Water Industry Journal 24

SEPT2022

ISSUE24

Wastewater Treatment & Technology • Improving Drinking Water Quality • Digital Transformation Leak Detection & Repair • Pump Technology & Innovation • Phosphorus Removal

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Welcome

Collective support is needed for Plan to succeed These are stormy times for UK water utilities.

Facing widespread criticism over perceived lack of investment in infrastructure, and with a huge public outcry over the ongoing failings of ageing systems like storm overflows, it looks like the tide has turned (no pun intended).

Editor Karen Southern

DEFRA has released its Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, detailing ‘the largest infrastructure project to restore the environment in water company history’.

The onus is on water companies to invest more than ever before, while remaining mindful of the impact on bills in the midst of our unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.

For the first time, the companies, regulators and the Government have been set clear and specific targets to work towards a longterm goal of eliminating the environmental harm caused by ‘unacceptable’ use of storm overflows.

The good news is that by 2025 the water companies will already have reduced resultant sewage discharges from 2020 levels by 25%.(1) And of course, innovation and new ways of thinking will bring the sector on in leaps and bounds.

There are also, as always, two sides to every story. As Water UK pointed out earlier this year in response to the then proposals, meeting such targets also rely on government action: reducing the years of regulatory approval needed to improve some overflows; closing loopholes allowing developers the right to overload sewers; and much-need action on flushed wet wipes and ‘spill-triggering’ fatbergs.

In a recent statement, a spokesman added: “This plan represents a step forward in the urgent collective mission to tackle our

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reliance on storm overflows and builds on the spending from water companies that’s already underway. Companies agree there is an urgent need to do more and are ready to invest to achieve these ambitious plans.

“Additional action from government, regulators and other sectors could bring greater environmental benefits. Government should close the loophole that allows housing developers the right to overload sewers and also take action on the flushed wet wipes that create the fatbergs that cause so many blockages. A greater focus on keeping rainwater out of sewers, via measures such as sustainable drainage, would also tackle the source of the problem and help bring about the transformation we all want to see.”

Meanwhile, despite government concerns about affordability, a new survey says that nearly one-third (32%) of the people polled(2) would be prepared to pay more for their water bills if the money was invested in better infrastructure to prevent future water shortages and reduce the risk of flooding and droughts.

The research, commissioned by corporate reputation management consultancy Cavendish Advocacy, shows that nearly twothirds (65%) of UK adults were worried about the water crisis. It also pointed out that the prolonged heatwave has seen a shift in public behaviour with a significant majority (70%) of those polled “making a conscious effort to save water”.

Collective efforts like these, which should be further highlighted in large-scale public awareness campaigns, will hopefully help steer us through the current crises.

(1) Estimate based on the water company commitments set out in Annex 4 of the Plan (2) 1,021 adults were surveyed across the UK. The data was collected by Focaldata on 17-18 August 2022

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34 WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Contents

4-5

Contents

6-14

News

18-22 Wastewater Treatment & Technology 26-27 Improving Drinking Water Quality 30-35 Digital Transformation 38-39 Leak Detection & Repair 44-47 Pump Technology & Innovation 48-55 Phosphorus Removal

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Editor

Karen Southern karen.southern@distinctivegroup.co.uk

39 56

Design

Distinctive Media Group Ltd, 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square, Newcastle, NE1 6UF distinctivegroup.co.uk

Advertising

David Lancaster Business Development Manager Tel: 0191 580 5476 david.lancaster@distinctivegroup.co.uk

Distinctive Media Group Ltd 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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News

Severn Trent choose te-ion Advanced Oxidation to reduce sludge bulking TM

Severn Trent has awarded Te-Tech a contract to install te-ionTM at its Chipping Campden wastewater treatment works. Like many activated sludge plants, Chipping Campden suffers from severe sludge bulking, that is poor sludge settleability and high suspended solids in the final effluent, during the summer period.

Sludge bulking is due to the prevalence of filamentous bacteria in the activated sludge, in small numbers these bacteria help flocculation, acting like polyelectrolytes to produce larger, stronger flocs. But, when they become too populous, the density of the flocs is reduced and they begin to float. The usual remedy is adding chemicals – nutrients, polyelectrolytes and selected bacteria supplements. But there’s another way.

Filamentous bacteria are particularly susceptible to reactive oxygen species like peroxide, ozone and free hydroxyl radicals. The te-ion advanced oxidation process destroys the bacteria selectively, without the use of chemicals, by passing some of the aeration air through an electrical glow discharge, generating a non-thermal plasma which contains a wide range of reactive oxygen species. The plasma containing the reactive oxygen species is introduced into the aeration

reactor along with the aeration air, via the diffuser system. The active oxygen destroys the bacteria and dramatically reduces sludge bulking without affecting the biological treatment process.

“We were impressed by Te-Tech’s process knowledge and the te-ion technology’s track record. Their in-house control panel designand-build capability and their experience of system integration gave us confidence that this retrofit would be implemented successfully,” said Andy Harkin of Severn Trent Water Design is underway and the project is on schedule for delivery and installation at the end of September and hand over at the beginning of October.

For out more: www.te-tech.co.uk/products/ wastewater-treatment-products/te-ion

DECEMBER2021 ISSUE21

ISSUE20 SEPTEMBER2021

Improving Asset Health • Trenchless Technolo Wastewater Treatmen gy • Wastewater Monitori t & Technology • Sludge ng & Analysis Management • Pressure Sensors for Water Pipelines

If you would like to participate in the December edition of Water Industry Journal we shall be featuring: Pressure Sensors for Water Pipelines

Water & Wastewater Monitoring & Analysis

Digital Transformation

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Contact David Lancaster on 0191 580 5476 or email david.lancaster@distinctivegroup.co.uk for more information.

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News

Digital technologies have key role in reducing pollution British Water Chief Executive Lila Thompson says the water industry must embrace new technologies to combat increasing concerns over pollution.

The latest report from the Environment Agency calls for much stricter enforcement of water quality measures, as public, political and media pressure heighten around the issue of surface water pollution. So how should industry leaders respond to these regulatory pressures, and what role can the supply chain play in tackling the myriad reasons pollution happens?

Thankfully there are plenty of proven solutions already available. As the UK’s leading water sector trade association, British Water works very closely with its membership - a vibrant supplier community that is continually researching, developing and innovating.

Companies providing digital technologies, smart water monitoring, advanced membranes and flexible wastewater treatment systems can all help water utilities meet environmental and regulatory requirements, and avoid reputational harm, by reducing the risk of serious pollution incidents.

While the water sector has traditionally lagged behind other industries in adopting digital technologies, it is now on the path to transformation. Examples include deployment of remote sensing equipment to improve the reliability of flood and drought predictions, realtime monitoring of water quantity and quality within watersheds, along with enhanced asset management tools and processes.

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Powerful tools

Internet of things (IoT) connected devices, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning, are also emerging as powerful tools in achieving sustainable, resilient, and equitable access to water. Used in combination, digital technologies have the potential to revolutionise every aspect of water and wastewater management, including maintaining and expanding water infrastructure, detecting leaks and anomalies in the water distribution system, as well as identifying emerging water contaminants and improving the water treatment process.

In addition, the use of building information modelling (BIM) has had one of the biggest impacts on water services of any recent digital innovations. Its use in design and construction has enabled huge efficiencies in the way capital schemes are delivered, while leaving behind a legacy of better information which supports better asset operation, maintenance and upgrades.

Knowledge sharing

With utilities ready to harness the benefits of digital water solutions - collaboration and knowledge sharing will be key to its success

moving forward. In order to help facilitate this necessary shift, on 3 November 2022 British Water will be hosting its annual Data Conference in London.

This year’s event will continue the discussion on ways to realise digital transformation for the water industry. It will provide an excellent forum for discussion around how collaboration can boost the use of data and analytics to drive efficiency and sustainability.

This is all the more pressing as the UK moves towards the next regulatory asset management period - AMP8, which runs from 2025-30, and the water sector seeks to embrace a progressive culture of consultation, collaboration and digital innovation.

Public awareness of the way water is managed in the environment may be a point of pain for the industry as it scrambles to catch up with expectations, but the focus is long overdue, and should be welcomed as an opportunity to drive innovation. New technologies and ways of working will deliver multiple benefits, not only for utilities and suppliers but also – crucially - for the environment and wider society.

To find out more visit britishwater.co.uk/events/eventdetails.

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News

Wessex Water has proven that a nature-based alternative to chemical dosing reduces phosphorus in treated wastewater Constructed wetlands could successfully deliver a natural alternative to chemically treating wastewater before it is returned to the environment, according to the pioneering project by Wessex Water.

The company’s unique 0.8 hectare wetland site at Cromhall Water Recycling Centre started operating last year to ensure water quality and ecology in nearby Tortworth Brook was protected and enhanced.

The investigation into the effectiveness of the rural South Gloucestershire site – the first of its kind in the water industry designed to remove phosphorus from sewage effluent – assessed how the wetland removed nutrients, organic pollutants and chemicals and delivered biodiversity enhancement following its construction.

Findings revealed that such wetlands can keep the concentration of phosphorus in effluent within permitted limits. Further ongoing academic research demonstrates that the wetlands also help to effectively remove microplastics and more than 70 per cent of some compounds from the water, and reduced bacteria released into the environment by more than 95 per cent.

Ruth Barden, Director of Environmental Solutions at Wessex Water said: “Essentially, Cromhall is the first example of using a sustainable alternative to chemical dosing to achieve phosphorus reductions at sewage works and there has been a high level of interest as companies look to achieve net zero carbon and identify opportunities for wider environmental gains.

“As well as phosphorus removal, wetlands address other water quality parameters, such as bacterial reduction and their resistance to diseases and infections, as well as microplastics, which have implications for discharges to areas such as inland bathing waters.’’

The Cromhall investigation was included in the WINEP (Water Industry National Environment Programme), with outcomes reported to the Environment Agency earlier this year.

It’s part of Wessex Water’s drive to deliver wider environmental benefits, including net zero carbon, biodiversity gains, improved river water quality and a reduction in flood risk.

The company’s pioneering approach focuses on research into the effectiveness of nature-based solutions. The outcomes of this investigation are likely to be closely monitored as water companies address their own environmental challenges and tackle government guidance which advocates using

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The site showed a 111% increase in biodiversity value (Biodiversity Metric 3.0) similar measures to achieve water quality and wider environmental targets.

Findings

The wetland appeared to be most effective in the summer months, with lower water flows, warmer temperatures, more daylight and significant macrophyte growth contributing to the positive findings.

On average, annual concentrations of phosphorus were reduced to within the proposed permit limit of three milligrammes of phosphorus per litre at Cromhall WRC. The report concluded: “To allow naturebased solutions such as Cromhall ICW (Integrated Constructed Wetland) to become viable alternatives to ‘traditional’ treatment approaches, there needs to be acceptance that the performance will vary due to the natural processes involved.’’

Included in the findings on water quality were a 27.5 per cent reduction in total phosphorus, a 62 per cent reduction in ammonia and more than 60 per cent in nitrogen.

The investigation also determined a 111 per cent increase in biodiversity value, with the projected increase expected to continue significantly over a 30-year period.

“These findings will help to inform how the site should be managed going forward to ensure the best balance between water quality removal performance and biodiversity value,” Ruth added.

“They also offer evidence towards our future investment decisions as we strive for a more sustainable approach towards improving water quality and local biodiversity of our water courses and achieve lower carbon and more cost-effective solutions for both sewage works discharges and storm overflows.

“We hope that this report will inform government policy and the evidence base to enable more wetland solutions to be implemented in the future by all water companies, not just Wessex Water.’’

An executive summary of the Cromhall Wetland Investigation report that was submitted to the Environment Agency is available at Cromhall wetlands trial (wessexwater.co.uk)

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A perfect storm: Responding to new legislative pressures around storm overflows Nick Barker, of Weightmans law firm, explains what the major new legislation means for water companies, the imperative of ensuring regulatory compliance in the short term, and steps that can be taken to do so.

Over recent weeks water companies have faced further scrutiny over excess sewage and rainwater discharges, caused by flooding, into the seas around Britain. This adds to a sustained period over which discharges into waters have come under review.

The issue of storm overflows is not a new one; its current status reflects the complexity of the problem. Like many, water companies have long regarded the situation as unacceptable but lacked the necessary statutory and regulatory framework to act. This has changed with the passing of the Environment Act 2021 and the publication of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (the Plan), marking a watershed in the industry’s approach to the issue.

The Environment Act sets out a requirement for sewerage undertakers to secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of storm overflow discharges, while the Plan provides clear and unambiguous requirements for what is needed.

Regulatory shifts

The Plan sets out ambitious targets requiring water companies to participate in a mandatory £56bn investment project to fix the long-standing issue of storm overflow discharges. Two clear targets are: By 2035, water companies must have improved all overflows discharging into or near all designated bathing water, and improved 75% of those discharging to high priority sites By 2050, no storm overflows will be permitted to operate outside of unusually heavy rainfall or cause any adverse ecological harm Progress against this plan will be scrutinised

by Ofwat, the economic regulator for the water industry, and the Environment Agency (EA), the environmental regulator in England.

Supporting them to do so are strengthened monitoring and reporting requirements, including: 100% coverage of Storm Overflows through Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) by

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enforcement notices, prosecuting companies in the criminal courts and in extreme cases even jailing individuals whose companies are responsible for the most serious incidents (although that hasn’t happened to date).

These risks have increased following recent public scrutiny, including an investigation by the Office for Environmental Protection into the roles of Ofwat, the EA and Defra in the regulation of combined sewer overflows, alongside active investigation by the EA. In addition to the long-term measures required to tackle storm overflows, water companies will be looking to:

Nick Barker is a Principal Associate at national law firm Weightmans. He is a specialist environmental lawyer in environmental compliance, regulatory investigations and enforcement action.

Nick is a key member of the firm’s water group and has good insights into water companies having worked on secondment for a well-known water/ wastewater company.

2023, requiring companies to report the frequency and duration of spills Storm Overflow data to be published annually, with frequency and duration data required in near real time Monitoring the water quality impact of assets that discharge sewage into river systems

What should water companies be doing in the short term?

Water companies will be reviewing the Plan and carefully considering what it means for long-term planning and future investment.

The scale of this project cannot be understated.

The immediate challenges presented by storm overflows will not, however, go away. Where water companies aren’t meeting existing legal obligations, the EA have a range of options available to them, including issuing

1. Strengthen compliance Water companies will be regularly reviewing their environmental management systems to ensure they are proactively monitoring compliance with existing legislation such as the Environmental Permitting Regulations and the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations.

2. Take commitments seriously Monitoring conditions and reporting requirements are already included within discharge permits for each storm overflow identified. However, a wider approach to investigation and reporting can provide insight into common causes and demonstrate proactivity to regulators and stakeholders.

3. Harness the potential of data - knowledge is power Improving EDM data provides a robust and consistent way of monitoring storm overflows. Water companies should consider the potential of data generated by increased monitoring responsibilities, with opportunities to: engage real-time data analytics solutions to support operational decisions; provide elevated insight into operational risk management; inform investigations into discharges; and engage with stakeholders.

The Plan will help water companies bring much needed improvement to Britain’s antiquated Victorian sewer infrastructure and have a positive impact on the environment.

Alongside a commitment to achieving its longterm objectives, a key focus will be ensuring current legal obligations regarding storm overflows are being complied with.

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News

New water treatments works opens for sustainable reservoir use

More than 1,400 households in West Cumbria are the first to receive their water from a brand new £300m pipeline and treatment works.

Since 2015, United Utilities has been constructing a 100km pipeline to provide 80,000 households and businesses in West Cumbria with a more sustainable source of water from Thirlmere reservoir. At the time construction started it was the largest project of its kind in the UK. A new treatment works and two service reservoirs have also been built. The works at Williamsgate is capable of treating up to 80 million litres of high quality water every day and features the latest technology.

The water treatment works will also be able to harness its own green energy from the force of the water arriving at the plant after it has travelled 30km from Thirlmere Reservoir. The site has been installed with a hydro turbine which can generate 80kW of renewable hydroelectricity – enough to meet 40% of the

site’s needs or the equivalent of 175 homes.

The project has provided employment for more than 50 Cumbrian firms and injected over £52m into the local economy. United Utilities has also provided placements for eight young people who were not in employment, education or training and jobs for three apprentices.

As well as facing a global pandemic, United Utilities and its contractors had to work through parts of a national park and take into account environmentally designated sites, archaeological sites and urban areas.

During construction more than 400,000 tonnes of earth was moved at Williamsgate.

The excavated earth was retained on site and has now been used to help with the landscaping of the area. The site was designed

To have the first customers receiving water through their taps from the new treatment works is a fantastic achievement for us.

John Hilton, Project Director at United Utilities

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to merge into the natural contours of the surrounding environment and incorporates a living green roof to mitigate against any visual impact on the landscape.

John Hilton, Project Director at United Utilities, said: “To have the first customers receiving water through their taps from the new treatment works is a fantastic achievement for us. This is one of the largest feats of engineering we’ve ever undertaken at United Utilities and I’m incredibly proud of the work that has been done by all our teams and contractors to deliver it.

“Throughout the project we’ve thought about the local environment we’re working in and have embraced the latest technology to ensure we’ve delivered a treatment works and network that will provide West Cumbria with a more sustainable water supply.”

Previously, this part of Cumbria received their water from Ennerdale and other local sources.

Ennerdale, its lake and the River Ehen, are host to protected species and along with a growing population it was decided a more sustainable source was needed and a number of options were reviewed.

All other customers who will be moving onto Thirlmere water are expected to be connected to the new supply by the end of autumn and will receive advance notification of the change.

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Delivering smart solutions for septicity monitoring As one of the UK’s most innovative and proactive water companies, Yorkshire Water has embarked on a ground-breaking project, utilising a first-of-its-kind, smart sensor solution to monitor, manage and control septicity. ATi’s Senior Service Engineer, Mark Holmes, discusses how this latest technology is transforming wastewater and sewer network management, offering the ultimate smart septicity solution.

Septic sewage delivered into an activated sludge plant creates considerable process complications, with far-reaching consequences across the whole water distribution system and the environment. With regulations now more stringent, managing and controlling septicity has become increasingly complex and is one of the most critical challenges in wastewater treatment, with high levels proving costly due to toxicity, corrosion and odour.

Until now, water professionals traditionally used a range of monitoring techniques, including weekly samples, analysing sediments, controlling flow and developing aerobic environments. Controlling septicity also relied on maintaining the supply of oxygen to oxidise previously formed Sulfide; minimising Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas emissions into the atmosphere, deodorising vented air and the use of protective coatings on pipes. However, as one of the only specialist manufacturers of both water and gas analytical sensors, ATi knew that negative Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP) readings in the region of -150mV and below, paired with high H2S gas values of 5ppm and above, were an indicator of septicity. By applying decades of expertise, ATi developed SeptiNet to provide a unified, smart solution for septicity monitoring and detection, utilising class-leading H2S gas and ORP water quality sensing.

As one of the UK’s most forward-thinking water companies, Yorkshire Water were keen to embrace these technological advances and became the first water utility to install the only pioneering, all-in-one septicity monitoring solution within a recently refurbished CSO as part of their drive for optimisation, resilience and safeguarding the environment. SeptiNet’s scalable, modular nature enables its operators to monitor wastewater quality, offering real-time, continuous data to their preferred platform via wireless or wired communications, delivering critical values to identify pollution issues.

Safeguarding Sewage

Wastewater becomes septic when organic matter decomposes and forms a foul smell, due to the absence of free oxygen. This common problem occurs within sewers when low flows and long retention times combine, resulting in bacteria multiplying in the anaerobic conditions that creates septicity. Consequent formation of H2S gas then causes a nuisance with its characteristic foul smell, leading to customer complaints. This lethal gas also

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causes a hazard during entry into chambers and its reaction with moisture results in the formation of Sulphuric Acid, which has a costly, corrosive effect.

SeptiNet’s pioneering, preventative nature sees the ORP sensor submerged within the channel’s flow using ATi’s stainless steel, post-mount bracket system, offering flexibility when either positioning the sensor or when removing it for maintenance and cleaning.

The H2S gas sensor is then positioned above the channel and away from the sample water, with consideration taken as to where the H2S gas can be measured. Both sensors are directly hardwired into a GSM, which can be mounted either internally or externally to the CSO. The unique nature of this combined data offers early indications of septicity, enabling access to data for both online and offline analysis and modelling. This provides operators with an alert, allowing early decisions whether to dose chemical to counteract the septicity, or divert the flow.

Early data from this project confirms the CSO is “healthy”, with ORP and H2S values within the accepted range. However, if these levels deviate from the norm, it allows the water company to take preventative measures before septicity compromises the whole sewer network.

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Solutions for a Smarter Future

Wastewater Treatment & Technology

Esher sewage treatment works alongside the River Mole

Thames Water sets out 25-year collaborative plan for drainage and wastewater Thames Water has published its draft 25-year plan for drainage and wastewater management.

The draft, which is open for public consultation until 22 September 2022, aims to ensure an ambitious, resilient and sustainable wastewater service for the future.1 The Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan 2025-2050 (DWMP) details the long-term risks to local infrastructure due to population growth and climate change. To tackle these challenges, the company has unveiled plans to encourage partnerships, which will drive more sustainable solutions with wider societal benefits.

The plan was drafted following 900 hours of interactive stakeholder engagement with Thames Water partners, including input from 550 customer households, 70 local authorities, 50 organisations (including the Environment Agency) and numerous environmental groups at a national, regional and local level.

What are the challenges facing London and the Thames Valley?

The population in London and the Thames Valley region is predicted to grow by 2.7

million by 20502, while extreme weather events resulting from climate change and the loss of ‘spongy’ surfaces and green areas which can absorb water is expected to put extra pressure on the company’s wastewater and drainage services. The need to plan effectively for the long term is essential, and this plan sets out innovative solutions required to overcome these challenges.

Thames Water and partners’ suggested approach

Nature-based infrastructure is at the centre of the proposed plan to tackle flooding, protect homes and reduce storm discharges. This includes: providing sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) to 7,000 hectares of land in London3 (The company has previously provided sustainable solutions to flood risk areas by delivering rain-gardens, rain-collecting roofs and SuDS installations in parks and streets as well as wetland creation and river restoration) investment in Thames Water’s sewage treatment works to increase capacity and provide more efficiencies a plan to prevent wastewater pollution; leading wider efforts to restore river health and create thriving natural environments.

Nature-based infrastructure is at the centre of the proposed plan to tackle flooding, protect homes and reduce storm discharges.

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At the end of the public consultation, comments on the plan will be factored into the finalised plan to be published in March 2023. The finalised DWMP will inform Thames Water’s business plan for 2025-2030.

Sarah Bentley, Thames Water CEO, said: “Over the next 25 years and beyond, we must be able to meet the challenges of climate change and population growth, while continuing to provide wastewater services to our customers.

“Flooding can be a devastating experience and we’re seeing more and more the pressures significant rainfall events can put on our network, so we want to take action to stop rainwater getting into the sewers in the first place, so as not needing to be sent to our sewage works for treatment.

“Delivering positive outcomes for our customers, the communities we serve and the natural environment across our region is at the heart of this proposed plan and our values as a company. So, I’m excited to be sharing our collective vision for creating a more sustainable and green solutions-based approach to drainage and wastewater, while providing greater access to our sites and green spaces.

“Working collaboratively with our partners will make a big difference to wastewater activities for future generations and our precious environment.”

1. The draft DWMP was created in partnership with customers, community and environment groups and regulators such as the Environment Agency, that have responsibilities for, or an interest in, drainage and wastewater services in Thames Water’s region.

2. Figures based on Local Authority-based growth forecasts alongside population projections from the Office for National Statistics (as assessed in 2018).

3. 7,200 hectares is the equivalent of 50 Hyde Parks.

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• PolyBlend liquid Polymer Feed Systems • Powder polymer make-up systems • Varea-Meter® Variable Area Flowmeters • Encore Pumps and skid packaged systems • Dry Chemical Feed Systems • Site based electro-chlorination systems • Bespoke engineering solutions

For more information or to discuss a project please contact Aran Bray Mobile: +44 (0) 7557 363 728

Main Office: +44 (0) 1622 719945 Email: aran.bray@waterprocesssolutions.com

www.waterprocesssolutions.com

MecMex™ Mechanically cleaned CSO Screen

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Operating principles

Advantages and benefits

Unique patented wedge wire material

New build or retrofit

Configured to minimise headloss

Single or double-sided weirs

Cleaned using opposing brushes on both sides

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Hydraulic and close coupled electrical drive systems available

Package CSO option UK designed, manufactured, and installed

Tailored screening design and manufacturing using our well proven wedge wire screening technology; for installations of reliable, cost effective and low maintenance screening solutions.

Wastewater Management

Clean Water Management

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ELIQUO HYDROK LTD I T 01726 862000 I sales@eliquohydrok.co.uk

Wastewater Treatment

Sludge Treatment

www.eliquohydrok.co.uk

Wastewater Treatment & Technology

Opex costs and carbon footprint cut at Carbarns WwTW Carbarns Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) is located in Wishaw, to the SouthEast of Glasgow, within the Clyde River valley. The site is part of the ‘Clyde 7’ group of Scottish Water treatment facilities, serving a population of over 54,000 from Wishaw and Overtown areas. Along with the inlet works, the site has primary and secondary treatment and phosphorous removal. Treated water from the plant is discharged into the River Clyde.

The 6 mm fine inlet screens at Carbarns WwTW were failing regularly as the screen panels were plastic and very prone to breaking, particularly following storm events when flows were higher than usual and contained more debris. Scottish Water was having to stock spare panels on-site and replace them as often as every week, depending on the weather.

When the inlet screens failed, a considerable amount of rag was feeding through to the primary settlement tanks, causing chokes in the sludge pumps. When the screens tripped out in storm conditions the bypass screen would blind up in minutes, not allowing enough time for standby operators to reach the site and causing flooding at a nearby property. The result was a significant amount of time and resources spent on clearing these chokes and blockages and cleaning up by the operations team.

The biggest impact of this inlet issue was the financial and carbon implications. Carbarns WwTW would normally send sewage sludge directly to the Daldowie fuel plant, near Glasgow, which processes it into a renewable, low-carbon form of biomass fuel pellet.

However, because of the high content of rag in the sludge caused by the inlet screen failures, it could not be sent directly to Daldowie Fuel Plant but had to be taken for further processing to Shieldhall WwTW, some 20 miles away on the other side of Glasgow. This involved up to 23 tankers a week transporting the sludge to Shieldhall for additional treatment before it could be pumped over to Daldowie. The associated costs of transporting the sludge to Shieldhall WwTW were considerable. image013.jpgScottish Water worked with Hydro International’s UK Wastewater Services team, M&N, to evaluate the site and propose a solution. The team installed a Kuhn KHU-S Multirake Boomerang 70mm coarse screen to provide protection to the FSM escalator screens by removing the larger coarse screenings. Two FSM FRS 111 escalator screens were then fitted at 60°, providing an impressive maximum flow capacity of 770 l/s each, to provide fine screening of the sewage inflow.

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The screens are running in a duty standby mode, conducted automatically by the control panels which were supplied for all equipment. Each of the screens has the capacity to take the full flow to treatment, should one need to be taken offline for service, maintenance, or repair.

The strong screen panels are stainless steel so able to withstand storm flows, combatting the initial issue of weak plastic-based material screens. A launder system was installed to transport rag to two Kuhn KWP-HD 400/1200 wash presses to process, wash and compact the rags.

Once the new inlet works package was installed, the Primary settlement tanks and Aeration tanks were cleaned to ensure that no rag was left in the system. This was an additional cost of £106K before Daldowrie Fuel Plant could accept the sludge again. image014.jpgSimon Light, National Sales Manager for Hydro International, said, “We needed to find a high-quality effective solution for the Carbarns WwTW to prevent any further overflows, and to help reduce the high cost

and carbon impact the high content of rag in the sludge was creating. Our specialist inlet works team designed and installed a robust, reliable inlet works system that combines screening, washing, transport, compaction and dewatering in a single cost-effective and sustainable standalone solution.”

Stephen Heatley, WW Operations Team Leader at Scottish Water, comments “Knowing the team for over 20 years, we were confident that they would provide a solution that works exceptionally to meet our needs. Since the project’s completion in September 2020, there has been a significant reduction in costs and carbon use now that the sludge can be transported directly to Daldowie Fuel Plant for processing. The amount of reactive time that operation staff previously needed to spend dealing with chokes and cleaning up has dramatically reduced, with a knock-on effect that morale has improved, providing more time to spend on proactive tasks.”

The screens will be serviced annually and ongoing maintenance provided. More information at hydro-int.com/ukwws.

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Wastewater Treatment & Technology

Ensuring your odour removal method is suitable for your application is vital Due to the variety of odours / nuisance gases that are present in the Wastewater Treatment Industry ensuring your odour removal method is suitable for your application is vital.

Selecting the right filter for the job will save time and prevent potentially expensive capital outlay and unnecessary running costs. A Biofilter may be ideally suited to high concentration, persistent odour removal but might be considered excessive and unsuitable for a tank which occasionally vents to atmosphere during filling.

Activated Carbon Filters are best utilised to remove intermittent odours. For example, on a pumping station or sludge tank as opposed to an aeration bed.

Carbon Filters should be sized on the flow rate and odour level. For more offensive odours you would want a larger filter with longer contact time with the carbon to ensure effective removal.

The longer the air is in contact with the carbon the higher the levels of odour removal. EMCEL Filters Ltd manufacture carbon cells with loose fill carbon, utilising 60 plus grades for various applications, to allow for a greater surface area for adsorption to occur. Our unique internal

honeycomb construction guarantees even filling and prevents settling. This ensures no bypass through the filter and enhances odour capture, increasing the efficiency of the filter.

Using your carbon filter in optimal conditions will help maintain the high design performance throughout its service life.

EMCEL recommends controlling the inlet air to between 20-25ºC and the relative humidity to between 40 -60%. The higher the temperature, the greater the tendency for volatile odours to desorb from the carbon. The higher the humidity, the higher the risk of the carbon being subject to moisture deposition, which would hamper the adsorption of odours.

Odour Filtration for the Water Treatment Industry A range of composite activated carbon Tank Breather filters has been developed by EMCEL Filters to control the pollution effects of displaced air arising from tank filling or temperature effects where odorous, hazardous or toxic vapour contaminants are involved.

A number of filter unit casings, flanges and fixings are available to match the wide variety of tank breather and vent outlet configurations that exist.

Both vertical and horizontal airflows can be accommodated along with a variety of pre-filtration and weather proofing.

Contact our Technical Sales Team for information on how EMCEL can remove odour from your application and for any other Air Filtration requirements.

EMCEL Filters Ltd, Blatchford Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5RA 01403 253215 | info@emcelfilters.co.uk | www.emcelfilters.co.uk

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

News

Next phase confirmed for Vyrnwy Aqueduct Modernisation Programme A five-year project to refurbish the Vyrnwy Aqueduct has taken a step forward with the contract awarded to carry out the next phase of work in Cheshire.

through to taps and result in discoloured water. The older two pipes will be relined, while the newer of the three will be cleaned.

The aqueduct runs from Lake Vyrnwy in Wales to Merseyside and was completed in 1892. Earlier this year United Utilities began to consult on plans to enhance the three, one metre diameter parallel pipelines, and ensure they can continue to deliver high quality drinking water to customers across Cheshire, Merseyside and the North West.

John Hilton, Programme Director at United Utilities, said: “The Vyrnwy Aqueduct is an incredible feat of engineering and a vital asset that helps ensure we can supply high quality drinking water to our customers.

United Utilities has selected Avove as the contractor for the phase of the programme between Malpas and Tarporley. The Chorley-based infrastructure services and engineering company will be working across all three of the pipelines – two made of cast iron and one of steel – to remove the build-up of minerals which has collected inside them. The minerals don’t pose any health risks, but can sometimes run

“Upgrades at our water treatment works and refurbishment of the pipes which run south of Malpas have already been completed, and now the next phase of the programme in Cheshire and Merseyside can get underway.

“The challenge of relining and cleaning these large diameter pipes over long distances, from a number of access points, is significant. Avove demonstrated that they have the skills and expertise to complete this work to a high standard, and we are delighted to be working with them.”

James Lawlor, Account Director from Avove, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected to support United Utilities in delivering such a vital upgrade to the Vyrnwy Aqueduct’s pipelines. The improvements we make between Malpas and Tarporley will ensure the highest quality of drinking water is provided to people living in the area for decades to come.

“As a new company launched in April this year, we were able to demonstrate an innovative and agile approach to managing these essential works, delivering the best possible standards of water hygiene with the least amount of disruption. We are excited to get started so that customers can start benefiting from these enhancements as soon as possible.”

The work to the rest of the pipes will be completed in a further two sections – Tarporley to Norton and Norton to Prescot.

Find out more at uuhub.co.uk/vyrnwy.

For the latest Water Industry news...

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Using assessments and maintenance to tackle your CSO targets In March 2022, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published a consultation on its Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. The document outlined Government’s plan to address combined sewage overflows (CSOs), detailing actions for operators, regulators, and consumers.

The rise in CSO spills is caused by a combination of overpopulation and overdevelopment, as well as more frequent and heavier rainfall exceeding the hydraulic capacity of the network.

Matthew Humphreys, Utilities Sector Manager, Adler and Allan, discusses the role of ongoing assessment and maintenance in the race to reduce CSO spill incidents by 320,000 before 2050 – and the importance of changing the national narrative.

Real-world CSO reduction strategies

With a combined effort between consumers and water companies, it’s possible to claw back capacity within our existing infrastructure and relieve the burden on CSOs. The government consultation document urges public support and behavioural changes to limit rainwater volumes in our sewers. Calls to action include: Responsible construction of hard surfaces (such as patios) that prevent natural water drainage.

Disposing of fats, oils, greases, wet wipes, and nappies in waste receptacles, rather than down sinks and toilets.

Meanwhile, water companies should focus on boosting network efficiency and performance, from upper catchment to release. Expert assessments and planned preventative maintenance are your most efficient starting points.

Using assessments to understand your network

Using a range of specialist assessments, an environmental consultant highlights infrastructure issues that contribute to costly CSO spills – from misconnected surface water drains to groundwater intrusion.

Infiltration surveys Typically conducted when the water table is high, infiltration surveys identify weak spots in your network that allow excess water to enter. Stretches of clean water are then targeted and repaired at their source.

Impermeable area studies Impermeable area studies (IAS) assess the catchment of a CSO or pumping station that’s overloaded during rainfall. The survey tracks the route of surface water from roofs and hardstanding to either a foul or storm drain, flagging where the two systems combine and any associated pollution hazards and CSO discharge risks.

SOAF programmes A storm overflow assessment framework (SOAF) is a five-step programme that identifies your worst offending CSOs, determines why they’re discharging, and defines specific improvement measures.

Through Event Duration Monitoring, hydraulic assessments, and environmental and aesthetic impact studies, SOAFs provide the data you need to stay compliant, effectively plan spend, and direct funds where they’re needed most.

Raising performance with planned preventative maintenance

The blue-sky CSO solution is a wholesale separation of foul and surface water systems.

Realistically, water companies need workable alternatives that allow for affordable upgrades and make the most of existing assets.

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Syphon clearance Syphon blockages restrict pipes’ hydraulic capacity, reduce flow, and overload CSOs, increasing the odds of a sewage spill. Routine maintenance involves comprehensive checks for wear and tear, fractures, and bottlenecks. To clear the choking effects of debris, specialists use high-pressure water jetting to remove roots, silt, concrete, bricks, and grout build-up.

Drainage repairs and planned preventative maintenance (PPM) A set schedule of network cleaning, repair, and maintenance can head off pollution incidents before they happen. Maintaining fundamentals like drainage installations, sewer connections, pumping stations, and sewage treatment/septic tanks lifts performance and extends the life of your estate.

A joint environmental effort

CSO use is a complex problem that requires collaboration, cooperation, and a new conversation. Because while water companies own the assets, we all own the issues of climate change, population growth, and environmental responsibility. The Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets out the shared path for regulators, operators, and the public – and it’s time to work together.

Intelligent network management can make rising to the CSO challenge much more achievable. adlerandallan.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Maintaining your critical infrastructure to achieve your ESG goals As your trusted partner, we manage environmental risk and optimise your existing assets efficiently and compliantly.

Asset inspection, repair and maintenance Expanding capacity of CSOs Consultancy led response Mechanical and chemical aeration Environmental and water quality monitoring

A trusted partner in your supply chain

0800 592 827 adlerandallan.co.uk

Improving Drinking Water Quality

Anglian Water submits plans for 57km pipeline to keep taps running Work is expected to start later this year on the new water mains.

green thinking to every aspect of its capital programme.

The strategic pipeline will make use of the latest technology, some never used before in the UK, each one designed to reduce the carbon footprint and any environmental impact associated with the scheme delivery.

Anglian Water has submitted plans for the most northernly section of its new multimillion-pound strategic water mains network.

The £400 million scheme, which will deliver hundreds of kilometres of large diameter interconnecting pipelines, is the largest drinking water infrastructure project the UK has seen for a generation.

This Elsham to Lincoln section will run for 57 kilometres. It includes new pumping stations and a water storage tank and will link up with new pipelines to the south, stretching all the way to Suffolk and Essex.

Subject to planning consent, work is expected to start later this year. There are four councils along the planned route: North Lincolnshire Council, West Lindsay District Council, City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council.

The mammoth project is part of Anglian’s Water Resources Management Plan, which looks 25 years ahead.

The pipelines will take water from wetter parts of the north to drier areas in the south and east of the region. They will also strengthen local resilience by reducing the number of homes and businesses which rely on a single

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water source. The entire network is expected to go into service in 2025.

Without taking this action, the East of England would face a water deficit of 30 million litres a day by 2025. That’s a shortfall of 4,380 Olympic swimming pools of water, every year.

James Crompton, director of the team delivering the pipelines, said: “The strategic pipeline is essential to address the predicted future imbalance, where demand for water greatly outstrips the available resources.

“With 175,000 new homes to be built in the next five years in the east of England, it is vital we ensure we have resilient infrastructure in place to support local authorities in delivering their Local Plans and we look forward to working with them as we develop and deliver our plans.”

As a business with environmental and social prosperity at its core, Anglian Water applies

The Elsham to Lincoln pipeline has been specifically designed to avoid where possible sensitive ecological sites and areas where environmental surveys have found protected species like badgers, water voles, bats and Great Crested Newts.

The entire network has also been designed to have the lowest carbon footprint possible in line with Anglian Water’s pledge to reach net zero carbon by 2030.

James added: “Our commitment to protecting the environment is as vital as securing customer supplies. This project will help meet our targets to reduce the amount of water we take from the environment by 84 million litres a day, but our infrastructure needs to be sustainable too.

“Climate change isn’t just a risk in terms of the challenges it poses us, it is also an opportunity to challenge established practice and to do things differently and more efficiently, for wider gain.

“This scheme is an excellent example of how we’re doing both for the long-term benefit of our region.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Improving Drinking Water Quality

Advanced water quality monitor installed in the Serpentine

The popularity of open water swimming has led to increased awareness of water quality issues. For this reason, Meteor Communications was asked to demonstrate its remote water quality monitors to the UK Government’s Environmental Audit Committee. The same technology was recently installed in the Serpentine.

Looking to find ways to keep improving water quality, the managers of the Royal Parks have installed an ESNET (Environmental Sensor NETwork) system).

The Serpentine is monitored by the Environment Agency which collects samples for bacteriological analysis every week between May and September. However, the continuous water quality monitor was installed to improve understanding of the factors affecting water quality.

Covering an area of around 16 hectares, the Serpentine was created in 1730 by the wife of George II, Queen Caroline. Originally fed by the River Westbourne and Tyburn Brook in the 1730s, the lake’s water was later pumped from the River Thames. Today, water is pumped from two boreholes from within Hyde Park.

The water quality monitoring system from Meteor Communications was installed earlier this year, measuring key parameters including Blue/ Green Algae, Chlorophyll, Temperature, Conductivity, pH, Turbidity and Dissolved Oxygen. Measurements are taken continuously in real-time with updates every 30 minutes to the MeteorCloud™ web portal, with instant alerts for any issues that may influence bathing water quality.

“The ESNET system will provide essential data for the future management of the lake,” explains the Royal Parks’ Dr Pawel Szynkarczuk. “We need this empirical data to better understand short- and long-term trends, as well as the factors affecting water

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quality. For example, a key advantage of a continuous time-series dataset is the ability to correlate water quality incidents with potential impact factors such as ambient temperature and heavy rainfall.

appears to be effective, it is expensive, so the provision of continuous monitoring will enable us to fully evaluate the cost/benefits of any future water quality improvement measures.”

“The Environment Agency’s laboratory tests are more focused on bathing safety, whereas the wider variety of parameters monitored

by ESNET will provide greater insights into the factors affecting water quality generally.

The ESNET system will therefore allow us to make informed decisions, whilst also enabling us to measure the impact of any improvement measures.”

The ESNET system has been installed at the Environment Agency’s water sampling point, adjacent to the lake’s bathing area, and the water quality sensors are built into a compact water quality sonde which is permanently located beneath the water surface. In order to maintain the highest levels of accuracy, the sonde is routinely swapped out with a pre-calibrated sonde by Meteor Communications.

Water quality improvement measures currently include litter/debris removal as well as aeration at 24 points around the lake. However, the large population of wildfowl in Hyde Park is the likely cause of any water pollution, with raised nutrient levels during summer being an area that is carefully monitored. The challenges are compounded by visitors feeding the ducks and geese. Raised nutrient levels in the summer were carefully monitored, and an initiative is underway to try to alter visitor behaviour. “We have a campaign entitled ‘Help Nature Thrive’, which is designed to discourage overfeeding – it’s not good for the birds and it certainly isn’t good for water quality,” explains Assistant Hyde Park Manager, Ian Nightingale. “In the past, we have had to address raised nutrient levels on two occasions by dosing the water with a modified bentonite clay which binds with free reactive phosphorus. While this method

The entire system runs on very low levels of power, with a small solar panel meeting the power requirement of the entire ESNET system. “This is very important,” explains Meteor MD Matt Dibbs. “These systems are usually installed in remote locations for customers such as the Environment Agency and utility companies; frequently these sites have no pre-existing power or communications capability.

“We were recently consulted by the Environment Audit Committee and provided them with a live demonstration; explaining how ESNET systems are monitoring UK rivers and providing alerts when potential pollution incidents could threaten bathing water quality. We hope that the Serpentine ESNET system will deliver similar benefits; helping the Park managers to improve the lake’s water quality.”

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Is C-Mex impinging PCC reductions?

The summer of 2022 will be remembered for travel chaos and hose pipe bans. The summer heatwaves and widespread water restrictions are bringing water to the fore in a way not seen since 1976.

‘By 2050 the UK water deficit is anticipated to be 4017 mega litres per day’.

National Water Framework Consultation launch, January 2022.

The plans to upgrade our water supply, to meet projected demand, are reliant on reduction in current usage levels. That means reducing Per Capital Consumption (PCC) to 110 litres per day, from its current average of 150, is imperative if we are to meet future water demand. However, fears of customer complaints impacting on C-Mex figures appears to be restricting the options being considered by some water companies.

Despite the recent focus on educating the public on how to improve lifestyle to minimise our impact on the environment, the general day to day use of water is often only mentioned in context to ‘heatwave’ related restrictions.

Occasional focus on water usage during exceptional weather spells will not achieve the long-term lifestyle changes required to achieve the reductions required.

‘Smart metering’ has been shown to have some impact on domestic consumption. An aging infrastructure with multi household supplies are amongst the many factors that ensure that mandated metering – let alone ‘smart metering’ is at best an expensive, medium-term objective.

Our water companies are regulated to provide a minimum level of water supply, but in many areas, due to network structure and gravity fed systems, supply is much greater. Households in high pressure areas could be receiving up to three times the required minimum levels.

So, run a hose for five minutes at the bottom of the hill, and your lawn will be greener that

the gardener that does the same at the top.

These ‘time controlled’ uses, e.g. teeth cleaning, taking a shower, running a tap to rinse dishes could be standardised down if all households received the same acceptable, ‘standardised’ supply.

However, water companies are also tied to C-Mex performance commitment levels, and some seem to be concerned that a reduction in the supply levels to properties will prompt customer complaints, offsetting the financial rewards of achieving PCC targets.

Oversupply of water is wasted water!

Field trials of devices such as LoFlo, have shown that most customer are not aware of supply levels in their property, within certain limits. Especially when moving into a new property, customers accept the levels as ‘being what it is’ and fears of an increase in customer complaints impacting C-Mex values are overrated.

To date flow restriction devices have been used at each outlet, i.e. kitchen taps, bathroom taps, and showers separately and developers have received a reduction in infrastructure charges for their installation. However, industry reports show that many of these devices are not retained by occupiers in the long term, resulting in the water companies incurring both a loss in revenue and no long-term gain in PCC. The alternative is whole site flow reduction.

Fitting a device, such as Groundbreaker’s NRv2 LoFlo, at the meter regulates the level of flow entering customer premises – regardless of network pressure. As the flow of water into the premises is limited, then the amount used in ‘time controlled’ activities is also limited – but without providing a degradation of service. More importantly not requiring any intervention or behavioural change on the part of the customer, so leading to ‘natural’ reduction in per capital consumption.

NRv2 LoFlo®

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PCC performance commitment levels are designed to financially penalise failure to achieve reduction targets, and with a PCC reduction target averaging just under 6% in the UK the penalties can mount up.

Independent research carried out by WRc, showed a theoretical reduction of 2-4% of typical water usage when devices such as LoFlo are installed. However, recent field trials by a major UK water company have showing savings of 5% - just 1% off the average PPC reduction targets!

The NRv2 LoFlo can be easily and simply retrofitted to any meter installation, or meter exchange when upgrading or remediating underground meter chambers. Thus, allowing Water Companies to manage demand, with little or no impact on consumers, at the minimal cost of approximately £20 per household.

Steve Leigh FIWater, Managing Director Groundbreaker Systems Groundbreaker Systems won the HBF’s ‘Utility of the Year’ in 2018. www.groundbreaker.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

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Digital Transformation

Using digital technology to address the quality and availability of water We are currently dealing with a crisis of water scarcity, poor water quality, and water supply system limitations and failures caused by climate change. If we want to secure our future, we must address water sustainability along with net-zero goals. We have assumed that there is enough water for everyone for countless centuries. After all, more than 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered by water.

By Alain Dedieu

President, Water & Wastewater at Schneider Electric

However, just 3% of the water on earth is fresh - suitable for consumption and industrial use. Furthermore, just 0.5-1% of the earth’s freshwater is available i.e. not locked in ice caps, atmosphere or soil. Water has become so rare, that it recently became a traded stock exchange commodity, the ‘new’ oil or gold, as a result of the difficulty of accessing it in certain regions.

Yet, this precious freshwater resource is being used in an unsustainable manner. Take the issue of non-revenue water, which is water that is produced and ‘lost’ before it reaches the customer, due to leaks and mains bursts.

While 17% of EU territory is affected by water scarcity, globally, 40-60% of water is lost as non-revenue water. Aside from the loss of this precious water itself, non-revenue water results in greater carbon emissions, costs and inconvenience for all.

The impact of long-term sustainability

The demand for safe, high-quality water for industrial and domestic use is rising even as supply is becoming scarcer. It’s not just the increasing use of water within industrial processes that is an issue - it is what happens to the wastewater produced as a result of these processes.

Just one gallon of paint leaking into the ground can contaminate 250,000 gallons of drinking water. A gallon of gasoline spilt can

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contaminate 750,000 gallons. It is essential to ensure that we can stop and reverse water pollution – keeping our impact on rivers, lakes and groundwater to a minimum.

Not only is this issue of lost water affecting long-term sustainability, but with water services accounting for 30-50% of local authorities’ electricity consumption, the impact of this sector on broader net-zero goals should not be underestimated. 80% of all water withdrawn in the US is used for cooling power plants and irrigation purposes and in 2019 alone, EU wastewater treatment and discharge plants emitted 27 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Water suppliers and industry must focus efforts on measuring impact. Deploying sustainable solutions to these issues requires data transparency to recognise opportunities to reduce NRW, cut pollution and reduce the industry’s carbon emissions. Without insight as to where impact can be achieved, action is fruitless.

Face the challenge with a clear vision

With the help of digital technology, we can effectively manage all water sources, including groundwater, fresh water, and recycled water, to meet all demand needs. For example, data derived from digital technologies such as IoT, AI and cloud systems can help predict water demand, ensure the quality of supply and respond proactively to challenges.

Today’s digital solutions can help to make the quality, quantity and impact of water visible by ensuring infrastructure works for us, not against us. When we can extract performance data from water’s physical infrastructure we can plug gaps.

For example, advanced data analytics can deliver power monitoring systems that deliver energy savings up to 8%, while leak

management systems utilise data from across various systems to detect faults and proactively mitigate leaks. Simultaneously pressure management systems use the information to control network pressure and alleviate stress on pipes.

Such digitally enabled asset management not only reduces NRW but also prolongs the life of infrastructure to reduce costly repair and replacement.

The ultimate team: technology, data and knowledge Digital tools and data analytics offer unmatched prospects to increase efficiency when considering the size of water usage, for instance by assisting in the reduction of municipal water leaks or assuring effective irrigation in the case of agriculture.

However, this dream will only become a reality if we can build, operate and maintain sustainable and efficient water infrastructure, and manage it through the power of digital.

As a global utility, there are enormous amounts of data, from varied sources that can be harnessed to realise a more sustainable vision of water in our future. However, it requires all involved in the industry to embrace data-driven solutions. Through greater industry collaboration, harnessing cross-sector data and sharing knowledge we can come together to innovate and set new standards for sustainable water supplies.

Time is a crucial resource in the fight to achieve a sustainable future, and we mustn’t let it escape our control. The time is now to adopt cutting-edge digital water cycle management systems to speed up datadriven sustainability plans. Planning, running, maintaining, and optimising water treatment infrastructure through digital transformation will benefit suppliers, customers, businesses, and the environment.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Digital Transformation

Why the water industry needs to boost its cybersecurity maturity Legacy technologies reaching end-of-life, increasing investments in digitisation and automation, and the growing prevalence and sophistication of cybercrime are creating a melting pot of risk for water utilities, says Marc Wren, OT Cyber Security Manager at Axians Cloud & Cybersecurity.

Ensuring the reliability and safety of water supply to homes and businesses are at the core of every water utility’s operations. However, these principles are coming increasingly under threat from the digital world.

The number of cyberattacks around the world is increasing year on year, with attackers finding increasingly sophisticated ways to wreak havoc. Along with manufacturers, transport providers, and energy companies, water utilities are a common target.

On Monday 19th August, South Staffordshire Water, which controls the water supply of around 1.6 million people confirmed it had been the victim of a ransomware gang attack.

While the attack seems to have been focused on the IT network, the gang claimed that it had accessed the OT (operational technology) network, specifically the systems that monitor the levels of chemicals in the water.

During the current drought conditions across the UK, the water utility staff will be working extremely hard to maintain a safe supply and this attack will have certainly inhibited their ability to focus on this.

Other attacks on water utilities hit the news in April 2020 when cybercriminals attempted to raise the level of chlorine at five Israeli Water Authority facilities and in February 2021 when a hacker attempted to increase the sodium hydroxide in a municipal water supply in Florida, USA, to dangerously high levels.

A multitude of challenges

Due to age, many facilities run on legacy technologies, designed for efficiency over security. At the same time, new investments in digitisation and automation, including the industrial internet of things (IIoT) and hyperconnectivity of systems for remote access or analytics, are creating new and greater surfaces for attack. While these produce fantastic opportunities for efficiency, they need to be installed with a security-first approach.

Mindsets towards industrial cybersecurity and the protection of operational technologies are changing, but water utilities are juggling many priorities to address the risks alongside other investments they need to make amid a staff and skills shortage.

Current operations staff often face the challenge of maintaining system uptime, while implementing complex design changes

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and upgrades, which leaves little time to focus on asset and vulnerability management.

Others may have policies in place to superficially fulfil the requirements of the 2018 NIS (Security of Network & Information Systems) directive but lack the people capable of maintaining and actioning them.

Help is on hand

OT cybersecurity is most effective when paired with a deep understanding of the process and control systems. As the UK’s largest automation company – via the Actemium brand – and a major player in ICT – via Axians – VINCI Energies UK & RoI is uniquely positioned to help water utilities in the UK protect the safety of their assets and customers.

We work with water and wastewater companies to assess the impact of a potential cyberattack on their OT and implement cybersecurity measures in a phased way, according to the budget and risk level.

Cybersecurity is simplest when designed into an OT system from the start, but we also support customers to successfully implement robust cybersecurity into existing water systems and treatment processes. The most

important thing is to have visibility and monitoring in place, we can understand what is going on within the network and what needs to be protected.

In either case, the technical solution is only part of the equation. An overhaul of company procedures may also be required, creating good governance and enforcing policies to support the technical controls.

We can supply an OT cybersecurity officer on demand to put legislation into layman’s terms or provide a complete managed service to fill gaps in both staff capability and capacity.

Wherever you are in your cybersecurity journey – from audit, risk assessment, and developing good governance, to design and commissioning of cybersecurity defences – speak to us and we can help you take advantage of the latest efficiency-boosting digital technologies, while keeping your operations running safely and reliably.

For a free 30 minute consultation with a VINCI Energies OT security professional, please contact ot@axians.co.uk.

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Digital Transformation

Do you offer a fluid workplace experience?

Water companies are under immense pressure. The pandemic has caused industry-wide business challenges and with the current cost of living crisis, overheads are rising, but revenues are declining. Ofwat’s ODIs have not changed, putting pressure on already-tight budgets, and many companies are struggling to act quick enough to achieve the ever looming 2030 sustainability targets.

From daily operational tasks through to large-scale strategic plans, everything needs to be done smarter and more efficiently. Water companies must accelerate positive change to scale their businesses, achieve net zero targets and become more resilient.

The first step to achieving positive change is a human-centric workplace approach.

Putting your employees first with a workplace experience (WX) approach can have a positive impact on your business, your sustainability goals and your employees and customers.

Here at Avanade we’ve conducted a global workplace study to investigate how far organisations are going to put their peoplefirst and the difference their efforts are making to their business. The research reflects the perspectives of 2,100 senior business, IT and HR decisionmakers across multiple industries, from late 2021 into early 2022.

People first? Or people false?

When it comes to their people priorities, organisations talk a good game.

98% said their organisation has taken steps to transform their employee experience.

85% said their organisation is currently either committed to or testing a fully remote or a hybrid working model.

But there’s a problem: the same organisations are failing to truly commit to their people-first promise.

62% haven’t taken steps to streamline their employee experience and application ecosystem to help their people access what they need more easily.

61% are failing to simplify knowledge management and sharing through cloudbased platforms, AI or automation.

66% have yet to implement a virtualised workplace environment, providing access to applications and data anywhere, from any device.

60% haven’t enabled seamless communication and collaboration for all employees via a cloud workplace platform.

55% haven’t embraced a security model that enables all employees to work securely, wherever they’re based.

Big benefits for a WX approach

Those who are embracing a WX approach are growing both their business and their people!

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99% of organisations have seen an increase in performance across the following business metrics: Productivity improvement - up 6.83% Employee retention – up 6.70% Customer satisfaction scores – up 6.92% Costs reduced - down 6.34% Revenue growth - up 6.72% Those are some encouraging and powerful stats when you consider the cumulative impact on business performance!

Three key steps to a successful WX strategy 1: A collaborative, holistic WX approach

Bring IT, HR and business leaders together to assess the suitability of your current workplace strategy in the context of your broader business strategy.

Learn from the rapid transformation experienced in the last two years - identify new working practices that have succeeded and those that failed.

Develop a business case to support your recommendations and outline key performance indicators.

2: Build your WX for specific employee groups Review and update your employee personas, addressing the impact of rapid work transformation on each group.

Identify the necessary changes across platforms, workspaces, work processes and cultural drivers to enable hyperpersonalised experiences at scale.

3: Embrace a data-driven approach

A data-driven, insight-enabled approach is crucial to the management and evolution of your workplace strategy. Use analytics platforms as your barometer to continually evolve your WX so it stays relevant and attractive to employees.

Identify the workplace, employee and broader business data you have and how it can help you understand workplace shifts.

Develop a pilot scenario – including the metrics that will help you measure success.

Scale this model to embrace broader workplace programs and commit to dedicated review cycles.

Want to become a WX pioneer? Find out how Our market-leading WX team can help you understand how to shape your future of work strategy to grow your business and your people. Discover how we’ve helped Dutch water utility, PWN digitally transform its operations. Talk to our team today to arrange your Future of Work Assessment or download our WX report.

Consider the people-first working practices that you want to maintain (or enable) for each group.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Is your workplace experience being watered down?

People first. Or people false.

Are you letting your people down?

Download the report today avanade.com/people-first-wx

For more information visit: avanade.com/utilitiesUK

© 2022 Avanade Inc. All rights reserved.

Digital Transformation

Gas safety in the water industry – a connected future Adam Pope, of, Draeger Safety UK, examines advances in Industry 4.0 gas detection and monitoring technologies with the potential to improve safety – and efficiencies – in the water industry.

Gas detection and monitoring has long been a key part of health and safety in the water industry and it is a topic that is rising up the agenda.

Industry 4.0

A range of issues are bringing additional focus to the subject, including those associated with increased lone working post-Covid, as well as the UK wastewater industry’s growing deployment of anaerobic digestion and biogas facilities.

More than 15 years later, the ideas and technologies that were prophesised as part of the fourth industrial revolution have indeed brought far-reaching benefits to many areas of industry. From big data and cloud computing, to predictive maintenance, Industry 4.0 has positively impacted many areas of the water industry. Yet safety is the one area within industry, including the water sector, where its full potential is yet to be fully adopted and embraced.

With growing scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it is widely expected that regulations in relation to gas safety will come under increasing – and stricter – focus in the future.

However, whilst critical to the safety of those working in the water industry, gas safety can feel like a complex and challenging issue, not least with recent advances in connected and digital ‘Industry 4.0’ technologies

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The concept of technological connectivity boosting outcomes is not a new one. The term Industry 4.0 can be traced back as far as 2011.

The possibilities for Industry 4.0 technologies when it comes to gas safety in the water industry are significant, and there have been some major advances in innovation within this area over recent months. From real-time monitoring of hazardous environments such

as sewers, to interconnecting systems which communicate and respond to one another to safeguard personnel across a clean water site, the applications are wide-ranging. And early adopters are seeing significant benefits.

Connected gas safety in water operations

Gas hazards exist in a wide range of applications in the water industry, from treatment units, tanks, service reservoirs, chemical handling and storage areas, to pumping stations wells, sumps, overflows, boreholes, sewers and manholes. The most frequently occurring hazards are flammable gases such as methane and fuel vapours, toxic gases such as hydrogen sulphide, and also oxygen displacement. But there are also risks of oxygen enrichment where oxygen injection is used for wastewater treatment, and chlorine, sulphur dioxide and ozone for clean water treatment.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Digital Transformation

Another key benefit of this type of digitisation is that it offers opportunities for more efficient asset management, simplifying a range of processes that were previously more complex, and centralising management, whilst decentralising execution.

This makes device management and compliance far more straightforward, as data in relation to operational status, testing and calibration results can be collected and accessed from anywhere, with the ability for analysis to be performed directly. Device updates can also be distributed centrally with ease, notifications can be sent to users, and a complete documentation history for each gas detection device is automatically stored on the connected system.

Increased transparency, easier management and reduced potential for human error are key outcomes of such a smart system, leading to significantly improved safety to life, and also cost-savings at the same time.

Driving digital innovation

In this example, as with so many others, Covid has served as a catalyst to drive digital innovation, with changes to working styles prompting an urgent need for remotely-accessible real-time safety data. At the same time, pressures on budgets across the water sector mean that any new safety solutions or technology must be able to prove itself financially.

Savvy companies – including some of the leading names in the water industry – are increasingly recognising, however, that the cheapest up-front cost doesn’t always mean the highest quality product, or indeed the most efficient total lifetime cost. This is particularly true when you consider that digital systems allow for easier bolt-on of new or additional elements to an overall system.

Gas detection is therefore a critical and a life-saving measure to ensure the safety of engineers and other personnel, but also to ensure the safety of plant equipment.

As part of a robust gas safety solution, portable gas monitoring devices would be issued to all field engineers – potentially several thousand individual devices. Using new innovation in this space, a connected smart safety system can now be created to link all of these devices.

This offers a number of key benefits, including live monitoring; whereby key information is displayed in real time via an online user interface. This interface is available to anyone who has the appropriate permissions, meaning that workers on site, or managers in a central location, can pinpoint the position of their colleagues and the status of their gas safety at any given moment. If an alarm is activated by any individual device, colleagues and managers would be immediately alerted

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

Adam Pope

to the risk, and receive the key information displayed on the management dashboard.

Furthermore, emergency services can be granted access to the data which allows them to manage an emergency situation, if needed, and the data is also logged for later analysis.

This means that hazards can be identified more quickly; countermeasures can be initiated faster, and correlations and anomalies can be analysed more easily to identify root causes. This is important in improving outcomes, not only in post-event analysis, but in real-time through live monitoring.

Well-designed and forward-thinking connected and digital safety can deliver on all fronts with the right planning and consideration of what is needed both now and in the future. But it is vital that good training, and a thorough understanding of such technologies is well-embedded as part of any new roll-out. Without this, there is a real risk that the full benefits may not be realised.

With demand growing throughout the industry to generate better safety insight and information to better inform safety policies and approaches, there is a huge demand for safety data. And whilst this may feel challenging, advances in safety technologies are making this increasingly possible, and straightforward.

As connected and digital safety is starting to become increasingly better understood and harnessed in the water industry, and alongside the range of operational benefits, this new technology heralds new potential to safeguard those exposed to gas safety risks in the sector.

More information at draeger.com

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‘Forever Chemicals’: What’s the fuss about PFAS? Efforts to stem the potential harmful effects of the so-called ‘forever chemicals’ have started to gain traction among experts, decision makers, and other stakeholders in the wastewater and water management industries both in the UK and around the world. are known to impact drinking water supplies.

Some PFAS compounds have been linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, and low birth rate, among other illnesses.

By Dr Ken Scally and Dr Mikael Khan In recent years, Per & Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) have become a growing concern for their widespread presence in water, air, sediment, wildlife, and humans at low levels, as well as their persistent, long-range transport capabilities. PFAS are a group of chemicals which are divided into two families, polymer and non-polymers compounds, comprising of a broad group of several thousand chemicals.

Used since the 1940s, PFAS are by design very stable compounds, chemically resistant to oxidation, making them very difficult to break down. Partial breakdown of these compounds to shorter chain variants can be an even bigger concern as these can be new unknown molecules with equivalent or worse toxicity; requiring novel analysis, quantification and remediation approaches.

The most common use of these PFAS compounds is found in some firefighting foams (aqueous film forming foam or AFFF), coating fabrics and textiles, to make non-stick surfaces, paints, polishes and waxes. Because they are water soluble, environmentally persistent and stable, PFAS are very mobile in the environment and, as evidence shows,

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While the regulatory landscape for PFAS is both complex and fragmented, there is a concerted global effort to build and enforce regulations worldwide. In recent years, monitoring, regulations, and even bans have been kickstarted by various governments and regulatory bodies including the US Environmental Protection Agency, the European Union, the International Stockholm Convention, and the UK, Welsh and Scottish governments’ Health and Safety Executive and Environment Agency.

The question of how to keep pace with the rapidly evolving requirements is made even more difficult due to the wide range of advisory limits set by different authorities. Testing equipment limitations and sampling contamination pose a challenge. The lack of toxicological studies on PFAS is also a concern with the need to further develop our understanding of both acute and chronic toxicity.

One of the key steps that the industry can take is to measure and understand where they stand with regards to the advisory limits. Then, they can develop mitigation plans way before these limits become regulatory compliance requirements.

Addressing the PFAS challenge needs a well-structured and though-out approach.

All PFAS chemicals are not the same and require customised management solutions.

SUEZ, a key player in environmental services, is at the forefront of meeting PFAS challenges with its bespoke solutions for its wide range of clients. PFAS contamination can have a direct impact on water utilities and water management companies, and their customers’ health ultimately.

Those that don’t understand the impacts of PFAS to their businesses need proper guidance on how to navigate the complex path to PFAS mitigation. Besides business and process assessments, they require sampling and analysis to identify specific PFAS compounds, which will allow them to identify suitable mitigation routes. Quick solutions, can be validated via laboratory scale testing and piloting, resulting in the development of robust and reliable scaled-up industrial solutions. Importantly, solutions need to be technically and commercially viable and future proofed.

SUEZ is doing this for its customers using the four-element solution development approach -- diagnosis, monitoring, remediation, and control. SUEZ has validated and developed its methods based on USEPA 537.1 and USEPA 533. With the recent introduction of the draft USEPA 1633 method for non-potable water and other environmental media, SUEZ ensures that good practices outlined in the method are reflected. It has also developed its targeted methods focusing on the list of PFAS compounds outlined in the Environment Agency Chief Scientist’s Group report of August 2021. Furthermore, customers are supported from the start, all throughout the business impact analysis and development of tailored solutions.

As an environmental company, the SUEZ goal is the complete remediation, removal, and safe disposal of PFAS contamination from water, soil, and air worldwide. With a well-coordinated and united global effort, plus close, multi-tiered partnerships across governments and industries, the PFAS menace has a good chance of being contained, if not booted out of existence.. suez.com/uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Together, we can stand up for the environment

How much do you know about forever chemicals?

PFAS are a family of manufactured chemicals that can be classed as forever chemicals, as they accumulate in the environment over time and are resistant to breakdown by nature. They are used as ingredients in various everyday products. Now they are present in water, wastewater and soils, with an ever increasing prevalence and more and more companies want to understand their impact.

SUEZ is committed to preserving the environment and restoring natural capital. We develop technological innovations to preserve the health of communities by protecting the environment through concrete actions. We are here to help water utility companies and industrial organisations assess the chemicals’ influence on their operations and the environment. SUEZ discovers, understands and provides guidance on environmental solutions for PFAS chemicals.

Act now. Find out about forever chemicals in your water, wastewater and soils.

www.suez.com/uk

Leak Detection & Repair

Leakage reduces thanks to sprint led by Morrison Water Services at Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival A ground-breaking solution to tackling the challenges of water scarcity and demand identified by Morrison Water Services and Northumbrian Water has reduced leakage in two pilot areas by at least a quarter.

Morrison Water Services, a part of M Group Services’ Water Division, and Northumbrian Water have been successfully trialling groundbreaking new leak-detection technology, VariSim Delta, since March in a bid to reduce leakage from the clean water network.

Leakage in the pilot areas, Newcastle and Dagenham, has reduced by 25% using the software system that uses flow meters, pressure sensors, high-frequency sampling and acoustic loggers to help identify leakages and bursts before they happen.

Trialling VariSim Delta came out of a sprint held at the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival last October. Innovators from across the world came together to look at creating a proactive approach to avoid leakage from a clean water network.

Morrison Water Services is the exclusive UK supplier of VariSim Delta, a ground-breaking technology can help to minimise disruption to customers’ homes and businesses, keep water flowing and reduce the amount of water lost from the network through leakage.

VariSim Delta has already been implemented successfully in Qatar and Dubai, two of the most water-stressed countries in the world.

By using millions of calculations per second, VariSim Delta creates an identical digital replica of a water network, known as a digital twin or pipeline simulator.

This real-time virtual recreation of the network can also help water companies understand why bursts happen, assess the condition of network assets and pipes and the profile of customer demand to help make informed decisions about asset optimisation.

Driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), VariSim Delta software can also be taught to spot new leaks and bursts, identify changes in customers’ water consumption and create alerts for malfunctioning assets.

good for reducing costs, reducing carbon emissions and delivering better outcomes for customers.

“As the exclusive supplier of this progressive technology to the UK’s water industry, we are confident we can revolutionise the ways leakage and network performance are managed, minimising disruption on the network and keeping water flowing to customers’ homes and businesses.”

Andy added: “We’re pleased to be supporting the festival again this year and look forward to meeting people at the reception and throughout the week for more interesting conversations about the power of innovation.”

Andy Carter, Business Services Director for M Group Services Water Division, said: “We are delighted our pilots with Northumbrian Water have so conclusively demonstrated that VariSim Delta is a proactive solution to water leakage. For this to come out of working together at the Innovation Festival is proof that collaborative working between innovative thinkers can successfully explore new ideas and identify new ways to tackle leakage and other challenges the water industry faces.

Glyn Addicott, operations director at Hydraulic Analysis, said “We are delighted to be working with Northumbrian Water in delivering an industry-leading Digital Twin. We will reduce leakage and improve asset performance by monitoring critical supply areas in the region using live hydraulic models driven by pressure, flow, and acoustic data. Our pipeline simulation software, VariSim Delta, is deployed on water networks and trunk mains around the world and we look forward to implementing our proven solution in the UK in this groundbreaking contract.”

“Predicting leakages and bursts means fewer emergency excavations and more proactive action to tackle leakage in ways which are

Jim Howey, Head of Water Networks for Northumbrian Water, said: “By using this exciting new technology, we can look

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proactively at leakage - stopping the churn of finding and fixing without knowing the root cause.

“The digital twin is helping us to understand our networks better and has been built based on data we already have along with pressure sensors in pipes.

“By using it, we can look for anomalies and tackle leaks in a much more efficient way – helping to save water and resources across our operating areas.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Leak Detection & Repair

Leakage innovation is desperately needed

By Tim Farley

Business Development Manager, Sanivar Innovation is often perceived as radical and complex change using futuristic solutions to solve advanced challenges, but a shift in mindset to use proven technologies in everyday practices to tackle current issues could transform the rate at which the industry progresses.

Leakage is a well-recognised and established issue within the water industry, and we have a host of businesses and bodies looking at ways that leakage can be reduced. The Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival recently returned to Newcastle and discussions centred on developing ‘no dig’ solutions to usher in a massive reduction in leakage.

But while this solution is an extremely favourable one, the technology is likely another five years away. What is truly needed to overcome the challenge of leakage is immediate action.

Leakage is a huge environmental and societal challenge. Within the UK marketplace it is estimated that approximately 2.459 million litres of water leak across England and Wales water mains every single day. The cost of utility street works for water, electricity and gas, factoring in intervention and disruption, costs the UK economy £7billion every year.

Leakage at this rate represents a failure of industry – water is arguably our most precious resource and paying to treat water that we will never have an opportunity to use is a huge waste of funds and resource.

The problem is also set to worsen over coming years. Demographic changes in the UK will prompt higher demand for water, and the increasing number of housing developments apply further pressure, particularly in the South East where water stress is greatest. These changes will be compounded as we see the effects of the shifting climate impact our country in ways we can only begin to predict. With all of this considered, typical BAU practices are not sustainable and will not deliver the long-term outcomes needed to combat the challenges that the sector faces.

The industry-wide target identified at the Festival is to halve leakage by 2050 while simultaneously minimising interruptions and reducing repair costs. With more

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

immediate interventions, this timeline could be much shorter.

The debate over this issue is centred around responsive and preventative solutions.

Water companies are locked into a leak repair mindset as opposed to looking at maintaining the network, and a quantum shift is needed in our thought processes behind leakage solutions.

Fixing a pipe leak is a responsive action, however, repairing a leak often only shifts the issue further down the pipeline to another weak spot, deferring the problem to a later date. Pipe lining and spray lining technologies are preventative measures that ensure protection of the entire line and its supply.

For example, our stand-alone ‘pull in’ liners have been used around the world for the trenchless rehabilitation of pressurised water mains. Using ‘minimal-dig’ technology, they are inserted within existing pipes so that should a breakage or leak occur in the host pipe the supply of the resource is not compromised, There are further changes that could also be made for immediate impact. A significant proportion of the operations teams within the water sector are over 50 and will be retiring within the next 20 years.

This can be a blocker to innovation as these individuals will often default

to tried and tested methods and may not wish to embrace innovation in the twilight of their career, inhibiting innovation in the sector. Encouraging new talent into the industry to explore their fresh ideas and capitalise on their motivation to try new solutions to solve longstanding problems is vital to bring about an industry-wide cultural shift.

We shouldn’t be frightened of failing on the journey to innovation and allow fear to lull the industry into waiting for future Utopian solutions to solve problems. Innovation is about evolution and changing our working practices now is a vital step along this journey.

Encouraging new talent into the industry …is vital to bring about an industry-wide cultural shift.

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Improving performance of the Hong Kong sewers with flow monitoring When flooding and an increase in sewer overflows led to complaints from residents, the utility responsible for Hong Kong’s waste water network turned to HWM for help.

If undetected, pipe blockages have the potential to cause untreated sewage to back up and flood drains, streets and buildings. This can result in huge problems, particularly in urban areas, and is becoming more prevalent as the demands on sewer systems increases.

In Hong Kong, incidents were commonly occurring in densely populated high rise apartment blocks and the subsequent hygiene concerns and mounting pressure necessitated the utility to invest in a proactive overspill management solution.

The previous system, which consisted of using CCTV to identify issues and high-pressure jetting to clear the network, was completely reactionary and did not have the ability to recognise issues before they arose.

The utility looked to upgrade their monitoring capabilities by investing in a system of depth and velocity sensors with highly versatile telemetry data loggers at the heart.

Depth and velocity data is used by the utility to monitor the capacity of their sewer system and the flow of its contents. Fluctuations in the data can indicate problems, such as blockages, which can be investigated and corrected before flooding and pollution incidents develop.

This was crucial to the utility because of the negative press they were receiving for not being out in front of the issue.

Additionally, the data can be used to better understand the network and help to build forecasts and predictions of trouble spots or areas of interest. This is particularly useful where extreme weather events, such as sudden and heavy rainfall, add additional pressure to the network.

The utility chose Intelligens WW as the core of this system, installing 80 data loggers throughout their network. In selecting Intelligens WW, the utility recognised its ability to seamlessly connect to multiple third-party sensors, including RavenEye and Microflow-i. Intelligens WW was also chosen for its competitive pricing. As a cost-effective solution, selecting Intelligens allowed the utility to mass deploy throughout their network.

In larger sewer mains, the utility connected velocity and level sensors to the Intelligens WW loggers, while in proximity to residential and business properties the loggers were equipped with level sensors. Installing various sensors in different locations provided the most comprehensive network coverage for the utility, which was made possible because of the Intelligens WW compatibility.

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The sewers in Hong Kong are particularly hazardous and so reliability was also a factor. Intelligens WW has a track record of consistency and holds ATEX certification, which demonstrates its dependability. The logger also benefits from a long life battery, allowing for ‘fit and forget’ deployments, which was an attractive proposition for the utility.

To be effective, the system relies on consistent transmission of data, something at which Intelligens WW excels. Our advanced modem is LTE-M and NBIoT-enabled, but also contains a 2G fallback for environments when an NBIoT connection cannot be achieved. This ensures continual data transmission, but also future proofs the loggers in an ever-developing cellular landscape.

As well as the reliable transmission of data, the utility was impressed by the

smooth transfer of data from our DataGate system to its own system. Providing the data seamlessly is beneficial to not just the day-to-day operations of the utility’s control room, but also to their modelling team, which uses the data for support long term planning decision making.

As a result of installing of the system, the utility now has a much greater understanding of the real-time situation within its network.

It now can identify problem areas and proactively send teams to resolve issues before they develop. At the very least, in situations where it is unable to remove a blockage before an overspill, the utility is in a favourable position of being aware of the issue, rather than hearing about it because of a customer complaint. www.hwmglobal.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Wastewater Network Monitoring Solutions

Our innovative range of level, flow and data logging solutions delivers the intelligent technology to monitor and prevent surcharge and spill events, ensuring cost-effective compliance and damage limitation.

hwmglobal.com

MCERTS Class 1 radars and controllers offer users all the options

RADAR IS THE BETTER

In 2021, level and pressure instrumentation manufacturer, VEGA, became the first manufacturer to offer MCERTS Class one certification over a 5m range - either as a stand-alone sensor or with controller as a complete system.

Since then the company say they have been supplying a flexible portfolio of MCERTS devices for open-channel flow measurement with a structure, meeting CSA and environment agency standards.

Why is 5 m range significant? It means on assets like deep channels or inaccessible weir spill points, the sensor heads can be mounted well out of the way, yet still deliver 2mm accuracy.

MCERTS Stand-alone Class 1 sensors

ULTRASONIC

Sensor options include IP68 devices with choice of top-cable entry or side-cable entry which can maximise head room. Compact units with built in indicators are useful for applications where a live level/flow rate needs to be displayed. All these sensors operate using their award winning VEGA Tools Bluetooth App. The company say this enables easy set up and, via the double PIN system for pairing and locking-down of a device, a ‘look but don’t touch’ viewing of flow or level data for operators or inspectors, for example.

80 GHz level sensor with fixed cable connection (IP68)

MCERTS Class 1 System - local display, control and data-logging

Alternatively, a radar-based level system supplied with a VEGAMET 861 (single) or 862 (dual) flow controller is available. These use digital communications to the sensor to obtain maximum (mm) system accuracy, especially useful for local display, totalised flow, additional outputs for samplers, analytical devices or where local alarms are needed. Internal data-logging to an SD Card can provide over a 100 million datapoints, offering best in class capacity. For example, a mind-blowing ‘190 years data’ can be recorded at a 1 minute resolution. A large colour-changing display can indicate when a level or max. flow is reached. The digital communication can also be used to transmit extra information like; data quality, distance-reading (for simple verification) or temperature values, which can prove valuable in some applications. Single or twin-channel systems are both certified for MCERTS, so adjacent MCERTS UMON3 and UMON4 (FFT/ PFF) measurements can be added into one system. They utilise the same VEGA Tools App for easy set up and system verification.

CLASS 1 Cert. No. MC210360/00

All advantages of the radar technology:

www.vega.com/vegapuls

Contact:

VEGA Controls Ltd info.uk@vega.com www.vega.com/uk 01444 870055

All VEGA radar sensors and controllers can be used for new and existing MCERTS applications, as stand-alone flow devices or as a system. To support users, VEGA provide regular MCERTS training seminars and courses.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

RADAR IS THE BETTER

ULTRASONIC 80 GHz level sensor with fixed cable connection (IP68)

CLASS 1 Cert. No. MC210360/00

All advantages of the radar technology:

www.vega.com/vegapuls

Pump Technology & Innovation

Cornerpiece Overpump When Covid-19 restrictions were lifted and people started to take holidays in the UK, Wales had an influx of tourists which highlighted a shortfall in the amount of potable water available.

A plan was drawn up to upgrade strategic Water Pumping Stations operated by DwrCymru (Welsh Water) to increase the flow to its underground reservoirs and keep water flowing throughout the summer holiday.

To keep water flowing while works were being carried out at Cornerpiece pumping station, Selwood’s solutions teams were asked to support with a temporary overpump setup which could be automatically put into action when needed.

The challenge

The customer was able to access a piece of the farmland just behind the original pumping station which would house site cabins and a set of generators to run the temporary pump setup.

The size of the property presented challenges when it came to deciding where to place the equipment for the overpumping operation.

The setup needed to be completely automatic that it would run at a pre-set pressure and flow with the flick of a switch.

The other challenge was the flow and head of the system to meet the required flows, Selwood’s teams were asked to produce 63 litres per second at 110m head, with an inlet pressure of between 3 – 4 bar.

The solution

One pump on its own wouldn’t produce the flow that was needed so two pumps would need to run at the same time.

Selwood’s solution was to use three 55kw Lowara WRAS approved pumps in a Duty 1, Duty 2 and standby configuration. The pumps were coupled with 6”clean water flanged

pipework bolted together to make a manifold with a single suction and single discharge connection.

The pumps and pipework were all built up in the depot ready so once the pumps landed on site they only needed to bolt together four flanges. The pumps were controlled via 55kw variable speed drives (VSD) linked to an IFM inlet pressure sensor with programable set points which could be set to shut the pumps down under low suction pressure and prevent the pumps running dry.

There was also a 4 to 20m pressure sensor fitted to the discharge pipework which could control the discharge pressure and speed the pumps up or slow them down to maintain outlet pressure when the VSD panels were set to PID (proportional integral derivative) loop.

Multiple parts of the VSD program were changed to suit the application: Ramp up and ramp down times were extended to help against surge pressure.

A start delay timer ensured the generator would have time to warm up.

The result

The result was the customer could run their own pumps while the upgrade works were going on – but if a problem such as a pump failure occurred, they could just flick a switch and the temporary over pumping solution would take over without any other human input. The system was designed to mimic the existing pumping station with the minimum of downtime.

The recommendation

Jason Sanders, SEMD Delivery Manager, DwrCymru, said: “From the initial enquiry right through to the commissioning, Selwood gave great advice and support throughout the entire process. The project started with a site visit to the existing pumping station to ensure all needs were discussed with both the current flows and the proposed flows. Selwood provided a pump selection to suit DCWW design requirements for the Cornerpiece WPS system. It was a smooth transaction from start to finish with the temporary pumps now available to ensure the increased flows to the storage reservoir.” www.selwood.co.uk

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Pump Technology & Innovation

A non-fouling solution to avoid pump failures resulting from grease accumulation In wastewater measurement, accurate readings are essential to ensure proper pump operation. If such a measurement system fails, unhygienic wastewater can overflow and pollute the environment.

The pump systems themselves can also suffer damage if operated incorrectly on the basis of erroneous measurement values. Among other things, wastewater contains organic compounds such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats (grease). The latter in particular have the unpleasant habit of clumping together and forming sediments that are difficult to dislodge.

False measurements due to the formation of sediments

Newport News, Virginia in the USA offers a good example of what can happen in such a situation. Newport News was founded in 1621. It is situated along the James River and its nearly 180,000 residents make it the fifth largest city in Virginia. Here, several restaurants were built in an area serviced by the same municipal wastewater lift station.

The high grease content in the wastewater then polluted the existing level measurement equipment, ultimately leading it to break down completely.

Antiquated solutions

Prior to the development of the commercial district, the Newport News Waterworks and the Hampton Roads Sanitation District relied on a combination of mechanical floats and conventional submersible transmitters. Both measurement systems stopped working after the restaurants opened: Both the primary and redundant level measurement equipment failed to properly transmit level data to the pump controller.

The heightened grease content in the wastewater caused by the restaurants led clumps to form on the level transmitter membranes, which ultimately blocked the flow of water to the measuring membrane. On the redundant float switch, whose purpose was to trigger the pump in the event of a failed level transmitter, the accumulation of grease blocked the mechanical operation of the float ball. The failure of the level transmitter and the backup system led to the failure of the entire lift station because the pumps either operated constantly or not at all. If technicians hadn’t acted quickly, the entire sewage system could have come to a complete standstill.

Kynar® membrane offers better resistance

If a lift station is to function properly, grease must not be allowed to block the measuring devices. Various manufacturers offer nonfouling products that often present difficulties

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Wastewater treatment plant in Newport News in other areas, however. The instruments usually employ a Teflon-coated elastomer membrane, which, while non-fouling, is also relatively weak and prone to puncture. The membrane is therefore equipped with a rather bulky protective shield that is mounted on bolts. Grease tends to accumulate in the gaps that result from this setup, however, which means the problem just moves to another location, as clumps of fibres, grease and sludge form the wastewater continue to impair correct measurements.

In the case of Newport News, city officials contacted KELLER Pressure, whose 36KyX level transmitter, which is known in the USA as the LevelRat, enables a unique approach to wastewater level measurement.

The Kynar® membrane used in the 36KyX is harder and offers superior abrasion and puncture resistance relative to other nonfouling solutions. Bulky shields are therefore no longer needed, which also enables a more compact design for the sensor. The 36KyX can fully exploit the advantages offered by a non-fouling membrane without anyone having to worry about floating particles and small objects. Put simply, the level transmitter is perfect for this application. No incorrect measurements due to grease deposits have been recorded at Newport News Waterworks since the new transmitters went into operation: The LevelRat solved the problem.

Products Used The 36KyX series was specially developed for brackish water and sewage applications.

It is equipped with a non-fouling Kynar separating diaphragm, which combines the antiadhesion properties of PTFE with outstanding hardness and abrasion resistance. This level sensors design can be readily installed in harsh environments, eliminating the need for bulky, costly protective equipment.

In addition to the RS485 interface, the measurement results can also be output via the integrated D/A converter as a rangeable analog signal.

keller-druck.com

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ERADICATING CLOGGING FOR

ANGLIAN WATER

Peterborough based, specialist pump company, Hydromarque Ltd, have been supplying wastewater pumps into Anglian Water for over 30 years.

May 2022 celebrates the company’s 35 years in business and, following an investment last year

by BCF Equity Partners based in Stamford, the Directors of BCF have partnered the existing management team to bring their entrepreneurial skills to complement and help modernise and develop the company.

H

ydromarque has now completed a full re-branding exercise to ensure the company continues to be at the forefront of modern technology and to enhance its digital media presence in order to provide solid continuation to its customers, like Anglian Water for many years to come.

Hydromarque are the sole UK & Eire agent/ stockist/service provider for Gorman-Rupp Pumps, the market leaders in self-priming pump technology.

Based in the centre of the region, Hydromarque are ideally placed to support Anglian Water with their specialist range of self-priming, suction lift, solids handling pumps and associated spare parts and accessories.

They hold a very large stock inventory of pumps and spare parts to enable them to deliver most items next day and minimise their customers production downtime.

Not only do they provide a first class service, but they have over 100 years combined experience in applications, pump selection, commissioning, in-house repairs and troubleshooting. They also provide in-house and on-site training and have trained dozens of Anglian Water Engineers to ensure they are equipped with the know how to maintain the pumps on a day to day basis.

The Hydromarque team is experienced and dedicated to delivering excellent service and innovative pump solutions to existing customers like Anglian Water as well as new customers and enjoy the full back up and support of one of the most innovative pump manufacturers in the world.

USA based Gorman-Rupp have been building self-priming pumps since the 1930’s and have a very comprehensive

“We selected a 10” Super T Series S-Line pump fitted with a Stage V diesel engine capable of running on HVO fuels, saving up to 89% on CO² emissions” range. The pumps are generally installed above ground and ‘high & dry’ above the liquid being pumped. This helps improve Health & Safety issues as it eliminates the need to enter below ground confined space areas and also assists with ease of maintenance as the pumps can be worked on locally, normally without the need for lifting equipment.

More recently, Gorman-Rupp has taken the concept of the solids-handling pump to a higher level of performance. For installations where stringy solids are affecting downtime and maintenance costs, there is now the Eradicator Solids Management System for the most common range, the Super T Series™ pump. The Eradicator is designed specifically for todays ‘new sewage’ issues such as sanitary wipes, plastic bags, hair, sludge and other types of debris.

Hydromarque have recently worked closely with Anglian Water on a project at Whitlingham

STW. An emergency diesel driven pump has been supplied in the event that there be a power outage on site. It is process critical that the RAS [Return Activated Sludge] continues to be pumped. Working closely with the design team, Hydromarque selected a 10” pump from the Gorman-Rupp Super T Series™ S-Line range fitted with a Stage V diesel engine. These are capable of running on HVO [Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil] fuels, saving up to 89% on CO2 emissions.

In addition to this, Hydromarque are working closely with Anglian Water on their Storm Tank programme and their phosphorus removal ‘P’ schemes, where the surface mounted, selfpriming, solids handling pump is an excellent solution.

If you feel you need assistance with your pumping solutions then please don’t hesitate to contact the team at Hydromarque on 01733 370545 or sales@hydromarque.com

New sewage, poultry waste, plastic bags, hair, stringy material and other clog-prone materials can wreak havoc on pumps. That’s why you need a dependable solution for handling solid waste.

Gorman-Rupp’s innovative Eradicator® Solids Management System upgrade kit for Super T Series® pumps offers just that. The new aggressive self-cleaning wearplate and back cover assembly, incorporating an obstructionfree flow path, are designed to handle clogprone material, keeping your pump operating at peak efficiency. A lightweight inspection cover allows for easy access to the inside of the pump without affecting wearplate-to-impeller clearance. And, the Eradicator can be easily installed into existing Super T Series pumps in the field.

Trust Gorman-Rupp pumps to keep your operation running smoothly month after month, year after year.

Contact Hydromarque - the official UK agent of Gorman-Rupp Pumps - to find out more!

Phone: Fax: Email: YouTube:

01733 370545 01733 361249 sales@hydromarque.com Gorman-Rupp Eradicator® www.hydromarque.com

Phosphorus Removal

A natural step towards chemical-free phosphorus removal Ben Hazard of Te-Tech Process Solutions discusses how primary sludge fermentation can improve biological P removal and reduce chemical usage, sludge production and operational costs.

With tightening phosphorus consents and population growth, AMP7 has seen an increase in phosphorus removal schemes across the industry and this number will grow even more in AMP8. The default solution for many smaller works is to install chemical dosing and tertiary treatment, as this appears superficially to be the simplest solution with the lowest capital cost. However, the main chemicals used for P precipitation (iron and aluminium salts) are not a sustainable resource and, with supply chain issues, demand is expected to exceed the supply in the not-too-distant future, affecting price, quality and reliability of supply. It’s time for another look at enhanced biological phosphorus removal technologies.

Primary Sludge Fermentation Enhances Bio-P Removal

Primary sludge fermentation (PSF) has the potential to significantly enhance the phosphorus removal performance by enabling Enhanced Bio-P Removal (EBPR). By increasing the volume of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) available for phosphate accumulating organisms, biological phosphorus removal can occur where it was previously impossible due to insufficient VFA concentrations in the raw wastewater.

sludge anaerobically for several days, which increases the VFA concentration. After settlement, the VFA rich supernatant is returned to the anaerobic “selector tank”.

subsequent fermentation. Based on this, the control system creates an optimal operational regime for sludge feeding and withdrawal, producing around 100 – 200 g VFA/kg COD.

Alongside improved EBPR, PSF reduces the need for chemical precipitants and can potentially remove the need for chemical dosing altogether, bringing both cost savings and improving resilience and sustainability.

Additionally, PSF reduces the volume of excess sludge produced, reducing sludge disposal and treatment costs.

The Process of PSF

In conventional activated sludge plants, a significant portion of COD is removed from the main process line in the primary sludge.

However, primary sludge fermentation returns about 30% of the COD removed to the main process line with the fermenter effluent, although it is typically readily degradable.

All about VFAs

2. The fermented sludge is mixed with raw wastewater in an elutriation tank for enhanced washout of the VFAs and pH regulation.

It’s Sustainable & Cost Effective

Whilst the biochemistry is complex, the principles are quite simple. In anaerobic conditions bacteria called “phosphate accumulating organisms” (PAOs) consume VFAs and release phosphorus as phosphate.

Then in aerobic conditions they take up phosphate and convert into polyphosphate chains within their cellular structure. Given the right conditions and with sufficient VFAs available, the uptake of phosphorus in the aerobic stage is greater than the release of phosphorus in the anaerobic stage, so there is net reduction on phosphorus which is removed with the biological sludge in the final settling tank after the aerobic stage. Properly managed, this removal can exceed 80%. It’s mostly about getting the right amount of VFAs. PSF ensures that there is a sufficient quantity of VFAs, by fermenting some of the primary

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The process consists of three separate stages: 1. Primary sludge is directed to one of two alternating batch fermenters which operate out of phase with each other to give a pseudo-continuous flow through the system.

3. Finally, the fermented primary sludge and wastewater mix is separated in a thickener with the VFA-rich supernatant being sent to the anaerobic tank of the biological treatment stage.

To achieve optimal VFA production rates, the parameter that needs to be controlled is the sludge retention time in the PSF reactor tanks. This is quite an ambitious task as the VFA production rate depends on a number of different variables such as the reactor temperature, certain sludge specifics (e.g. origin of volatile suspended solids), and the presence of inhibitors. Online temperature, pH and ORP monitoring indicate where the process lies in terms of hydrolysis and

Packaged PSF Systems

Te-Tech Process Solutions have developed the te-fermTM packaged primary sludge fermentation system that can be easily retrofitted even into small plants. It uses conventional technology together with realtime control based on online monitoring of temperature, pH and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) to maximise the rate of VFA production.

A complete process evaluation service for companies considering te-fermTM including a full evaluation of cost benefits and sustainability is available from Te-Tech.

Contact Te-Tech now: enquiries@te-tech.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Creative Solutions

Integrated Design

Efficient Delivery +44 (0) 23 8235 1600

Lean Manufacture

Smart Operation

enquiries@te-tech.co.uk

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Phosphorus Removal

Proving your technology is only half the battle; how it stands up to long-term operational pressures is where you really stand out During AMP6 and subsequent CIP2 P removal trials, the focus was on identifying those tertiary solids removal (TSR) technologies that could achieve the stringent Phosphorus consent requirements demanded in AMP 7 and beyond. FilterClear® was one such technology that proved capable of meeting even the most stringent consents across the UK. But stopping there would be doing a disservice to our clients and the public who rely on the safe and reliable provision of water & treatment and discharge of wastewater.

But even best laid plans can go awry. Sewage treatment works can have mechanical upsets, blanket spills and/or slime events which can cause some fouling and elevated backwash pressures within the system.

Both the trials and real-world experience has highlighted that the key to achieving consistently reliable results is upstream optimisation and TSR maintenance.

In the rare event that remedial action is required to remove any unwanted biomass growth from the media, (3 cases in nearly five years operation of our plants), simply soaking the media with alkali quickly restores normal operation. Alkali pearls are added to the vessel via the top media inspection hatch and then agitated with the blower. After 1 – 2 hours, the alkali breakdown the biomass and restore the media to “as new” condition.

The market now knows which technologies can meet the required consents; knowing those that not only satisfy them but continue to perform under challenging operating conditions and over a long period of time is critical. After all, a failure leading to a pollution incident is still a failure; past performance counts for nothing.

A strong commitment to research & development has further enhanced the technology. Today, FilterClear provides the lowest whole life cost solution for the more challenging P removal applications across the UK. It’s now accepted industry wide that FilterClear can remove P to <0.1mg/l, but that’s only half the story. Being able to sustain long term performance with negligible operator input and maintenance is where the technology stands apart.

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One of the areas where FilterClear excels is the extremely efficient backwashing regime. This not only eliminates the need for routine out of service mechanical and chemical media cleans, but also provides the lowest daily consistent backwash volume generation versus other technologies.

Taking this process a step further, an “alkali soak” function is incorporated into FilterClear’s PLC software. This procedure eliminates the need for labour intensive cleaning services – with associated H&S risks ‑ with the operator simply activating the “alkali soak” function on the HMI and is prompted by the HMI through the various stages of the process.

What could be simpler and safer.

To learn more about FilterClear visit www.bluewaterbio.com/filterclear

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

An ideal solution to remove phosphorus from wastewater.

KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS: Excellent effluent quality (TP <0.1 mg/L) High filtration rate giving a reduced footprint High solids holding capacity & low backwash volume Minimum civil works enabling quick on-site installation Skid-mounted system, pre-assembled Fully automated system, minimal operational intervention Low whole life cost.

FIND OUT MORE: www.bluewaterbio.com/filterclear UK: +44 (0)845 519 5800 THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE: INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2022

Phosphorus Removal

Balancing the risks of new and old Phosphorus removal technologies: is it really better the devil you know?

All sectors are working to become more sustainable and reduce the impact they have on the environment. For the water industry, though, all this change has to be undertaken while continuing to deliver proper operations, safe drinking water and controlled effluent discharge. It’s a delicate balance that would be an enormous challenge, if it weren’t for I-Phyc’s natural-based approach to removing P from wastewater. But there still may be some perceived risks to adopting this technology, Matt Baldry, Director at I-Phyc, explains…

If you were going out to buy a car today, you’d need a good excuse to tell your friends and family if you chose a diesel or petrol vehicle when clearly electric is the right choice for our planet and future generations.

But, internally, your decision would no doubt be influenced by your fears and the risks, be they real or imagined. You might be asking yourself, will the range be adequate, what if I can’t find charging points, etc. It’s understandable and a natural part of the process in the widescale adoption of new technologies. To all but the early adopters, it’s a new technology, so the risks, nuances and considerations are unknown.

As they say, it’s better the devil you know. But, to that point, there are dangers and risks around petrol and diesel engines. We tend to discount the myriad problems relating to breakdowns, maintenance expenses, air quality, GHG emissions, and so on, when we consider petrol and diesel engines because they are expected, and we’ve learned to live with them.

Compare that to the water industry, which is under growing public and political pressure regarding sewage and CSO discharges and the general state of rivers in the UK. People from all walks of life are demanding change; School strikes, Clean Rivers Campaign, Surfers Against Sewage are all gaining media attention. CSOs are a contributing factor of this negative press, even if the logic is flawed, and chemical dosing isn’t helping.

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The process has never been risk or consequence free but, in the past, chemical dosing was the answer to the question.

Even though chemical dosing still pollutes the effluent with iron, there were no other options. It is also a carbon emitter; Net Zero cannot be achieved with chemical dosing.

There’s also the cost and supply of the chemicals themselves, which are increasingly unstable. There’s the cost of maintaining the infrastructure, of employing and training skilled staff, health and safety, and sludge removal.

However, now things are different.

The replacement technology, is Bio-P removal – harnessing the natural power of microalgae to remove P from wastewater as well as ammonia and other contaminants all in a single process.

The by-product of this process is not sludge, but excess algae, which can be reused. The contaminants it removes from wastewater can be harvested and sold on. The technology is modular and does not rely on flow rates, so is suitable for even the smallest plants in the country.

The investment case, however, is complicated.

The two systems are not at all like-for-like.

Ferric dosing costs include the chemicals themselves, the process including sludge removal and disposal, training, maintenance and cautionary infrastructure like showers

in case of a spill. But on top of this is the environmental cost, the carbon cost and the risk of keeping chemicals so near water courses.

With Bio-P removal, the main cost is upfront the tank and flow system. There are also soft costs like the space they take up, and they do need to be on hard ground so that might be an investment if a particular plant doesn’t have such a space.

The microalgae are self-sustaining, so the only ongoing costs are the modest energy expenditure on the LED lights used to help the microalgae grow, and another energy cost for separating the microalgae from the effluent.

All of these costs are offset by the environmental benefits. There is no iron discharge, it’s a completely chemical and sludge-free process meaning less processing and lorries on the road. All the P it removes and biomass it generates can be sold on.

Microalgae also photosynthesises, so it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

I-Phyc’s Bio-P removal system can lock away 17 tonnes of CO2 per year at 1,000 population equivalent works.

Like electric vehicles, in the long-term, it’s a no-brainer.

To find out more about I-Phyc’s Bio-P removal system, visit, www.i-phyc.com.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Phosphorus Removal

Wastewater treatment is not just a piece of cake Remo Schulz, CEO of Saxlund Group, discusses German-led changes in European legislation for phosphorous recovery, and how innovation is supporting sustainability goals in wastewater recovery.

It makes sense to put the status of the industry in context. Specifically in Europe there is continuing debate on the appropriate handling of sludge as the defined solid waste produce from wastewater and sewage treatment.

Safer methods

The late 20th-century drive to clean final effluent discharge into rivers and seas means that sludge cake must now be safely utilised and disposed of. Putting raw or lime treated sludge cake directly onto agricultural land does not have a long-term future, while land filling is costly and a lost opportunity. Methods to safely utilise sludge cake are major drivers for wastewater companies. Dewatered sludge cake is generally 18 – 35% dry solids, and a nonfree flowing material that can be variable in its mechanical handling properties due to process, location and / or season.

Pollution control at source is crucial

The wastewater sector is under pressure due to the presence of degradable and nondegradable pollutants entering our sewers and from the increased flow to sewers caused by climate change and urban development.

The sector is being asked to deliver clean water by removing these pollutants from wastewater; however, this process generates an increasing amount of urban wastewater treatment sludge (UWWTS) and treatment efforts, as well as carbon emissions and higher costs to customers. Improved control of pollution at source is urgently needed for all non-biodegradable pollutants if we are to truly embrace the circular economy. The new EU Zero Pollution Action Plan is based on a ‘zero pollution hierarchy’.

This is outlined by research from organisations such as EurEau (the European Federation of National Associations of Water Services), representing national drinking and wastewater service providers from 29 countries. The Position Papers are of particular note: ‘Enabling the circular potential of sewage sludge within the EU legislative framework’ and further analysis in ‘Waste water treatment – sludge management’.

Innovative business models such as asset management and sludge retail followed by disruptive applications like hydrogen fuel from sludge will drive the circular economy of the European sludge treatment systems market.

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It may be an established market in this respect, but many of its utilities suffer from ageing infrastructure where retrofits and rehabilitation will be key, along with technologies addressing micropollutants in sludge. The European Commission has approved fertiliser generated sludge, a key driver to minimise waste, lower energy consumption and reduce the risk of phosphorus shortage.

The market is broadly classified into two systems: sludge treatment and sludge recovery. The former include sludge thickening & dewatering, sludge digestion and sludge drying. The latter consist of nutrient recovery and alternate materials. The sludge treatment systems and recovery market are expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.51% from 2019 to 2025.

activity, boosting energy recovery in Anaerobic Digestion AD plants. There are currently two main technologies: Thermal hydrolysis, where sludge is heated to a high temperature under pressure, and subjected to rapid decompression causing the solids fraction of the sludge to disintegrate.

Enzymic hydrolysis, where the sludge is broken down into small components which are acidified, before the material is transferred into the anaerobic digestion plant.

There are currently three main methods of utilisation / disposal:

EfW sludge Sludge cake is used widely in EfW plants and cement plants to dispose of material, and when having a high dry solids content, gain beneficial energy. It can be combusted when mixed with other waste fuels or monocombusted on its own. Drying sludge cake using waste heat turns it into a valuable fuel.

ADD sludge Widely seen in the UK and across Europe, this method generates additional anaerobic

Sludge for Phosphate Recovery Recent European legislation, most notably in Germany, means that Phosphate recovery is

Processing methods

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

Phosphorus Removal

a driver for change, with a move away from co-combustion to the building of new monocombustion plants.

Germany - leading the way?

Since the German Sewage Sludge Regulation was introduced in 2017, sewage sludge must be recycled to recover phosphorus. The aim is to gradually close the phosphorus cycle and reduce Germany’s dependence on phosphorus imports, saving resources and reducing soil contamination.

Phosphorus is primarily used as fertiliser.

Germany - as with most other EU states – depends almost entirely on imports of mineral-based phosphorus fertilisers. If the new regulations are complied with, 50% to 60% of imports can be replaced by phosphorus recovered from sewage sludge. To achieve that aim, operators of larger sewage plants (population equivalent of > 50,000) are required to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge.

Transition periods are allowed to help develop and optimise recovery processes. Large sewage plants (population equivalent of > 100,000) have 12 years to comply with the new regulation. Transition for smaller sewage plants (population equivalent of 50,000 to 100,000) is 15 years. However, sewage plant operators of the above sizes must submit their phosphate recycling concept to the regulatory authorities by the end of 2023.

The war in Ukraine has left the world short of fertilisers, and prices are skyrocketing.

Previously Russia and Belarus provided about 40% of the world’s exports of potash, according to Morgan Stanley, but sanctions have sent prices increasing at an exponential rate.

Rationale for German approach

Scientists from Cardiff University estimate that between 31,000 and 42,000 tonnes of microplastics (or 86 – 710 trillion microplastic particles) are applied to European soils annually, mirroring the concentration of microplastics found in ocean surface waters.

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Their study estimates that microplastics removed from raw sewage at wastewater treatment plants make up roughly 1% of the weight of sewage sludge, commonly used as farm fertiliser. The UK has potentially the highest amount of microplastic contamination in its soils, with 500 – 1000 microplastic particles per sq m of agricultural land applied per year, followed by Spain, Portugal and Germany.

The study took samples from the Nash Wastewater Treatment Plant in Newport, which treats combined sewage from 300,000 people. Analysis revealed that the treatment plant was 100% effective in removing large microplastic particles, 1 – 5mm in size, from incoming sewage that would otherwise be released into the aquatic environment. Each gram of sewage sludge was shown to contain up to 24 microplastic particles, roughly 1% of its weight. This data was used to assess the impact of the use and application of sewage sludge as a fertiliser across Europe.

Microplastics less than 1mm in size weren’t analysed, so the overall concentrations are likely to be a lot higher than their estimates.

The German approach of incineration eradicates microplastics as they are combusted in the process, allowing the resulting ash to be used for phosphorous recovery.

Phosphorus Recovery from sewage sludge

Currently phosphorus recovery from sludge cake ash is only practical from monoincineration plants where just sludge cake is combusted. Sludge cake is used widely in a supplementary fuel in Energy from Waste plants but contamination from other materials in the ash means recovery is not possible.

Existing capacity in mono-incineration plants is about 450,000 mg dry solids/a, equivalent to roughly 25% of the total dry sewage sludge mass produced, thus new plants are needed.

An additional plant is required to extract phosphates from the ash. The new German

Sewage Sludge Regulation requires a recovery rate of 80% in relation to input, so commercial plants are coming into operation (phos4green. glatt.com/projects/seraplant-haldensleben/)

Sludge satellites and processing hubs

The drive for innovation means projects are delivered as Satellite and Hubs. Smaller water treatment works will install sludge dewatering systems and Truck Loading storage silos, with 3 – 5 days of storage on each site. A larger water treatment works, with its own large indigenous sludge, will install a Sludge Cake Reception and Storage system that feeds the AAD or EfW process.

Future proofing

Germany has around 10,200 wastewater treatment plants which use approximately 4,400 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year (35 kWh/population equivalent per year), and account for around 0.7% of the power consumed in the country. aerzen.com/applications/water-and-wastewater-treatment/adviser/water-treatmentin-the-future.html. Aeration is by far the main consumer for almost all the wastewater treatment plants with sludge processes; while power consumed by plants with aerobic sludge stabilisation is between 60% and 80%, it is still around 50% for plants with sludge digestion. Renewable energy sources to power efficiency include hydroelectric power in the inlets and outlets, depending on available fall height.

Particularly in the case of larger plants with sludge incineration, it is recommended to use bar screen debris as an additional fuel source.

However, this technology is limited using bar screen debris washers, which reduce the accumulation of debris and also possible ash contamination.

Needless to say, a spectrum of new and emerging solutions is being tested, but they must be both safe to operate and offer a valuable return on investment.

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News

‘End of pipe’ solutions aren’t the only answer to our water crises A more integrated approach is needed with upstream source control to supplement the current drive for end of pipe solutions in sewage management, says Peter Matthews of The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators.

Those of us who have been in the industry for a long time, see more interest in water management than at any time since 1989. This year has seen a stream (no pun intended!) of inquiries and investigations, starting with the House of Commons Environment Audit Committee Report on river quality.

Defra has also issued a series of consultations on aspects such as: a proposed ban on single use plastics in wet wipes (see WIJ – March 2022 for my comment on that) proposals for the future of storm overflows

reductions in water demand and phosphate in sewage effluent.

Following on from a general debate about river quality, the House of Lords is carrying out an inquiry into Ofwat’s powers, with a specific focus on storm overflows, while the Office of Environment Protection is investigating how regulations introduced by Defra, the EA, and Ofwat have impacted storm overflows on rivers. Plus, of course, Ofwat published its draft PR24 methodology in July.

The Company* has made extensive responses, underpinned by Position Statements, on a number of themes.

We support the need for the evolution of water management to protect the environment and meet public expectations, whilst also responding to factors such as the

The water companies must provide excellence in operational delivery but changing societal practices should not be left to them alone.

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pressures arising from climate change and a growing population. We are also mindful this is an additional cost to customers at a time of economic hardship. The Company recognises that some of the views expressed in the wider media might distort understanding of what needs to be done.

However, we have reservations about how proposals will be implemented. There is a need for a ‘road map’ to explain how current and future initiatives relate to each other.

Currently, it is a collection of seemingly ad hoc proposals which need integration with other initiatives and policies.

For example, targets for phosphate in, and abstraction of, river waters are dealt with in the consultation on 25 Year Environment Plan Targets, while sewer blockages (a major cause of sewer overflows) are dealt with in the drive to reduce single use plastics. Sewer overflows are dealt with separately, but the consultation contains a significant narrative about swimming in inland waters which are influenced by many other factors.

We believe that the later Defra proposals need a more refined approach to set operational and investment targets, along with better cost benefit appraisal. The current proposed targets are simplistic, blunt instruments and there must be a more integrated local approach (such as at the river basin level) using national principles rather than national targets. Plus we need a greater understanding of practical issues around delivery.

Part of this should be a shift towards outcome-based environmental regulation.

Rather than specifying the outputs that water companies must deliver, it should specify necessary outcomes. This would include all sectors contributing to the problems (agriculture, industry, developers) who would work with the water sector to find best-value solutions, stimulate innovation and increase nature-based solutions.

These issues can’t be looked at in isolation.

The interplay between economic and environmental regulation and Government policy should be assessed at the very least.

The key challenge facing Ofwat and the whole sector is delivering improvements in environmental quality and resilience to drought and flood without creating an unaffordable bill burden. Current approaches will not achieve this.

Colin Drummond, Master of The Water Conservators, believes regulators and water and sewerage companies are reaching the limit of what they can do on their own, based on the government’s developing aspirations.

He says: “The utilities have much to do to reach their targets, but a lot also depends on society’s behaviour (e.g., what is flushed down toilets) and on what people want from our rivers and lakes in terms of recreation.

There should be a national government-led approach. We can no longer rely solely on environmental regulators, Ofwat and the Price Review process.”

The government should also review its proposed Environment Act targets, which would work against the outcome-based approach. For example, the proposed target for phosphorus reduction focuses only on ‘treated wastewater’, ignoring the impact of agriculture, industry and CSO overflows.

Current targets will drive expenditure and focus by water companies as an ‘end of pipe’ issue rather than examine the root cause, at great cost and with limited benefit to river health. Instead, wording that emphasises ‘Good Ecological Status’ in rivers would drive all sectors to deliver the desired outcome.

The second part of this article goes into more detail. Some of our ideas may be too late for PR24 but they may be of some value in AMP8, and there is time to consider them for PR29. Five years is a long time and much can happen in that period.

See our December issue for part two of this discussion on the future of UK water management. *The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators is the City of London Livery Company focused on the long-term health of our water resources and the broader environment.

Members include active and retired professionals from water, environmental and related industries, academics and regulators, along with others with an interest in water and the environment.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

News

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News

Can AI and the digital twin methodology unlock your assets’ operational performance?

Bretton Davis, Senior Digital Consultant, Arup, explains how utilities can truly unlock their data potential.

Throughout the water cycle, our industry has a robust history of collecting operational asset data. Where it matters, we are very good at sensing and monitoring our catchments, systems, and assets. What’s probably less clear is how to maximise the value from this data.

This is an industry-wide challenge - how to unlock the full potential of this data for the benefit of our customers, the environment and our assets.

Consider digital twin as a methodology, not a technology

When you hear the term ‘digital twin’, your mind might typically visualise an AI & cloud server enabled hi-tech future. While this isn’t untrue, and these technologies are great catalysts for the adoption of this approach, you mind has already skipped over what digital twinning means and arrived immediately at what it thinks is the solution.

Digital twinning is about designing processes where a ‘physical’ asset works alongside a ‘digital’ asset as a twin. It’s the transfer of timely data from the physical to digital, and the return of actionable insight from the digital to the physical that makes the twin. The technology providing the ‘digital asset’ is specific to the problem you need to solve. AI is optional. The fastest way to unlock your data’s potential is by understanding what processes will benefit from twinning and why.

While supporting a river water abstraction site for treatment to understand incoming nutrient loads from the environment, AI was being used to predict nitrate spikes, help the site be operationally ready and optimise performance in between.

Bretton Davis

Start with the users. What do they need to enable their outcomes?

Unless you are starting with a fully automated system, somewhere in your twin cycle is an asset manager and/or operator as the twin cycle will not drive itself. This key factor for success is often undervalued.

Arup recently supported an organisation in the North East of England which needed to forecast water levels to create resilient operations on its sites. Knowing that forecasting the water levels doesn’t create resilience by itself, a user-based approach was considered. Who are the people taking actions and creating resilience, what do they need in the forecast? How should it be communicated?

At what intervals? And by what means?

If we do not focus on the user, we risk just generating more noise in the data pool.

Look at the bigger picture

Expand your system boundary: the key bit of data may be out in the catchment and not on your asset. Is there another data provider that could be providing valuable insight for your system?

Some things like rainfall and water level were obviously connected to the nitrate spikes experienced. But what else needed to be considered to get the AI to reliably predict this behaviour? Was it sewer overflow discharge?

On testing this, the data science found the link to be weak. A strong correlation with the catchment soil moisture deficit was also observed. This made sense - the nitrate was running off the local agricultural fields which only discharged nitrate when specific precipitation and soil conditions aligned.

Bringing it all together on your asset base - Discover - Test - Implement – Repeat Trying to take this challenge on can be a big task. A digital twin methodology that takes an incremental approach is recommended.

Discover – Explore your problem space.

Where can we create value quickly?

Test – Test your assumptions. Is the solution feasible? Does it fit our operational processes?

Implement – Get your solution deployed, start generating benefit.

Repeat – Are the outcomes as expected?

Where can we create value next? Whatever your operational challenge, adopting an incremental approach can help. This allows you to focus on generating value where it matters the most quickly in an agile way and build from there.

The fastest way to unlock your data’s potential is by understanding what processes will benefit from twinning and why.

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2022

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