Water Industry Journal 2

Water WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

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Wij

INDUSTRY JOURNAL

March 2017

Big changes in the business water sector

Water Market Competition Sludge Technology & Treatment Cyber Security Pipeline Technology Dams & Reservoirs

Enterprise Decision Analytics

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

WELCOME z

Welcome

Surviving and thriving in a time of change Welcome to the latest edition of the Water Industry Journal, which includes features that illustrate that this is a sector that never stands still.

Water provision may be the oldest utility known to man but the industry that makes it happen is one that undergoes constant change, change which brings with it both risks and opportunities.

This year is, of course, a time of particular transformation in the water industry, with increased competition the prevailing theme as the market place opens up.

John Dean

Editor in chief

Behind the change are new rules which come into force in April and allow, for the first time, business customers of all sizes in England to choose their water service providers in areas including billing and customer services, although not the water supply itself.

The move has led to the creation of new joint ventures and the emergence of new companies, a theme that we explore in our interview with Sue Amies-King, Chief Executive of Water Plus.

In the interview, Sue describes how two water companies came together to create a new organisation which is well placed to capitalise on the new era of competition and is dedicated to innovative new ways of working.

One of the drivers for that new way of working will be the need for water companies to offer even better customer service than they already do as they start to compete for new customers.

Quality will be the name of the game.

No one quite knows exactly how the changes will impact on the industry – will competition prove to be a good thing or will it have detrimental effects? Only time, as the old adage goes, will tell.

Also bringing about change to the industry is the idea of smart metering, which is being introduced to tackle the challenges associated with the need to conserve our precious water.

There is a growing awareness that, abundant as water may be, we still need to view it

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as a precious resource and in this edition of the magazine we take a look at the way in which Thames Water has embraced the new technology and is working with its communities to improve water usage efficiency.

Also embracing the challenges is Affinity Water. Faced with a 17% increase in its customer base by 2040, the company is very focused on securing resilient water supplies for customers and its article looks at how the industry needs to plan for the long-term.

Other ways in which the industry is responding to the challenge are to constantly improve the way that it manages its dams and reservoirs, how it develops pipeline technology and how it is supporting advances in sludge treatment technology. We look at some of the advances in the magazine.

This edition also looks at a threat which no one in the water industry should ignore – the dangers posed by cyber crime.

As we point out in our interview with Andy Wall, Head of Cyber Security at global design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins, the threat to utilities from shadowy hackers is very real.

As you read the article, someone somewhere may be targeting your company with a cyber attack launched from the shadows and the first you will know about it is when a vital component of your pumping plant shuts down. The resulting chaos could disrupt your operations, damage your reputation and cost you huge amounts of money.

We’re not talking about a teenage hacker in his bedroom either, we are talking nation states and criminal gangs. It’s a worrying thought but, as Andy explains in the article, companies can take steps to prevent it happening and that means the involvement of everyone from the CEO to the engineer checking valves at a reservoir.

The water industry is never, it would seem, short of challenges.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

CONTENTS

20

10

6

7

12

30

8

16

34

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

CONTENTS z

Contents 38

4-5

Contents

6-11

News

12-15 Water Market Competition 16-17 Customer Service 18-23 Sludge Technology & Treatment 28-29 Research 30-31 Big Interview 32-35 Cyber Security 38-44 Pipeline Technology

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46-52 Dams & Reservoirs 53

News

54-55 Water Conservation 58-59 Smart Metering

Editor

John Dean john.dean@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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Design

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

Contributors

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

Advertising

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

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

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z NEWS

Campaign tackles The Unflushables Southern Water has joined forces with independent consumer watchdog the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater), to educate people about the damage done to sewers by fat, oil, grease and unflushable items such as wipes, tampons and nappies.

The campaign is the first time CCWater has worked alongside a water company on a national project and the two organisations have launched an animation to help customers understand the impact that sewage flooding of homes can cause.

More than 23,000 blockages occur every year on Southern Water’s 39,600KM sewer network, which results in misery for the thousands of customers who suffer internal sewage flooding as a result.

The organisations say that more than twothirds of the blockages could be prevented by correctly disposing of fat and unflushable items in the bin, instead of down the toilet or sink.

Tim Bagnall, Southern Water’s Wastewater Manager, said: “Sewer flooding can be a really upsetting experience for our customers.

Everyone in the water industry knows that fat, oil, grease and unflushables are one of the biggest causes of internal flooding, but it’s amazing how few of our customers make the link between what they flush down toilets and pour down sinks and the sewage flooding their home, if they’re unlucky enough to experience it.

“At least 95% of wipes on the market are not designed to be flushable and even those that say they are can cause blockages. When even a small blockage can cause sewage to flood homes and gardens, it’s something that

people really need to be aware of and help take responsibility for.

“Apart from anything else, there’s the cost to home and business owners. The average cost to clear a blockage is around £85 but can vary depending on the work required, and complex jobs can easily run into hundreds of pounds.”

Steve Grebby, CCWater Policy Manager, said: “Sewer flooding causes misery for thousands of households every year and the emotional

cost can be just as damaging as any financial implications. Treasured memories and possessions can be ruined in the blink of an eye.”

All the characters in the film are voiced by real Southern Water employees who work closely with the issues of fat, oil, grease and unflushables.

To view or download the film, please go to https://vimeo.com/203984913/92fd4432f5

Which? report reveals Scotland’s water industry is ‘the most trusted sector’ Scotland’s water industry is the most trusted sector among consumers, according to a report from Which?

The water sector is given a 68% trust rating, putting it ahead of the food/grocery sector and technology appliances on 62%.

The findings were published in a recent consumer insight report from Which? based on an online survey of adults living in Scotland.

Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Scottish Water serves 2.49 million households the length and breadth of Scotland, so it is greatly encouraging to see that the Scottish water industry performs strongly in this report.

“This builds on the achievement of some of our best ever customer service results in

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the past year. Our customers are benefitting from average household charges which are below the average in England and Wales while compliance with strict drinking water quality standards is at record levels.

“We are proud to be one of the UK’s top performing water companies, but are determined to raise the bar even further.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

NEWS z

Quicker response times promised

Radar sensor £460*

A partnership between Northumbrian Water and data management specialists 1Spatial will help to improve response times for customers who experience problems with the sewer network in and around their properties.

Low-cost radar sensor for water level measurement One sensor, all round capability - Reliable level control

In 2011, some parts of the sewer network that typically lie within private property boundaries were transferred to water company ownership.

for water and sewage treatment facilities, pumping stations and rain overflow basins. Level sensing for

Since then, Northumbrian Water has been using traditional surveying techniques to identify what was initially expected to be 13,500km of adopted sewers. This has involved digitising maps from sources including local authorities and developers.

sludge processing and AD units. Open channel flow measurement, open water and flood level monitoring.

The use of the new digital mapping system, created in collaboration between Northumbrian Water and Cambridge-based 1Spatial, is expected to reduce the cost of the process from £10m to £2.5m and cut the time taken to complete it from five years to two years.

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Mike Madine, Northumbrian Water’s Sewerage and New Development Manager, said: “Having the most complete understanding possible of our sewer network helps us to enhance and make more efficient our response to incidents such as blockages and collapses.

▪ Flood-proof IP68 housing

▪ Operation via Bluetooth with Smartphone, Tablet or PC

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“Our partnership with 1Spatial has led to the development of an industry-leading process that combines our expertise and traditional surveying with state of the art mapping technology. The process is also resulting in significant savings in the cost and length of the process, delivering value for money and a valuable resource that otherwise wouldn’t have been available for a number of years.”

1 to 3 units £460 | 4 to 9 units 10% discount | 10+ units, price on request Further information: www.vega.com/wls61

Bob Chell, Head of Consultancy Services at 1Spatial, said: “Working collaboratively with Northumbrian Water to understand their data and business challenges with the sewer network, we were able to use our expertise, knowledge and software to provide a solution to meet the needs of the project. This has resulted in significant benefits including cost savings and process improvement. We were delighted to partner with Northumbrian on such an innovative and industry leading solution.”

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z NEWS

South West Water’s Conrad Gillespie pilots a drone

Companies use drones to search for leaks South West Water is working with the University of Exeter to test the use of drone technology and thermal imaging for leak detection.

Laboratory tests of the thermal cameras have proved positive and field-scale trials are planned for this year.

The technology works by attaching a thermal sensor to a drone which can be flown along

pipeline routes. The sensor can detect differences in soil temperature which could be caused by an escape of water.

of main. Leakage has reduced by 40% since the early 1990s and most visible leaks are repaired with 72 hours.

With 18,000kms of pipe, much of it in rural and remote areas, and more than a million service connections to customers the technology could help reduce the cost of leak detection and repair by pinpointing more exactly the location of a leak, particularly in rural locations where traditional methods are less effective.

Bob Taylor, Director of Drinking Water Services, said: “Water is part of our region’s natural capital. It is a precious resource and, especially once it’s been treated, we all need to use it wisely and not waste it. Finding a cost-effective method of finding large escapes of treated water has the potential to help save water and make our service more efficient, which is why we’re continuing this trial with the university to test the technology on a landscape scale.”

South West Water is one of the leading companies for tackling leakage, with performance twice as good as the UK water industry average for water lost per kilometre

Joint venture is created South Staffordshire plc and Pennon Group plc have announced a joint venture that will create the fourth largest non-household water retail business.

Operating as Pennon Water Services (PWS), the partnership strengthens South Staffordshire Plc Group’s ability to respond to the water retail market opening fom April, when businesses and other non-household customers in England will be able to choose from whom they buy their water and waste water services.

The Group’s existing trading names of South Staffordshire Water Business and Cambridge Water Business will be retained, with Source

for Business being the national brand name.

The joint venture will deliver a combined customer base of 180,000 accounts, making PWS the fourth largest retailer in the nonhousehold retail water market, with 8% market share.

Adrian Page, Chief Executive at South Staffordshire Plc, said: “This joint venture will deliver a bigger national footprint and increased opportunities for growth and service delivery.”

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Pennon’s Chief Executive Chris Loughlin said: “We’re pleased to team up with the South Staffordshire Group, combining our expertise and creating a bigger business retailer, with excellent growth potential.”

South Staffordshire Plc Group, which includes South Staffs Water, Cambridge Water and Echo Managed Services, also owns the Rapid billing system which will continue to be used by the enlarged PWS business across its consolidated customer base.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

NEWS z

Turbine helps treatment works reduce its carbon footprint A wind turbine at the Swansea Bay Waste Water Treatment Works is helping Welsh Water to reduce its carbon footprint by creating its own renewable energy on site.

The turbine, which stands at 77 metres at its highest point and has a rotor diameter of 54 metres, is capable of generating 1,922 megawatt hours per year which is enough to meet 27% of the energy the treatment works needs to operate - or enough electricity to power 589 households a year.

Welsh Water’s Head of Energy, Mike Pedley, said: “With an annual energy bill of £43 million, we have been looking at ways to generate electricity on our sites so that we can reduce our carbon footprint and the cost of importing energy.

“We’ve significantly increased the amount of energy we generate on our sites over the past few years by embracing technologies such as solar panels, hydro turbines and gasto-grid plants to our portfolio of renewable technologies, but the turbine at Swansea is our first wind generation site.

Pumping station refurbished

Springhead water pumping station in Willerby near Hull has been restored to its former glory by Yorkshire Water in a £2.6m project.

The station is a Grade 2 listed building dating back to 1864 but over the years it has been the subject of numerous thefts and acts of vandalism including the removal of the slate roof tiles.

Springhead pumps water from the boreholes onsite to Keldgate water treatment works for treatment and Keldgate then supplies residents of Hull and East Riding with drinking water.

“The energy created by the turbine will not only reduce our carbon footprint, but will also benefit our customers by reducing our overall operating costs so that we can keep bills low.”

Welsh Water has increased the amount of energy it has generated on their sites in recent years, up from just 6GWh in 2007-08 to nearly 100GWh now – enough to power nearly 20,000 homes

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Springhead pumping station produces 25 million litres of water every day - a third of Hull and East Riding’s daily water supply – and Yorkshire.Water’s contract partners, York-based building renovation specialists, William Birch & Sons, carried out the sensitive refurbishment work whilst complying with its Grade 2 listed status.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z NEWS

Volunteer scheme is expanded

Habitat improvements on River Hull boost wildlife Common Reed Bunting in its habitat on reeds in marshlands

An award-winning scheme launched by Northumbrian Water to help tackle water pollution is set to grow across the North East region.

The initiative involves volunteer Water Rangers walking, weekly or fortnightly, along local public access routes next to streams, becks, burns and bathing waters which are prone to pollution.

After completing their walk, Water Rangers report on the condition of the watercourse so that potential pollution can be dealt with quickly.

Conservation work on the River Hull funded by Yorkshire Water has been undertaken to create a better habitat for rare bird species and otters.

The work involved clearing trees and planting reed beds on the edge of the river where it flows past Tophill Low nature reserve near Driffield.

More than 25 volunteers from The Conservation Volunteers carried out the work, which has enhanced the wetland habitat for rare bird species such as the enigmatic Common reed bunting.

Richard Hampshire, Yorkshire Water’s Warden at Tophill Low Nature Reserve, said: “By removing the trees from the edge of the river this helps protect rare bird species from birds

of prey that previously used the trees as a vantage point to hunt. It also provides a more appealing sanctuary to curlew, sandpipers and stints which attract observers from across the country to see and photograph them.”

The 300 acre Tophill Low Nature Reserve is one of the best places in the country to bird watch with more than 160 species of birds including several migratory species from Africa. It is flanked by the River Hull which is a ‘perched river’ – meaning it is elevated above the surrounding land, much of which lies at or below sea level. Originally a huge wetland wilderness, the Hull valley was drained in the 1700s and now only a few wetland areas remain such as Pulfin Bog near Beverley.

The scheme originally started in 2014 with 32 routes but has now increased to 55 routes, ranging from 210 metres to 3.6 kilometres long.

Water Ranger Peter Stone said: “The Water Rangers scheme is very proactive and it is fantastic to see Northumbrian Water expanding and developing the scheme with new routes and additional Water Rangers.”

Volunteer Water Rangers receive training on environmental issues and what to look out for when monitoring watercourses.

They are offered additional volunteering opportunities to support local community projects and work alongside key partnership groups.

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NEWS z

Spreading the water message Pupils from an Essex school helped Essex & Suffolk Water to launch a new online educational resource that assists people of all ages to learn about water.

The children at St Peters Primary School in West Hanningfield became ‘Super Splash Heroes’ by taking part in a series of workshops to help launch the new educational material and information.

It offers an educational resource for schools, as well as supporting learning for children and families with online activities, worksheets, videos and information about the broad range of careers available within the water industry.

Wendy Fegueira, headteacher at St Peters, said: “The resources that have been made available provide a wide range of information and activities that can be used to help pupils learn all about the water cycle and its importance to everyday life, so it was great to be a part of the launch.”

Sarah Pinkerton, Head of External Communications, at Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “We are very proud of the part we play in the water cycle, ensuring it is at the highest possible drinking standard when we deliver it to more than 1.8 million customers in our region and working with partners to protect the environment and the region’s watercourses.

“This online educational resource offers something for everyone, from Key Stage 1 upwards, helping people to learn about the water cycle and the many ways that water helps life to thrive on Earth.”

The resource can be found at www.eswater.co.uk/your-home/resourcesfor-you.aspx.

Lab starts work Southern Water’s new laboratory has started work, testing hundreds of chemical and microbiology samples each day.

The lab, run by ALS Environmental, plays a vital role in ensuring that the company’s drinking water always meets the strictest standards.

On site at Otterbourne, Hampshire, a team of analysts test samples taken from across the region - from river abstraction points and boreholes to water supply works, storage reservoirs and customers’ taps.

Southern Water’s water quality compliance manager Shelley Williams said: “A quarter of a million tests are carried out each year in our Otterbourne lab.

“It’s all about getting the most accurate result in the fastest time possible. This new lab can process all our samples for bacterial analysis, all of which would have previously been taken further afield for analysis, so it’s extremely important for us. This is a side of the business customers don’t normally see but it’s one of the most vital in protecting public health.”

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z WATER MARKET COMPETITION

Chief Executive

relishes changes in the business water sector

These are times of great change in the water industry and the word that will dominate the next twelve months is “competition” as the industry comes to terms with one of the biggest revolutions it has ever seen.

Behind the change are new rules which come into force in April and allow, for the first time, business customers of all sizes in England to choose their water service providers in areas including billing and customer services, although not the water supply itself.

The regulator Ofwat’s decision to open up the industry has led to the creation of a series of joint ventures to embrace the new way of working, one of which has been Water Plus.

Created a year ago, Water Plus was formed when Severn Trent Water and United Utilities secured permission from the Competition and Markets Authority to create a new company completely from scratch for the new water market.

At the company’s helm is Chief Executive Sue-Amies King, who regards her latest job as the “most exciting thing” she has done in a career that has seen her work across the utilities sectors in a series of senior roles, often tackling the challenges posed by increased competition.

“The thinking was that, in order to take advantage of the opportunities presented by competition we had to create something that had enough scale to enable us to compete on a national basis.

“We have recruited 350 people from the local area and transferred a further 70 from the two companies, which means that we have retained all that experience of the water

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industry but also brought in new people who have introduced fresh ways of thinking.

“I see competition as a real opportunity to offer something different for customers.

We’ve created a very unique business, built around business customers. Our people have come from a range of sectors including retail and service sectors, which has allowed them to bring fresh new thinking to the way we service customers.”

Sue secured the chief executive’s job after a career which had already seen her work in roles which involved the opening up of the electricity and gas markets in the UK. She joined United Utilities in June 2012 as Business Retail Director from Aviva Group

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

plc, the UK’s largest insurer, where she was a Marketing Director in the Aviva UK Region.

At Aviva, her work on customer strategy won several awards in the Financial Services Awards 2012/13.

Sue had, however, started her career in the Energy Sector where, as Head of Retail at Yorkshire Electricity, she led the company’s entry into the competitive electricity and gas markets.

She is now enjoying bringing those experiences to her role at Water Plus.

Sue said: “One of the benefits to customers is that we can compete nationally for our customers, providing them with a single supplier and a single bill, which reduces administration for them “Competition gives the customer choice and with choice comes increased expectations.

To succeed, we have to offer the very best customer experience.

“The bar has been raised and we have to respond to that, which means that we have to be agile, great at service and innovative in our approach to stay ahead of the game.

“To that end, we have designed the business with the customer in mind right from the start, which is why we have invested in Cloud-based technology which means that we can respond very quickly to changes in the market.”

Sue also stresses the company’s broad offer, as reflected in its name. Water Plus, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, provides a variety of services including billing, meter reading, account management and

WATER MARKET COMPETITION z

water efficiency advice for businesses of all sizes across the UK.

experienced for those working in the water sector.

The chief executive said: “The thinking behind the name Water Plus was that we wanted to make the point that we are not just about water, that we can offer a flexible and complete service for our customers.

Sue said: “Personally, it’s nice that, having worked in the electricity and gas sectors earlier in my career, I am now employed in the water sector. There is a sense that I have completed the trinity of the three main utilities.”

“It is early days, but I think that what we have achieved in just twelve months is impressive.

We have created a business from scratch, blended new people with those who came from the water companies and set up new systems.

“Of course, the proof of the pudding will be when competition actually starts happening.

At the moment, we have 400,000 customers who transferred from the water companies, but the test will be what happens over the next twelve months, when many more people start switching.

“I think it is too early at the moment to assess what impact competition will have.

“Water companies have built a strong sense of trust with customers, perhaps more than with the other utilities, and our responsibility is to respect that. We have to get this right. We have to provide a good service and be transparent. ”In terms of the future, I think it is too early to say if competition will be extended to take in residential water supplies. I think that everyone will watch to see how this change goes before any decisions like that are taken. It really is still early days.”

One thing is certain; the next twelve months will be among the most remarkable ever

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Sue Amies-King

Chief Executive, Water Plus

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z WATER MARKET COMPETITION

Water Market Reform Are Wholesalers ready and able to comply with the MOSL Water Codes obligations on keeping Retailers informed of events or issues that have the potential to affect their customers?

In April 2017, Water Wholesalers and Retailers alike will be faced with managing the many new challenges and opportunities that the Water Market reform brings to the nonhousehold sector.

Regardless of the eventual number of Retailers that operate in the market, and the current forecast is that there will be circa 50 by the end of the first year; it is a statutory requirement of the Market Operator Codes of Practice, within Parts D, E and F; that all Retailers will receive information on any events or issues, planned or reactive, that may impact or affect the supply of water supply and waste services to their customers. Additionally, this information needs to be supplied within specified timescales.

One of the key challenges for Wholesalers therefore, is how to successfully and efficiently administrate their service to Retailers to notify them of interruptions or changes to water supply and waste services in a timely and accurate way, complying with the Market Codes.

Although this is a regulatory imperative for Wholesalers, it makes sound business sense for the market as a whole, since Retailers can in turn manage and hopefully meet their customers’ expectations, delivering the improved levels of customer service that market competition seeks to achieve.

However, with 28 Water Wholesalers supplying circa 50 Water Retailers across the UK, an exponential complexity in the dissemination of information begins to grow, depending on individual Retailer business preferences, capability and resources available.

Remaining compliant and satisfying the demands of up to 50 Retailers or more in serving up information in varying formats, via different channels to numerous points of contact is undoubtedly a tough challenge for most Wholesalers to meet effectively and efficiently.

Equally, Retailers will require information updates and feeds that satisfy and work

impacts the functioning and/or running of the business, receiving accurate and timely communication about it from their Retailer, including information on the cause, duration and resolution of the problem is going to be a priority for them.

So, is the Nirvana of delivering better customer service realisable, to any degree?

It is unlikely to be deliverable by the customer-facing Retailer alone, if all or other preceding elements of the supply chain, i.e. the Wholesaler, isn’t able to provide, through effective processes, the information and support that the Retailer needs. effectively with their own operational processes and structures!

So where is the market at with this conundrum? It is not yet clear how each Wholesaler plans to deal with this potential communication maelstrom. The onus is clearly on them to meet their legal obligations and Retailers will want reassurances that there are effective processes in place from day one.

Much of the pre-market opening commentary and industry focus to date has been on achieving improved customer service and this issue obviously forms part of that.

Dave Toms from Castle Water commented at Future Water Networks 2016 that “customers want a simple and clear point of contact” and Tom Norman of MOSL, speaking at the same event, reiterated this point by saying ”market reform will require focus on delivering good customer service and engagement”. But have all the bases been covered?

Keeping Retailers informed of possible disruptions or an event affecting their customers’ supply is of critical importance and a high priority from all perspectives.

If a business customer has problems with its water supply or waste water service that

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It remains to be seen, who and how many of the Wholesalers have a workable solution to this challenge and more importantly have it in place ready for the market opening in April.

Anglian Water has recognised the importance of being ahead of the curve and has been refining its chosen solution during the implementation of the shadow market. It will be using the Retailer Notification Service (RNS) a hosted service from digdat.

Don Maher, Head of Wholesale Market Services at Anglian Water explains why they have chosen RNS as their solution. “The Open Market presents new challenges in a new operating environment. We needed a solution to keep our Retailers informed of planned and unplanned works and incidents that have the potential to affect their non-household customers’ service or supply, in real time. digdat RNS provides notifications relevant to each Retailer all in one place, and enables them to comment or feedback on specific events and follow, or opt to receive relevant updates on events of interest to them.

“This solution has a minimal impact on our business as we implement it and we’re confident that it will help deliver the high levels of customer service we are striving to give to all our customers.”

digdat® Retailer Notification Service (RNS) is a web-based hosted administration and communication solution for Water Wholesalers enabling them to communicate information about planned and unplanned works, investments and incidents that have the potential to impact their Retailers’ customers.

Delivering real-time communications to all retail contacts securely, it allows Retailers to comment and provide feedback to the Wholesaler, ensuring the highest levels of customer service are delivered.

digdat® Retailer Notification Service delivers multiple benefits throughout the whole supply chain

Wholesalers

Retailers

End Customers

○ Assures 100% compliance with MOSL Market Codes ○ Retailer-specific email notifications with secure login and single point of contact ○ 24/7 live view of planned & unplanned works & incidents ○ Delivers a structure to manage communication to and from Retailers ○ Accessible from desktop, tablet & mobile devices ○ Handles high volumes of wholesaler notifications. ○ Receive email notifications with a 24/7 live view of planned & unplanned works & incidents with the potential to impact their Non-Household customers ○ Access to ALL Wholesaler notifications relevant to each Retailer in ONE place, nationally ○ Capability to provide feedback and comment on specific events; follow or receive updates on events ○ Accessible from desktop, tablet and mobile devices.

○ Timely and accurate communication from their Retailer enabling them to make informed decisions relating to any potential service impact on their business.

find out more at

For further information contact Customer Services on 0800 085 8060 or email info@digdat.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z CUSTOMER SERVICE

Water companies back workforce renewal and skills strategy Water companies have backed a new strategy to bring in 221,000 new recruits by 2027 in the utilities sector to help ensure customers will continue to get the essential service they need in the future.

Utilities industry leaders have come together, as the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership, to build and launch the first ever joint Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy for the sector.

Anglian Water unveils £425million investment plan Anglian Water has unveiled a huge investment programme for the year ahead, worth £425million.

The money will be targeted at maintaining and improving customer services across the East of England.

Funds will be invested into the areas that customers say matter most to them, including reducing leakage even further, providing top quality drinking water, protecting against severe weather such as drought and flooding and tackling the impacts of climate change.

The investment comes in the third year of a £5 billion commitment to 2020, which will be paid for by average bills of just £1.15 per day for an entire family.

Jane Taylor, Head of Customer Services at Anglian Water, said: “Bills are still lower than they were four years ago thanks to the price reductions we promised back then. We’re always doing everything we can to be even more efficient at running the business, which translates into value for money for our customers.

“To strike the right balance we’re continuing to keep costs as low as possible long term while still investing heavily in the things customers care about most.

“Water meters are still the best way to save money, and with the average annual metered bill coming in £171 cheaper than customers who don’t use a meter, the savings speak for themselves. It’s a win-win because it’s free to switch to a meter, and if you aren’t completely satisfied you can switch back, for free, within two years.”

Some of the schemes over the next 12 months will include:

• £35 million at Heigham Water Treatment works in Norwich to protect the environment along the River Wensum and secure supplies for the growing city of Norwich • £50 million improving, maintaining and refurbishing hundreds of water treatment works and water recycling centres

• £48 million maintaining, refurbishing and renewing parts of the 37,000km water pipe network

• £36 million maintaining, refurbishing and replacing parts of the 70,000km sewer network. £3 million of which will be used to survey and cleverly refurbish kilometres of sewers in places like Southend, Ipswich, Beccles, Caister, Runton and Long Bennington • £18 million to extend and upgrade water recycling centres to accommodate the growing population in the region

• £16 million to replace 14km of water pipe in the Belstead area of Ipswich • £15 million keeping sewers clear of fatbergs and wipes • £8 million to connect hundreds more rural homes to the mains sewerage network for the first time, totalling £70 million by 2020 • £10 million to adopt and refurbish private pumping stations that are now the water company’s responsibility • £8 million to reduce flooding from sewers as part of a £45 million focus that will protect hundreds of properties from flooding by 2020.

• £17 million to keep leakage levels at industry-leading lows

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The Strategy has been created to take the first steps towards ensuring that the UK’s vital utilities sector retains a safe, skilled, resilient and sustainable workforce. It sets out for the first time, in one place, the reality of the challenges faced, immediate initiatives that are underway and the ambitions the Skills Partnership shares in moving towards achieving a more sustainable future.

This Strategy sets its immediate focus to 2020, and then will continue to evolve as the Skills Partnership and the wider industry works with our key stakeholders, interest groups and other sectors to deliver an extensive programme of change and cooperation.

Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of Water UK, said: “The water sector, like others, needs continuously to improve to meet our customers’ expectations for providing water services safely, affordably and responsibly.

“It is therefore essential that we upskill our current people and attract the very best young talent for the future, and the Workforce Renewal and Skills Strategy is a powerful initiative to help us do that.”

The Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership has already started to take action - including a commitment from 20 utility-based businesses to a new 12-month pilot programme that seeks to encourage people into industry careers and develop a significant future sector talent pool. The Talent Source Network aims to help employers access hard-to-reach and diverse individuals as well as encourage professionals who are looking for new opportunities or to retrain. Service leavers and those with transferable skills from adjacent sectors such as oil and gas will find the utility environment a natural home and are already a target audience of the pilot programme.

To find out more, visit www.talentsourcenetwork.co.uk.

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Water: open for business From April more than 1.2 million small businesses, charities and public sector bodies in England will be free to choose their water and wastewater supplier.

Eligible customers with business premises who pay their water bill directly to a water company in England will be able to switch providers or renegotiate a better deal with their existing supplier.

This freedom to choose the best deal for your business offers a range of benefits, including the possibility of lower bills and collaborative multi-site bills.

Changing supplier means a different company

will provide your billing, metering and customer service needs. However, the water you use will still be provided by your current regional water company.

Ofwat; the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); and Market Operator Services Limited (MOSL), which manages the customer switching process.

The opening up of the water market to greater competition is set to make England the biggest retail water market in the world.

To find out more about market opening, and to check your eligibility, take a look at the official Open Water website.

Open Water is the programme that has been created to deliver this new market. It is jointly managed and governed by the water regulator

www.open-water.org.uk

Severn Trent and Dee Valley join forces

Dee Valley says that customers can look forward to new customer service initiatives, low bills and investment as the company joins forces with Severn Trent.

The pledge came as Dee Valley was welcomed into an enlarged Severn Trent for the first time.

• Launching 24/7 customer support so people can contact them at any time of the day, through a range of channels, including web chat, social media, telephone and email;

Liv Garfield, Severn Trent Chief Executive, said: “This is all about working together for the benefit of Dee Valley’s customers. We’ve committed to bringing in new initiatives like 24/7 customer service while also expanding our support for vulnerable customers, and investing in the network.”

• Equipping and training frontline teams so they can use new technology to help improve operational response times for customers;

Severn Trent says that its offer for Dee Valley customers will include:

• Sharing half of any wholesale cost savings with customers, which will be reflected in future bills helping to keep them low.

• Extending support for vulnerable customers by providing a range of discounts for those who need help paying their bills. Some customers can get up to 90% off their bills if all other ways to help have been exhausted;

Both businesses have strong track records of keeping bills low.

Severn Trent has the lowest average combined clean and waste water bills in the UK, and Dee Valley has one of the lowest average water bills in the country.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z SLUDGE TECHNOLOGY/TREATMENT

The rising tide of sludge blanket detection – control, compliance and cost savings Alistair Mackinnon

Director of Sales and Marketing Pulsar Process Measurement Ltd

Sludge Blanket detection is critical to the effective management of fundamental sludge processes and to achieving the significant downstream benefits that derive from proper sludge resource management.

Automatic process balancing, control of penstock and bellmouth valves, cost savings through reduction of vehicle and personnel movements, together with issues around TOTEX and Compliance all depend heavily on accurate and reliable measurement of the strata of the sludge blanket. The developments within sludge blanket measurement technology over the last ten years means that we can now measure the sludge blanket and control and monitor the processes with every bit as much confidence as we measure open channel flow or pumping station operations, and using a very similar ultrasonic echoprocessing technique.

Sludge Blanket detection and measurement is a challenge, as the borders of the various density strata blur into one another. The ‘traditional’ technique has been to manually dip a long tube, wielded by an operator perched on the clarifier bridge, who then uses his skill and experience to ‘judge’ the blanket level. That is usually followed by a long period of penstock adjustment to balance the process between the various tanks. In the majority of smaller sites, that’s the technique that is still in use. There are obvious immediate issues. The Health and Safety considerations of an operator having to physically lean over and dip the tank, in possibly icy and slippery conditions; the need for the operators then to spend significant time adjusting a process that can be handled automatically, the need to control in ‘coarse’ rather than ‘fine’ adjustments to ensure that Compliance is not breached by excess floc remaining in the final discharge, and so on. There are also some less obvious but still significant issues, such as the likelihood of tankering a great deal of excess water when the sludge is shipped to other sites for further

The benefits of a self-cleaning system!

Pulsar Viper transducer

Submerged Pulsar Viper transducer mounted on moving bridge

processing, leading to extra tanker movements and so wasting time, fuel and money.

possible without the basis of good, reliable, secure measurement to give operators and process owners the confidence to trust the equipment. At Pulsar, we have developed a bespoke echo processing system that we call DATEM. Refined over the twenty years that we have been in business, DATEM works by zeroing in on the correct echo, and then following it as the level moves up and down, using a sophisticated algorithm to ignore competing echoes, whether they come from chains, pump tops or stanchions. Anyone who has ever had to peer down a deep wet well will know just how cluttered and difficult an environment it can be.

Over the years, there have been many attempts to automate the process. Notable among them have been mechanical systems of probes repeatedly lowered into the liquor, usually carrying an optical turbidity or infra-red sensor. A mechanical system carries obvious issues around fouling and maintenance, and these approaches have been notoriously difficult to set up and have often been unreliable and expensive.

Fundamentally, the challenge is to effectively measure the boundary between two material densities, in this case, between water and the very slightly higher density sludge.

In another arena of water/wastewater measurement, one technique has, globally, become massively dominant: non-contacting ultrasonic measurement is in use in tens of thousands of applications in pumping stations and open channel flow measurement all over the world, measuring the relatively hard interface between air and water. Cost-effective, maintenance-free and reliable, the latest ultrasonic systems, such as Pulsar’s Ultimate Controller, now include sophisticated control processes and operate as pumping station controllers, with internet access, built-in RTU and even cameras to allow a clear view of the process. None of that sophistication would be

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In sludge blanket measurement, the challenge is slightly different, in that we are using a submerged transducer fixed to the bridge to discriminate between changes in densities that may only vary by as little as 0.5%. The process is the same though; in Pulsar’s Sludge Finder 2 system, for example, a Viper transducer produces a sound pulse that transmits throughout the clarifier process, reflecting throughout the interior of the clarifier to allow the Sludge Finder to build a detailed profile of the various densities within the liquor. It’s very much like the way a dolphin processes sonar signals to identify its prey and avoid obstructions. We can’t match the dolphin for detail and sophistication (yet!), but we are able to produce a clear profile of the varying

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Pulsar’s Sludge Finder 2 system operating in a small settlement tank densities within the process so that we can set limits that define the various boundary layers.

Processing to the resolution required has only become possible with the latest industrial microprocessor speeds that allow the number of complex calculations per second to be performed. A good analogy might be the development of digital cameras, where clearer images through ever-increasing megapixel resolution have required the development of advanced sensors and the miniaturisation of more sophisticated processors.

A submerged transducer can still foul, of course, and the Viper transducer is fitted with a sweeping arm that keeps the face clear. A piezo-electric crystal provides the pulse that then reflects throughout the vessel, and is then re-energized by the returning signal, generating the data that is then analysed by the Sludge Finder 2 controller. Effective measurement is possible in all types of processes, including primary, secondary or tertiary clarifiers or SBR. In all cases a spectrum of densities is identified, which is then available for local or remote display and for either local control or signalling to a remote PLC/SCADA system.

There are many benefits to being able to produce a clear and continuously updated profile of the internal densities of the process, but we will look at two, beyond the main process control function

of process balancing and identification of main blanket level: floc control and the opportunities for energy generation.

Floc level can be very difficult to monitor.

Drifting ‘blooms’ of floc can billow around the process, passing close to the transducer face.

Also, because it is so light, floc can creep up the process, overflow and pollute the watercourse even when the main blanket level is being well controlled. Floc level often becomes an issue in times of high flow or when the process has been disturbed. Pulsar have introduced a new feature in Sludge Finder 2, the High Floc alarm, which instructs Sludge Finder 2 to make a secondary assessment of the raw data being analysed, looking specifically for an increase of floc, which will bloom above the level of the main blanket, rising close to the top of the process.

By adding this additional layer of sophistication, it has become possible to completely automate the final treatment process. At Severn Trent’s site at Barnhurst, fourteen Sludge Finder 2 systems are relaying data back to a control cabin via radio telemetry links to adjust bellmouth valves, controlling the process to create a ‘healthy’ sludge level in the clarifiers. There have been two significant benefits. First, the number of callouts to the site have been greatly reduced because the Sludge Finder equipment is providing reliable and trustworthy measurement and

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control. That saves money and reduces vehicle movement by itself. The key benefit, though, is that this critical control point, final settlement and discharge, can now safely be trusted to an automated system. This installation uses a bellmouth valve, but the equipment can just as easily be applied to penstock or decant arm operations.

Moving on to the second point, green energy generation. There has been much investment in on-site turbine technology to generate power from the methane produced in the digesters, but to optimise their performance, and maximise the amount of gas produced, it is important to maximise the quality of the sludge delivered to them. At Stoke Bardolph in Nottingham, Pulsar’s Sludge Finder 2 systems are used to help to concentrate sludge from 2% to 6% before final processing in the on-site digesters. As a result, Stoke Bardolph is able to generate around 5.5MW (5500KW) at full power, making it not only self-sufficient in energy but also able to return green electricity to the national grid.

It is easy to forget, in many of these highprofile and capital intensive projects, that they would be difficult and in some cases impossible to achieve without the reliable and accurate instrumentation that lies at their heart. Sludge Blanket detection has become a key element of successful site management.

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z SLUDGE TECHNOLOGY/TREATMENT

Tackling the growing sludge problem Volatile solids content – substances that can easily transform from a solid to vapour without going through a liquid phase – in UK sludge is already over 50% higher than it was in the late 1800s, with a resultant increase in contaminates in the ground and fresh water. In the future, we can only expect both the volatility and volume of sludge to increase further, and costs and complexity to grow in parallel. Fergal Campbell, CustomCare Manager at waste specialists CDEnviro, looks at what can be done to tackle the sludge problem.

The characteristics of the sludge that the wastewater industry has to treat is determined by a wide range of factors. These include regulations, water use and environmental factors, changes in type and quantity of industries within catchment areas and the recycling habits and wealth of the general public, along with population increases and new developments being added to the wastewater network. In practice all these mean volumes increase rather than decrease, so the treatment and disposal challenges also intensify.

Sludge management – a key driver With continued population growth expected in the next 50 years, along with an increased demand on infrastructure, sludge management will become, where it hasn’t already, a key driver within the planning of all new build treatment works or refurbishment plans within the wastewater industry.

The increase in population will place enormous strain on the current methods

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of sludge management. Water UK reports that 80.3% of sludge is recycled to land, 18% disposed of through thermal destruction and 0.7% went to landfill.

If we continue to see the trend for urbanisation and increasing city sizes, the cost of transporting sludge to suitable land will increase to unsustainable levels. The result will be that there will be such a demand for suitable land, that the owners will begin to charge disposal fees.

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Based on what land agents and other parties with experience of disposal costs gauge as a fair price we, could see these costs shift significantly which will also be true of landfill methods, as the costs per tonne will become prohibitive.

This could well lead to large scale privatisation, along with an increase in cost to the tax payer, as private operators invest in sludge management facilities and take on the process of sludge management and remove the onus from the main water companies.

This change is likely to be long and protracted,

similar to the nuclear energy debate that has been occurring over the past few years, as the reality is that no-one wants this type of facility near their property due to negative perceptions, possible noise and/or odour issues, increased vehicle movements and negative effects on property prices.

Making the most of sludge Whoever is responsible for dealing with sludge in the future, will need – as they do now, the most effective processing solutions. The latest machines are able to eliminate blockages, so any downtime processing sludge is minimised.

Eliminate Sludge Blockages Reduced solids passing through pumps, tanks and centrifuges.

They also have high processing rates, which means that high-frequency vibrations break the surface tension on the sludge and allow it to be processed very quickly.

The wastewater industry has limited control over the volume of sewage it receives and the amount of sludge produced, but it is clear that the sludge issue isn’t going anywhere.

However, by using the latest innovations in screening and processing, companies can reduce costs and maximise efficiencies while we see what the future of sludge brings. www.cdenviro.com

Pre-Treatment Solutions for Grit Recovery + Rag Removal from a Process Line.

Accommodate both indigenous and imported sludge.

Grit, rag, sand and plastics are removed.

cdenviro.com

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z SLUDGE TECHNOLOGY/TREATMENT

WPL installs first SAF for Czech Republic addition, the walk-in kiosk housing the control panel and washroom facilities was clad with stone, also for aesthetic reasons.

• HiPAF package plant specified prior to tender • Aerobic digestion system reduces tankering of effluent

Frantisek Mikulinec, WPL’s sales manager for central Europe said, “I am very pleased that WPL is the company to introduce SAF technology to the Czech market.”

• Groundwater challenge overcome by landscaping The Czech Republic’s first-ever submerged aerated filter (SAF) wastewater treatment system has been installed in the village of Drínov, 30km north of Prague. The plant is part of a £1.5m municipal sewerage scheme to help clean up the local environment by centralising wastewater collection and reducing the impact of poorly maintained septic tanks on surrounding surface waters.

EU finance HiPAF arriving at Drínov site Discharge is to a local stream, which meant high environmental standards of 22mg/l biological oxygen demand (BOD), 25mg/l suspended solids and 12mg/l ammonia were required. Phosphate removal was also specified by the environmental regulator.

The high-performance aerated filter - HiPAF – designed and manufactured by UK package treatment specialist WPL, was specified by the municipality’s engineering consultant prior to tender. The plant is designed for 620 population equivalent and comprises four units.

Groundwater challenge The high level of the groundwater in the region posed a challenge to the installation, which had to be installed above ground. To mitigate the visual impact of the treatment plant on the rural landscape, soil from nearby sewerage excavation works was used to cover the installation.

The primary settlement tank, a SAF for biological treatment and a final settlement module are connected in series. In addition, effluent passes in a circular stream from the primary settlement tank to a robust aerobic digestion system – RADS – and back, which significantly reduces sludge output and extends desludging intervals without use of chemicals.

The earthworks will be seeded with grass in the spring to further improve the aspect. In

Finance for the project comes largely from EU cohesion policy funds, which provided 15% of the finance and will provide support to help countries comply with the Urban Waste Water Directive. The project also had the full backing of the municipality, which will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the plant The Mayor of Drínov, Jitka Bockova said, “Improving the quality of the environment and surface waters for the Drínov community was a priority for me when I took office and better management of wastewater plays a major role.

“EU regulations like the Water Framework Directive are an important driver for raising environmental standards and can help smaller villages access funding. Municipalities need technologies that provide robust treatment and are simple to install and operate, which is why I was impressed with WPL’s HiPAF.”

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SLUDGE TECHNOLOGY/TREATMENT z

Efficient municipal wastewater treatment with OMEX’s trace element additives Anaerobic digestion is one of the principal methods used by the water industry to treat primary sewage sludge. It is a preferred process in that it produces methane as a usable by-product, reduces sludge volumes, and creates a digested sludge that is both readily dewaterable and relatively inoffensive in nature.

BIO-SLUDGE DEPTH BEFORE & AFTER TEA ADDITION (Sludge removal started in Aug)

Efficient breakdown of sludge relies on different groups of microorganisms, all of which operate in conjunction, but within a defined range of parameters, e.g. pH, temperature, feed rate, nutrients and trace elements. Periodically however digestion failures may occur or, what is more common, the fermenter goes into a state of constant unstable performance. This can be due to the presence of inhibitory substances such as, organic solvents or detergents, or simply from overfeeding. The result is a failure, in part, by some of the anaerobic environment and an accumulation of volatile fatty acids or a difficulty in breaking down organic dry matter. Digester failure may require the digester to be reseeded in more extreme cases, but more often it can cause a temporary maintenance shutdown.

To avoid scenarios like the above and keep the performance of the anaerobic fermenter at a continuously stable state, where the fermenter will perform at an optimum level, OMEX Environmental Ltd. offer a range of non-hazardous, user- and environmentallyfriendly blends of trace element supplements under the brand name Nutromex® TEA.

ensuring stability in the rates of conversion of volatile fatty acids and other intermediates during the process.

The application of these bioavailable micronutrients augment the effect of biogas production from organic dry matter via a series of biochemical reactions and conversions within the fermenter. With the use of these trace element supplements, the system performs in an optimum way,

For any further information on the Nutromex® TEA range, the solutions we can offer for anaerobic digestion processes as well as this article, please visit our website www.omex.com or contact us on environmental@omex.com

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

SLUDGE TECHNOLOGY/TREATMENT z

S150 Super Silent pumps on rental supplied by SPT to a water & wastewater plant in Germany

Selwood introduces new highperformance S150 pump with low emissions We are delighted to launch a new addition to our market-leading range of S150 pumps, designed to to offer improved performance while meeting stringent new emissions regulations.

The new version of the solids-handling unit contains an Isuzu 4LE2X diesel engine and has been designed in accordance with the EU Stage IIIB emissions regulations and the EPA US Tier 4 Final Regulations, which apply to North America.

The S150, designed and manufactured at our UK headquarters in Hampshire, is suitable for a full range of sewage, sewer bypass, over pumping, water and wastewater applications and is designed to handle raw sewage and fibrous solids without blocking.

The new model runs at 1800rpm and offers a 26.7% increase in total head over previous versions, with improved build quality and

sound attenuation. The emissions compliance ensures the pump can be used in inner cities where the most stringent regulations apply.

The package has also been designed with ease of maintenance in mind, with doors fitted to the front to allow radiator access without removing the canopy, and at the rear to give fast and easy access to the separator assembly.

Further improvements include revised easier access of the servicing points and a canopy construction that allows replacement of individual panels.

Chris Garrett, CEO of Selwood, said: “This new package offers our customers increased performance in a pump that is accepted as

25

the benchmark of its kind in the industry, while offering compliance with emissions regulations in the most stringent conditions, and complete ease of maintenance.�

The S150 with Isuzu 4LE2X, fitted with our renowned Selprime self-priming technology, can achieve flow rates of up to 320m3/h and total heads of 27 metres with solids handling of 100mm.

The S150 is proven as one of the stalwarts of our market-leading UK rental pump fleet, and is in operation around the world through the our extensive global distributor network.

For more information, visit www.selwoodpumps.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

Detect chlorine gas more efficiently and safely…

Toxic sludge, aggressive chemicals & flammable gases means work in water treatment plants, sewer systems, tanks or pipelines can be dangerous.

Its typical odour revives childhood memories of swimming floats, headers off the 10-metre dive board and water slides, but this same odour puts an employee or safety engineer in the industry on alert. We are referring to chlorine, Cl2 for short.

The most prominent property of chlorine is its reactivity: it links with many elements, even at normal temperature. Chlorine is present in numerous organic and inorganic compounds from harmless chlorides, such as sodium chloride (table salt) through to a highly toxic dioxide, a chlorocarbon.

Chlorine gas itself is an everyday and fundamentally controllable risk in the industry if its presence is reliably detected. But this is not that easy...

Their high reactivity means that chlorine molecules are looking to link with other elements, even if they then diffuse in the direction of a Cl2 sensor. ‘’The problem with chlorine gas is that it quickly gets caught on device surfaces, on the diaphragm of a gas detector for example, on the bump test adapter or in the valves of a calibration station’’ explains Ulf Ostermann, Sensor Expert at Dräger. The consequence: it simply takes much longer for the gas molecules to reach the sensor, regardless of whether a personal gas detector, clearance measurement or a functional test is used.

In particular, chlorine molecules like to accumulate on the insides of hoses. As a result, many devices are not approved for chlorine clearance measurements.

A reason for the accumulation is contamination on the devices or hoses. ‘’Anyone working in the industry knows a mobile gas detector is never completely clean’’, says Ostermann. ‘’Slight to severe contamination is impossible to avoid, depending on the environment in which it is used. Deposits are formed by particles, vapours or even just the skin of the user’’.

Chlorine molecules immediately get caught if a surface displays traces of grease. Chlorine also particularly likes to accumulate on soot particles.

Even a device that is fastidiously wiped down with a moist cloth still displays minuscule deposits with which the chlorine molecules would react. Even the extensive use of cleaning agents does not improve the situation.

Countering the inertia of chlorine gas during detection with a rapid sensor is much more effective. Chlorine sensors have significant differences in their response times, the products available on the market range from 30 to 120 seconds and more. The DrägerSensor® XXS for chlorine has a t-90 time of 30 seconds, 4 times faster than many other chlorine sensors. The expert Ostermann explains the practical implication of a sensor that is 4 times faster than another: ‘’Sensor speed is a safety issue for safety engineers and gas analysts in a plant environment: faster response times means more time to react, more reliability when deciding on the safety precautions and in an emergency fewer injured people and a smaller amount of damage’’.

Faster means safer – this equation would be emphasized for a hazardous substance such as hydrogen sulphide. Ultimately, a few seconds can be the difference between life and death in the event of exposure to H2S, but how important is the sensor speed for chlorine?

Ulf Ostermann explains: ‘’H2S is obviously a special case because it is impossible to smell in dangerous concentrations. In contrast, chlorine

26

can be directly identified by its odour in all concentrations. This means that, in the event of unexpected exposure, e.g. due to a leak, your own nose would provide a warning even if the sensor did not respond. But: the odour alone does not indicate whether a concentration is within the workplace threshold range or 20 times over this limit. This makes a significant difference after a few breaths. Let‘s not forget: this is about the health and safety of employees’’.

And sensor speed is also an economic issue.

The quicker the response time, the shorter the test duration, the lower the working time and the test gas consumption. ‘’In everyday practice there is a huge difference between whether a chlorine sensor takes 30 seconds to respond during a bump test, or two minutes’’, stresses Ostermann. ‘’Every industry specialist can easily calculate what this one-and-a-halfminute shorter response time means for their equipment and frequency of use over a year’’. www.draeger.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z RESEARCH

Farming algae to treat waste water A collaborative project between the University of Bath’s Water Research & Innovation Centre (WIRC) and Wessex Water is using high rate algal ponds to remove nutrients from waste water and creating an added value by-product. The £0.45M project is funded by UKWIR and forms part of their phosphorus removal trial programme.

Every day over 11 billion litres of wastewater is produced in the UK through domestic and industrial use. This wastewater must be cleaned, or treated, before it can be safely released back into the environment or risk causing serious harm to both human health and nature. As a chemical engineer, my work through the Water Research Innovation Centre at Bath is about researching better, more

efficient methods for wastewater treatment.

One area of this work involves a particular focus on how we might use natural and sustainable solutions for our wastewater challenges.

One of these challenges is of course finding solutions to reduce the levels of phosphorus from our water bodies, which, with pressure

28

from the Water Framework Directive (WFD), has become an increasingly important area for both water utility companies, the Environment Agency, and the wider water stakeholder community. Many of our lakes, streams and rivers fail to meet the strict standards set for nutrients under the WFD and whilst our sewage treatment works (SWTs) are overall achieving high rates of nutrient remove,

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

more needs to be done if we are to meet the challenging targets.

High levels of phosphorous in waterbodies upsets the natural balance of many plant and fish species. If levels become too high, eutrophication occurs leading to algal blooms and over-crowding, which in turn creates a downward spiral leading to a dramatic loss of plants and insects, and ultimately depleted oxygen levels which cause reduction or elimination of fish populations. The knockon consequences for the whole food chain are therefore considerable. But what if the problem of algal blooms caused by high levels of phosphorus could in fact also be turned into the solution?

In the lead up to 2020 water companies across England will be trialling a range of new and different technologies aimed at finding a sustainable and effective solution for phosphorous removal, as an alternative to the traditional and increasingly expensive approach to ferric dosing. These technologies include the use of magnetite, and at least two different approaches to the use of algae. One of these is a project we’ve pioneered with Wessex Water – a installation involving high rate algae ponds (HRAPs) which we’ve installed at the SWT in Beckington in Somerset. These have been successfully used in other countries but to date not demonstrated in the UK. We’re keen to see what impact HRAPs might make in solving the phosphorous problem.

The principle behind HRAPs is a simple and

RESEARCH z

satisfying one. In essence they are shallow ponds where the waste water being treated is continuously circulated by paddlewheels.

Within each pond, algae harness sunlight to grow and draw nutrients from the waste water, they use carbon dioxide from a low rate gassing process. If algal growth is successfully maintained, very low levels of phosphorus (and nitrogen) are left on the water as the majority are locked up by the algal biomass.

The water and algae mixture then transfer to a tank where gravity separated occurs. From this tank we get cleaner water which can be returned to the environment or reused, and nutrient rich algae biomass that can be used as biofuel or an agricultural fertiliser, or simply blended with digestate from other treatment works as a fertiliser supplement.

We believe using HRAPs has the potential to be both environmentally sustainable and economically attractive for companies and customers. From September 2016, we will be trialling this technology for 12-months at large pilot scale (up to 3.5 m3 day-1) to see how well this process functions across the different seasons when light levels and environmental conditions vary. The trial will provide valuable information as to whether HRAPs can be an effective new water treatment technology for use in the UK. Our very early results though are positive.

on a small scale. We will be assessing treated water quality, the algal biomass which is produced, energy consumption, and capital expenditure. We will also explore options for further use or processing of the algal mass for value recovery. In parallel with this work we have a postgraduate student project funded by the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Informatics: Science and Engineering.

He is working on metabolic modelling of algal metabolism, and directed evolution to improve algal performance in relation to phosphorus uptake, and to further refine the operating conditions in the HRAP systems.

Together this information will provide the basis for a techno-economic evaluation of the potential for HRAP treatment to be deployed at larger-scale sites. Here the challenge will be in bringing down the cost of treatment to levels that are truly competitive with existing and established alternatives.

Through collaboration with Wessex Water and this pilot trial at Beckington we hope that we can demonstrate how a natural system like algae can be used to treat waste water

We can help you reimagine your water R&D

Water Innovation & Research Centre

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

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

go.bath.ac.uk/water-research

29

Dr Tom Arnot

Professor Rod Scott

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z BIG INTERVIEW

Constant improvement the theme for water company boss

The days when water companies just dealt in water are long gone. Today, they take a much more holistic approach to the impact that they have on the areas in which they operate.

That is why much of Southern Water’s focus is on investigating ways to not only promote more effective water usage but also to save and generate energy through technologies including solar power and the innovative use of bio-solids in sludge.

Overseeing the move from purely being a water provider to a company that has a much more wide-ranging role is Chief Executive Ian McAulay, who took on the job at the start of the year in the latest stage of a career that has seen him occupy senior roles with the likes of Viridor, Pennon Group, MWH and United Utilities.

One of his key tasks is overseeing the preparation of the latest of the company’s regular review of operations required to be submitted to industry regulator Ofwat in early 2018.

The review is a huge piece of work that will involve widespread consultation and delve into every aspect of the company’s operations.

When completed, it will emphasise the high priority that the company places on protecting the environment.

Ian said: “We believe that the company has to be part of the community and it is important to us that we obtain people’s views on our performance “As a company, we have to be constantly vigilant about issues such as clean beaches and water usage. We know that we do not always get it right but we work hard to identify ways in which we can improve.

“In the run-up to our submission to the regulator of the latest review of our 25-year strategic plan, people in the South East will be asked to give their views through everything from surveys to forums. Indeed, whenever I am in a café or a taxi or taking a walk I keep an ear out to see what people think about what we do!

“One of the big considerations for us is constantly seeking to improve the way that we protect the environment.

“We have invested heavily, for instance, in detecting and repairing leaks. That can be a challenge because they are not always easy to detect and if we dig up a high street it can disrupt businesses but we are constantly working on ways of reducing wastage.

“That is of particular concern in the South East and we need make our use of water as efficient as possible. Water resilience is important to us.

The arrival of our tunnel boring machine ‘Alice’ at Ovingdean as part of our £300m ‘Cleaner Seas for Sussex’ project

“I am encouraged by the way that all the water companies in the South East meet regularly to discuss such issues. My view is that just because you are in competition with someone does not mean you cannot work with them.

“As part of our work at Southern Water, we have also adopted a new approach that examines the issue of diffuse pollution, which is more subtle than what people would ordinarily identify as pollution.

“As part of the work we will examine our impact on whole river catchments, focusing on the wider area, not just rivers and streams.

“The company is also working hard to bring about improvements in our beaches.

There have been problems in the past, we acknowledge that, but we are making advances and we know it is important that we do so because clean beaches are good for tourism and the local economy.”

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As part of its environmental work, the company has been exploring the potential presented by renewable energy.

Ian said: “We are becoming more interested in renewable energy. For example, we have introduced solar energy on some of our sites, which works well in the South East because of the amount of sunshine we enjoy.

“We are also looking at improving the generation of energy from bio-solids contained in the sludge which is produced as part of the wastewater process.

“The Dutch refer to their wastewater plants as energy factories and we are looking at a similar approach. We already produce sludge as part of what we do so it makes sense to explore ways in which we can make use of it to generate and store energy.

“All these projects are small scale but taken together they offer great potential. They are part of our more holistic approach to what we do.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

BIG INTERVIEW z

We believe that the company has to be part of the community and it is important to us that we obtain people’s views on our performance.

Ian McAulay

CEO of Southern Water

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z CYBER SECURITY

Why the water industry must do more to tackle cyber crime Water Industry Journal talks to Andy Wall at Atkins about the threat of a cyber attack on your company and the potential consequences. infrastructure sectors ranging from water, energy and chemicals to nuclear, defence, finance and health, and all are under constant bombardment.

Andy Wall Head of Cyber Security Atkins

As you read this article, someone somewhere may be targeting your company with a cyber attack and the first you will know about it is when a vital component of your pumping plant shuts down. The resulting chaos could disrupt your operations, damage your reputation and cost you huge amounts of money.

An unlikely scenario? Not according to Andy Wall, Head of Cyber Security at global design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins, who believes that the threat facing companies in utility sectors like the water industry has never been greater.

His particular concern relates to attacks on Critical National Infrastructure, those facilities, systems, sites, information, networks and processes that are necessary for a country to function and upon which daily life depends.

Although the threat covers all the utilities, Andy argues that the water sector faces distinctive challenges due to geography, multiple sites, a mix of legacy and modern technology and the critical nature of water in human life. In the UK, there are 13 national

Andy said: “Attacks on these systems come from two main sources, one of which is nation states and terrorist organisations like those in the Middle East.

“Their primary aim is to disrupt systems. Their motivations are political and they know that if they can shut down something like a water pumping system they can cause massive disruption. They are looking for something that will have a crippling impact on society.

“The other people behind the attacks are criminal gangs who are looking for opportunities to exploit security weaknesses for financial gain. For example, it is easy to send emails containing links, with different websites behind those shown, that lead to ransomware that forces a victim to pay to free their system.

“While there have been some targeted attacks – for example against a power station in Ukraine and which was linked to the war with Russia – the vast majority are random sweeps.

“Typical attacks are made by sending out a large number of phishing emails in the hope of finding a chink in a company’s armour.

“A major vulnerability is the end user – people.

Despite all the publicity about cyber security, people still make mistakes. They will visit websites they should not, clink on links they should ignore and open email attachments which let the hackers in.”

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And they do that despite massive publicity warning about the dangers. Cyber crime has never occupied a higher place on the business agenda. Indeed, cyber offences were recently listed on the police’s annual survey for the first time with the figures showing 3.6 million cases of fraud and two million computer misuse offences in a single year.

And in February, Chancellor Philip Hammond gave a speech in which he stressed that companies need to improve their defences against cyber attacks.

Speaking at the launch of the new National Cyber Security Centre, the Chancellor revealed that the centre had dealt with 188 incidents in its first three months of operation alone.

However, he said, nine out of ten companies do not have a plan to deal with cyber attacks, despite 65 per cent of large businesses reporting having experienced an attack or breach in the last year.

Andy Wall believes that a major problem is human nature. He said: “Historically, security has been seen as a business blocker, which has encouraged people to find ways of getting round it if it frustrates. But people have a major part to play in a company’s cyber defence, and if they believe that it will not happen to them, they are prepared to take the risks that let the cyber criminals in.”

Further complicating the picture is the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), whereby electronic devices ranging from kettles to machinery in factories are connected to each other via networks.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

CYBER SECURITY z

The positive potential is clear – connected systems lead to more efficient operations – but the threat is pronounced if the networks are not properly protected against cyber attack.

Indeed, in his recent speech Mr Hammond said that the increasing online connectivity of products and systems is a ‘source of vulnerability’ and warned that business must ‘sharpen its approach’.

Andy said: “The Internet of Things really is complicating matters. We had a major incident last year involving kettles and webcams which were used to bombard systems with requests to connect, overloading them and causing widespread disruption.

“People do not think of such things representing a threat. Most of these devices are cheap and disposable so perhaps do not have high levels of security but you could have 1,000 kettles, each connected to the network, which when linked present a much more powerful threat.”

Andy believes that the nature of the water industry also presents a challenge. He said: “The water industry deals in equipment on a long-term basis. You can have equipment that was installed 20-30 years ago and which is still in operational use. It is not like IT in offices, where systems are frequently updated, but we are now seeing a convergence in these systems that actively links the water control systems to IT corporate systems, something that was never envisaged a few decades ago.

“I do not think it is a case of water companies not taking the threat seriously; indeed many do. It is just that this convergence is hard from a security perspective. What tends to happen is that solutions are implemented quickly to make this convergence work and that can create gaps in cyber defences that an attacker can exploit.

“One thing that water companies can do is ensure that they design their security

properly. For example, as they operate across geographical sites it makes sense to segment their systems. You may have one reservoir that is 50 miles from the next one and if its pumping system is attacked you want to restrict the damage rather than having it affect other reservoirs.

“Cyber security education is also critical. It is not enough to run a training session and ask people to sign a form saying that they have attended.

“People learn in different ways and you need to understand that. Our work in the oil and gas sector has shown that different information can be targeted at different roles such as plant operators or chief engineers to help people understand how they contribute to a company’s cyber defences. Having cyber security advisors with engineering understanding makes the impact of this education really powerful.”

Andrew.Wall@Atkinsglobal.com www.AtkinsGlobal.com/cyber

Atkins and cranfield university collaborate to tackle cyber security challenges Atkins and Cranfield University have announced a collaboration to create a new cyber research area that will help to protect manufacturing businesses and national infrastructure organisations from the danger of cyber attack.

A new professorial chair in Cyber-Secure Engineering Systems and Processes at the university will be funded by Atkins.

Leading a new research area within the Manufacturing Informatics Centre, the role will focus on developing an understanding of, and responses to, digitally-based threats.

Professor Rajkumar Roy, Director of Manufacturing at Cranfield, said: “Modern complex engineering systems can sometimes be less secure than traditional ones, and cyber threats are a major and growing challenge.

“We aim to develop the next generation of manufacturing engineers and managers who are able to protect manufacturing systems and machines from cyber threats.

“Cyber-secure Internet of Things technology development will have a major impact on implementing Industry 4.0, which uses the internet to connect ‘Smart Factories’ with their supply chains across a number of sectors.

“The introduction of this new chair and our new MSc in Cyber-Secure Manufacturing will provide an opportunity to serve our industry needs in the UK and to influence the design of next generation engineering systems.”

Russell Cameron, Technology Director at Atkins, said: “I have no doubt that this partnership will help our critical national infrastructure and manufacturing clients meet the increasingly complex challenges they face in improving their cyber resilience.”

Research undertaken by Atkins of CNI organisations in September 2016

33

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Discover how Affinity Water streamlined their processes with an innovative mobile app Why build an app for your business?

Today’s workforce is evolving rapidly and old systems are holding business back. Since the development of mobile apps, innovative corporations have taken the opportunity to mobilise their operations. As a result, they have seen internal processes transformed with efficient communication and real time data, which has instigated huge financial savings and a competitive advantage.

Companies with staff working on the field have particularly found mobile apps revolutionary. Paper admin is slow, inefficient and unreliable, whilst a bespoke app means workers can quickly fill in forms on site. The information captured on the app is delivered back to staff based at head office in real time and stored safely in the backend. Thus, a mobile app optimises efficiency, connects departments, and provides the company with live valuable analytical insights.

To discover more about how an app can accelerate your business, here is an in depth look at how Affinity Water used mobile technology to streamline complex business operations.

Introduction to the company

Affinity Water are the largest water-only supplier in the UK, supplying water for more than 130 years. They deliver more than 940 million litres of high-quality drinking water to their 3.5 million customers, every day.

staff.

The challenge

2. Carry out home water saving checks.

As a result of a new government lead initiative, water companies must now encourage customers to save water. In order to achieve water saving targets, Affinity Water’s contractor P.N Daly sought to optimise the efficiency of their logistics with a mobile app. With a relatively small team to book and perform the Home Water Savings Checks and a large number of properties to visit each day, the need to save time per job and create a slick, fast and efficient system was clear.

An Overview

Red C carried out three solutions. Firstly, we implemented a web-based administration portal to schedule installer appointments, enabling Affinity to efficiently coordinate their

Secondly, we designed and developed an iPad app for Affinity staff to: 1. Book appointments.

3. Calculate the amount of water to be saved, and automatically send the customer a water saving report.

Thirdly, we designed a system to sync all data to a central database and visualise Key Performance Indicators via a dashboard in the web administration portal. This allows Affinity Water to gain valuable business insights which provide visibility to all staff members.

Coordinating staff within minutes

The web-based administration portal features a Booking Calendar which allows Affinity Water to view which installers are available at any given time, to assign jobs accordingly.

The calendar has reduced administration time

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and has enabled the company to effectively coordinate a large workforce.

Working schedule automatically updated

Once appointments are booked via the app or directly through the web administration portal, the working schedule is updated to automatically set available appointment slots in the Calendar. This can be viewed in the appointments section of the web portal.

Goodbye lengthy admin times

Once at the appointment, the installer arrives with an iPad and checks into the job. They carry out an audit of the home, logging findings on the app. They select the free water saving products that are installed during the appointment, and these products are updated dynamically on the system. Using the water saving calculator feature on the app, the installer can demonstrate the amount of water the customer can expect to save. At the end of the appointment the customer can also

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE z

Affinity Water’s new efficient process of booking appointments

choose to fill out a feedback form on the app if they wish. This data will upload in real time to update KPI dashboard.

Visualise key performance indicators

From the web-based administration portal, Affinity can view key performance indicators.

This is visualised in the form of graphs and digestible statistics, enabling Affinity Water to quickly and effectively assess performance.

Improved customer communication

Once the appointment is logged in the system, customers are reminded of their upcoming appointment with three automated SMS’s that are sent directly from the web-based administration portal. This feature has reduced the amount of missed appointments.

Enterprise apps: The results

Affinity Water and many of our other clients alike have found that the introduction of an app benefited their business in a number of ways.

“Red C are great at communicating the details, so everybody understands what’s going on.”

Darta Jace, Contract Manager

Affinity Water iPad App The app has streamlined Affinity Water’s processes by connecting staff and drastically cutting down admin time.

These new processes have been instrumental in not only creating an improved experience for Affinity Water employees, but also for their customers. By investing in an app, Affinity Water have set themselves apart from competition, creating a bespoke system that is a valuable business asset.

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By using the app, the contractors have made significant cost savings and efficiencies, making the contract a lot more profitable for them. They have also used the app as a unique selling point in winning over other large contracts.

To find out more, please contact Red C Mobile: www.red-c.co.uk 0203 397 9028 info@red-c.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

Panton McLeod provide two new pipeline services unique to the UK & Irish market Well known as experts in the inspection, cleaning and maintenance of treated water storage assets such as service reservoirs and contact tanks Panton McLeod are expanding their offering in the field of specialist pipeline services with two new services.

Panton McLeod are now able to offer two products unique in the UK & Irish market, the first allows pipeline condition to be assessed while remaining “in service”, and the second provides surface cleaning and preparation ahead of re-lining works.

MTA Pipe Inspector, MTA Messtechnik GmbH MTA PipeInspector locates leakages also in nonmetallic pipes by recording leak sounds directly at their point of origin, regardless of the pipeline material and diameter

Partnerships are now in place with to provide the Tomahawk System from Canadian firm Envirologics Engineering Inc, and the MTA Pipe Inspector technology from Austrian firm MTA Messtechnik GmbH. Discussions are ongoing for identify pilot projects with water companies and their supply chain.

Jim Panton, Panton McLeod’s CEO explains the strategy behind the new deals, “As an extension of our service reservoir focused operations we are increasingly supporting the commissioning and testing of new tanks and new pipelines for our clients and partners.”

“This has developed now to the provision of cleaning, flushing and decontamination works to existing distribution systems. If you add to this our ability to provide in-tank treatment systems, including mixers and THM reduction solutions through our partnership with PAX Water Technologies in California, we can truly support our clients in their mission of providing the best quality water from treatment works to tap.”

MTA Pipe Inspector is an autonomous leak detection and inspection device that can be deployed into live mains whether they are potable water, waste, hydro or industrial. Once deployed the equipment follows the flow taking HD optical and acoustic readings from a cable-less platform.

The equipment is suitable for pipe dimeters from 100mm up to 3000mm and can complete sections up to 20km with a single deployment.

Once completed the data is uploaded and assessed by the team at MTA, we are then able to work with our clients to prioritise their investment preventing leakage, turbidity and reducing the frequency of bursts.

Features • Optical examination

• Sound recording for detection of smallest leakages with pinpoint accuracy down to 10l/h at 5bar operating pressure • Pressure recording along the entire pipe length • Turbidity measurement (optional)

• Conductivity measurement (optional) • Temperature measurement

• Length measurement including meter display • Video in HD-quality

Tel : 01896 663 330 • info@pantonmcleod.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

CLEANING & LINING FOR DECADES OF LEAK-FREE PERFORMANCE ™

TOMAHAWKSYSTEM.CA

TOMAHAWKSYSTEM.CA

DRY WATERMAIN

Asset Inspection

Reservoir Cleaning

Pipeline Commissioning

Tomahawk, Envirologics Engineering Inc Tomahawk is a trenchless rehab technology that uses abrasives in a high-volume, low-pressure airstream to clean and prepare the internal surfaces of pipes. After preparation, the pipes are left dust free, clean and dry allowing any lining technology to be applied to the pipe wall immediately, including CIPP (cured-in-place pipe) or SIPP (sprayed-inplace pipe) technologies.

Tomahawk can remove tuberculation, biofilms and old bitumen / tar linings from pipes from 100mm to 300mm in diameter. Unlike other preparation systems, Tomahawk offers superior cleaning and leaves internal surfaces clean, dry and dust free ready for immediate liner application ensuring a long-term, leak-free performance.

Cleaning and surface preparation is accomplished by introducing graded abrasives into the high-volume, low-pressure airstream that is created by a vacuum unit. The abrasives and pipe waste are extracted and captured by the vacuum for ease of disposal.

Mixing and THM Removal

Water Quality Support

Emergency Response

Before

After

Water Quality Engineering

Launch of “Into Supply” series This 5 part series looks at distribution networks and the technology used to both maintain existing assets and commission new assets.

www.pantonmcleod.co.uk Tel : 01896 663 330

To be included sign up at go.pantonmcleod/supply.

The first edition focuses on the environment and features an introduction from Professor Ian Barker.

To find out more about Panton McLeod’s work on new assets and pipelines visit the website www.pantonmcleod.co.uk

www.pantonmcleod.co.uk •

@pantonmcleod

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

­ riving down leakage and cost with D innovative pipeline monitoring

Anglian Water has become one of the first water companies in the UK to trial thermal imaging technology to detect leaking water pipes. With nearly 24,000 miles of water pipe to keep an eye on, much of it in rural and remote areas the aerial technology will help reduce the cost and time taken to find a leak by pinpointing its location more precisely.

The drones are just the latest weapon in Anglian Water’s £60million war on leakage.

Alongside a 300-strong leakage team, new highly skilled leak detection teams have been tasked with uncovering hard-to-find leaks and have been given specialist training on how to use the new drone technology.

Anglian Water’s approach to water pipe monitoring and tackling leakage has made it an industry leader. Last year the company’s leakage levels were it’s lowest ever – and one of the lowest in the county, at less than half the national average. To keep driving down leakage Anglian Water has to find more and more innovative ways to track down leaks and save water.

The thermal imaging drones work by spotting changes in soil temperature near the water pipes. At this time of year cold mornings are

the best time to fly the drone, so that any leaking water is around 10 degrees Celsius warmer than the average ground temperature.

They are flown in the morning along the length of the pipe and thermal can be analysed straight away. Any changes in soil temperature are then marked and investigated further by the leakage team.

Chris Utton, Anglian Water’s Intensive Leakage Delivery Manager said: “Once the drone has been flown along the length of the pipeline the image is analysed using industry standard FLIR software. Each image is analysed using the temperature range within the image itself. It can be colour coded for visual aid but generally sit within the greyscale, with white being the hottest and black the coldest.

During the winter trials, freezing fog had been challenging conditions for the drone to fly

38

in. The freezing fog often formed ice crystals on the rotor blades of the drone and caused the batteries to discharge faster than usual.

The company also plans to run trials during the summer, when the weather gets warmer.

It is hoped the drone will fly during the late afternoon, early evening and will identify cold spots, where water is pooling under the surface of the ground, rather than hotspots.

Another benefit of the drone technology it is helps to minimise disruption for customers, by covering large lengths of the water pipeline in a short space of time. The sensor and camera on the drone can identify differences in soil temperature. These differences are then analysed and the exact point of the temperature change is then investigated using traditional leakage approaches and by excavating the area.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY z

All this means the job can be carried out quicker and more precisely – meaning less digging, less cost to the business, less water lost and less disruption to customers.

Chris added: “Each drone flight that dectects a leak could save the company up to £7,000 in water lost through leakage and can save tens of thousands of pounds if the leak can never be identified using traditional leak detection and the pipe is then replaced. The drones are just one way of helping to keep customers’ bills low.

“So far the trials have helped find and fix leaks on sections of water pipe that had previously been earmarked to be replaced due to their high leakage levels. Being able to find the leak and repair it has resulted in £150,000 CAPEX savings, and a further 0.26ml/d bottom line leakage benefit.

“Although the technology has been the most successful in rural areas, where pipes are laid beneath soil, the thermal imaging drones have also been successful on asphalt. The thermal imaging camera has already identified a leak through an asphalted road, however it’s early days for this technology being used in the water industry and we’re hoping to really understand the range potential of the technology in our next phase of trials.”

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

Industry first as Aquam takes lead lining to the tap In a first for the water industry, Aquam has undertaken a programme of lead pipe lining works for Yorkshire Water that goes right up to the customer’s tap.

There is a requirement for water companies to reduce the levels of lead found in drinking water to below 10μg/l, in accordance with European water quality legislation. However, while utilities have responsibility for service pipes up to the boundary of the customer’s land, lead pipes on the customer side are privately owned.

In a trial supported by Ofwat, Yorkshire Water is undertaking the relining of lead pipes in 1,000 council-owned properties. Aquam was identified as the ideal partner to carry out the works, due to its package of the Overland Supply Vehicle (OSV) and Serline advanced pipelining system, which is available to utilities.

A seamless service for the rapid refurbishment of lead pipes is provided, while customers and the community remain largely unaffected.

Aquam consultant Roman Boryslawskyj said, “As well as inconveniencing householders and customers, the financial penalties for utilities failing to achieve their targets on the Reliable Water Index can be immense. Each second over target can attract £85k of penalty.

Water is continuously supplied whilst the service pipes to the rear of the houses are lined “Our trials and data analysis show that the seamless switch to stable temporary supply offered by the Overland Service Vehicle can make a quantifiable budgetary impact. Use of the OSV in reactive deployment trials elsewhere have resulted in ODI savings of hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

More efficient Based on an initial lining contract with Yorkshire Water for 2,000 communication pipes, the system has proved to be around 80% more efficient than open-cutting trenches on busy main roads, resulting in a dramatic reduction of open excavations outside customers’ houses and reducing traffic holdups in built-up areas during works.

Yorkshire Water has also identified the following environmental benefits:

• Reduction of 1,876m3 (188 lorry loads) of excavated material going to landfill and the equivalent in backfill material • Size of each excavation reduced by an average of 80%, cutting carbon footprint

Service pipes can be cleaned and lined through a newly installed manifold service mounted (MSM) meter box without the need for additional excavations

• Noise pollution reduced dramatically as the time spent outside customers’ properties with plant was cut by 80% • Construction method much less intrusive than traditional methods, vastly reducing pollution risk

40

Cleaning and lining systems are delivered onsite in Rotherham • PU coating applied to the lead pipe has proved to repair small holes in the pipes, impacting on water leakage in addition to lead leaching • Reduced need to dose certain chemicals during the treatment process • As the current pipe is refurbished there is no longer a requirement to use plastic pipe, which has resulted in fewer plastic pipes been produced and less pipe being wasted Steve Taylor, innovation technician at Yorkshire Water said, “The Serline lead pipe lining has gone very well to date. We have three lining rigs deployed in Rotherham and by using the Aquam Overland Supply Vehicle we can work onsite all day with minimal disruption to customers’ supplies.

“We have been lining right into the main without excavation on the ferrules, though the stop tap and from the stop tap to the property. In Rotherham this has reduced the number of excavations and made the civils works safer.”

Aquam’s Serline system has delivered over 12,000 lead linings for UK water companies to date. The trial with Yorkshire Water in Rotherham, which began in October 2016, will continue to March 2017.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

Daniel Smith UU Project Manager and Simon Walsh UU Construction Manager inspecting the 800mm HDPE pipeline

United Utilities Heronbridge Mains duplication project The Heronbridge mains duplication scheme is a ÂŁ7m investment undertaken by United Utilities to ensure it can continue to meet the demands of its customers in the Chester, Wirral and Ellesmere Port areas.

The new pipeline follows a similar route to the existing pipe and secures the transfer of raw water supplies from the River Dee to Sutton Hall Water Treatment Works, where the water is cleaned and distributed as fresh drinking water. The scheme consists of three parts, a 1200mm diameter steel pipe jack through a tunnel, an 1200mm dia. open cut ductile iron pipe lay and difficult horizontal directional drill (HDD), with thanks to Donegan Civil Engineering, seen to be at the out limits of the UK water industries capability.

The foremost section of the 1.7km route was crossing under Chester Approach, a major

The Donegan Civil Engineering drive shaft for the pipe jack tunnel gateway into Chester City centre, and so approximately 450 metres of horizontal directional drilling was required to install the pipeline underneath the busy road whilst pedestrians and road users experienced zero disruption. This required a new pipe size and specification, never previously manufactured and used in the UK water industry, new manufacturing capabilities were needed and so United Utilities engaged GPS PE Pipe Systems. Working with LiMA a Lang O’Rourke and Atkins joint venture they engaged a specialist company known as VSH (Visser & Smitt Hanab) from Holland.

To ensure the pipeline could meet the hydraulic requirements and cater for the future growth of the area, an 800mm pipe was required, but, due to the directional drilling stresses, a minimum 80mm wall thickness was needed, resulting in a required specification of PE100 800mm SDR 11 pipe, a size never previously produced in the UK.

William Boere in the cockpit control centre of the directional 450T drilling rig

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Manufactured in 12m lengths for ease of storage and handling on a site within a busy

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public area, the pipe was then jointed using the butt fusion technique above ground and pulled into the reamed annulus to ensure a robust pipeline was in place.

This new pipeline is vital to ensure we can continue to meet the demand of a growing population. This was a challenging and complex project managing the risk of such a large directional drilling element making it not only unique but a difficult task to find partners that could deliver the required solutions.

The installation was not without challenges; with working on the River Dee embankment there were several environmental considerations that were carefully mitigated by drilling underneath the historic carriageway and surface. The varying ground conditions that the drill needed to navigate, including sandstone, soft clay and hard clay, also caused an array of technical challenges.

It was testament to the careful planning, collaboration with all parties in the supply chain, and precise installation capabilities that ensured the drilling successfully traversed the ground and came up in the exact location along Chester approach without any settlement concerns.

Successfully completed within 12 weeks, the new pipe was effectively installed and pressure tested to meet the project requirements.

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Left to right is Daniel Smith UU Project Manager, Simon Walsh UU Construction Manager, Andrew Quinn LiMA Construction Manager and Gert Jan Haket VSH Engineer Commenting on the project, Daniel Smith, project manager at United Utilities said: “This new pipeline is vital to ensure we can continue to meet the demand of a growing population.

This was a challenging and complex project managing the risk of such a large directional drilling element making it not only unique but a difficult task to find partners that could deliver the required solutions. Finding specialists from other industries that could demonstrate expertise and offer assurance and certainty was key to the success and credit to LiMA. The team from Holland brought an incredible energy and comradery best illustrated by the photographs provided with this article.� www.uuplc.co.uk

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z PIPELINE TECHNOLOGY

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

Repairs can become apparent throughout the working life of assets due to;

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

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

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

Different coating systems impart specific aspects of protection and will enhance asset life.

Coating Systems and main attributes:

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

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

• Polyethylene – Impermeable barrier against water

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

• Elastomeric – Rubber linings possess excellent wear and chemical resistance

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

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

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

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

Lifelong Steel Pipe Corrosion Protection

Serving the UK pipeline industry for over 40 years

Application of protective corrosion systems for lifelong asset protection

Internal/external pipeline repairs can be carried out where necessary

Fully qualified staff can apply wide variety of coatings and linings

Previous projects include prestigious pipeline and water restraining projects installed across the UK

Call 01670 224012 for more information

www.pipelineprotection.co.uk

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Clywedog Reservoir

Looking after our Reservoirs Severn Trent Water (STW) is one of the largest water companies in England and Wales, providing water supply and waste water treatment services for over eight million customers. The organisation’s boundaries are defined by the fluvial catchments of the Rivers Severn and Trent, and the company manages the water cycle in central England.

A fascinating diversity of over 700 dams and reservoirs, constructed over the last 170 years, form a key component of the strategic infrastructure. Of these, 62 of the company’s reservoirs are classed as “Large Raised Reservoirs” as they retain more than 25,000m3 of water above natural ground level in England and more than 10,000m3 in Wales and are, therefore, regulated by the Reservoirs Act 1975.

For a water company, the key role of the reservoir is to store a year round supply of raw water to supply the treatment process. The average age of STW Large Raised Reservoirs is

82 years, compared with 120 years nationally.

The majority are impounding reservoirs (reservoirs formed by damming a watercourse) and remainder are non-impounding (pumped storage) and service reservoirs.

This is also driven by the 10 yearly statutory inspection when the standard to which the dam is constructed is reassessed against todays standards and modified/ upgraded accordingly.

Ian Hope, dams and reservoirs manager for Severn Trent, explains: “We currently design our civil structures to a minimum design life of 50 years. Design life can be considered appropriate for conventional civil engineering structures of say 60 years however the robustness and role of our dams leads us to drive continual improvements.

“The challenge facing the reservoir sector is how to maintain the serviceability of the assets with increasing age. There is a growing trend to undertake risk assessment of the portfolio of reservoirs owned by water companies, with differing methods being employed by different companies. Risk being a function of likelihood and consequence can

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The challenge facing the reservoir sector is how to maintain the serviceability of the assets with increasing age.

Ladybower Reservoir lead to a great deal of money being spent on the assessment of the potential damage and loss of life downstream of the reservoir in the event of failure. To a water company however, the raw water reservoir has failed to achieve its requirement to store water for the supply of its customers if it needs to be drawn down for reservoir safety or unplanned maintenance.

It is therefore our view that money is better spent understanding the potential causes of failure and reducing the likelihood of those occurring.”

New technologies are allowing greater understanding of how structures are performing. Piezometers have been installed in dams to monitor water pressures within the embankment fill or foundations and drainage flows have been measured and plotted for many years. These instruments provide useful information but only when they are read which may be on an infrequent basis. It is now cost effective to install remote, real time monitoring that can send automated alarms via SMS to the mobile phones of key staff with the instruments powered by solar and with signals sent using the mobile network to avoid the costs of cabling a power and telemetry

link. Whilst still needing the oversight of a competent assessor, it can highlight an emerging issue which may not have been spotted for weeks or months if relying on manual readings.

Ian continues: “The increasing use of drones enables greater inspection than previously possible. We have used a drone to undertake crack surveys of the downstream face of Clywedog in one day which previously took a team of four abseiling up and down the dam for five days. This eliminated the need for working at height therefore making the operation safer and gave comparable results to the previous survey.

“Fibre optic cables are occasionally used for monitoring leakage from structures through being able to determine temperature difference. This has been used at several raw water reservoirs in the UK however at STW, we see that this has potential to identify the source of leakage and ingress at service reservoirs. Whilst we have yet to install fibre optics for leakage detection, it is planned for several of the service reservoirs under construction using pre-cast wall sections in AMP6 as these structures have more joints than a traditional in situ construction.

This will allow better understanding of the performance of the structure to inform future investment decisions.

“The data available from satellite technology is improving year on year. Improvements in the field are rapid and so whilst not being cost effective currently, we are reviewing and we have little doubt that the use of satellites will become commonplace in the industry in the future.

Stanford Reservoir

“Although there are emerging technologies able to assist the reservoir engineer, there is still nothing that has been invented that beats a trained and competent person at undertaking surveillance on the whole of

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the reservoir and its structures. A piezometer may note a water pressure change in a part of the dam, but it is limited to its area of influence and so if the leak is appearing in an area without instrumentation, the structure may still be failing. A trained operator is able to take a holistic view of the reservoir and therefore manage the risk posed by the asset which is often one of the bigger risks held by the company. In order to maintain the serviceability of our reservoirs, the training of our staff to ensure high quality surveillance and employing new technologies run hand in hand to ensure that we continue to manage our reservoirs so that they are always able to provide water to the customer.

“As well as reservoirs being key in the water supply side of the business, a lot of our reservoirs are open to the public as recreation spaces. Reservoirs have significant amenity value in a community. They may be used for fishing, sailing, walking, cycling and many other uses and our sites have millions of visitors per year. These reservoirs can become havens for birdlife and provide habitat for other flora and fauna. We can also use these sites as places to advertise our key customer messages such as sewer misuse and water efficiency. This is a great opportunity for a utility to publicise the good work that we do.

“Many people only think of their water company when the bill arrives or when they are digging up the road. We can be complacent to the essential nature of a reliable water and sewerage service until something goes wrong and then suddenly the company becomes terrible, with people forgetting all of the good work that is going unnoticed.

Hopefully by opening up our reservoir sites for people to see, it will remind everyone what an essential service their water supply is, and how important our reservoirs are, not only in providing that essential supply, but for the local environment too.”

OM-3 Specialists Delivering Reliable Performance

Operations, Maintenance, Monitoring & Management (OM-3) Services Operations

Monitoring

• • • •

• • • • •

Weekly Inspections Proportional Fault Response Plant Downtime Reduction HV Switching

Maintenance • Service Contracts • Personnel Management • Upgrade Contracts

Remote Early Warnings Periodic Trend Review Performance Analysis Reservoir Inspections Hydrometry

Management • • • • •

Other related ServiceS • Environmental & Surveys • In-house Civil, Mechanical & HV Design • Contracts/Finance • Due Diligence • Project Management

Environmental Compliance Power Purchase Agreements Performance Condition Reporting Financial Performance Reporting Dam Safety

hydroplan UK Office Locations: Fort William - Scotland, Dorset - England, Ballymena - N. Ireland t +44 (0)1202 886622 e info@hydroplan.co.uk www.hydroplan.co.uk

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Butterley spillway during construction works

Butterley Spillway Safety Improvement Works Many of the impounding reservoirs in Yorkshire are over 100 years old, however they still play a vital role in providing clean drinking water to millions of people. Maintenance of these assets are not only important for maintaining supply of water, but also for the safety and security of the people and infrastructure in close proximity to them. It is therefore critically important that we ensure these assets remain fit for their purpose and comply with the relevant statutory requirements, under the Reservoirs Act 1975.

Whilst we, as designers, engineers and undertakers, need to be sympathetic to the techniques employed to construct the original asset, in many cases newer technologies and innovation need to be employed to keep an asset in service. Butterley Reservoir was no exception to this following a minor spillway failure in 2002.

Located in the Wessenden Valley in West Yorkshire, Butterley Reservoir was completed in 1906 through construction of an embankment dam with a puddle clay core

and a spillway constructed in traditional local stone. The construction period was considerably longer than similar reservoirs built at this time due to leakage around the dam experienced upon commissioning through fissures in the surrounding rock. In July 1985, the spillway was registered Grade II listed under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 for its special architectural and historic interest.

In 2002 a number of large invert blocks became dislodged from the spillway following

a storm event significantly less than the design flood. Following a statutory inspection pursuant to Section 10 of the Reservoirs Act, the Inspecting Engineer recommended that a study of flow depths and velocities be undertaken in relation to the existing overflow channel. Design and build contractor Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB) was appointed to carry out this work. Both structural condition and hydraulic capacity deficiencies were identified using physical modelling.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49

Photomontage of the completed spillway Multiple solutions were developed all with varying levels of material effect to the existing spillway structure. The preferred option evolved throughout the challenging planning and subsequent planning appeal process. The preferred option did compromise the existing structure by the loss of some of the historic fabric, but design changes were made to retain the essential form of the historic structure, and its relationship with its landscape setting, whilst also retaining as many architectural design features and the historic material of the original as possible.

Due to the Grade II listing of the spillway, a significant number of planning and listed building constraints were imposed. Most of these constraints had to be signed off by the Local Authority pre-commencement. In order to successfully sign off these constraints, both the design and site teams had to work very closely from an early stage to ensure buildability issues were addressed as once the planning permission application was submitted, no changes could be made. Engagement with the local community and key stakeholders was also essential throughout the project as the spillway is much loved.

The existing invert steps had a typical going of 360mm and typical rise of 65mm, added to this the curvature of the existing spillway meant that each invert concrete pour would be marginally different.

Recreating the stepped invert was essential to retain the “white water� effect created when the spillway operates, which was important to the local community. Using reinforced concrete within the footprint of the existing spillway required innovation, in conjunction with our subcontractor.

The formwork was designed with bolted connections so that it could be adjusted in all

directions to allow for accuracy on site during the set-up and to ensure that the new slabs blended into the existing. Coupled with the use of fibre reinforced concrete to simplify the set up further, the steel formwork reduced the time taken to set up, pour and strip to two days, ensuring an excellent delivery with a high level of quality control for the new stepped concrete invert.

Two thirds of the spillway invert is reinforced with fibre only, eliminating the need to install steel, with the remaining one third of the spillway invert being a hybrid. The use of traditional steel and fibre reinforced concrete has simplified the steel arrangement by eliminating the need to step the steel to follow the invert profile.

Bespoke connections between the new concrete invert and the existing masonry were required in order to create an integrated structure once the improvement works are completed. In best practice, spillway joints are water retaining, at Butterley this was not possible as the existing and the new structure are different and move in different ways under loading. As such, internal under drainage was incorporated in the form of a no fines concrete layer and connector drains to eliminate floatation risk and alleviate any uplift pressures that could lead to structural damage.

The new concrete walls were to be clad in natural sandstone to blend the existing and the new walls. All the existing copings were to be retained; to reduce scarring and the risk of damage a stone magnet was utilised. The stone magnet was again used to install the new masonry cladding eliminating the need to install lifting points into each stone block, eliminating hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and reducing the delivery programme.

Masonry blocks too heavy to be lifted with the

Bespoke formwork in use stone magnet were lifted using a specialised bespoke lifting beam, reducing the risk of hand injuries.

In addition to the existing copings a number of key heritage features were also retained.

The existing stone pillars which protruded into the spillway were observed to cause out of channel flow during operation. To retain the appearance but remove the obstruction, the pillars were deconstructed and rebuilt in line with the adjacent spillway walls. New stone was only utilised when the existing blocks were damaged or wall raising was required. In a similar fashion, the curved wing walls at the downstream end of the existing spillway were rebuilt in predominately new stone to retain the feature.

To allow delivery of the in-situ concrete and install the new masonry, 2no. 100 tonne crawler cranes were erected on site. As with most reservoir sites, location and topography are challenging. 3D modelling of the existing land profile to the right-hand-side of the spillway was completed in conjunction with the temporary works designs of the haul routes and crane pads to confirm that the area could be re-profiled to allow the cranes to safely be delivered, tracked into position and rigged.

As MMB experienced on the Butterley Reservoir spillway improvement project, the maintenance of these types of assets is often complex, challenging and emotive, especially when working on structures of historical and local importance. However, these works are essential to the longevity of these types of asset, and through strategic consultation, diligent planning and expert engineering knowhow, these challenges can be overcome to achieve the desired outcome, safeguarding their future whilst critically ensuring the safety of local residents.

Both the design and site teams had to work very closely from an early stage to ensure buildability issues were addressed as once the planning permission application was submitted, no changes could be made. Engagement with the local community and key stakeholders was also essential throughout the project as the spillway is much loved.

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The Eliquo Hydrok HydroSlide role in the development of the Louth Flood Alleviation Scheme Extract from a paper by David Scopes IEng MICE, Engineer at Atkins Ltd, Peterborough The market town of Louth, on the River Lud, has suffered from flooding on many occasions, most recently in 2007. Consultants Atkins was commissioned to conduct a feasibility study into the viability of a flood defence scheme.

The initial stages identified a preferred design with the construction of two online flood storage areas; the brief from this point was to develop their outline design. The maximum allowable outflow (to prevent flooding) for each storage area had been calculated as a part of the preceding hydrological study, and therefore was known at the start of the design.

The exact volume of storage, being dependent on the method of controlling flows, had at this stage been calculated assuming no additional flows were impounded.

The control structure design of the project required a balance of two factors: maintenance and storage. Using options with no moving parts (fixed weir, orifice, vortex type flow control etc.), which solely limit the flow, result in increased storage, but are able to offer

the orifice opening and restricting outflow .

Although it has a moving part, the discharge curve holds tightly to the optimum discharge, plus or minus five percent.

very low maintenance costs. Conversely, low storage can be achieved through the use of a mechanical and electrical setups, however these would have significant maintenance costs and potential reliability issues.

Accepting some moving parts, and therefore some maintenance, allowed the Eliquo Hydrok HydroSlide to be considered. A HydroSlide consists of see-saw on a pivot with a plate at one end and a float as the counter balance at the other. As the water level increases the float rises causing the plate to close across

The other advantage of the HydroSlide is that it is adjustable by up to 30% during an event (via a spindle) to increase or reduce flows as required. This means that if the actual downstream maximum allowable flow is found to be different than that predicted by the mathematical model due to insufficient data, a change in the structures, or a blockage, the problem could be overcome without having to wait for the flood to subside. The ability to provide the more refined level of flow control, with relatively little maintenance, and the advantage of post-construction inevent adjustment led to the HydroSlide being adopted.

To discuss how the Eliquo Hydrok HydroSlide solutions contact Dave Armstrong 01726 861900 dave.armstrong@eliquohydrok.co.uk

HYDROSLIDE RIVERS FLOW CONTROL REGULATORS HydroSlides can be configured to provide varying ‘stepped’ flow rates for discharge.

A proven cost effective technique for controlling flows and alleviating flooding Maximises permissible downstream flows Adjustable to ± 30 % from design flow Minimises upstream storage through constant discharge Simplifying design and construction of dam structures Manufactured to meet any design requirements

www.eliquohydrok.co.uk I T 01726 861 900

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OM-3 Specialists

With every hour that a hydro plant is not running, money is being lost! Moreover, having made a significant investment in the construction of a new station, it is important to maximise the potential income by minimising the unplanned downtime. “Everyone knows this” says Hydroplan’s head of Operations, Adam Veitch “but the reality of round-theclock monitoring is quite onerous”. This service is traditionally known as “O&M” but in reality a better description is Operations, Maintenance, Monitoring and Management (OM-3).

Hydroplan can offer a Total Asset Management service, but not every client wants or needs it. So OM-3 packages are tailored to each individual client’s needs.

Mandatory Compliance There are three areas where on-site checks are mandatory: • Post construction planning conditions Many schemes have ongoing planning conditions to monitor and report on aquatic life, habitat and protected mammals.

Proportional Response A weekend or evening call-out is expensive but in many cases it is justified because of the loss of income. However, it is always important to judge the benefit in comparison to the loss - especially on small schemes. “Where faults occur, in low income situations, it is sometimes more economically sensible to leave the turbine running at low power or even switch it off” says Gavin Hart, Operations Manager, “this is particularly relevant when river flows are low”.

Data, Data, Data A modern control system can be configured to provide a breadth of data - 15 to 60 minute logs of every function of the turbine and generator can be made available. And it is not just the equipment in the powerhouse that matters.

Sensors and weather stations at the intakes provide a fantastic amount of information which can be analysed and used to identify faults. Moreover, with the advent of cheaper digital cameras, it is possible to get a real-time view of what is happening at intakes and in the river.

Processing the data is done for 2 purposes: • Real time (on line) - short term analysis to identify (and in many cases rectify remotely) faults which have happened

• Post processing - longer term analysis to identify trends in performance of the various elements of the scheme. Together with the site log, this is a useful tool for informing the future maintenance operations e.g. pipe cleaning or turbine refurbishment.

Reporting is crucial to keeping clients informed about the health of (and income generated by) their hydro station. Daily reports are often useful, especially straight after commissioning a plant where there can be a recurring problem. However, a weekly ‘catchup’ combined with a monthly report and a review every 6 months is usually sufficient.

On-site With abundant data available online, it is easy to forget that there is a physical reality to a hydro scheme. This “reality” involves the need for regular inspection and maintenance visits.

A contract with a local competent person or company for the daily/weekly checks is essential. Similarly maintenance and service level contracts are useful for ensuring prompt and timely services.

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• Flow regime (compensation flow) checking and monitoring that the legal requirements described in the abstraction licence are being met are essential in order to avoid prosecution.

• Dam Safety - this is the most onerous (legally) of the compliance checks. It involves weekly records plus annual inspections from a highly experienced and qualified engineer.

Hydroplan has an experienced All Reservoir Panel Engineer as part of the team.

Adapting to the Environment The regulatory and technical environment changes over time. It is often necessary to design and manage modifications to stations as a result of operating experience. This can include changes to fishpass design and river bank revetment as well as the design and implementation of new civil and mechanical structures. However, most commonly, changes are related to the control and monitoring systems and consistent and reliable data is key.

“Things change…” says Adam “and our job is to predict the trends before they become a problem.”

Hydroplan specialise in hydropower, High Voltage, control and water related projects.

For more information, please visit www.hydroplan.co.uk or call 01202 886622

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Funding for rivers project A wildlife project on the River Severn has secured almost £20 million of funding, £10.8 million of it from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £6 million from the European Union LIFE programme.

The largest project of its kind ever attempted in Europe will reopen the UK’s longest river to all fish species, many of which became extinct in the upper reaches following the installation of weirs required to power the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s.

The work will remove blockages and increase access to important spawning grounds for species such as the now threatened twaite and allis shad, a species favoured in the court of Henry III.

It will also benefit other critically declining species such as salmon and the European eel – all species on which the communities along the banks of the River Severn were historically built.

The project was developed as part of a threeyear long collaborative partnership between the Severn Rivers Trust, the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency and Natural England.

Tony Bostock, chief executive officer of the Severn Rivers Trust, said: “This exciting project meets the aims of the Severn Rivers Trust and our partners in protecting and enhancing the Severn catchment. It will deliver multiple benefits to fisheries interests, anglers and a great many local communities along the Severn and Teme.”

Work to install the first of seven fish passes happens this year and the project will take approximately five years to complete.

Project will improve moors Yorkshire Water and partners Moors for the Future have embarked on a catchment management project in Snailsden and Thurlston Moors.

The work is part of a £2 million programme, in support of Natural England, to improve the condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

dug across Yorkshire’s upland peatlands in the mid-20th Century to improve the land for agriculture but many of these have become badly eroded over time.

Centuries of change have led to Yorkshire’s peatland habitats being degraded and over the next four years the partners will conserve and enhance 43 square miles of Yorkshire’s peat moorland, much of which the company owns and is designated as SSSI.

Approximately 4,000 peat turf and stone dams will be created in these grips and gullies to slow the water flow and also restore the water table. These will also trap peat sediment and help prevent it getting into water destined for customers’ water supplies meaning it’s easier to treat.

Unmanned aircraft have been used to map erosion features on SSSI moorlands and helped to identify areas for improvement.

The project on Snailsden and Thurlstone Moors will involve re-vegetation of eroded bare peat using local species including sphagnum

mosses. Sphagnum regeneration will help to reduce peat loss and maintain the natural water table.

Grips and moorland gullies will also be restored. Grips, or man-made drains, were

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Michael Toy, Yorkshire Water’s Project Manager said: “Because the moors are so remote we are using a helicopter to deliver the materials and the mosses to site.”

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z WATER CONSERVATION

Thinking smart to protect our

water supplies

The south east is one of the most economically active, fast paced regions in the UK. But with a significant increase in population growth and impact of climate change creating variable weather patterns, more than ever we we need to think about how best to protect our precious resources.

Each and every person gets up in the morning and relies on clean, wholesome water. This is as true today as it will be in 2080. Late last year, Water UK published its Long Term Water Resources Plan – which essentially provides a detailed look ahead to 2065. The report suggests that the impact on the economy of inaction is likely to be incredibly high, at a worst case scenario, in the order of £1.3bn per day. On a more positive note, it highlights the fact that, by taking concerted action now, we have every reason to be optimistic that we can find an effective response to this challenge.

the amount of water it abstracts. Catchment management is also important and it has also increased the number of people employed to manage community relations with farmers and other stakeholders. This increases the level of interaction with stakeholder groups around the management of environmental challenges such as pollution – thus keeping down the costs of treating the water to provide wholesome water to customers.

Faced with the challenge of responding to a 17% increase in its customer base by 2040, Affinity Water is very focused on securing resilient water supplies for customers, looking at the needs of customers today and planning for the longer term future.

But this is just a start. The industry is operating in an environment that is favourable from an investment perspective. There is a real opportunity now to look at the way the sector works and to come together as a collective group to develop the solutions that are necessary to meet the needs of future generations. Not necessarily to invest more, but to make smarter investment choices.

To that end, its 2015-2020 Business Plan is built upon industry leading targets to reduce leakage on its network by 14% by 2020 and to reduce

To do that requires the collective expertise of government, regulators and other industry players.

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Last year, Affinity Water commissioned KPMG to carry out some research into future business models. A report was produced which considers a range of different models, ranging from asset and licence swaps through to direct procurement or systems operator models. The decision to commission the report was not based upon a drive to set out a definitive onesize fits all solution, but to provide a concrete contribution to a wider collective debate that is taking place within planning groups such as WRSE and WRE. Given the scale of the challenge faced by the south east region, Affinity Water has been looking in detail at whether a single entity, able to identify efficient interconnection and water resource schemes, could play a role in ensuring efficient supply allocation across the south east. This would enable smarter investment choices and ultimately keep costs down for customers.

A single co-ordinating body focused on

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What is important is that we work together and build a collective vision for the future.

benefits for the region as a whole would break down the barriers and regulatory risk that companies’ currently face when making a case for cross border models. Moreover it would not be affected by individual company interests, but it would look at the region as a whole. Put simply, it is a mechanism to ensure water ends up where it needs to be at the most efficient cost.

This idea is not new to Affinity Water. In fact, its geographic position means flexibility and cross border co-ordination is a core part of

resilience planning. The company has been carrying out in depth modelling of different options to protect future water supplies. But it is keen to move this forward into more than just conceptual thinking. Its geographic position means that it has been tuned in to regional efficiency for a long-time. At the heart of its Business Plan for 2015–2020 sits an internal system operator model, one that has required it to develop the financial controls systems needed to manage the cost and volumes of sites, zones and transfers.

Christopher Offer, Director of Regulation at Affinity Water said: “The work we have done offers proof of concept that a regionally co-ordinated model can work and has great potential to deliver benefits for customers, for the environment and for the long-term future of the sector.

“We are not saying this is the only model for the future, nor would it be the appropriate solution for every catchment or region. I

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know that my peers are all considering the challenges in their supply area and looking at innovative ways to address them.

“What is important is that we work together and build a collective vision for the future.

We need to harness individual companies’ knowledge of their catchments and their customers in order to be able to agree a long term, collective vision of the future.

“Building on the work of planning groups such as WRSE and WRE, this collective knowledge and expertise can and will help us move these innovative models forward from theoretical concepts to reality. It does however, require a step change in the way things are done and an acknowledgement that barriers – issues such as blockers to data sharing – need to be clearly identified and addressed so that we can truly focus on the models that are most likely to deliver real customer and societal benefits.”

Improving customer experience with online communication and data sharing tools By designing bespoke online tools, ITS Stonbury have steered customer communication to fit the social media culture of today, maintaining customer interaction whilst building rapport and satisfaction through offering a fitting and efficient means of customer communication. Customers are informed at an early stage, kept updated throughout works and are even able to voice their opinions and ask questions - which has shown a significant positive impact on customer satisfaction.

This software is easily utilised by any customer facing organisation and can offer and reap the mutual benefits of a customer-centric innovation, taking interactive communication and satisfaction to a whole new level. intouch raises the bar and opens a completely different approach to the SupplierCustomer relationship in a generation where anything but slick, quick and effective delivery and exchange of information will rapidly become a thing of the past.

inprogress - keeps clients

intouch - get your

assetsafe - get a handle

informed and engaged without site visits.

customers onside and then keep them there.

your assets and make them work harder.

Keeping your clients regularly updated on the progress of your works, is a challenge. Client visits to site accompanied by endless email threads and phone calls are expensive in terms of time and organisational effort. Bringing your project team together in one place at one time, is becoming less and less feasible logistically.

Building a lasting and trusted customer brand is key for the success of your business, when your works are surrounded by busy communities, whose day-today existence is unavoidably disrupted.

Dialogue with these communities can be poor and customers feel they do not have a voice. This leads to reputational damage and spiralling complaint levels that cost you time and money to resolve.

Every organisation wants to deliver optimum value to its customers, its shareholders and its investors by “sweating its assets to the max”.

But you can’t sweat it if you don’t know you have it, where it is and what condition it’s in – and so your business performance (as well as your credibility to external bodies and stakeholders) can suffer.

intouch slashes these risks at a stroke, in one rapidly deployable community portal. Designed specifically for large, public-facing enterprises, it enables you to connect with a large number of customers directly, obtain their feedback on your works and their impact, handle their objections and monitor and respond to burgeoning issues. A customer complaint becomes a positive experience, driving up customer satisfaction and building a brand they can trust.

assetsafe puts you back in control of your assets, in one rapidly deployable portal. It’s a secure online asset database, visible to your team from any PC or mobile device, that maps an asset it to its location and all its critical associated information. This covers not only asset records, maintenance, programme works, and audit trails, but the photos and videos that add indispensable visual

inprogress solves the entire problem in one rapidly deployable client portal. Developed to enable your clients and all critical stakeholders, to follow the progress of works, comment on them and receive responses and updates remotely from their web enabled device. inprogress allows users to update visual and technical detail via an interactive platform for the discussion of the works and their consequences, allowing slick and effective management of project communication.

clues as to the state, availability and deployability of every asset.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z SMART METERING

Thames Water is currently rolling out smart meters across the capital

Being ‘smart’ crucial to avoiding water shortfall

Mumin Islam, Thames Water’s metering stakeholder manager, explains why engagement is the key to the company’s smart meter roll-out In 2007, the Thames Water area was designated an area of serious ‘water stress’ by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and we were empowered to consider the case for compulsory water metering as part of our overall plan to manage water resources.

By 2020, if we continue to use water at our current rate, London will have a shortfall of 133 million litres every day. That’s the amount needed by 850,000 people.

That’s why at Thames Water we’re looking to save water through reducing leakage and putting customers in control of their water use via our progressive roll-out of smart water meters.

In all of this, our main consideration has been for our customers, many of whom are already making savings. Late last year we installed our 100,000th meter and we have just started work in Brent and Hackney, our ninth and 10th London boroughs respectively.

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Progress is good, but there is more to do to ensure people are aware of what we are doing and, crucially, why it’s so important.

To this end, we write to all our customers in advance of fitting their meter to provide them with an overview of our programme. Our aim is to meet with every customer as part of our 1-2-1 engagement strategy, which allows us to offer our award-winning Smarter Home Visits.

These provide customers with tailored water

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

SMART METERING z

saving advice. 45,000 customers have taken up the offer of a Smarter Home Visit to date.

Those who take up our offer of a Smarter Home Visit have found that a family of four could save as much as £180 a year on their water and energy bills.

Smart meter data and these visits also allow our engineers to identify any leaks that may exist on pipes on the customers’ side – leaks we offer to repair free of charge. This is an important part of the programme as we’ve calculated that customer-side leaks account for more than a quarter of all leaks across our region.

As you would expect, communities have questions about the programme. For some, it may be concerns over paying their water bill. For others, it could be how smart meter technology will help reduce their water usage.

With our teams on hand, we’re able to talk to customers about financial support schemes, including two social tariffs, WaterSure and WaterSure Plus. We’re also harnessing technology to allow customers to view their usage and bills online.

It’s only through this direct engagement that we’re able to offer bespoke advice on how to make homes more efficient and to address specific concerns.

to-reach communities’ or those whose first language may not be English. Through drop-in sessions, radio and TV appearances and translating customer literature, we’re able to build a greater understanding and appreciation for being smarter with water right across our capital.

Our engagement team have additionally placed a great emphasis on targeting ‘hard-

Through our engagement, customers are adapting their behaviours and saving money

in the process, which is so important when addressing any potential shortfall in water.

Our message is clear - this is the fairest way to pay for what you use, value what you pay for and promote more efficient use of water.

For more information on this roll out and to order water saving devices, please visit www.thameswater.co.uk/freebies

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59

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z ADVERTORIAL

Going back to Z-Tech roots!

Some of you will know that before starting Z-Tech Control Systems, Michael Swinhoe started Z-Tech as ‘Z-Tech Dyno Systems’ – a company founded to follow Michael’s passion for motorbikes (more specifically the Kawasaki Z’s) with one of the very first mobile dyno tuning systems (a rolling road), built by Michael and friends.

They took the dyno to the Isle of Man TT race from 1996-2000, where they conducted power runs and tuning on motorbikes, specifically at the Suzuki stand – they even repaired the TT 750cc class winner’s bike in 1998 before his winning run!

Z-Tech Control Systems is now some 17 years old, built on foundation on being the gold standard, all about solving customer problems and building long-standing relationships.

Going back to our roots, Z-Tech are excited to announce the sponsorship of Lukasz Zuchowski, a very promising and worthy motorcycle racer who has completed in the British Motorcycle Racing Club at club level for the 2016 season.

Lukasz is a Bus Driver by trade, and has selffinanced his racing. With Z-Tech support he will now move into the National Series for 2017, with the ultimate aim of competing in the all-Electric TT Zero in 2018 – a spearhead in electric vehicle development.

Michael Swinhoe said: “Lukasz bought my own Kawasaki ZX10r to convert into his race bike and after hearing his story we discussed the possibility of sponsorship at the following Z-Tech Board meeting. He’s currently one of the only entrants to be totally self-funding, and the Z-Tech Board welcomed the idea to help him out – he came third in his championship, on his own, so definitely has the talent.”

“We need to get Lukasz through another year of traditional racing, then he will have enough experience to enter the all-electric Isle of Man TT – and we’ll spend the year looking at suitable electric motorbike manufacturers for the 2018 race.”

Z-Tech will be updating on progress throughout 2017, and we welcome you to come along to see the racing for yourself, with complementary tickets for Water Industry Journal readers – email sales@z-tech.co.uk for details.

Support Z-Tech for WaterAid As part of Lukasz’s promotion, we’ve commissioned these limited edition t-shirts, he’s no. 17, we are 17 this year - a winning combination.

If you’d like to show your support, please use the link and donate a minimum of £10, ALL of your money will go to WaterAid! justgiving.com/fundraising/Z-TechWaterAid

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Date

Location

29-30 April

Silverstone International

20-21 May

Snetterton 300

17-18 June

Donington Park National

15-16 July

Brands Hatch GP

4-5 August

Oulton Park

26-27 August - Bank Holiday

Brands Hatch Indy

16-17 September

Cadwell Park

7-8 October

Snetterton 300

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

U DO?

Work to deliver future flood reduction to begin

ved in Rainwis e d your proper by making ty e risk of flood which in e, as well as sa g in your ving you

work is expected to begin Work on a new community- The in September and take up to six months to complete. Key areas led initiative aimed For more infor mation about include Dene Close, Wheatfield Rainwise, visit: www.nw at reducing the risk of l.co.uk/rainwise Close, Castle View, Dene Garth .

To find out mo re about the woand Piper Road. rk flooding proactively we’re cawill rrying ouget t in your area and to have yo Residents in Ovingham are ur say, visit: www.nwlcomm underway next month. being invited to find out unityportal.co.u

Ways to help:

• Only toilet pap er, go down the loo pee and poo . else can cause Anything blockages and increase the sewer flooding. risk of • Reduce the amount of water getting into our sewer system using water wis by ely - switching the tap off while teeth can save you brush your up to six litres of water each tim e.

or call us on 03

45 717 1100.

Northumbrian Water is investing £785,000 to upgrade the sewer network that serves @nwa ter_care Prudhoe, Wylam and Ovingham, as part of its surface water management programme, Rainwise.

• Connect the dow your rainwater npipe from gut water butt to cap tering to a You can use this ture rainwater. plants or wash to water your your car.

• Reduce the amount of har d surfaces in you r by using rainwa garden or yard ter planters which will red uce the amoun t of rainwater going directly into the drains.

• Use permeabl e paving when renewing patios which absorb and drives rainwater and allow it to filte r naturally thro ugh the ground.

The initiative, which is being rolled out in locations across the North East, involves working with communities to identify opportunities to reduce the amount of surface water that enters the sewer network.

Don’t forget to let about any surfac us know ewill water help to reduce the risk of potential This issues affectin g community by your visiting in areas that have not necessarily flooding nwlcommun ityportal.co.uk or calling 034 suffered 5 717 1100 flooding before, while providing

additional benefit to those that have.

www.from Work will begin in Wylam Monday nwl.co.u k/rainwise www.nwlcoto mm March 13, 2017 and is expected take unityaround portal.co.uk seven weeks to complete.

The programme will then move into Prudhoe at the end of April and is expected to take up to 11 weeks to complete.

During the work, contractors ESH-MWH will install a total of nearly 300 metres of additional sewer pipe to help increase capacity in the network across key areas. These include Dene Road in Wylam and Tyne View, Castle Road and Maple Grove in Prudhoe.

A swale, a long grassy channel that collects rainwater naturally, will also be created in land between Rowan Grove and Prudhoe Castle First School.

In Ovingham, proposals are being developed to deliver the Rainwise scheme in partnership with Northumberland County Council’s own surface water management project.

Northumberland County Council has developed a funding package of £717,000 for surface water management in Ovingham from the local flood levy, flood defence grant in aid and the council itself.

k more about the joint project and give their feedback on the proposals at a drop-in customer information session on Tuesday March 7 2017 between 3.30pm and 6.30pm at Ovingham Reading Room, West Road, NE42 6BW.

rainwise Working with co to manage rain mmunities water

The various agencies will be on hand to speak through the proposals in detail and plans of the work will also be on display.

Northumbrian Water’s Project Manager, Ian Davison, said: “A growing population, heavier rainfall and more hard surfaces that don’t absorb water are putting increasing pressure on our sewer network.

“Increasing the capacity in the network is particularly important to reduce the risk of flooding during heavy rainfall.

“We’re committed to working in partnership to reduce the risk of flooding in a cost effective and sustainable way and I would like to encourage our customers to get involved in our Rainwise initiative too.

“Making small changes at home, such as installing a water butt or creating a rain garden, can help manage rainwater in a natural environment and benefit the community as a whole.

Council said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Northumbrian Water through the Rainwise programme.

“Any improvements which reduce the risk of flooding and its impact on residents are most welcome. I would encourage Ovingham residents to go along to the customer information session in March to find out more about the proposed work.”

“While our work is carried out we will do everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum and would like to thank the community for their cooperation.”

Customers can visit www.nwlcommunityportal.co.uk for regular updates and progress about the work being carried out in the area, or by calling Northumbrian Water on 0345 717 1100 or tweeting @nwater_care.

Cllr Ian Swithenbank, cabinet member for local services at Northumberland County

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

We’re committed to working in partnership to reduce the risk of flooding in a cost effective and sustainable way and I would like to encourage our customers to get involved in our Rainwise initiative too.

61

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2017

z NEWS

Major investment to benefit South Devon’s tap water Work has started on a £6 million project to deliver even better drinking water to customers in South Devon.

South West Water is investing £6 million at Tottiford Water Treatment Works, near Bovey Tracey, to install six new granular activated carbon filters, a new pumping station and a state-of-the-art ultraviolet disinfection system at the works.

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection uses UV light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses sometimes found in the untreated reservoir water.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) is a specially engineered porous material with a large internal surface area - just one teaspoon has the same surface area as a football pitch.

Chris Rockey, Head of Drinking Water Quality, said: “We already have some of the best tap water in the country but this major investment in additional treatment will deliver even better drinking water to our customers in South Devon.”

Due to its large surface area and special surface chemistry, it can remove natural and man-made organic matter sometimes present in Fernworthy, Kennick, Trenchford and Tottiford reservoirs, which supply the water treatment works.

This approach was undertaken successfully at Restormel and Wendron water treatment works in Cornwall in 2014.

Water that has passed through the GAC and UV treatment process will start being introduced into supply from March 2018.

Milestone reached as Scottish Water hits renewable power target

Scottish Water is facilitating the generation of more renewable power than it consumes for the first time since it launched efforts to reduce its energy bill and increase renewable generation five years ago.

The company, which provides services to customers across Scotland, is one of the biggest users of electricity in the country and requires about 445 Gigawatt hours (GWh) per year across 4,500 sites such as water and waste water treatment works.

This is enough to power nearly 140,000 homes occupied by more than 300,000 people, Through a combination of Scottish Water’s own investment in renewable energy and hosting private investment on its estate, the company now generates and hosts more renewable power than it consumes annually and is on course to double this by 2018.

Scottish Water’s increase in renewable power generation supports the Scottish Government’s renewable heat and carbon reduction targets and has been achieved by improving energy efficiency, increasing self-generation and hosting private renewable investment on the company’s estate.

Roseanna Cunningham, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, said: “By generating and hosting more

renewable power than they consume, they are providing a great example to other companies of how improving energy efficiency and investing in renewable power can have a real impact. For them, renewable power is lowering their electricity bill, helping to keep customers’ water charges low.”

“Scottish Water has installed more than 4,000 smart meters to target energy opportunities and, in just three years, these have raised the annual financial benefits to more than £7m, cut carbon emissions by 16% since 2006-7 and facilitated more than £330m of private investment on its estate.

Chris Toop, general manager of Scottish Water’s energy programme, said: “Every day, Scottish Water provides customers 1.37 billion litres of drinking water before collecting and treating 921 million litres of waste water.

“Facilitating more renewable power than we consume makes a significant contribution to keeping the long-term cost of providing vital water and waste water services as low as possible, while supporting national economic, carbon and renewable energy targets.”

“Providing those essential services requires a lot of power but our infrastructure also provides opportunities for us to maximise value from that asset base and fulfil our duty to act sustainably in the delivery of our services.

“We have invested in a number of innovative measures such as low-carbon, low-cost treatment technologies and doubled our renewable energy capacity to more than 54GWh through hydro, wind, photovoltaic solar, biomass boilers and combined heat and power.

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Dave Thomson, Director of Finance with Scottish Water Horizons Ltd, the public utility’s commercial subsidiary which has made a significant contribution to the company’s renewables targets, said: “We have invested £16m in various renewables technologies over the last few years and have committed to invest a further £50m in sustainable energy production, enhancing energy security, job creation and ultimately keeping costs low for customers.”

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