Kathy Auld

car. This was to transport water from one location to another with a mechanism to discharge the water at the end. Once again the teams did not disappoint with some brilliant designs, showing artistic flair and lateral -thinking. The Seminar was rounded off with some fun as the teams raced their builds. Congratulations to ‘The Water Wasters!’

The Autumn Seminar is one of the highlights of the Scottish Area calendar. It is a top quality CPD event, with some of the top management of the Scottish Water Industry speaking or attending.

The cost of £125 for members and £145 non members, fully residential makes this event very competitive and offers superb value for money.

Presentations from this event are available to download and view from the Archived Events section of the Institute of Water website.

SOUTHEASTAREANEWS

Planning and Constructing a Reservoir

By Steve Youell

Members met at Staunton Country Park in Havant in October to learn about the environmental aspects of planning and constructing a reservoir.

East Water’s Arlington Reservoir and the different schemes that have been set up to ensure a good balance of public visits and conservation.

The first presentation was from Tracy viney (Havant Thicket Project Manager, Portsmouth Water). Tracy spoke about the progress of Portsmouth Water’s planned new Winter Storage Reservoir located at Havant Thicket. Tracey outlined the project and described the different environmental issues that must be considered before a planning application can be granted.

Lewis Paterson (Duty Manager, Staunton Country Park) then outlined the parks continued environmental education system as well as the prospect of possibly utilising the new Havant Thicket reservoir.

Emma Goddard (Envrionmental Manager, South East Water) then spoke about the continued environmental management associated with a reservoir after it has been constructed and put into service. She specifically described South

There was a short break for tea and coffee before Ray Cobbett (Friends of the Earth) gave a very thought provoking presentation about the need for increased reservoirs around the area. Ray suggested that everyone should be using water wisely before potentially damaging environmental options are considered.

An interesting question and answer session chaired by Andy Neve (Engineering Director, Portsmouth Water) was followed by the buffet.

Thanks to Tracey viney, Emma Goddard, Ray Cobbett, Lewis Paterson and Andy Neve for an excellent and interesting event. A full report about this project by Tracey can be found in this Journal.

Wedding Bells

By Steve Youell The 31 October 2009 was a special day for South East Area Chairperson Catherine Jones as she became Mrs Catherine Fearon. The wedding took place in Rochester, and a few of the South East Area committee attended the reception to pass on their congratulations.

The happy couple honeymooned in the Maldives (the location was revealed to Catherine at the airport). Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Fearon from all members.

HEALTH AND SAFETy IN THE WORKPLACE Health and Safety and its importance in the work place should not be underestimated. On 26 November members arrived at South East Water to learn about the importance of Health & Safety to both individuals and groups, and to dispel some popular misconceptions.

John Corden (Health & Safety Manager, Southern Water) gave a very entertaining presentation that not only outlined Southern Water’s strong H&S approach but through a series of videos outlined

the level at which the topic can be ignored by some organisations. This was humorous but also very serious.

Barry Major (Health & Safety Advisor, Clancy Docwra) outlined the procedures that they have put in place as a company and also the work that he and Chris Lunn (Health & Safety Manger, South East Water) have done to ensure that these procedures are being followed. He finished his presentation by taking us through a case study of

By Steve Youell

a job that they had recently undertaken.

We then invited the speakers to take part in a discussion session whereby a topic was set and the floor was opened up to everyone to raise their viewpoints. These topics ranged from driving accidents to the recent Water Hygiene Certificate.

Our thanks to John Corden, Barry Major and Chris Lunn for a very worthwhile evening.

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NORTHERNAREANEWS

It’s in the Pipeline!

By Ahmed Esat

On 19 November 2009, United Utilities HQ kindly opened up their conference facilities to delegates eager to hear a lecture delivered by Steve Mackellar and David Norman on the £125 million West to East Link Main (WELM) project. This “once in a generation” major pipeline project is being compared to the engineering achievements of early Victorian engineers who constructed the country’s major aqueducts such as Thirlmere and Haweswater.

The seminar was opened by Northern Area President, Tricia Williams (United Utilities Director of Process and Investment Delivery) who introduced the first speaker Steve Mackellar, and then quickly took her seat in the splash zone at the front (I’ll explain later).

Steve delivered a project overview, and was followed by David Norman who delivered an insight into the manufacture of steel pipes and coatings protection, followed by commissioning, testing methodology, an audience interactive demonstration and summing up by Steve.

Steve introduced the project with some impressive knockout statistics. He said “you can never design too early” and continued to explain the importance and extent of desk top studies aided by the latest mapping and modelling software that was used to make early judgements to design and determine the ideal main layout and route.

The delegates were given the bonus opportunity before and after lectures to see this demonstrated by the modelling “techies” armed with their laptops, as Steve’s supporting act for the evening.

Steve explained, “……the 1.2m internal diameter and the lengths involved meant that an easier method of travelling up and down the pipe was needed…….”.

Innovation, Engineering flair and imagination were the key ingredients to the success of this project, resulting in the modified creation of a pipe buggy for Steve to ride the tubes that he appropriately referred to as an “internal inspection and quality assurance tour”.

He continued and introduced further examples of innovation and pipe laying techniques, including the use of plastic polymer sleepers to eliminate friction and damage when the pipe is slid into the tunnel sections of the route.

One that is fundamental in any pipeline engineering project; the connection and joint weld of the socket and spigot steel pipes and challenge to protect the internal factory coating following the high temperature welding operation. The result was the design of a “factory installed” cover plate assembly with “air gap” preventing the heat reaching the internal coated surface (illustrated below).

David Norman followed on from Steve and presented a very interesting session on the steel pipe manufacture, stringent surface preparation and coating technique that was carried out at the pipe fabrication and testing facility in Turkey. Yet again, David impressed the audience with some stirring statistics and engineering specifications.

David highlighted the main processes and the final internal abrasion blast cleaning preparation before the rotation spray head technique is inserted to give the pipe the desired internal coat finish. He reiterated the phased testing and quality check points and close attention to detail ensuring Standards and DWI compliance, for each length of pipe made at the factory.

Underground pipelines and components, may be subjected to external surface corrosion by conditions such as, aggressive soils, electrochemical cell formation or stray currents.

Pipeline materials and coatings coming into contact internally with potable water should not

lead to deterioration of the pipe or in the quality of water being transported. Parameters such as flow; pressure; temperature; pH; oxidizability and electrical conductivity are just a few that are relevant to pipeline corrosion and in determining the choice of pipe material.

Steve took over from David to complete the presentation with Commissioning – Cleaning, Pressure testing, Disinfection and Flow testing.

He continued to explain the pressure testing on the main and the methods of pressure drop and volume loss. He was able to put on an audience interactive demonstration using some rudimentary home made kit comprising of a garden spray bottle; tea tray; bucket and some water. It was at this time our area president Tricia, realised she was in the “splash zone” and within range should Steve’s experiment fail to go to plan. The audience and I were hoping the demonstration would be a success, and much to Tricia’s and Steve’s relief it was. The evening concluded with a deeply discussed Q&A slot, and a round of applause.

Sincere thanks to Steve Mackellar and David Norma; the supporting act that covered areas that could not be included in the speaker presentations; and to all involved in organising the event.

A further detail report on this project can be found in the main body of the Journal.

Full presentations from the evening are posted on the Archived Events section of the Institute of Water website – www.instituteofwater.org.uk Illustrations and statistical information courtesy of United Utilities and project engineering partners, Jacobs Engineering, Montgomery Watson Harza, Murphy, Atkins and Nomenca.

“Souksaan wan Christmas sawatdii pimaï”

By Ahmed Esat

Following a committee meeting on Saturday 5 December, members ventured into Manchester for what has become a traditional Christmas meal out.

This year the Christmas greeting had an oriental Thai twist to it, as the group braved the chilled air and hot footed it to the Choaphraya Restaurant and Bar, where a warm welcome “Sawadee Ka” was waiting. After a flavoursome and plentiful Royal Thai buffet the group went on to visit the specialist continental Christmas Markets which attract visitors from around the world. There were over 70 twinkling wooden chalets selling everything from continental food

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treats and beverages to fashions, toys, arts and crafts from all over Europe.

The Town Hall square was dominated by a 6m high Weihnactspyramide (a giant German Christmas Pyramid with Nativity scene), which sits on top of the German Beer Tent and a magical Alpine House which is traditionally decorated and houses a giant multilingual talking reindeer!

Sincere thanks goes to our president Tricia Williams, area secretary Janet Howard and to the rest of the northern area committee for making it a wonderful day.

NORTHERNIRELANDAREANEWS Long Term Capital Investment

By George Irvine

On Tuesday 27 October a joint event was held with PIG on Long Term Capital Investment. Dave Saville (NI Water) and Kevin Fowle (Enterprise) gave a very interesting presentation.

Anna Marshall, Sam Phillips and George Irvine

‘Telling the Story’

By Celine Rodgers

On a cold wet Tuesday evening in January the monthly meeting was held at Malone House in Belfast.

The topic for this meeting was ’Telling the Story’ and it was delivered by Northern Ireland Water’s Communication’s Team member, Anna Marshall.

Anna’s presentation provided a very enlightening as well as interesting and upbeat account of how NI Water deliveries its key messages to its Stakeholders and the influence and impact different stakeholders can have on how the messages are received and perceived.

Some interesting facts about the media and political forces within the province certainly provided a few eye openers for those in the audience! These two groups of Stakeholders play a major part in influencing the general public about NI Water and it is for this reason that NI Water invests a lot of time and expertise in building stronger working relationships and educating individuals about its key issues, helping to change their opinions.

Anna discussed the positive benefits of partnering and how it mutually benefited the organisations involved, achieving a positive outcome for all. Anna highlighted as an example, the strong working relationship between NI Water and the Institute of Water, and how by working together important barriers can be broken down and also how individuals within both organisations can help ‘Tell the Story’ and key messages of their partner organisation.

Dave introduced the subject and explained the Current Procurement Procedures, Capital procurement Strategy and Delivery Structure. The current arrangements had 780 projects covering all assets with a spend up to £240m per annum.

Contracts range from £5k to £5mk Procurement is by one off tender. The intention with PC10 and beyond is to create an Integrated delivery Team, bundle projects and competitively tender large contracts. An NI Water Project Management Office will set with Incentives for delivering projects at or below targets. Partners will have a say much sooner at options stage. A Partner Board will be responsible for all Strategic Management.

Kevin Fowle from Enterprise gave a contractors perspective of Alliance Partnering.

The Key Components are:

For the Individual: -

• Share Goals and Aims • Share Benefits • Clear Focused Communications • Pride in being part of the Team • Achieve Client Objectives • Defined Roles and Responsibilities • Value for Money – Efficiencies • Leaner Fitter Business to eliminate waste • Team Work After the presentation there was a lively question and answer session and George Butler thanked Dave and Kevin for their excellent presentation.

Northern Ireland Consumer Council

By George Irvine

In November members assembled at Malone House to hear from Kathy Graham (Head of Water, Northern Ireland Consumer Council).

Kathy began by explaining that the Consumer Council was a one stop shop for complaints by consumers. They have 38 members of staff and an annual budget of £2.4m. Kathy outlined how we live in a changing world in terms of opportunities, choices and greater expectations. Kathy went on to explain how there has been a change in consumer behaviour, as they are no longer loyal to one supplier.

Kathy highlighted key messages from recent research conducted by the Consumer Council for NI Water:

Early in the presentation Anna had asked the audience to have a think about whether or not they thought NI Water received more positive or negative media coverage. As the presentation came to an end, Anna referred back to her earlier question, the majority of the audience believed that NI Water did get more negative than positive coverage. The audience were indeed shocked that the final stats revealed that NI Water in a given six month period, received only 26% negative coverage, the huge positive coverage is a testament to the exceptional hardwork of NI Water’s communications team.

• 82% of Customers think NI Water do a good job.

• Drive to do better – improve leakage as this is wasteful.

• Sewer flooding unacceptable.

• Water Quality paramount.

• Public have environmental concerns.

• Business was worried about security of supply.

• Bills should be correct first time.

• Water Company should be accessible

Anna highlighted the following key areas in her presentation:

Kathy concluded by making the following observations:-

• Managing expectations • Managing negative impact • Media and Political culprits • Relationship building • Partnership and two way communication • Proactively selling the message • Press coverage Analysis

• Know your customers and engage with them • Know customer needs • Get it right first time • If you do not get it right – put it right • Remember the customer wants nothing to go wrong!

After the presentation there was a lively question and answer session after which Sam Phillips summed up and thanked Anna for her informative presentation.

After the presentation there was a lively question and answer session after which George Butler summed up and thanked Kathy for her informative presentation.

This presentation is available to view on the Archived Events section of the Institute of Water website.

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SOUTHWESTAREANEWS

Raising Awareness for HNC students

Upcoming Institute of Water Area Events at a glance. . .

3 – 5 March, Low Wood Hotel, Windermere

Northern Area Winter Seminar Efficiency and Performance

By Frank Van Der Kleij

On the 7 October a meeting was organised by the South West Area for a group of Higher National Certificate (HNC) students in Water Operations and Management at Bristol Water Head Office in Bristol.

The first session of this lunchtime meeting was a short presentation by the South West Area secretary Frank van der Kleij, who covered the activities of the South West Area and gave a breakdown of recent and future events and highlighted who is part of the committee in the South West Area.

Simon Bennett, National Chair Person, covered in a second session the opportunities and benefits of joining the Institute. The HNC students are employed by a number of South West based water companies and consultants and Simon’s message that the Institute is the only professional body that is concerned solely with the day to day running of the water industry was very applicable. Simon finished his presentation on a personal note on how becoming involved with the Institute has not only given him many opportunities but also a number of long friendships.

The last part of the meeting covered a very comprehensive overview by Clive Ingram (Midlands Area Secretary, and member of the Engineering Board) on professional engineering registration through the Institute of Water. This was of particular interest and very applicable to the 18 students who are at various stages of their own professional career. Clive went through the various stages of the engineering registration, the assessment route and the value to both individual and organisation. Clive’s message to this group of HNC students was clear; Are you a budding engineer who is developing the skills and experience that will make you a valuable member of any engineering team? If so then you should seriously think of gaining the professional title Engineering Technician (EngTech) through the Institute of Water.

Altogether this was a very good event and the plan is to organise a number of similar events with the next intake of students in 2010. The South West Area committee would like to pass special thanks to Clive Ingram and also Robbie Vennard from Cardonald College for giving the opportunity to set this meeting during the 2-day HNC course.

5 March, Stratford Manor Hotel, Stratford on Avon

Midlands Area Dinner Dance 22 March, The George Hotel, Huntingdon

Eastern Area World Water Day Regulatory Leaders Discuss AMP 5 Plans 12 April, Ashford International Hotel, Kent

South East Area Seminar Water Efficiency in Kent 13 April, Malone House, Belfast

Northern Ireland Area Technical Seminar The WF Directive, Presented by Tom Adamson (Water Utility Regulation Group) 23 April, Dewstow Golf Club, Caewent

South West Area vs Welsh Area Golf Day

Please visit

www.instituteofwater.org.uk for up to date details on all events.

Are you a budding engineer who is developing the skills and experience that will make you a valuable member of any engineering team?, If so then you should seriously think of gaining the professional title Engineering Technician (EngTech) through the Institute of Water.

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2010

CONFERENCE & TRAINING CALENDAR

CONFERENCES

WATER QUALITY STANDARDS OR CARBON REDUCTION - IS THERE A BALANCE? CO-DIGESTION - IS IT WORTH THE BIOGAS?

24-25 March LONDON

20 May

GLASGOW

26 May

PRODUCER TO USER: STRENGTHENING THE CHAIN (SORP)

SHEFFIELD

ASSET STANDARDS – FIT FOR PURPOSE?

NEWCASTLE

June

RECENT ADVANCES IN THE OPERATION AND CONTROL OF THE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

June

LEEDS

PREVENTING AND CONTROLLING ODOUR RELEASE FROM WASTE HANDLING FACILITIES (SORP)

Sept

SHEFFIELD

4TH EUROPEAN WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION 15TH EUROPEAN BIOSOLIDS AND ORGANIC RESOURCES CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

27-28 Sept LEEDS

15-17 Nov LEEDS

TRAINING

INTRODUCTION TO ODOUR MODELLING FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF ODOURS AT WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS INTRODUCTION TO CFD MODELLING FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS

24 Feb

WAKEFIELD

25 Feb

WAKEFIELD

MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION FOR THE OPERATION & CONTROL OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS

27 April

WAKEFIELD

28 April

DESIGN OF ACTIVATED SLUDGE SYSTEMS

WAKEFIELD

OPERATION AND CONTROL OF ACTIVATED SLUDGE

WAKEFIELD

A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF UF/MF TECHNOLOGY FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT

WAKEFIELD

29 April

10 - 11 May

PRIVATE WATER SUPPLIES

WAKEFIELD

TERTIARY TREATMENT PROCESSES FOR MODERN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS

13 May

WAKEFIELD

ANAEROBIC DIGESTION 1 – INTRODUCTION TO DIGESTER DESIGN AND OPERATION ANAEROBIC DIGESTION 2 - OPTIMISING DIGESTER THROUGHPUT, GAS PRODUCTION AND DIGESTATE DESTRUCTION BIOSOLIDS MASTERCLASS PRIVATE WATER SUPPLIES

30 April

29 June

WAKEFIELD

30 June

WAKEFIELD

21 July

WAKEFIELD

15 – 16 Sept WAKEFIELD

For further details or to register please visit www.aquaenviro.co.uk Contact. Clare Hunter Tel. 01924 257891 Email. clarehunter@aquaenviro.co.uk

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55

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