Institute of Water Magazine Spring edition 2020 issue 205

SPRING 2020 ISSUE205

IN THIS ISSUE NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AI ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE/BEHAVIOUR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Welcome to the 2020 Spring Edition of the Institute of Water Magazine.

It seems almost ironic that I am writing this introduction as communities are beginning to recover from the aftermath of two major storms in quick succession - Ciara and Dennis – and yet again our newspapers are dominated by headlines of intense rainfall leading to record water levels and flooding impacts never experienced before. I use the word ‘ironic’ because the topic I have chosen for our 2020 National Conference in June is around the important subject of Resilience - ‘Secure or Vulnerable?’ Building Resilience Now and in the Long Term.

The term ‘Resilience’ means many things to many people, and in recognition of this the conference programme is designed to examine the subject from a whole range of angles – asset resilience, people resilience, the regulatory picture and vulnerability issues to name but a few examples – in order to illustrate the breadth and depth of the subject matter and to emphasise the importance of cross sectoral collaboration in delivering improved resilience for our customers within the water sector. We will also include an international dimension in the programme. Resilience, to quote an oftenused phrase is about ‘accepting your new reality’ and there is no doubt that this message applies as much to our industry as anywhere.

We already have a number of keynote speakers lined up to present – including Harvey Bradshaw (Environment Agency), Rachel Fletcher (Ofwat), Richard Aylard (Thames Water), David Hinton (South

East Water) and Peter Simpson (Anglian Water). The Conference will take place against the spectacular backdrop of the historic naval dockyard in Portsmouth.

I must say that as the planning of the conference has progressed the relevance of the subject matter to the challenges we face in our industry today has been growing almost by the day – and I am confident that this year’s event will be as stimulating, enjoyable and fun as those in previous years, maintaining the reputation as one of the most worthwhile in the water industry calendar. I look forward to seeing you all there!!

This edition of the magazine also focuses on areas key to strengthening Resilience, including editorial features looking at New Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Water Resources Planning, Environmental Protection and Customer Experience and Behaviour. You can also read about our upcoming National Environment Conference taking place at the aptly named ‘We the Curious’ in Bristol in April.

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Features

24 New Technology and AI 42 Environmental Protection 58 Water Resources Planning 76 Customer Experience/Behaviour

Regulars 4 Members Updates

6 Engineering News

8 Environment News 10 CPD 12 Meet a Member 14 Rising Stars 15 Why Not Volunteer 17 Young Persons’ Network 91 Area News

I hope you all enjoy!

Bob Taylor Chief Executive Officer, Portsmouth Water and Vice President, Institute of Water

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THE INTERNATIONAL WATER ASSOCIATION - HERE IN THE UK! Did you know that the Institute of Water has an international dimension? One of our sub-committees governs the UK branch of the International Water Association.

Water professionals from 140 countries are members of the IWA, including researchers, technology companies and others from the supply chain, and individuals working in water and wastewater utilities. What binds this network of individuals is a shared ambition to see water used wisely, and managed sustainably and equitably.

Membership of the IWA creates many opportunities for them to share knowledge and experience, transcending geography, cultures and professional disciplines.

The UK Committee represents the interests of UK members, and has just undergone a refresh. Marie Whaley stepped down after 10 years at the helm, and Ben Tam from Isle Utilities is the newly elected Chair and joins the IWater Board.

Ben is a water sector professional with a background in science and innovation.

Starting with a PhD in biochemistry he has since worked in the water industry in a variety of managerial and technical roles.

At Isle, Ben has focussed on strategic consultancy projects in the UK to manage technical and industry research projects for water utility clients. He’s currently leading a long-term project in Africa to accelerate the adoption of new technologies by utilities.

There is also a new Vice Chair, Tom Williams, who is a Chemical Process Engineer with long experience in process and monitoring technologies, and introducing water and waste water technology to the North American Market. He’s worked in more than

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35 States of the USA with customers of all sizes from New York City and San Francisco, to smaller communities.

Tom said he wanted to join the Committee “to make Britain an outward facing international country and involved in the global water industry.”

You are probably aware that each year the UK IWA Committee organises a conference for young water professionals. This year’s is on the 15th and 16th April in Cardiff, focusing on ‘Exploring sustainability across the water sector’, and promises to be every bit as lively and interesting as previous ones. Kirstin Watt from Scottish Water is the Chair of the YWP Chapter on the Committee, and with her colleagues is pulling together a fascinating programme of keynote speakers as well as presentations from her peers.

Kirstin was successful in gaining a place on the Rising Star programme in 2017 and last year won National Committee Member of the Year Award. Her motivation for joining

the IWA UK Committee was to build on the great work achieved by the previous Chair, Luke Dennis, and she said “I’m keen to give back and reinvest the learning I gained from the opportunities provided to me by this network in my early career, including the chance to travel to Cape Town to attend the International YWP Conference in 2017”.

The IWA is about much more than just (!) the YWP conference. Membership gives you access to some 50 Specialist Groups, covering every conceivable watery interest.

They are a key mechanism for like-minded IWA members to network and share knowledge, and have their own programmes of conferences and other meetings, as well as a range of online tools.

In the UK there is a tendency to think that we have little to learn from overseas, and it’s rare to see UK practitioners at international conferences. But the challenges we face are not unique to us.

The uncertain impacts of climate change, new and emerging pollutants, controlling leakage, challenges in drinking water and wastewater treatment, and looking after an environment that is under increasing pressure are problems faced by every country. The IWA provides a space where experience and innovative ideas (and mistakes!) can be shared.

The UK Committee will provide regular updates on what it’s doing and what is happening internationally, in the pages of this Magazine, as well as through the IWater Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook feeds. It will also have a dedicated section on the IWater website, where you can also find out what’s more. And if you join, you will have access to all the Specialist Groups, conferences and networking through IWA Connect, and a chance to broaden your horizons. Plus the quarterly magazine ‘The Source’, which is always full of fascinating stories about water around the globe.

MEMBERSUPDATE

IWA WORLD WATER CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION 18-23 OCTOBER 2020, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Inspiring Change

World Water Congress & Exhibition COPENHAGEN

The 2020 edition of the #WorldWaterCongress & Exhibition will report on the water sector progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with an emphasis on SDG6: We are offering to fund places (registration, travel and accommodation) for two members to attend.

One place is reserved for a Young Water Professional (under-35 or in the early stages of a water industry career); the other is open to any Institute of Water member. The successful candidates will be expected to produce a blog and social media content whilst in

DENMARK 18-23 OCTOBER www.worldwatercongress.org #WorldWaterCongress

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Copenhagen to share with other Institute of Water members.

They will also be expected to present at a local Institute of Water event on their return.

You can find more details and download an application form from www.instituteofwater.org.uk/news

Closing date is 17 April 2020

BRAND NEW WATER SCHOLARSHIP LAUNCHES AT UEA The Norah Simpson scholarship will be offered from 2020 to a student carrying out postgraduate studies related to water at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The £5,000 scholarship is named after Peter’s grandmother, Norah who guided him through much of his early education.

CEO of Anglian Water, Peter Simpson, funds new scholarship for students interested in water.

Peter himself received a grant to fund his MSc at UEA, which led to his lifelong career in water, ultimately becoming CEO of Anglian Water in 2010. Peter said he was keen to give others the same opportunity, particularly those who share his passion for water.

“My time studying at UEA and the support I was given there have been instrumental to my career; I’m so grateful to now be in a position to give others the same opportunity.”

UEA is known for its world-leading research and has a dedicated Water Security Research Centre. The university is also part of a collaboration with Anglian Water, the Anglian Centre for Water Studies, which looks to tackle major issues concerning sustainable water use.

“I hope this scholarship will encourage students to push boundaries in waterrelated research, and help tackle some of the big challenges facing the industry.”

To find out more about the scholarship or to apply Visit www.uea.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/ scholarships/university-wide/the-norahsimpson-scholarship

To find out more about funding scholarships?

Visit www.uea.ac.uk/alumni/home/ giving-to-uea/scholarships

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ENGINEERINGNEWS

PROGRESS WITH THE REVIEW OF UK SPEC The Engineering Council has almost finished a major review of UK SPEC, (UK Standards for Professional Engineering Competencies).

The Institute of Water has been actively involved throughout with the vice president engineering Jo Parker chairing the working group which was responsible for the redrafting. The review started with a major consultation which identified the main concerns of employers, academics, professional engineering institutions and engineers themselves.

Although the overall approach to competencies has been kept largely

the same, the existing document has been completely restructured which is hoped will make it easier to follow what is required.

The revised document still has to go through the final approval procedures and once issued the Institute will review the new requirements and develop a phased introduction of the new requirements such that those who have already started on the road to professional qualification are not disadvantaged.

TOP TIPS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL REVIEW What are your top tips for the Professional Review? That was the question assessors were asked for a presentation to hopeful registrants organised by Sarah Murray. The assessors came up trumps with lots of useful advice.

For the written submission it is important that candidates do not pad their submission – make it concise and to the point. Any supporting documents can be put in appendices. Although this is the age of text messaging and emojis, spelling and grammar does matter in the report.

The important thing is to focus on your own experience and what you did. If not sure about the structure, use the structure of competencies in UK SPEC and make

BECOMING A REGISTERED ENGINEER Find out more at WWW.INSTITUTEOFWATER.ORG.UK

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sure you explain how your experience fulfils the competencies.

Although the interview can appear daunting, most candidates report that they actually enjoyed the event. The interviewers are not there to catch you out but want to learn more about your experience – what did you do, what were you responsible for, what did you learn and what did you achieve? Point out where you personally added value – this is no time to be modest! They will also

be interested in things that may not have gone so well if you learned from the experience. If possible think of some additional examples which demonstrate each of the competencies which are required.

Above all use the process to develop your skills and competence to further your career. The Institute is always there to help and the mentor service can be a useful resource.

If you are a competent practising engineer and are interested in developing your career and improving your job prospects why not consider becoming a registered engineer?

The Institute of Water is licensed by the Engineering Council to award CEng, IEng & EngTech. Details of the standards and the process can be found on our website at www.instituteofwater.org.uk/engineering-registration

SECURE OR VULNERABLE? CONFERENCE 2020

BUILDING RESILIENCE NOW AND IN THE LONG TERM 18-19 JUNE 2020 ACTION STATIONS | PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD

BOOK NOW | instituteofwater.org.uk/events instituteofwater.org.uk

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ENVIRONMENTNEWS

JUST ANOTHER DEPRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE HEADLINE?

Our Conference Venue : We The Curious

Have you noticed that the media never find anything positive to report about climate change? Every headline seems like another step towards an apocalyptic future.

Is there any hope?

by Professor Ian Barker CEnv Vice President Environment

As a professional working in the water sector you’ll be more aware than most people that water is the language that the planet uses to tell us about climate change, and that our job of providing reliable supplies of safe drinking water, and effective sanitation services, will become more and more difficult. And that the water environment that we are responsible for protecting and improving is under greater and greater pressure.

The water industry is already working hard to get to net zero emissions sooner than other sectors, but it can seem as though despite some good efforts it’s nowhere near enough. As a nation, and as a planet, are we doing enough, fast enough?

That’s the question which we shall address at the Institute of Water’s Environment Conference on 22 April 2020: Climate change and water – putting urgency into the climate emergency.

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We have an amazing line up of speakers and expect to have some very lively discussions throughout the day.

are doing and will need to do, if they are to be our secret weapon against climate change.

At the conference you will hear keynote speeches from Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency and UK Commissioner on the Global Commission on Adaptation, and Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England. Emma has called for a decade of climate action to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change, and she and Tony have said that 2020 is our last chance to take decisive action on climate change to protect communities and reverse losses in wildlife.

We will also find out how nature-based solutions can provide multiple benefits at lower cost for flood risk management, low flow augmentation and water quality improvement. Wastewater, sludge and rainwater management are also essential issues for the water sector, and we’ll hear innovative ideas about how to manage them better and fight climate change.

Political action and new legislation is essential to drive that action, but water companies’ customers also have a vital role to play, and are essential to our ability as a sector to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts. Nicci Russell, Managing Director of Waterwise, and the Chief Executives of the Consumer Council for Water and of Bristol Water, Tony Smith and Mel Karam, will talk about what customers

Three IWater young professionals will talk about what they are doing in their companies and, as representatives of the generation that will have to help deliver the solutions, they will give their perspectives during the panel discussions. And help us all find out whether there can be some positive headlines about the future.

The conference is getting booked up very quickly, so go to the IWater website and book your place now!

WATER & CLIMATE CHANGE

ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL 2020 FREE TO MEMBERS £150 TO NON-MEMBERS

Putting urgency into the climate emergency.

VENUE: WE THE CURIOUS ONE MILLENNIUM SQUARE, BRISTOL, BS1 5DB

BOOK NOW INSTITUTEOFWATER.ORG.UK/ENVIRONMENTCONFERENCE2020 instituteofwater.org.uk

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CPD

CPD UPDATE CPD MONITORING - Every year, the Institute has to monitor a selection of our corporate members to ensure they are complying with the requirement to participate in Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

This is something we have to do as a condition of our licences to award professional registration – we get audited ourselves to check we are doing this!

Last year, 66 lucky members were selected at random to participate – this selection comprised a roughly equal split of Engineers, Environmentalists and Scientists of all

grades, plus some of our corporate members who don’t have professional registration.

The final deadline for submission of CPD records has just passed, and they are now with our team of assessors who will assess each record against a series of criteria.

Matt Bower, our CPD Champion said “We are grateful to all those who submitted

their CPD records and especially grateful to our dedicated CPD assessors who work in pairs to ensure the process is as fair as possible. We aim to provide constructive feedback to everyone who participated to help them make any improvements to their approach, and I’m really keen that the whole experience is a positive one for all involved.”

CPD PORTAL - In the last edition we told you about the improvements we had made to our CPD portal so that the system provides a “One Stop Shop” for those wanting to make sure they are undertaking their CPD in the most effective way and fully complying with all requirements.

The new system went live in early January – if you haven’t taken a look yet, please do so. There’s plenty of guidance in a format to suit you, and if you used the old system, don’t worry – you don’t have to start again.

You can simply transfer your old goals and activities across into the new system.

Using the Institute’s CPD portal is the best way of ensuring that you follow the full CPD cycle, and it also means that if you are selected to submit your CPD as part of a monitoring exercise, you can simply give permission for us to access your online record when it suits you.

CPD EXPECTATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION Many people ask us what is expected by way of a CPD record for someone thinking of applying for professional registration on one of the three registers for which the Institute hold a licence (Engineering, Environment and Science).

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To some extent, the answer depends on the level of registration being applied for, however it is worth remembering that all corporate members of the Institute of Water are required to comply with the Institute’s CPD Code, which is available online, regardless of professional registration.

Without planning and reflection it is impossible to ensure that development is targeted to the individual’s needs and evaluated to ensure it is effective and continues to be so.

The code includes a requirement for members to take responsibility for their own development as well as keeping a record of all development activities they undertake. For those holding, or seeking, professional registration, the three registration authorities have subtly different requirements.

In practice, most assessors would accept a slightly less developed CPD record from an aspiring technician than they would from someone who is seeking chartership.

Using the Institute’s online CPD portal is the best way of ensuring you are meeting these requirements, regardless of your profession.

So what are assessors looking for when they are viewing a candidate’s CPD record as part of their application?

Primarily, they are aiming to establish that the candidate is committed to their own development and is following the correct process – namely the CPD cycle pictured here. All parts of that cycle need to be represented – it isn’t enough simply to present a list of events that the applicant has attended.

The technician should be aware of the importance of CPD, taking responsibility for their development and starting to show evidence of following the CPD cycle. They would be expected to have given thought to their development plan, but perhaps not necessarily be able to demonstrate many years of undertaking a cyclical approach to their development.

At chartered level, however, the registrant should be able to show a full understanding and commitment to CPD. There should be evidence of having followed CPD guidance with a developed and varied record of activities as well

SUMMER EDITION 2020 - PUBLISHED END MAY • • • •

as evidence that their approach is responsive to changing needs and learning outcomes.

Matt Bower, our CPD Champion, also sits on the Institute’s Science Panel, who approve every application for science registration after the assessment process: “I see a lot of applications for science registration at all levels. More often than not, the CPD element is the weakest part of applications, with only a minimally acceptable score.

“I’m very keen that applicants understand the requirements before they apply and seek help from their sponsor or someone else at their employer or the Institute itself. There is plenty of guidance out there, although we are always looking at ways in which we could enhance this further.

“I also think assessors have a role, providing constructive feedback on the CPD element to candidates, either at the professional review meeting itself or in written form on the application”.

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MEETAMEMBER

MEET A MEMBER The Institute of Water is proud of its members. Put simply, they make our Institute what it is…a great network to support your development and share experience. We’re taking this opportunity to showcase one of our members to get some insight into their role, their views on the water industry and a bit about themselves.

In this edition, meet Ross Morrin, Senior Reservoir Engineer from Scottish Water: graduate programme, owner and operator of the UK wide gas transmission and distribution system, giving me an exciting opportunity to travel the UK and gain experience of the gas network from the onshore terminal all the way to the domestic meters in our homes.

Scottish Water is the largest reservoir owner in the UK with around 300 reservoirs that fall under the relevant legislation as currently enacted – which in Scotland is the Reservoirs (Scotland) Act, 2011. I am currently responsible for the appropriate safe management of some 34 Scottish Water (SW) reservoirs, some with multiple dams. Some of these are not covered by the legislation above, but as a responsible dam owner these are managed similarly.

Since graduation from Heriot Watt University, with a BEng in Civil & Environmental Engineering 1998, I have worked in several different areas within a Civil Engineering environment. Even before graduation I was involved in the water industry, working with local authority water organisations (in their various guises) as a student during my summers away from University, assisting the Engineers with various different tasks including survey, CAD drawing and preparation of contract documents, pre-construction CDM files, giving me a great insight into to both the water and wastewater areas of the industry.

Following university I remained in the utilities sector, but joined the BG plc

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Opportunity then arose to join Scottish Water, working in cost intelligence auditing contractor cost submissions and high level estimation of proposed new schemes, predominantly for water mains and sewer rehabilitation. Over time I diversified into programme management and contract management for SW. All of the experienced mentioned above I have found to be transferrable through to my current role, and highly beneficial.

Eventually, in the summer of 2013 I was lucky enough to get the chance to join the reservoir team in SW as a Reservoir Engineer (RE), with a view to becoming a Supervising Engineer (SE). SE’s are required under the legislation to ensure the safety of the dams in the period between statutory inspections. Statutory inspections are carried out by independent members of the All Reservoirs Panel, appointed by the owner as required. The role of the SE is to visit the site at least annually, and as prescribed by the previous Inspecting Engineer, generally checking the dams for safety / signs of early distress or potential failure. To apply to become and SE there are a series of courses that are recommended, demonstration of CPD and experience in the field of dams and reservoir safety, as well as knowledge of the relevant legislation and guidance documents. Before application a prospective SE needs to attend a minimum of 10 annual visits by a qualified SE, and 5 statutory inspections by an Inspecting Engineer.

My role as RE for SW involves working on operational compliance and monitoring with SW Ops and driving the SW reservoir capital programme; scoping projects and working closely with our framework designers and contractors to come up with holistic, economic and innovative ways to improve dams and address issues. These issues may be highlighted in various ways ranging from Measures in the Interest of Safety (MIoS) as defined by and Inspecting Engineer in a statutory inspection report, from a Supervising Engineer during their visits, or from an operative who attends the site on a regular basis.

To qualify to take up the role of SE you need to have degree in Civil Engineering, and in the future you will also need to be at least an Incorporated Engineer. I have given an obligation to meet this standard, even though I already am an SE, which means I’ll be applying for professional registration over the next year before my 5 year SE reapplication is due. This is a new process to me, and I am now working through the application and criteria to decide which standard of registration most suits my demonstrable experience, before applying through IWater.

Outside work most of my time is predominantly taken up with football coaching for my 3 boys, which as you can imagine consumes a huge amount of time. When the chance arises I also enjoy walking and camping, which gives us all a good chance to spend time together and get some fresh air, exercise and time for the kids away from the grip of electronic distractions!

NEWREGISTRANTS ENGINEERING Clive Ingram

Lead Standards Specialist, Chief Engineers Directorate; Severn Trent Water Chartered Engineer

SCIENCE James Bell

Strategic Planner; Anglian Water Chartered Scientist

Volha Sinkevich

Chartered Engineer status is something I have considered for many years but due to various professional, personal and academic commitments, I simply did not get around to undertaking the application process.

However, when I changed roles approximately three years ago, it became more important to demonstrate my experience, competence, technical training and knowledge. I really feel very proud of the attainment, which for me, shows the highest level of engineering professionalism. I greatly enjoyed the application ‘journey’ which included putting a time plan together, revisiting and presenting the experience I have acquired, writing a synopsis and compiling a technical report and competency matrix. The guidance from IWater HQ and the Assessors that initially reviewed my synopsis was both helpful and professional and the review itself was rigorous and thorough. I would recommend to anyone in the water industry to become professionally registered with the Institute of Water. Being registered increases your profile and it’s never too late!

Being awarded Chartered Scientist Status has not only given me a boost in confidence but has allowed me to recognise the skills and abilities I have developed over my 10 years in the water industry.

I would encourage anyone working towards Chartership to just go for it!

I deliberated over my application and in the end I found the process much easier than expected and the professional discussion was not only enjoyable but beneficial to reflect on my accomplishments. I have enjoyed building my CPD log and will continue to set aside time to reflect using this useful tool.

Any successful accomplishment it is a solely positive experience.

We all want to be professional in what we do.

Water Quality Data Scientist; Anglian Water Registered Science Technician

I believe that professional registration gives that bit of assurance, feeling more confident in the knowledge you have because it was recognised by an independent accessor. It is something which makes me proud of and makes me smile.

BECOME PROFESSIONALLY REGISTERED

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

Find out more at WWW.INSTITUTEOFWATER.ORG.UK

Professional registration recognises competence and expertise in a subject

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

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MEET OUR RISING STARS OF 2020 Another year, another group of talented young members in the early stages of their career embarking on a busy year as Rising Stars.

The group celebrated their success at the Utility Week Awards Dinner in December and their first event was a day at Northern Ireland Water, arranged and hosted by our President Sara Venning.

Please visit the Rising Stars page on our website www.instituteofwater.org.uk/risingstars for more information on our Rising Stars and look out for updates in each issue of the Magazine.

A brief introduction to our 2020 Rising Stars and a report on the Belfast Masterclass – written by Peter Knox - is below.

Anna Figueras Carril

Natalie Lamb

Laboratories Team Leader Scottish Water

PhD Researcher, Anglian Water and The University of Sheffield

“In order to help resolve our climate emergency we must work together. Now more than ever we must collaborate to forge a better future.”

“People want to know about the great work the water industry is doing to make their water - a vital commodity - safe. We can make that happen.”

Jack Huggins

Civil Engineer, Arup (Welsh Water’s Capital Delivery Alliance) “Clean waterways and safety from flooding are fundamental to maintaining thriving communities alongside our rivers and coastlines. Amenity, whole life cost analysis and carbon savings should all feature prominently in our risk and value process, ensuring we are delivering wastewater solutions in line with our customers’ expectations, local community needs and our environmental agency’s goals.”

Peter Knox

Civil Engineer, McAllister Group “Having gained experience working on all sides as a contractor, consultant and client, I have seen first-hand the benefits good collaboration can bring to the industry. During my time on the Rising Star programme I hope to speak with people from all areas of the industry to broaden my knowledge and learn from their experiences.”

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Lewis Orr

Operations Settlement Analyst & Deputy Contract Manager, Pennon Water Services “The key is for businesses throughout the water industry to invest in their young people so that this industry will thrive for years to come. Throughout this year I will be using the Rising Stars programme to challenge businesses and CEOs on this topic to ensure the water industry has the next generation of stars coming through.“

RISINGSTARS Mary Porter-Chorley

Retail Account Support for Wholesale Market Unit, Severn Trent Water “I think the opportunity to develop and network in an industry that is continually growing and changing is great. I look forward to this great journey as a Rising Star, share my new-found experience and knowledge back to my teams and the company as a whole.”

Kim Rodwell Rachel Powell

Environmental Protection Advisor, Thames Water

“We could all benefit from learning from others’ experiences or recognising when we have something to share. It’s only then will we develop and grow, but also be equipped to deal with the significant challenges we face such as climate change.”

“Currently, environmental performance varies significantly between water companies.

To achieve the step-change so desperately needed, I believe knowledge sharing and collaboration will be fundamental. I’m looking forward to hearing from across the sector about how new technologies and new processes may help achieve our zero pollutions target.”

Business Planning Manager, United Utilities

A MASTERCLASS START Having initially met at the Utility Week Awards dinner in December, the first event on the Rising Star Programme for 2020 was a visit to Northern Ireland for a masterclass with Sara Venning, President of the Institute of Water and Chief Executive of NI Water.

The Rising Stars were given the opportunity to ask Sara a range of questions about her career and find out how NI Water differs from other water companies. Sara was extremely generous with her time, providing us with a valuable insight into how she has progressed through her career as well as providing tips on how to maintain a good work-life balance. Sara was also interested in hearing from the Rising Stars, wanting to know how we had joined the water industry and what we think can help attract people to a career in the industry.

She also explained some of the unique challenges faced by NI Water, a government owned company which has suffered from major under-investment over the last decade. It was interesting to learn about the ‘no drains, no cranes’ campaign being used to publicise NI Water’s need for major investment in their wastewater infrastructure, without which, restrictions will be placed on housing developments in

99 towns and cities across Northern Ireland.

The Rising Stars also heard from Thomas Kelly, a Rising Star from 2019. Thomas gave an overview of his year as a Rising Star, in which he highlighted some key points, making it clear to us that the more we put into the programme, the more we will get out of it.

After a morning of presentations and discussions, the Rising Stars were taken on a tour of NI Water’s microbiology and chemistry laboratories, where we learned in detail about Northern Ireland’s water sampling, testing and analysis processes.

It was fascinating to hear about an area of the industry which is of utmost importance but often overlooked.

Next up was Whitehouse WwTW where the we learnt about the wastewater treatment process from initial screening, through to primary and secondary treatment. Peter

Neeson from NI Water provided a tour of the site and explained each stage of the process in detail. It was great to hear from Peter about how the treatment processes have changed and the site has developed, to meet EU directives and deal with a growing population in Belfast.

The day concluded with a presentation

by Anthony Lynn, NI Water’s Head of Communications. Anthony was heavily involved in the organisation of last year’s annual conference in Belfast and gave us useful advice for this year’s conference.

His enthusiasm for the Institute of Water and the opportunities it provides was clear and left us eager to make the most the year ahead.

The Rising Stars would like to thank Sara Venning for her time and insight, and to also extend their appreciation to everyone at NI Water who was involved in organising the visit.

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VOLUNTEERING

WHY NOT VOLUNTEER They say that when you retire you have time on your hands. I can say now with personal experience don’t believe them. and experience. Some find this idea of mentoring daunting, but the Institute’s system matches your skills and knowledge background with those seeking help, providing a structured method of helping.

This provides a service that can take an applicant from an initial enquiry through to completed professional registration.

You will find this process to be very rewarding, enabling you to share your expertise.

by Peter Barratt CSci MRSC MIWater I have been fortunate in obtaining the status of chartered scientist, Professional registration I feel is really important because it provides a level of confidence in the science knowledge of the professional person, knowing that they are up to date by CPD. So, whatever your field is you should think about obtaining professional recognition Even before I retired from full time employment I made a decision to try to encourage others to obtain professional status in their role, so volunteering seemed a logical route to develop, but as for many things in life, one action leads to another.

The Institute provided a number of ways that you can help others, including helping local area committees, mentoring potential registrants and becoming an assessor.

Mentoring: By signing on the mentoring section of the Institutes website you can help to provide a service that allows others to tap into your knowledge

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Assessing: The Institute of Water along with almost all other awarding bodies is dependent on volunteers to provide an assessment service. Anyone with a professional registration can become an assessor after the appropriate training, but you can only assess those applying for a similar or lower level of registration than yourself. Assessments can be paper based for RSciTech or face to face for RSci and CSci. In all cases you are never alone as assessors, you always work in pairs.

After formal training, for your first few assessments you are always paired with an experienced assessor who can provide any guidance needed.

You can also volunteer to become a Science Council assessor. The Science Council are always looking for volunteers and as hopefully the number of applicants starts to increase more assessors will be needed. Like assessing for the IOW, assessments are always conducted in pairs and again can be face to face or paper based. Some Institutes allow paper based applicants for RSci and CSci as well as RSciTech.

What is interesting about conducting these assessments is that if you have a professional qualification in a field such

as chemistry or biology you will get the opportunity to assess (always with a fellow assessor that has knowledge of the field of the candidate) candidates not in the water industry. I for example have now met and assessed candidates working in such interesting locations as The Francis Crick Institute and Harwell. You get the opportuniy to meet really interesting and clever people.

As well as volunteering for professional assessments, you can become an Institute CPD assessor. As you realise CPD is vitally important as it shows that you are keeping up to date with the latest ideas, and of course shows that you are committed to the upkeep of your registration. Always remember that the volunteering that you do is part of your CPD On a personal note, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to become part of the Institutes Membership and Standards Committee, the Science Council’s Registration Authority (part of the overseeing body of the Science Council that defines competency requirements and monitors individual institute’s performance). On a regular basis any institute licenced by the Science Council has to be “reviewed” against the licence requirements, and I have been part of this licencing review system for the last few years.

So to sum up regardless of your employment status (retired or not ) why not volunteer. You will find it a most rewarding experience regardless of what you do or how often you do it, you get the opportunity to meet new people, develop your own skills and get a thrill out of helping others.

YOUNGPERSONSNETWORK

THE YOUNG PERSONS’ NETWORK (YPN) IS UP AND RUNNING WITH EVENTS TAKING PLACE ACROSS ALL REGIONS. The YPN is aimed at individuals at an early stage in their career, with academic or vocational backgrounds, to help them develop a fundamental knowledge of the water industry alongside peers at a similar stage in their careers.

Professional Registration Workshop The South East Area held a Professional Registration Workshop at Isle Utilities in January.

Here are the thoughts from one of the delegates, Adarsh Essurredeen, WSP: “As a recent graduate, I really enjoyed the amount of time to network and interact with professionals from other disciplines, which gave me the opportunity to discuss issues within the water industry and listen to their perspective.

“Austen Buck (Southern Water) gave some tips and shared his experience having recently been chartered and suggested some ideas regarding the format of the professional review report. He illustrated the importance of the need to understand ways in which the competencies are met and elaborated on the importance to pursue chartership.

“Prior to the event I was not aware of the different institutions available. Mandhy Senewiratne (Fyrefly) elaborated on the different options for each discipline and explained the difference between IWater

and other professional bodies. The highlights for me for IWater were the Young Person’s Network, the Rising Star award and the online CPD tool.

“Jo Parker provided tips regarding the assessment and more information on the perspective of the assessors regarding the whole process. The fact that the tasks carried out for university purposes do not count towards the competencies was something which many of us were not aware of. She explained that in the professional review report, instead of team, the focus is on what ‘you’ did and what ‘you’ learnt.

“The session I found the most informative was when we were divided into groups according to the discipline that interests us to discuss the chartership process within that discipline. It provided us with the opportunity to ask more questions regarding our concerns about the whole application process. Jo Parker even provided more detail about the developments being made regarding the UK spec, a document that describes the fundamental attributes to achieve chartership, and elaborated on how the CPD and Competencies are related.”

“Following the event, I feel more confident and have a clearer perspective regarding my career path.”

We also look forward to welcoming you to the YPN event at Annual Conference in Portsmouth!

Upcoming YPN events International Water Association (IWA) UK Young Water Professionals Conference Date: 15 April Location: Cardiff Institute of Water Annual Conference Date: 18-19 June Location: Portsmouth Leadership Development Workshop Date: 21 May Location: Cambridge

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THE TIDE IS TURNING 2020 is a critical moment. Our climate is changing. And it’s happening right now.

Last year, Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said the impact of climate change, combined with population growth, means England is facing an “existential threat” and unless we take action to change things, “we will not have enough water to supply our needs”.

Climate change increases the unpredictability of weather patterns and extreme weather events: how much, how often, and how intensively it rains, and the frequency and severity of extreme events. The more global heating we lock in, the more the impacts will be felt through our water systems, increasing the pressure on areas where water supplies are already scarce.

In places where millions of people are at risk from the impacts of climate change, having access to clean water is the difference between coping and not coping. Reliable sources of water during drought, toilets that can withstand flooding, and handwashing stations to protect against illness, reduce the overall disease burden experienced by poor and marginalised communities and

are essential in any climate adaptation plan. Additionally, we need robust and wellfunctioning water and sanitation services globally to ‘build back’ facilities after weather-related disasters.

Every day, already fragile water supplies are at even greater risk of disappearing completely. By 2050, around 5 billion people could be living in areas of water scarcity1.

The importance of access to a reliable clean water source has been overlooked as a method for helping the poorest adapt to the impacts of climate change for too long, threatening to roll back decades of progress.

WaterAid is working to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reach everyone, everywhere with safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030.

Rob Fuller, Water Sector Advisor at WaterAid said: “With just a decade to go, progress towards reaching these ambitious goals is not happening fast enough. We need to invest in improving the systems behind

taps and toilets, so these essential things become a normal part of life for everyone, everywhere. Our changing climate is piling even more pressure on people across the globe. Without a reliable source of clean water, millions are at a greater risk of poverty, disease and death.

“In the face of more unpredictable weather, a strong sector that can ensure reliable access to clean water and build back rapidly when extreme events do strike can secure the lives and livelihoods of communities in the most vulnerable countries. We need to work together to ensure these essential services are maintained and keep working, whatever the future holds.

“Our partnerships with the UK water sector are even more important as we work to turn this situation around. Together, we can turn the tide, investing in clean water solutions that will become a normal part of life for everyone, everywhere by 2030.”

1 http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ environment/water/wwap/wwdr/2018-nature-basedsolutions/

CASE STUDY: Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to a changing climate.

Two-thirds of Bangladesh sits less than five metres above sea level leaving these areas highly susceptible to river and tidal flooding. Drought, rising sea levels and cyclones also significantly impact people’s access to clean water.

Health care provider, Onamika, 35, works at the Gyakhali Community Clinic, in the Assuani district in Bangladesh. The only water here is in a well that is unusable because of high levels of salt, brought in by rising sea levels.

Onamika said: “As a medical professional, I understand the need to wash my hands before and after checking each patient, but I am unable to do so. I feel I help them in one way with medication and

in the other way I cannot do anything when they are thirsty.”

WaterAid, supported by Severn Trent, is working here to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene for 100,000 climate vulnerable people, helping them adjust to life’s unpredictability.

WaterAid has been working in Bangladesh for three decades and since 2009, has led a programme targeting climate change vulnerability with successful results in flood prone areas: providing access to drinking water during floods through dual platform tube wells; providing access to safe sanitation through elevated latrines; and supporting budgeting processes.

Onamika, 35, a health care provider washes her hands with the water she brought from home as the clinic doesn’t have any running water.

Gyakhali Community Clinic, Assasuni, Bangladesh. Image credit: WaterAid/ Drik Picture Library Limited/ Farzana Hossen

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UK DRILLING & TAPPING COMPETITION 2020 A time trial for teams of two, open to anyone connected with the water industry.

19 – 20 May 2020 Utility Week Live 2020 NEC Birmingham

THE AIM:

WHAT YOU NEED:

WHAT YOU GET:

Drill and tap a 150mm diameter ductile iron main under available pressure, together with the installation of a simulated service connection. Must be done quickly in a safe, controlled fashion!

Skill, dexterity and speed are a prime requirement, but QUALITY is paramount! Beware - time penalty points are added for any leaks or safety violations.

Prizes are awarded for a ‘Quality Tap’ and Best Newcomer among others. The Men’s and Ladies’ teams with the fastest times win an all-expenses paid trip to compete in the overseas competition.

HOW TO ENTER Call Megan Williams on 0191 422 0088 Email megan@instituteofwater.org.uk

instituteofwater.org.uk/drilling-and-tapping

Raising money in support of Water Aid

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THE MARCH FOR WATER The Drinking Water Inspectorate Celebrates Their 30th Anniversary.

2020 marks 30 years since the creation of the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).

To mark the occasion, on 26th March, the DWI are teaming up with water companies and schools to ‘March for Water’ across the country. Carrying 20 kg of water or more between them, teams in Brighton, Coventry, Huntingdon and Exeter will march 6km, raising funds and awareness for those in the developing world who have to do this every day. For those of us who work in the water industry, we know how important clean safe drinking water and good sanitation are to keep the country going.

The team are aiming to raise money to provide more people with this life changing resource. For more information and to donate, please visit the just giving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ drinking-water-inspectorate

30 Years of DWI - where did it all start?

One of the incentives of privatisation in 1989 was to introduce much needed investment to help achieve compliance with European Drinking Water and Environmental legislation, something the industry had been unable to do so far. As privatisation also meant each water company would have a monopoly in the area they covered, regulatory bodies were needed to make sure that consumer, financial, environmental and drinking water quality interests were protected.

The DWI team in 1992 – can you spot anyone you recognise?

Enforcement, Regulation 31, Risk Assessment and, most recently, Network and Information Systems (NIS). There is also a bespoke Data Management team, to manage the data submitted from each water company, and a Business Performance team.

The Benefits of Regulation Drinking water quality in the UK is now amongst the best in the world and regulation of the industry has brought about: ■ Improvements in monitoring, building a valuable data set of test results which can be used to inform risk assessments, aid understanding of changes in quality, focus investment and enable comparison between companies; ■ A technical audit process; ■ Enforcement and prosecution powers to ensure regulations are met and a legally

On 2nd January 1990, the Drinking Water Inspectorate was created and the Secretary of State appointed Mike Healey as Chief Inspector of Drinking Water to act on his behalf to regulate drinking water quality.

Since 2015, the DWI has been headed by Marcus Rink, the fourth Chief Inspector appointed since its inception.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate Today From a modest start, the DWI has expanded to a large team of over 40 who focus on Events, Private Water Supplies, Audits,

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The DWI team in 2020

■

binding programme of work to achieve improvements where necessary; The introduction of Drinking Water Safety Planning to assess risks to water quality from source to tap.

More recently, a new system has been introduced to better rank and compare companies according to performance. The Compliance Risk Index (CRI), scores the compliance of test results and the Event Risk Index (ERI) ranks the seriousness of events which may affect consumers.

Looking Ahead The DWI is committed to continue to provide challenge to companies within these regulatory boundaries, improving drinking water quality and creating a sustainable resource to safeguard our supplies for the future.

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CAPGEMINI

TURBOCHARGING THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION The UK water industry is changing dramatically. This proud, but traditionally conservative sector is emerging as a hothouse of technological innovation and a place where ground-breaking, world-class careers in the application of the latest digital technology can be forged.

by Paul Haggerty

Vice President, Capgemini Head of UK Water Sector How times have changed. In December, the UK Water Partnership’s white paper Digital Water described a “digital revolution sweeping through the global water economy, impacting on every aspect of water, from management of sources, treatment technology and efficiency, consumption and customer engagement.”

UKWP’s research reveals a global market for digital technology solutions in the water industry rising by 7% a year, reaching $30 billion in 2020. The UK is well set to be a major participant in this growth, facilitated by collaboration between the water sector and the digital economy, where the UK enjoys global prominence in areas such as mobile communications and computer gaming.

Given the daunting water security and resilience challenges facing the planet, caused by population growth, increasing demand, declining resources, pollution and the effects of climate change, it could be said that nothing short of a ‘revolutionary’ response will suffice.

In the UK Ofwat is seeking significant performance improvements and

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efficiencies, alongside reduced costs for customers. But the regulator is playing its part in the technology revolution too, confirming just before Christmas a £200 million innovation competition to encourage “companies to collaborate with each other and with other companies in their supply chains”.

Similarly, the Water Industry Commission in Scotland (WICS) is setting out a long-term strategic ambition for the industry with stretching targets for net zero emissions, service excellence and asset management, where next generation digital capabilities will be key to driving outcomes.

Game changing technologies There is a broad spectrum of opportunities to apply game-changing technologies to meet these challenges head on. Sensor technology continues to advance, offering the potential for acquisition of huge quantities of data from a more distributed and diverse range of sources.

Developments in connectivity provide

the means to move and synthesise this vast amount of real time data, while advances in data storage, analytics and processing power create the means of generating enhanced actionable insights, enabling improved decision making.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics are being combined to reconfigure business processes and improve performance and efficiency.

Digital technology and techniques are developing entirely new value-adding products and services too. For example, the Twenty65 Programme, a consortium of six British Universities, is developing swarming autonomous robots, permanently stationed in pipes, to replace human intervention in the proactive monitoring and restoration of buried infrastructure.

With an estimated three billion litres lost to leaks in the UK every day, it’s easy to see how a constantly updated diagnosis of pipework condition, the likelihood of leaks and their precise location, would deliver transformational benefits and efficiencies.

FEATURE: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AI These include targeting resources where they’re needed most, preventing incidents before they occur and responding swiftly and accurately when they do, eliminating wasted time and cost, improving services and customer satisfaction and reducing environmental impacts.

Delivering intelligent automation at scale So, the challenge for the UK water and wastewater businesses – and therefore for Capgemini too – is to drive and manage the transition to intelligent automation at scale.

In the latest in our Global Automation Research series: Intelligent Automation in Energy and Utilities – the next digital wave, we surveyed more than 500 business leaders in organisations at various stages of experimentation or implementation of intelligent automation solutions.

Our research reveals that, although AIdriven transformation in core technical operations has increased since 2017, many organisations have yet to scale-up their initiatives for real value.

We did, however, find an elite group of companies that are making significant progress in driving use cases at scale.

The characteristics and approaches of this high-performing group offer great insights into what best practice for scaling-up intelligent automation looks like.

Exploiting insights from elsewhere Industries such as automotive, oil and gas, aerospace and mining – asset and operational intensive, similar to water –

are gaining significant advantages through intelligent automation. Organisations such as Baker Hughes GE, which manufactures equipment for the oil and gas industry, has exploited an industrial internet platform that gathers data from all its manufacturing devices and machines to provide operators and engineers with a new level of insight, and the ability to adjust production processes at a moment’s notice.

DIGITAL LEADERS CASE STUDY: SEVERN TRENT Challenge: Severn Trent was looking for new technology solutions to help reduce the loss of water supplies from bursts and leaks in its 46,000 kms of water pipes and network infrastructure.

Digital capability enables a step change in performance, in asset availability, reduction in asset failures rates, conditionbased maintenance schedules and operational optimisation of key production equipment.

Solution: Capgemini accessed five billion current and historic data records to build a complex machine learning model to deliver a detailed and instantly available picture of the network and its assets, accurately pinpointing leaks and triggering repairs.

The principals adopted by Baker Hughes of intelligent automation and optimisation of the “asset AND the process” is transferable to water and wastewater treatment, where production processes consume energy, chemicals and resources against a backdrop of environmental compliance standards and where asset availability and efficiency is critical.

Results: The model was piloted with impressive results: ■ Time to locate leaks cut by 50% ■ Leakage rates cut by 16% ■ Leak location accuracy improved, cutting costs and improving efficiencies.

A key challenge – but also a mouthwatering prospect and opportunity for the water industry – is attracting the brightest and best digital professionals to showcase their skills in the UK, especially given the global impact their expertise can deliver.

But even more mouth-watering will be the deployment of the combination of both new digital and traditional water industry engineering skills and experience, for which the UK is renowned worldwide. Now that will be truly transformational.

Said Rob Ryder, Severn Trent’s Technology and Data Lab Manager: “We’ve applied advanced analytics to data from our network collected through our existing sensors, without needing to invest in additional equipment on site. The data science and analytical work is all done remotely and gives us priceless operational intelligence to anticipate and manage leakage across our region.”

FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCALING INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION: 1. Take a pragmatic approach when evaluating and choosing use cases: Finding and developing viable intelligent automation use cases – ones that are timeboxed, add value and build momentum.

2. Optimize the right processes before trying for scale: Organizations need to understand the process re-engineering and workforce impact before moving to try and scale.

Force-fitting solutions to existing structures will lead to undesirable

consequences and/or suboptimal gains.

3. Focus on breakthrough technology and devote sufficient resources: Advanced analytics and deep learning in core functions can deliver outsized benefits – be ambitious and not incremental.

4. Centralize execution, governance and leadership: Using a dedicated team, with staff rotated from application areas, can allow you

to create and sustain “lighthouse projects”.

5. Upskill the existing workforce ensuring change management: This provides a viable talent pool for execution and help with the most challenging area for any digital transformation – culture. Change management practices will help individuals, teams and organizations to scale up and benefit from intelligent automation.

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HARNESSING THE FULL BENEFIT OF AI IN WATER Water companies can benefit greatly from advances in artificial intelligence – but what steps should they be taking to reap the rewards? Three innovation experts lend their insight to Benjamin Tam, managing director of global technology and innovation consultancy Isle UK.

by Benjamin Tam

Managing director of global technology and innovation consultancy Isle UK From water network monitoring and sewer management, to process optimisation, governance and customer engagement, artificial intelligence (AI) gives the water industry the opportunity to transform itself across all fronts and is essential to its quest for better efficiency and greater resilience.

Data-led tools are not new to the water industry. Online SCADA systems, for example, have been providing utility control rooms with insight into wastewater treatment processes for the past decade.

Real-time monitoring of combined sewer systems has also helped reduce overflows into seas and watercourses. One great example is the Danish water utility Aarhus, which has pioneered this approach effectively at Marselisborg wastewater treatment plant.

In terms of water and wastewater treatment, AI and machine learning is being applied to optimise complex and interlinked processes. The aim is to eventually give companies assurance they are striking a precise balance between chemical and power costs and the

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production of high quality drinking water or effluent; negating the need to err on the side of caution by over-dosing or overtreating.

mainstream but are becoming more widely used. Examples include Advizzo, which integrates behavioural science and data analytics.

Companies are also now looking at how they can leverage data and analytics to make a long-term transformation across all operations. This is evident in the quickening shift towards smart networks, which are enabling companies to be proactive in terms of network management, leading to significant reductions in leakage.

What can the industry expect to see next?

Technology experts have given these predictions:

One important development in smart sewer network management comes from global technology company IBM, which has used machine learning and AI to create Sewer Spy, an in-pipe inspection prototype. The technology takes CCTV footage, videos and other feeds to detect corrosion, erosion and vegetation incursions from inside pipes.

This approach speeds up the assessment of video and static imagery by analysing images through a cognitive algorithm, trained and curated by sewer management experts. Ultimately it means the utility can focus resources on those areas of the network in critical condition and reduce overheads for unplanned maintenance.

Rebekah Eggers, IBM’s business partnerships and transformation executive, said: “This is about teaching a machine to see and hear and, based on that information, detect or alert to anomalies.

In this case, we’re teaching a machine to look for defects in various pictures of pipe segments and automatically detect issues.”

On the customer side, customer engagement platforms that are using AI to segment the customer base and predict behaviour and consumption are not yet

Professor Dragan Savic, chief executive of KWR research institute in the Netherlands and Professor of Hydroinformatics at the University of Exeter, said: “There are exciting developments in robotics. Work with Dutch utilities has resulted in several robot prototypes and in the UK, the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council is funding research project, Pipebots. These are micro-robots designed to work in underground pipe networks and are very much needed to deal with ageing infrastructure.

“One thing that I don’t see today is that water utility data is leveraged with publicly available, or other external, data.

This will bring the prospect of real ‘big data’ and AI applications in the water sector. However, that will only be possible with some truly disruptive technology, new business models and wider utilisation of existing AI tools.”

Jaime Barba, chief executive of Spanish technology company Idrica, said: “In the future, AI will guide the optimisation and operation of network behaviour in the event of catastrophic or unexpected situations, allowing us to minimise the impact on the population.

“In this kind of incident, the response will be immediate and automatically operated by the system by means of artificial intelligence. In a context of increasing water scarcity and climate change in the world, AI is key to boosting water efficiency and meeting the United

FEATURE: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AI

Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.”

Eggers sums up: “We’re at an inflection point as we move from a world run by people and supported by technology to a world run by automation where the differentiator is how we augment our work to achieve transformation. We believe 100% of jobs will change.

“This is obviously sensitive, and we’ve seen reluctance to adopt AI, despite significant supporting business cases, because of the potential that jobs will be eliminated. It is a very real concern, but it will also free up humans to do higher level work.

“The combination of man-plus-machine is so much more powerful than that of man or machine alone. And the new technology really suits incoming generations that are used to interacting with devices on a daily basis, in natural language fashion.”

These insights really strike to the core of where AI technology is taking the sector - where automation and predictive responses are driven by data in a way that is not possible by humans alone. It also points to a future workforce that is going to be augmented rather than displaced by technology. Indeed, to meet the skills

shortage there is certainly room for AI to lend support to stretched workforces.

- Open-up water company data in a secure way

What needs to occur to make best use of AI technologies? There is a huge amount of technology ready to be adopted and companies should act now to fully harness its benefits.

- Attract the right skillsets into the sector. The next generation of water company employees must have the skills to work with data. Transitioning and upskilling the workforce will add further value

- Keep working on the basics – smart water network functions and technologies, for example, are layered, starting with sensors, remote control, and enterprise data sources, through data collection and communications, data management and display, and up to data fusion and analysis. To reach the top level, organisations need to work on the foundations - Some of the benefits of AI decisionmaking will only be unlocked as automation is increased. It will require a number of smaller steps to allow water companies to put faith in autonomous decision-making - Strengthen the roles of business leaders such as chief information officers, those who can get a line of sight from the operational challenges through to a comprehensive data-driven business

- Break out of silos and look to other industries for guidance While water companies are beginning to embrace the digital revolution, efforts must now be made to accelerate adoption of new technology and adapt recruitment strategies to ensure they are equipped with the right skills to fully leverage the tools on offer. With the right structures in place to adopt ideas and innovation quickly, the next five years will provide the sector with a huge opportunity to evolve, and transform into a resilient, progressive, forward-looking industry.

To help bridge the gap between emerging AI technology and the water sector, Isle hosts an expert community group aimed at understanding methods of best practice and emerging technologies in the field. www.isleutilities.com

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ARCADIS GEN

BRIDGING THE REGULATORY GAP WITH DATA AND ANALYTICS Just when you think PR19 is concluding the news breaks that four of the water companies have appealed to the CMA over their final determinations. have spoken to millions of their customers, spent months putting together value frameworks to represent them and used those as the basis for the asset investment planning. They will also point to one of the biggest elephants in the room in the industry today, that the rate at which we are replacing our assets is significantly less than the expected life of them, in other words we are simply saving up problems for our future generations.

by Joe Roebuck

Global Water Director, Arcadis Gen So, while the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are slugging it out in the boxing ring we will have a very different battle being carried out through the spring and summer of 2020.

There are common themes amongst those appealing, namely the affordability of longterm resilience and a perceived deviation from their customer priorities. OFWAT though are resolute in their “more for less” mantra so an interesting battle is about to unfold.

We explore where data and analytics could be used to bridge the gap between the two parties and concludes by looking at the importance of digital solutions, data and analytics to help all water companies meet the most difficult of challenges set for the next 5 years and beyond.

In the blue corner…

So, we know to date that it is Yorkshire Water, Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water and Bristol Water that have appealed.

Historically Bristol have challenged their business plans but for the other three water companies this is a relatively bold move.

None have specifically mentioned the WACC and care has been made to focus on the customer centric aspects of their challenges.

The water companies will argue that they

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The commission will need to decide whether the evidence provided by the water companies is strong enough to prove that continuing with the OFWAT proposed levels of investment is unsustainable and against the wishes of their customers. So how can the use of data and analytics help the commission answer this key question?

The fact that water companies have spoken to their customers cannot be denied but how do they prove the level of investment requested reflects this? Massive strides have been made in the industry over the last 5-10 years in development of service measure and value frameworks that are at the heart of their decision making.

We suspect the water companies will be using their decision support tools and models to run a suite of optimised investment scenarios to explore and quantify the potential long-term implications of the

lower levels of investment. That said, they will need to avoid telling the same story as they did in the PR19 plan; instead the analytical models will need to be used to provide new and different insights that provide irrefutable evidence. There is always an inherent level of uncertainty when exploring future resilience, so it will be critical that areas of investigation such as climate change are tackled appropriately.

In the red corner…

OFWAT have been very consistent in their messaging all throughout the PR19 process.

They clearly want to see water companies do “more for less” using innovation which allows service to be significantly improved for less cost for customers. They feel there is enough financial and operational efficiency to be gained by the water companies to meet the performance commitments at affordable prices. They will of course point out the profitability of water companies in past years which was a key political consideration in 2019 throughout the general election.

By their own admission OFWAT are a financial regulator so their willingness to get into the detail of the water companies’ data and analytics has faded since the deep dive days of PR09. They rely mostly on the independent auditors to give the required level of technical scrutiny and assurance.

FEATURE: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AI The commission will need to decide whether the changes made by OFWAT to the water companies business plans are appropriate and in the best interest of the customers.

The financial models used are likely to be scrutinised but more importantly a decision will need to be made on which models to believe‌ the deeply data driven, customer focussed ones of the water companies, or the more financial, holistic and independent models of OFWAT.

A look to the future‌ In an ever-increasing digital world, the use of data and analytics are likely to play a critical role in helping the CMA come to a decision. There will of course be many more considerations, but it will now be a key factor. If historic challenges to the commission are a benchmark, then we are likely to see some changes to the investment levels resulting from the investigation, but nothing so drastic that will fundamentally change the core of the business plans.

The water companies, whether it be those that challenged or indeed those that accepted, will still face a massive cost and service efficiency challenge over the next 5 years. Therefore, a step change in use of

digital, data and analytics is required. Less talk of innovation and more action is needed to unlock the true value of data.

At Arcadis Gen we believe this challenge can be met from a full range of digital solutions that covers the full spectrum of strategic, tactical and operational analytics; from artificial intelligence powered digital twins to long term asset investment planning.

We strongly believe that harnessing the power of open source data, low cost sensors and drones bring new insight through existing service measure frameworks, enabling better bolder decisions.

All this will require investment, commitment and most importantly agility from the water companies to adapt to an ever-changing

environment. From our experience applying analytics to operational and tactical decision making has been shown consistently across sectors to drive 10-20% efficiency and effectiveness savings.

The very future of the water companies could be determined by their ability to change into a modern digital organisation which sets the foundations for them to achieve the performance commitments and cost efficiencies required.

For more information contact: Joe Roebuck, Arcadis Gen T. +44 (0)114 280 9000 M. +44 (0)7816 524678 www.arcadisgen.com

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THE DIGITAL FRONTIER: A PERSPECTIVE ON DIGITALISATION FOR WATER As we enter the second decade of the fourth industrial revolution, the water sector finds itself, somewhat unusually, at the frontier of technological opportunism marked by a growing belief in the potential of digital innovation.

by Dr. Matthew J. Wade

School of Engineering, Newcastle University and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow For many, the digitalisation or ‘smartening’ of water across the sector appears to be a no-brainer; harness the information encapsulated in data throughout the business and couple it with engineering and process expertise to deliver greater performance, efficiencies, and asset longevity. As with the Klondike gold rush some 120 years ago, this ‘digital rush’ has the potential to open up new landscapes in which the water industry will prosper.

Guided by rudimentary maps and a degree of serendipity, those early prospectors were able to expand into the wilderness of Yukon territory and Alaska, exploiting the wealth they found in the riverbeds. Whilst digital prospecting today is less fraught with danger, it is potentially more valuable, providing opportunities for transformative developments leading to a more resilient, robust and reliable water sector that benefits all society.

Digital water, as encapsulated by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and data-driven models, is not a new concept within the water industry (Regn, 2019; Newhart et al., 2019). Driven by computer hardware developments in the mid 20th Century, the automation boom of the 1970s, and the repurposing of much older statistical concepts, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), for monitoring and controlling processes (Jackson and Mudholkar, 1979), methods for managing process disturbances and sensor faults using the abundance of available sensor measurements have been demonstrated in practice for on-line adaptive real-time monitoring and control (Wade et al.,

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2005) and ‘intelligent’ predictive control (Vanrolleghem et al., 1991; Serra et al., 1994) of wastewater treatment plants.

These examples are not too difficult to implement, generally do not require expensive computers to run, and rarely need AI experts to interpret the data. So, why the emphasis on ‘smart’ in digital water?

In reality, the regulatory, climatic and demographic challenges faced by the water industry may require an advanced level of technology that combines human-machine expertise with smart sensor and systems thinking. The emerging constraints, however, will hopefully lead to a widening acceptance that digital solutions have a significant and permanent place in our water facilities of the future. Considering the shift towards water resource recovery, for example, one can imagine treatment plants as manufacturing systems, whose operation will require a good characterisation of process uncertainty, acquisition of key performance indicators, tight control, and decision support to manage multiple objective functions, (i.e., the idea that clean water is only a byproduct).

The silo approach to water is being challenged and it is disruptive technology and systems-based thinking that motivates a need to move beyond considering water management challenges in isolation. Data

and the digitalisation of systems seem like the obvious choices for future-proofing water assets, particularly when coupled with existing engineering expertise, greater automation and control, and better access to low-cost, high-performance computing and storage options. Whilst the inherent value of data in water, like the gold in the rivers of Yukon, is undeniable, I believe that industry readiness is still in its early-stages (cf. IWA digital water adoption curve, IWA & Xylem 2019). The prospectors in this ‘digital rush’ need to work more widely with experts across and outside of the water sector to ensure that this frontier is sustainable, secure and harmonious.

References Jackson, J.E. and Mudholkar, G.S. (1979). Control procedures for residuals associated with principal component analysis. Technometrics, 21: 341-349.

Newhart K.B., Holloway R.W., Hering A.S. and Cath T.Y. (2019). Data-driven performance analyses of wastewater treatment plants: A review. Water Res., 157: 498-513.

Regn K. (2019). Future of Water 2019: What will AI really do for the water industry? Raconteur, https://www. raconteur.net/sustainability/water-technology-ai 31 July.

Serra P., Sànchez M., Lafuente J., Cortés U. and Poch M. (1994). DEPUR: A knowledge-based tool for wastewater treatment plants. Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell., 7(1): 23-30.

Vanrolleghem P.A., Vermeersch L., Vangheluwe H. and Vansteenkiste, G.C. (1991). Introducing knowledge based predictive control in biological wastewater purification.

Proc. CIM in the Process Industry, June, Athens, Greece.

Wade M.J., Sanchez A. and Katebi M.R. (2005). On Real-time Control and Process Monitoring of Wastewater Treatment Plants: Real-time Process Monitoring. Trans.

Inst. Meas. Cont., 2005, 27(3): 173-193. IWA & Xylem (2019). Digital Water: Industry leaders chart the transformation journey. White Paper.

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WHY INNOVATION DOESN’T NEED TO MEAN NEW David Hughes, ABB UK’s Managing Director looks at the powertrain technologies currently available to the water industry and asks if their potential is being fully realised.

VSDs have many features that could be used to further transform performance – if only the end-user knew they were there.

To sustainability and beyond…

by David Hughes

ABB UK Managing Director Finding ways to deliver innovation in the UK water industry has long been a bone of contention between Ofwat and the water companies. With innovation very much a keystone of the new AMP period, water companies are now finding themselves tasked with the challenge of delivering a sustainable and reliable supply of water whilst simultaneously reducing costs for customers.

This drive for innovation manifests itself in a variety of different ways, from financial incentives to customer collaboration. It also includes an incentive for companies to get more from their existing infrastructure assets rather than building or installing new plant and equipment. As an evolution from the total expenditure (TOTEX)-focused AMP6, where companies were encouraged to consider alternatives to CAPEX-led approaches to problem solving, the innovation-focused AMP7 aims to incentivise water operators to get the most from their existing assets.

Already widely used in water and wastewater treatment applications to control pumping flow rates, variable speed drives (VSDs) are a good example of an asset that could be utilised more fully. Having already saved water companies tens of thousands of pounds in energy and maintenance costs,

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As the UK’s fourth biggest energy user, consuming three percent of the UK’s electricity used for pumping, water treatment and waste management, AMP7 presents some particularly tough challenges for water companies. The water sector is the first UK industry to commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. With annual greenhouse gas emissions currently standing at five million tonnes, the sector has dedicated itself to reducing its energy consumption and offsetting its environmental impact through a variety of measures.

Two of the sector’s biggest direct challenges are the goals of tripling the rate of leakage reduction by 2030 and reducing per capita consumption of water by onefifth by 2050. Where leakage is concerned, there is the additional requirement to reduce mains bursts and supply interruptions by 12 percent. Furthermore, these challenges must be met against a background of an overall reduction in customer billing, with water companies obliged to reduce the amount they charge customers by 12 percent over the next five years. Taken together, this all means that the water companies will increasingly need to be doing more with less, seeking every opportunity to reduce their overheads while still maximizing profitability.

Right time, right technology When it comes to meeting the AMP7 targets for saving energy and water in potable and wastewater treatment applications, those using the latest generation of VSDs could be in for a pleasant surprise. Today’s water industry VSDs come packed with smart functions as standard and can add several percent to the efficiency of pumping equipment and cut maintenance. By putting

control functions in the drive, it cuts the need for an external PLC, while saving energy, reducing downtime and preventing pump jamming and pipeline blocking.

Energy efficiency: Among the intelligent pump functions is sleep boost, which runs the pumps to boost the pressure or water level just before they shut¬ down, extending the pump’s sleep time and so saving energy.

It also avoids unneces-sary starting and stopping of the pumps.

Furthermore, it is possible to improve the energy efficiency of a pump system by between 15 and 20 per cent simply by ensuring the control philosophy is adequate. For example, the traditional method of filling a storage tank is to run the pump at a fixed speed using a sensor to indicate when the tank is full and then switching the pump off. However, greater energy efficiency – and reliability - can be achieved by switching the control philosophy of the VSD to pump slower for longer. Reducing the speed of the pump cuts energy consumption. It also eliminates the constant stopping and starting of the pump, which reduces wear on bearings and seals, cutting maintenance costs and contributing to the reliability of the pump system. And it makes batch processes, such as chemical dosing, easier to predict, as it is easier to deal with a steady flow of water than with rising and falling volumes.

Lower maintenance: The pump cleaning function, also referred to as anti-ragging, is the smart function most used by the water industry. The pump cleaning function acts before things get critical. When a blockage is detected, the drive automatically runs the pump back and forward rapidly to clean the impeller, quickly returning flow rates to their normal level and avoiding any reduction in service. This also avoids the needs for more costly intervention, such as lifting the pump to remove the blockage.

FEATURE: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AI Sweating assets: Smart functions enable the VSD to sweat the other assets in the pump system – in other words make them work harder and/or better. For example, the pump cleaning function doesn’t benefit the drive itself, but it can extend the life of the pump, reduce maintenance intervals and increase efficiency of the pump system.

Reduced bursts: The industry’s target is for 12 percent fewer mains bursts and supply interruptions. PLCs integrated into VSDs work best in simple applications such as booster sets. Yet even a simple programme can save hundreds of pounds on a single pump. Multiply that by the number of drives in a typical pumping station and the savings can be significant. For example, the VSD can be programmed to reduce water pressure during the night when demand for supply is lower. This saves energy, and reduces the risk of leakage or bursts, as the higher the water pressure the more chance there is of a leak occurring. This cuts maintenance costs throughout the life cycle of the pump system.

Reduced leakage: There needs to be a 16 percent reduction in annual leakage which equates to 469 million litres per day in UK.

By using variable speed control it is possible to improve the energy efficiency of a pump system by between 15 and 20 per cent.

Basically, that is equivalent to 187 Olympic size swimming pools every day to be saved.

Difficult to find and largely unreported, smaller background leaks are the major culprits. A big cause of these is elevated supply pressures, which often don’t mix well with aging pipes. While pressure is high, water is forced out into any existing leaks.

New leaks can be generated at any points of strain such as joints in the pipework.

Leakage can be reduced significantly by a little reduction of pressure - a mere 20 percent reduction in pressure could reduce leakage by up to 50 percent. This is readily achieved using VSDs. The ability of VSDs

to control the speed of motors and thus pumps means that mains pressure can be easily controlled. Cutting pressure also means reducing pumping energy costs, while controlling leaks also avoids spending money twice to process and pump extra water.

Summary The many benefits that VSDs can bring makes them the ideal solution for tackling the key challenges posed by AMP7. Simply by digging deeper and exploring the many added possibilities offered by their installed VSDs, operators may find that they already have all the innovation they need.

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EGREMONT

BRAVE NEW WORLD - HOW TO REALISE THE BENEFITS OF INVESTMENT IN TECHNOLOGY FROM DAY ONE

It is hard not to get excited about new technology at the start of a new AMP cycle.

Regulation in the sector is getting tougher and significant penalties for failing targets are taking effect.

by Dean Wheeler

Egremont Group

and John Lillistone Arqiva

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So, as billions of pounds are released there is a clear case for investing in technology as the perfect way to address and mitigate these risks and improve performance. But buyer beware, to realise the true value of such investments, companies will need to think carefully about the real problem they are trying to solve and have a clear understanding of how new technology will integrate into the business from day one.

If not, the investment may not realise the exciting benefits set out in the business case. Technology is just one part of the picture - how the business, its processes and people need to adapt to accommodate the new way of working is often forgotten in the excitement.

Beware the pitfalls John Lillistone from Arqiva, industry leaders in UK communications infrastructure, has seen where both the benefits and pitfalls can lay. The company is working with the water industry to deploy radio networks across a number of regions that can relay back data from water meters in real time.

The potential cost savings are clear with less man power needed to collect the data and more accurate data delivered faster and more regularly.

However, there is much else that is less clear. If a company moves from one meter reading every 2 years to one every 15 minutes how is the business going to cope

FEATURE: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AI with the sudden increase in data? It can take years to work out how to process all the information suddenly flooding into the company. Multiply this task over one million smart meters and suddenly the idea of investment into real time reporting becomes overwhelming.

Far from providing cost savings from day one, it can actual cause a huge headache, sucking up management time in Head Office as the leadership team scrabble around to work out whose job it is to process and manage the insights such a huge volume of data can produce. Worse still, rather than solving any problems, it just creates more – yes, the data is there, but what does it mean and how can it be used?

Start at the very beginning – what problem are you trying to solve?

Rather than looking at the new technology on offer and working out which problems it could solve within the business it is always smarter to look at the problem the other way. What are the problems in the business that need solving? Which of these problems causes the biggest regulatory workload and potential financial penalties? Then explore the solutions, including but not limited to new technology.

Assess the impact on the business (or risk missing the benefits) In the rush of excitement to discover that there is a technology solution available, the real-world business impact is often overlooked. In addition to a business case each technology investment needs to be backed up by a rigorous plan for how the solution is going to be integrated into business processes. If the implications of a new solution have been thoroughly thought through at the start of the project, then benefits can start to be realised from day one.

These questions are essential to ask at the start:

Taking the example of a massive injection of data into a business, as provided by radio telemetry from smart meters, this is only useful if there is a data processing team in place to deal with it and experienced analysts on hand to mine the data. If the new network sends through more data in a day than has been received in the last four years how will the business cope? Far better to know in advance and have processes in place to deal with it, than to panic and shut off the technology while adjustments are made.

1. How will the new technology change the way the business operates?

Exploiting the technology

2. Does the company have the right operating model and organisation design to exploit the technology?

3. Have the employees got the right skills and capability? If not, how quickly can they be trained or hired?

4. How flexible are the workforce? Will they embrace the changes or be threatened by them?

One last thing to be aware of when making a big technology investment is to make sure it is exploited to its fullest potential across the whole business. The technology used in smart meters, for example, is well known in the industry. There is a lot of focus on the actual meter and whether it has the right radio on it, yet water meters are one small part of exploiting a radio network. What water companies are

really buying into is a utilities focused communications network, which can pick up data from any sensor within the water network and report back over the same radio frequency into head office. This has huge implications for joined up reporting from both the waste and clean water sides of the business, corporate and domestic clients.

Remember the big picture Before making a big investment in technology, take time to truly understand how the solution could work across the different business areas. It is, after all, just one part of a big picture. What might be right for one part of the business could also solve issues in an interconnecting area.

Preparation is the key, understanding the problem that needs to be solved and then assessing the impact on the business should always be the first steps. Leave these steps out and it is much harder to realise the full benefits from day one.

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ATI UK

THE RISE OF MULTI-TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS ATi UK’s Director, Garry Tabor, reflects on the rise of multi-technology collaboration and discusses the most creative approaches that are proactively safeguarding water quality for customer use.

Solving the Water Industry’s challenges through innovation is vital if we are to achieve Ofwat’s tough targets during AMP 7 and further develop smart water quality.

As the emphasis of harnessing better collaboration to enable true innovation increases and customers become less tolerant of poor water quality, water professionals are becoming more motivated to look for new, intelligent, reliable and effective ‘Source to Tap’ solutions.

Regulation is driving change in water quality and is challenging the industry to continue improving performance, and new technologies have a major role to play. To meet these demanding targets, water companies need to change their behaviours, innovate and collaborate.

Data Rich, Knowledge Smart Technological innovation is crucial for an industry that’s network is large in size and scope, spans the length and breadth of the country and is suffering from age degradation. A predictive and proactive understanding of pipeline activity has long been sought out by water utilities and it is essential for operators to have access to reliable and actionable insights that allow them to co-ordinate an appropriate response.

The supply chain can no longer remain technologically isolated; instead multilayered, strategic alliances, focused on meaningful solutions for the industry, will be a prerequisite. Transparent collaboration, with shared values to improve the industry overall, will become the norm, over and above individual commercial market share and profit.

Data to support resilience and measure asset health is becoming increasingly important, with a clear focus on Asset Performance Indicators and Measures of Success, both of which can have

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a significant impact on financial and operational performances. Advances in robust, high-precision, sustainable and cross-technology ‘Source to Tap’ solutions will help the utilities industry transition from data-rich and knowledge-poor, to data-rich and knowledge-smart.

Surveying ‘Lift & Shift’ Technology Smart technologies are fast becoming a necessity for water providers. Under pressure from watchdogs and industry regulators, it’s vital that the utilities industry have a detailed insight so they can gain a greater understanding in managing water quality and their performance.

In a bid to lead the way in utilising these ground-breaking solutions, one major water company has started on a new journey set to transform the way the industry works. The pioneering project has seen the utilities business investing in ATi’s ‘Lift and Shift’ surveying tools, NephNet, ChlorNet and SiteBox, which are deployed in various controlled problem areas, with the data helping to identify problems and pinch-point locations. Following data analytics, the ‘Lift and Shift’ equipment can then be moved to the next priority area, while permanent solutions using MetriNet, in partnership with close technology providers, are then installed in the identified areas. The permanently installed MetriNet and collaborative technology solutions then use dedicated apps to pull the data from each area together to deliver real insight and value.

Intelligent Source To Tap Solutions Through ATi UK’s ongoing Source to Tap philosophy, we are more committed than ever to continue developing new and innovative solutions to ensure the guardianship and protection of water.

This commitment has led to us to being the only company able to provide an intelligent and sustainable Source to Tap journey, providing no-compromise water quality

monitoring in service reservoirs, pipes, valves, meter chambers and hydrants, along with measuring right through to the end user.

Intelligent solutions create real-time awareness of water quality throughout the cycle and suggest optimal control mechanisms. This ensures the efficient delivery of high-quality water, reducing the risk of compliance violations and customer complaints.

Moving forwards, the industry needs networked solutions that allow water suppliers to effectively monitor pipelines in real time. ATi UK has developed and identified how data from smart sensors can give water companies a much-needed boost in their efforts to move towards a truly smart water quality network.

Embracing these new technologies and employing them in legacy infrastructures will help water companies extract deeper insights on their pipeline networks and enhance operational efficiencies.

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Our innovative range of smart water quality Network Monitors, SiteBox bespoke water quality monitoring and control system and our Q Series water quality monitors, provide a complete, engineered solution to the utilities industry.

We offer a reagent-free range of water quality solutions, with a no-compromise approach to measurement and the environment.

From rivers, water treatment, potable water distribution and waste water treatment, our range of sustainable water quality products will help drive down complaints, improve compliance ratings and reduce TOTEX costs, providing you with cost-effective solutions for a smarter future.

sales@atiuk.com / +44 (0) 1457 873 318 / atiuk.com ATi UK is a leading provider of engineered, analytical sensor monitoring solutions to the water and gas industry. Our pioneering and industry leading range of Network Monitors, Water Quality Monitors and Gas Detectors provide innovative solutions for the most demanding of applications.

Solutions for a Smarter Future instituteofwater.org.uk

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SWEATING WASTEWATER DATA AND SYSTEMS – HOW TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS FASTER?

AMP7 will deliver significant financial and operational challenges for Water Companies.

With £51 billion to spend following Ofwat’s Final Determinations and a series of challenging performance commitments, the need to make the most of what we know and how we use it to drive performance improvement will be a critical success factor in the coming years.

by James Hale

industry we’re guilty of being ‘data rich, but information poor’ over recent years and therefore missing opportunities to maximise the benefit of the data being collected and the decisions that were made as a result – and at times, this resulted in significant financial penalties for Water Companies. This needs to change if we’re to be successful in AMP7, maximising the value we can get from existing systems, incorporating the new systems and adopting these new approaches as business as usual to drive efficiency and serviceability improvements.

Alongside these performance commitments, we are also at a point where the wastewater sector is embracing the ‘big data’ challenge, moving into the cloud and starting to adopt Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches to support activities and decision making. Perhaps as an

As an industry however, we need to understand where these principles could and should be used, but also understand what these approaches mean and how we use them. Whilst we may still be some time away from AI thinking systems, we are in a position to build approaches with that aspiration in mind, whilst exploiting machine and deep learning opportunities.

Wastewater Technical Director, RPS

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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE A programme that can sense, reason, act & adapt.

MACHINE LEARNING Algorithms whose performance improve as they are exposed to more data over time.

DEEP LEARNING Subset of machine learning in which multilayered neural networks learn from vast amounts of data.

Machine Learning algorithms provide significant benefit in interpreting large datasets, and we’ve expanded our sensor

FEATURE: NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AI network in the last few years with the Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) programme and commitments to extend monitoring within AMP7.

With RPS having an integrated team covering both Operational and Consultancy services we’re in the unique position to think about challenges across the asset lifecycle, from ‘Strategy to Operations’, to help shape change and develop these approaches to benefit the whole asset lifecycle.

Initially RPS developed FlowBot (a bespoke data analysis tool which uses ML) to review flow monitor information as part of our integrated consultancy and survey business, delivering benefit to existing short and long-term monitoring projects.

Flowbot’s Machine Learning algorithms are built on 30,000 monitor days of data and has automated the manual review of data and event quality driving an 86% efficiency in the data review process.

End users now have faster access to the data and ultimately are able to make faster, more accurate decisions. This was an important step towards building confidence in automated data.

We are now taking the next step to build on these data quality algorithms and collaborating with Water Companies to develop predictive and pro-active alerting processes linked to live monitoring systems. This includes EDM locations, blockage monitoring and understanding and building algorithms to understand deviation and alert operatives. The Waternet Pro system based in Azure, delivers this information to the user via a web app and will integrate its rapid geospatial visualisation with dashboard and alert prioritisation once live data is connected to the system. Our Waternet Pro software is currently in development and

is an extension of our existing bespoke WaternetTM software.

Building rules for EDM and blockage monitors is a logical step in the process, especially where there is sufficient historic training data for the algorithms. But, due to our network modelling experience we are also in a position to understand how these rules may evolve or change, and where these changes pose a risk to serviceability or are part of the annual risk profile. Again though, the challenge is maximising benefit. EDMs were in place primarily to enable the assessment of spill performance to meet Water Framework Directive and Storm Overflow Assessment Framework requirements. But overflows are the principal pollution points in the network, so integrating rainfall into the alerting system enables both functions to be managed by the same monitor in the same system. Within Waternet Pro both functions will be undertaken, enabling real time spill assessment and operational interventions to eliminate spills due to operational conditions.

A key part of this picture for RPS is not just the ability for a system to provide an alert for immediate action, it’s the ability to understand why problems are occurring. The link to wider information, be it assets, performance or wider catchment information is a crucial part of the development of Waternet Pro being able to generate alerts on a live stream, and present the operative with the supporting information to understand why the incident is potentially occurring.

With time, Machine/Deep Learning algorithms will evolve to consider upstream and downstream changes e.g. an increase in the density in fat/oil/ grease generating properties upstream and the risk of blockage formation and

serviceability risk further downstream.

During the AMP6 cycle, we spent time moving towards pro-active intervention, and to meet the serviceability challenge of AMP7 we’ll need to continue this work towards source control and solving the root cause of issues as a result of combining and expanding our knowledge and including it in our Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence processes.

As a modeller myself, I believe hydraulic models are still part of our toolkit, but we need to understand how to drive more value from them, especially as Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans, which are likely to become regulated? In AMP7 have again evolved our thinking around catchment management - whether this is automating the generation of region wide flood / pollution risk through the correct structuring of a model library and Rubyscript tools to generate outputs, or global scenario testing of future pressures on a network impacted by climate change, growth and urban creep scenarios, for example.

While there is a perception of the need for a silver bullet solution that delivers everything, the efficiency challenge facing Water Companies in AMP7 means that all processes need to be as lean as possible and focused on delivering benefit. The use of new technology and innovative approaches will be key to achieving this and it’s crucial that we are in a position to look up, think differently and apply these emerging approaches to deliver the AMP7 serviceability challenge.

For more information, please contact James Hale, james.hale@rpsgroup.com

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence processes

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R2M LIMITED

R2M… PART OF THE HAWLE AUSRIA GROUP New Ownership opens up a new chapter for R2M. Early in December last year, R2M proudly announced that they were now part of the Hawle Austria Group and that the acquisition was completed following a 7 month process.

It was a highly pivotal moment in R2M’s 16 year history to have grown form a home based 1 man operation, to a company employing over 20 people, with all its accreditations and a solid track record of old fashioned customer service, high degree of know how and a continuous flow of innovations successfully introduced into its market.

Successful, solvent, well structured companies like R2M will always attract the attention of much larger companies and key in the owners of R2M’s mind when they first considered the initial approach was that the potential new owner would not only carry on R2M’s good work and mission, but also keep the jobs and livelihoods in place of the whole team, who’d been instrumental in the growth and development of the company in the first place.

With R2M being Hawle’s first UK acquisition, the company had to operate independently as a unit moving forward and that answered most of the questions about the ongoing mission and team to keep it going. There was also the small matter that Nova Siria in Italy and Özkan in Turkey, 2 of R2M’s current suppliers, are members of the Hawle Austria Group and that made it easy to find out how things had been since Hawle had bought into their businesses. The messages where wholly positive and that fact that both manufacturers had been able to build new factories and invest heavily in the future showed the forward thinking nature of Hawle’s vision.

Overall, it is an excellent fit and enables R2M to keep going with its highly customer focussed attitude, but with even more innovation to bring to the market

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R2M’s Carl Wade with Hawle’s CEO Martin Kast(r) and COO Michael Bassani(l) to help our industry meet the tough challenges we all face.

Hawle’s first activity started when Engelbert Hawle invented a fitting to connect pipes together in 1948, the company was formed, fast forward 72 years and the Hawle Austria Group now employs more than 1200 people across the world with subsidiaries worldwide.

The Hawle family are still active in the running of the company today and it’s slogan is ‘made for generations’, which explains it’s uncompromising attitude towards quality.

That is Hawle’s generations, R2M’s generations and your generations, a new chapter has dawned for R2M, it’s going to be exciting!

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41

REFLECTIONS ON TODDBROOK

Image: www.standard.co.uk

Images of an RAF Chinook helicopter dropping one tonne bags of aggregate onto the damaged section of Toddbrook Reservoir’s spillway will long be remembered as the tense moment a catastrophic collapse could have engulfed an entire Derbyshire town in August last year.

by Manbir Thandi

Co-Head of Water and Utilities at global legal business DWF

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Heavy rain had led to an excess of water cascading over the spillway. As the torrent continued, the spillway started to erode and the concrete structure began to fail. More than a thousand residents of Whaley Bridge, on the edge of the Peak District, had to leave their homes in a mass evacuation as forecasted rainfall made the rescue effort a race against time and nature. An estimated one billion litres of water was pumped out of the reservoir and into the River Goyt by the reservoir’s owner, the Canal & River Trust, working with the Environment Agency, to avoid downstream flooding and lower the water to a safe level.

Such scenes had not been seen in the UK for more than a decade. The incident was the

first major threat to a dam’s stability since cracks appeared in the Ulley dam when 700 villagers from Catcliffe, near Rotherham, were evacuated amid the floods of 2007.

The last time anyone died due to a dam failure in the UK was in 1925 when two dams burst killing 16 people in the north Wales village of Dolgarrog. As Toddbrook is sat perched above Whaley Bridge, the consequences from a breach could have been just as bad if not worse.

Investigations were immediately launched to determine exactly what triggered the partial collapse and questions will rightly be asked of the robustness of the country’s dam inspection regime. The Government announced an independent review in October

FEATURE: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION led by David Balmforth, a former president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and that report is expected to be made public in the next few months. The review will determine what might have led to the damage; if it could have been prevented or predicted; and any lessons to be learned from the failure.

Image: Joel Goodman

Reservoirs are essential to water companies.

They cannot supply their customers without them and their safety is the biggest risk that they face. It will come as no surprise to read that they are highly regulated structures but the scope of the review may nonetheless be extended to consider any wider improvements needed to current reservoir safety.

The Reservoirs Act 1975 is widely considered to be the best practice protocol not only in the UK but overseas due to its stringent requirements. This Act, as amended by subsequent legislation, introduced a hierarchy of supervision from a supervising engineer and an inspecting engineer; these reservoir experts are some of the most skilled and revered civil engineers in the industry.

A supervising engineer is required to supervise the operation and maintenance of the reservoir and produce an annual statement summarising the performance of the reservoir over the previous year.

They need not be independent of the reservoir owner and can recommend that an inspecting engineer carry out an early inspection if they have sufficient concerns.

An inspecting engineer is appointed to inspect a reservoir at least every 10 years and must be independent of the reservoir owner. Their role is to assess the safety of the reservoir against modern guidance and standards. Their report might contain recommendations to be completed in the interests of safety and maintenance which must be complied with. Toddbrook’s last 10-year inspection was carried out in November 2018, only 9 months before disaster was averted.

Water companies rely on more regular visitors to their reservoirs such as reservoir technicians and operational staff to spot early signs of a problem. This is usually by recognising visible changes to the structure, which are often complex. Small changes give clues and it is the job of those on site to spot the signs ahead of problems surfacing.

Some experts have suggested Toddbrook’s volume of water was simply too much for the

Image: Joel Goodman

Georgian structure, recorded as being built around 1840. Operations and capacity will be areas the independent review will look at; it must however be borne in mind that it is a tough balancing exercise to maintain reservoir capacity and meet water demand on the one hand yet respond to more challenging weather patterns with frequent and unpredictable flooding events. A sense of unease about the safety of older dams is nothing new but with climate change accelerating, the pressure on reservoir owners to consider how they can be more vigilant when it comes to inspecting their older reservoirs is likely to grow.

The Government’s review could make a few tweaks to the existing regulations or recommend measures previously considered but yet to be implemented such as rolling out inspections to dams of smaller capacity or assessing dams on the level of risk posed from a collapse rather than capacity. Also, advances in technological will certainly improve inspecting engineers’ arsenal to

help identify risks, interrogate structures and monitor erosion more effectively.

Looking back, the effort of the Whaley Bridge rescue team is rightly being heralded as a success story for the industry.

After breathing a sigh of relief, the water industry will reflect on the lessons learnt from Toddbrook brought back into the spotlight by the independent review.

They will welcome any measures that will make the system even more stringent and puts reservoir safety first.

History tells us that flood related dam incidents involving a breach or near breach are to be expected every 20 to 30 years on average. We have to prevent the UK from having to go through similar nerve-wracking scenes as frequently in the future.

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DELIVERING COMPLIANCE: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Undertaking wintering bird surveys_Walthamstow Wetlands

Chris Rochfort, Principal Environmental Advisor with Stantec shares his thoughts on delivering compliance through effective environmental management in Thames Water’s Capital Delivery Alliance eight2O. eight2O is the largest delivery alliance in the UK water sector. The partners involved are Thames Water, two design & build joint ventures, SMB and CABV with Stantec providing design and environmental capability to SMB and programme controls for the whole alliance. Together, the alliance will carry out £1.75bn of capital investment work during the AMP6 period (2015-2020).

So how are environmental risks managed on a programme of such scale, comprising thousands of infrastructure projects both large and small, planned as well as reactive? How do a group of environmental professionals from consulting and contractor backgrounds come together to deliver projects across a large area comprising 15 counties and 94 local planning authorities?

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Environmental Regulation Thames Water and its predecessors’ assets were built over a 370-year period before the environmental awakening in the 1970s resulted in the first protections, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Thames Water already had hundreds of kilometres of assets within these new designations, such as sewers and water mains. For the most part these assets are buried and do not affect those sites, unless they leak or if routine maintenance is required.

Even more noteworthy are entire assets, such as the Walthamstow Reservoirs complex, built on the Lea Valley in North London and subsequently designated as both a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and Special Protection Area, due to the

internationally important assemblage of birds that the reservoir attracts.

Another good example is covered reservoirs, which distribute water to customers by the force of gravity and are therefore located at high points in the countryside. But if you recall your GCSE History, you’ll know that these vantage points were often also the sites of ancient settlements, such as Iron Age hill forts. Chisbury Reservoir in Wiltshire, together with its incoming and outgoing water mains, was built in the middle of what is now the Chisbury Camp and St Martin’s Chapel Scheduled Monument.

Today, of course, Environmental Impact Assessments are just one of several regulatory instruments that steer

FEATURE: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION development away from sensitive sites.

The important point to note here is that this is a legacy that Thames Water has inherited.

It must deliver its statutory duties while managing the sensitive environment in which many of its assets are located, and that many of its grand buildings and structures are now listed.

How Environmental Compliance is Delivered in eight2O

The key to delivering seamless environmental compliance in a joint venture is to develop consistent procedures that everyone understands. Each of the two joint ventures within the eight2O alliance has set up a Safety, Health and Environment team, led by professionals employed by the contractor partners, with consultants from the design partners working closely in support of them.

The consultants put forward specialists such as town planners, environmental planners, permitting consultants, ecologists, archaeologists, geo-environmental engineers and landscape architects as part of their wider design offering.

A key role is that of the design environmental advisor (DEA), who coordinates the specialists and communicates key requirements to the project team. The DEA will eventually hand over the project to the construction environmental advisor (CEA), who specialises in the fast-paced construction environment.

Relationship with Regulators Thames Water’s development projects are regulated by governmental bodies including local, county and unitary authorities, Historic England, Natural England, and the Environment Agency among others.

Over the past three years eight2O, Thames Water and Natural England have worked closely to gather and analyse evidence and data about bird distribution on the Walthamstow Wetlands, and their tolerance to a variety of different forms of disturbance.

The organisations have streamlined the ability to give permission for many infrastructure projects with assurance that measures are in place that ensure the integrity of the site remains. As a result, all organisations have a better understanding of the birds’ use of the sites, what works associated with infrastructure cause more disturbance than others, and what measures satisfy the Habitats Regulation Assessment and Natural England.

Water vole mitigation under class licence near Highworth Wilts The Greater London Archaeology Advisory Service (GLAAS) is part of Historic England’s London office and provides archaeological advice to developers for the whole of Greater London, except for the City of London and London Borough of Southwark. GLAAS perform the same regulatory role as County Archaeologists.

Given the hundreds of projects delivered

by Thames Water’s contractors in London, over the years a process has been agreed with GLAAS aimed at streamlining and minimising the administrative burden on both sides, whereby projects identified as “low risk”, required no further archaeological consultation. GLAAS are consulted fully on the medium-high risk projects such as those in Archaeological Priority Areas where there is a greater chance of interest features being affected by the project.

Innovation The partners in eight2O have been quick to bring innovation into the alliance, to benefit projects on the ground. Being aware of emerging areas of innovation is essential to delivering value for money to the client.

Examples in AMP6 are introducing eDNA testing for great crested newts, resulting in financial savings and reduced health and safety risk on certain projects, compared to the traditional presence/absence survey technique.

Other examples have included using GIS to combine reporting with accessible and easily understood constraints map deliverables, displayed in the site offices by the construction managers. A new area of innovation is GIS analytics, which when used to its full capacity can predict potential routes for new cross-country pipelines,

Undertaking bat surveys_Wood Green Tunnel_London

automatically identifying paths of least resistance, and providing an evidence-based decision-making tool.

Looking ahead The key to the effective delivery of environmental compliance in a design and build environment is to establish an experienced, multi-disciplinary team, benefitting from clear and effective tools, templates and processes, and communicating regularly.

The team must work closely with its engineering and contractor colleagues, regulators and stakeholders, and promote best practice, learn from incidents, bring in ideas and innovation from outside the alliance, be aware of new incoming legislation and guidance, and seek continual improvement.

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THE PATH TO NET ZERO MUST INCLUDE THE WATER INDUSTRY & SMART NETWORKS

The Government has publicly stated as part of its drive towards a Net Zero economy, that it wants to “secure a low carbon and clean industrial and economic future for the UK, embed zero carbon solutions and accelerate Net Zero growth, innovation and global influence”.

Being amongst one of the attendees, it was disappointing to hear from the various speakers that they believed we could achieve Net Zero through energy policy alone, almost without breaking into a sweat. Most of the talk was about phasing out the internal combustion engine, mandating smart metering, substituting hydrogen for in gas networks, planting millions of trees, constructing more wind and solar farms, creating tidal barrages, installing sub-sea turbines, commissioning more nuclear power plants, etc.

A fortnight later we also attended the joint Engineers and Bankers Livery event on electric vehicles, held at the Guild Hall in London. During the presentations and ensuing debate we were all assured that there was adequate generation capacity to charge the millions of EVs, however it was questionable if the distribution networks could at present cope with the task of delivery, especially during peak periods of demand.

Shamefully, it seems that the Water & Wastewater sector, the largest consumer of energy in the UK has been left out of both of these debates.

Finally, the recent determinations issued by Ofwat under the PR19 review seem totally

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at odds with both commons sense and Government Net Zero policy as they should be stimulating investment and focusing it on energy saving, pollution reduction and not squandering resource on a politically motivated, misguided, unwanted rebate.

Simply ask members of the public “would you like to see a reduction in plastics in the oceans” or have a £17.00 rebate, you can easily guess the answer the reduction in plastics.

The Need for an Integrated Cross-Utility Smart-Networks Policy Achieving Net Zero and Zero Pollution are going to take much more than a change in energy policy. We wholeheartedly believe at the Zero Pollution Network that the UK needs a much broader, joined up strategy, that boldly breaks down silos and unites the utilities and the industry players for the greater good. This is one where the Water and Wastewater industry in particular has a considerable role to play as it clearly has the ability to deliver some much needed and overdue double or even treble wins with the right investment into Smart Networks that not only talk and control our own assets such as sewers but are cross linked in real-time with the other utility networks too.

For example, investment in sewers and

drainage to make them Smart [Smart Networks] with real-time control could overnight reduce peak loading, cut energy demand for pumping and treatment plus simultaneously reduce pollution (plastics spilt into the oceans).

Another double win is in the area of resilience. As an industry that has thousands of remote assets, these could be utilised much more for micro-generation and/or storage making both the grid and our networks simultaneously more resilient and taking the peak lumps out of demand.

Finally, we have to warn that this is only part of the journey that we all need to take, and for us to succeed in achieving Net Zero and Zero Pollution we will need a number of radical policies, cultural and social changes

FEATURE: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION too, topped up perhaps with an industry code of ethics and a kick in the backside for Local Government.

UK Local Authorities – Stand in the Way of Smart Networks Many IoW Members will testify that Local Authorities or Local Government or whatever label you wish to call them, are often less than cooperative towards the water sector.

In the UK we have personally experienced many months of delays and cumulatively potentially many millions of pounds lost in bureaucracy, and pollutions and flooding going unabated just waiting for example for consent to lift manhole covers to install a Smart Network device or a data logger.

Further, the aspirations to construct Smart Networks is hindered through certain Authorities not wishing to share street furniture for the mounting of Network devices, whereas in other progressive societies outside the UK it is a given right.

We need an urgent and radical for the “greater good� overhaul of policy, where ALL Utilities are granted a statutory right of access to their buried assets and have a mandated right to utilise publicly owned (including PFI) street furniture, to share fellow utility assets such as telephone poles, electricity pylon base for the construction of Smart Networks.

Obviously, there needs risk assessments and the registration of Smart Network nodes. Such as the attachment should be non-evasive, maximum weights and wind loading would have to be adhered to, but this would be simple to establish as we have enough presidents with street signs, speed cameras, traffic counters and solar panels already mounted on street furniture.

With most Smart Network devices in service today weighing less than 2Kg and of the size of a typical shoe box at most we cannot see any issue at all and common sense should prevail.

Having worked in countries where there is common ownership, the authors have experienced first-hand the significant benefits that can be obtained by sharing data and in particular as previously mentioned the ability for utilities to install Smart-Network apparatus above ground on shared street furniture.

Coming from a communications background, designing numerous AMR, Smart Metering networks and we are well placed to testify that the Water and Wastewater industry in the UK is disadvantaged because the vast majority of its assets are buried.

Further, access should be granted to buried assets without any need for permission if out of hours say between Midnight and 5am, then perhaps provided access is required for less than 5-minutes again with simple stop-go boards on minor roads during the day perhaps between 10am and 2pm. Obviously there will be exceptions but if utility operators can trained adequately we are certain that common sense will prevail and we can save money, cut waste and pollution.

Constructing Smart Networks requires communication (direct) between strategic manholes perhaps containing level sensors and others perhaps a km away containing a Sewer Flow Regulator or Pressure Reduction Valve.

Utility Smart Networking

Simply, if you want a power efficient smart network, that is not reliant on a 3rd party, the most logical way is to come out of a manhole cover and relay the signal via street furniture to the chosen destination.

Historically in the UK there has been little or no interperation between the utilities.

Each has its own infrastructure, assets, operate in separate silos and seldom share or exchange data or innovation.

At those who have tried it will testify the laws of physics limit the sideways travel of radio signals to a few tens of meter, whereas above ground you can achieve many km with the same transmitter power.

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Join us today and do something great. www.zero-pollution.net

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MACKENZIE CONSTRUCTION

BEYOND NET ZERO EMISSIONS With the climate emergency and biodiversity loss being two of the most serious issues of our time, Mackenzie Construction recognises it has a responsibility to play a leadership role in the sector and has made the commitment as an organisation to reduce its carbon emissions over the coming years.

To implement this, our HSEQ team and IMEA trained in-house ‘Carbon Champion’ are working through a 5-step integrated process with our staff, clients, delivery partners and supply chain. We understand the significance of our role in the water sector’s supply chain and are working within our geographic integrated hubs across Scotland to ensure clear, coherent, and focused development towards our sustainability and emissions goals.

1. Seeking ideas

by Scott Harvey HSEQ Manager

Our team is fully committed to reducing the impact Mackenzie Construction has on our natural environment. We understand that this drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions cannot be achieved as a lone entity, but by working in close collaboration with our staff, clients, delivery partners and our wider supply chain to improve the environmental performance of our products and services.

With this goal in mind, we have already implemented an ISO 14001:2015 environmental management system to establish a baseline and introduced Carbon Reduction Key Performance Indicators.

Moving forward, we will look for a significant year on year carbon emission reduction, reaching 75% by 2030 and net zero by 2040.

To achieve this, our Carbon Reduction Roadmap takes a holistic approach in considering the embedded carbon in the materials we purchase, the fuel we use, our products and materials, and the waste we generate from our activities. From this, we seek to establish more carbon effective solutions, wherever possible. We are focused on, not only minimising our impact on the environment, but also seeking continual performance improvements in our people and processes.

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We recognise dedication to innovation and resource efficiency needs to be encouraged at all levels of the business in order to be implemented effectively, with the whole team on board. There are no expectations on one person to identify, test and improve a problem as we all have individual skills and attributes which need to be harnessed collectively in order to achieve the best results. New innovations in regard to carbon emission reduction, such as our Smart Surface service, will also continue to be identified through the use of Quality Improvement Request Forms.

2. Create the right environment For innovation to flourish in respect to carbon emission reduction, we need to establish and foster an environment that encourages participation, honesty and collaboration. Our commitment to deliver inclusive, triannual Carbon Reduction Lessons Learned and Innovation Meetings will support this process. Invitations will be extended to every area of the business and representatives encouraged to voice their thoughts, lessons learned, opinions and opportunities for improvement, so that ideas can be shared and explored in a safe and creative environment.

3. Nurturing the learning process As an organisation committed to learning and development, we will encourage all workable ideas to be tried and tested.

All lessons learned will be shared openly throughout the business to ensure everyone feels part of, and invested in, the process.

4. Measuring success The success or failure of any carbon reduction process should be measurable.

We will develop robust reporting in order to highlight the benefits, or potential drawbacks, that each process brings.

This will be reported on our Monthly HSEQ Report and at the senior managers monthly meeting in order to monitor progress.

5. Sharing knowledge Central to our commitment to ongoing carbon reduction is the sharing of our knowledge with our own workforce, our clients and supply chain partners. Regular e-newsletters, HSEQ quarterly updates, our quarterly published newsletter, website and social media will all be used in order to ensure we update everyone with progress towards our net zero goal. We will also establish a programme and project specific SharePoint dashboard, which will include provision for carbon reduction. These will be available on our intranet to ensure everyone has a shared knowledge of our journey.

At Mackenzie Construction, we are working to ensure that we do absolutely everything in our power to embrace the circular economy, transform our emissions and, ultimately - through our work in the water sector - play our part in protecting, replenishing and enhancing a sustainable natural environment.

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FARMERS AND THE PHOSPHATE TRIAL

The Catchment Management team

Anglian Water continues to look at innovative ways to engage with the local farming community as part of their Catchment Management approach.

by Georgina Wallis

Catchment Advisor, Anglian Water Catchment Management is about preventing pollution from getting into raw water sources in the first place, rather than relying on ‘end of pipe’ solutions, like water treatment to remove unwanted chemicals.

This approach also has other benefits for the wider economy and environment, whilst ensuring that working with farmers starts with practical discussion.

One method of encouraging a catchment management approach is through social projects such as self monitoring for phosphate in water, which is a project that the team is building towards at the moment.

The project is simple and easy to administer.

Farmers in a selected sub catchment are provided with handheld phosphate testing kits which give a reading in minutes.

Farmers will be provided with dip sticks, which can be used to gage a rough idea of the P levels in the watercourse in question.

The idea of the project is not to be 100% scientifically accurate (although in field

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results will be compared with laboratory results for accuracy), but rather to begin opening the door to conversations with farmers about their contribution to water pollution, and how it can be successfully mitigated for both water quality and economical reasons.

The plan is to work closely with the Environment Agency and other partners to gather intelligence on suitable sub catchments where phosphate pollution from agricultural practice is an issue.

We will then engage with the farmers within that catchment to encourage them to self monitor the levels of phosphate in the watercourses on their farm. Information that could impact the result such as their farm type, size, and any field practices or applications that they feel may have an impact to heightened P levels within the water will also be recorded.

The trail will conclude with time spent discussing the results with the farmers involved. This can include discussing indices of soils and general soil health to reduce run off and erosion, management of manures and fertilisers, and Natural Flood Management

type projects to slow the flow of water, allowing sediment carrying phosphate to drop out. The additional learning from speaking about the local catchment with farmers can also be very valuable; learning about historic practices can provide information on why some catchments behave as they do.

The project should prove interesting for farmers and catchment advisors alike!

Watch this space for further information on results. www.hannainstruments.co.uk‎

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USING ORGANIC WASTE TO CLEAN OUR WATER! In response to increasing levels of organic micro-pollutants (OMP) in wastewater, due partly to increased pharmaceutical intake by an aging population, the wastewater treatment works (WWTW) of Baden-Baden, Germany, have identified that an additional treatment stage is necessary for their removal. OMP removal, already enforced in Switzerland, can be achieved using powdered activated carbon (PAC) as an adsorption medium in the WWTW effluent, prior to discharge.

by Rachel Smith

Senior Project Manager, Severn Wye Energy Agency The use of PAC, however, incurs high economic, environmental and social costs, and is largely produced in China, Peru, India and USA; often from coal, coconut shell and unsustainable forestry products.

The RE-DIRECT project, funded by the EU Interreg NWE programme, aimed to offer an alternative to commercially available PAC, using a circular economy approach to produce PAC from locally sourced organic waste from 5 partner countries; Germany, Belgium, France, Ireland and Wales, UK.

What is activated carbon?

Activated carbon, also known as activated charcoal, is a highly porous charcoal, or biochar, product that has been treated to increase its surface area; by increasing the number of pores. It acts as an effective method of micro-pollutant filtration as OMPs are trapped within the pores and adhere to the surface via a process called adsorption.

The technology The WWTW at Baden-Baden have installed a unique pyrolysis and activation reactor, the Pyreg P500, to produce activated carbon on site. In the reactor, dried biomass or food waste is treated at high temperatures (500700°C) in the absence of oxygen; a process known as pyrolysis; then activated using steam injection. The process is exothermic, and the heat produced is used for heating the reactor, steam generation, and for drying the feedstock.

Key findings During RE-DIRECT, PAC was produced from a variety of waste organic resources, including food waste and the non-woody component

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Pyreg Plant of green waste (grass, leaves etc.); as well as arisings from nature conservation activities, including rhododendron, bracken, rush, gorse and Japanese knotweed. The PAC products were tested for OMP removal properties and some waste derived PACs were shown to be as effective as commercial PAC. Most waste derived PACs, however, required application rates to be increased slightly in order to achieve similar efficacy.

Additional opportunities There are also many uses for the biochar produced from pyrolysis, prior to activation; from improved soil quality and nutrient cycling to animal feed additive. Important uses relevant to the water industry include the opportunity to add biochar to anaerobic digestion plants to increase methane generation, thus improving plant economics.

Additionally, biochar can be used as a means of carbon sequestration and carbon trading, destined to be a rapidly growing industry as increased climate change awareness and corporate and personal responsibility drives a market for carbon negative products.

Biochar production is one of six Carbon Capture & Storage methods detailed in the

IPCC Special Report “Global Warming of 1.5°C” (2018), and is recognised by the global carbon trading marketplace, Puro, as one of three carbon removal methods.

What’s next?

An exciting new project, THREE-C, has been awarded further EU Interreg NWE funding, and offers the opportunity to develop a circular carbon economy within the partner countries, by creating carbon hubs for innovative product development and quality control.

Contact details: rachels@severnwye.org.uk Rachel Smith, Senior Project Manager, Severn Wye Energy Agency

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

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SLD PUMPS & POWER

SLD COMPLETES MAJOR EFFLUENT DIVERSION PROJECT TO ENABLE REPAIRS AT SCOTTISH WATER TREATMENT WORKS

SLD Pumps & Power has completed a major project at a large wastewater treatment plant near Glasgow, enabling critical repairs to be carried out to the facility.

SLD high-capacity pumps diverted millions of litres of wastewater, allowing engineers to inspect badly worn channels and structures downstream in order to assess what repairs were needed. SLD Pumps & Power is a trading division of Carrier Rental Systems UK Ltd, part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.

The hire specialist deployed a total of 12 high-capacity pumps, consisting of eight Hushpac CD225 pumpsets and four large Flygt N-type submersible heavy-duty sewage pumps. The units were positioned around existing balance chambers connected to six large primary settlement tanks. The space restrictions within the chambers required a mixture of large electric submersibles and

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diesel powered end-suction pumps.

Sufficient pumping capacity was needed to meet a constant flow of around 1020 litres per second, with additional standby capacity of 464 litres per second, giving a total required capacity of nearly 1500 litres per second.

Following the pump deployment on site, delivery pipework was assembled by the contractor using existing standard rental fleet pipework in several runs, with the pumps connected via manifolds and isolation valves fitted to allow for maintenance.

Each submersible pump was powered by a pair of temporary SLD generators, to provide duty and standby capacity, with automatic mains failure to activate the standby unit in the event of failure.

Both diesel-powered and submersible

electric pumps were arranged to operate automatically on level floats.

“A significant benefit of using such a multi-pump system is that each diesel pump operates independently as a stand-alone unit,” said Lisa Tweedie, SLD’s area sales manager based in the Paisley branch, who led the project. “The system provides a high level of resilience not possible with interdependent approaches. The pumps were also fitted with telemetry units, enabling us to remotely monitor any alarm conditions.

This enables us to respond immediately in the unlikely event of a problem and quickly rectify the situation.”

For more details on SLD’s planned temporary hire and emergency pumping services visit: www.sldpumpspower.co.uk/capabilities

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EARTHWORMS TREATING WASTE WATER IN SCOTTISH RESEARCH PROJECT Tamsyn Kennedy and Anna Baran (Scottish Water) outline their demonstrator study of using nature based wastewater treatment for rural service provision.

Worldwide about 2.5 billion people are without adequate sanitation facilities.

A thousand children under five die each day from diarrhoea caused by inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene services.

Conventional methods of treatment can be energy intensive, expensive and have a large carbon footprint, as they rely on transporting sewage to central processing sites and introducing huge amounts of oxygen. By harnessing nature and treating at source, the energy requirements are minimal. The aim of the four year Horizon 2020 INNOQUA project is to demonstrate how nature-based processes can treat wastewater for reuse and safe discharge to the environment and can be implemented to address the fatal lack of provision across the globe.

The INNOQUA System INNOQUA is an innovative ecological onsite sanitation system, which integrates different modular technologies (lumbrifilter, daphniafilter, microalgae biosolar purification, UV disinfection) to meet the treatment requirements of varying local markets and conditions. The Demonstrator running by Scottish Water includes a Lumbrifilter and Daphniafilter.

Lumbrifilters, also known as ‘vermifilters’ or ‘microbial-earthworm ecofilters’, are based on the interaction between earthworms and microorganisms. The earthworms consume organic wastes, and facilitate bio-chemical degradation of pollutants by the microbial biofilm on a filter bed. Depending on the type of filter media used, they are also capable of removing or transforming nutrients, and reducing pathogens while producing little excess sludge. The INNOQUA Lumbrifilters are designed to treat primary settled domestic sewage; although several project sites have successfully experimented with sewage without settlement.

Daphnids, or water fleas, are small crustaceans found in lakes and rivers around the world. Daphnids are filter-feeders that

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INNOQUA install at Littlemill

consume small particles suspended in water. This feeding mechanism does not discriminate between organic and inorganic particulate material and delivers solids removal of up to 99%. In the INNOQUA system, the Daphnia provide a water clarification step after the Lumbrifilter before final discharge.

The Scottish Demonstrator INNOQUA has installed demonstration sites in 11 countries (France, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Turkey, Ecuador, Peru, India and Tanzania) to showcase the long-term viability of modular and locally sustainable solutions under real conditions.

A demonstrator was installed by Scottish Water at Littlemill Wastewater Treatment Works in October 2019 and is being operated until May 2020.

Littlemill is located in the Scottish Highlands, and has approximately fourteen households. Littlemill was selected as a demonstration site to assess the potential

of INNOQUA at small rural domestic works, without access to large centralised treatment systems. Its location also allows testing of the technology in severe weather conditions.

Temperature within the Lumbrifilter is extremely influential on pathogen removal, since it directly affects earthworm and microbial activity. Daphnia favour a water temperature around 20°C though can survive and reproduce in a much lower range.

Scottish Water is testing the system for pH, temperature, organic material removal, ammonia, suspended solid composition, phosphorus and chemical removal. If the results are favourable and meet required standards, these types of technology could be implemented in small communities which have relied on septic tanks or expensive pumping and moving of waste tens of miles for treatment.

To find out more about the INNOQUA project visit https://innoqua-project.eu/.

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What Engineers Need to Know About Contracts Examine contract law for engineering and construction contracts and learn how it is used to help deliver successful projects.

www.icheme.org/contracts

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

MB0202_20

www.icheme.org/forms-of-contract

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SECURING SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT WATER RESOURCES

Water resources planning in England is feeling energised and experiencing sustained focus that is bringing about transformation.

In recent times, key publications by Water UK and the National Infrastructure Commission along with CEO of the Environment Agency, Sir James Bevan’s ‘Jaws of death’ speech at last year’s Waterwise conference have all signalled that change is needed now to secure a resilient future.

Until this year, water resources planning had been mostly conducted on a water company by water company basis. While this approach has served us well in the past, it’s clear that meeting pressures from population growth and climate while increasing resilience to drought and improving the environment will need new thinking and more collaboration.

A dual track approach which develops new supply options as well as further work to drive down demand is needed in order to meet these challenges in an adaptive and cost optimal way.

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Getting to this point has taken collective leadership across government, regulators, water companies and others. Emboldened by the clear direction set by government, the water industry is making huge strides to collaborate on a scale not experienced before. This collaboration spans companies, geography and sectors and is evidenced in the 5 regional co-ordination groups; Water Resources South East, Water Resources East, West Country Water Resources, Water Resources West and Water Resources North.

Collaboration is not easy and requires conviction and tenacity to see it through.

However, the prize is great and now is the time to make sure we deliver resilient, affordable water supplies while enhancing the environment and providing better public value.

In this article we discuss two strategic

initiatives that will help to facilitate this shift which are now reaching important milestones. The National Framework for water resources will report shortly and, in April, new funding will be made available to investigate the feasibility of 17 regional strategic water resources schemes.

National Water Resources Planning Framework Independently Chaired by Jean Spencer, formerly of Anglian Water, and developed by the Environment Agency, the National Water Resources Planning Framework explores England’s long term water needs. It sets out the scale of action needed to ensure resilient water supplies are available to meet the needs of all users in the future. It also sets a greater level of ambition for restoring and improving the environment. The five regional co-ordination groups that are now

FEATURE: WATER RESOURCES PLANNING established are critical to realising this ambition. These groups will each produce a regional plan to:

Final Determinations strategic regional water resources solution map

1. Understand and address the longterm needs of the environment in a collaborative way to deliver long term improvements 2. Set out how the supply of water for people, business and all other major users will be managed across their region 3. Identify all the water resources options needed in their region and how the plan will adapt to different futures 4. Increase resilience to drought and reduce dependency on drought measures that damage the environment Based on the National Framework, each region will adopt a consistent approach, using common data sets where possible and working to coherent resilience benchmarks and planning assumptions. Not all regional groups are starting from the same point.

Water Resources South East and Water Resources East have been operating for some time. Newer groups in the West Country, West and North have all quickly formed with inclusive membership and governance arrangements.

Alongside the publication of the National Framework, each regional group will publish its initial resource position, setting a firm foundation from which to build a regional plan.

Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development There has also been a step change in how regulators are working together to help address the pressures on water resources.

Following a successful bid to the Treasury, the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) was formed in April 2019. Consisting of Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the new cross-functional team is tasked with tackling the supply side of the issues set out in the National Framework, helping to facilitate the development of the next generation of strategic water resources infrastructure.

Ofwat’s PR19 final determinations make £469m funding available to investigate 17 strategic water resources schemes.

The schemes have a deployable output in excess of 1500 Ml/d and can make a vital contribution. The water industry has welcomed the funding which will accelerate

development activity and support sound decision making on which of the new supply options offer best value.

to address all regulatory issues in parallel rather than in series, issues will be resolved faster and showstoppers identified earlier.

The RAPID team is charged with delivering 3 main objectives

The final objective of RAPID is to look beyond the here and now and make recommendations on the design of the regulatory frameworks of the future. Based on exploration of ‘live’ issues highlighted in the development of the 17 schemes, proposals will be made which will enable these types of schemes to be more readily developed and appropriately regulated in the future.

First, to help make sure the 17 strategic schemes reach a similar level of maturity by 2025. This will be achieved through a 5 phase gated process to assess the progress and viability of the schemes. In the interest of efficiency for water companies and transparency for stakeholders, the planned timing of each gate aligns with existing regulatory processes. Taking this approach means that the schemes can be compared against one another. Tranches of funding will be released to schemes that offer best value while also satisfying rigorous completeness and quality assessments.

The will to work collaboratively is a thread that runs through all of RAPID’s activities.

The second objective is to help companies to progress schemes faster by providing them with a seamless regulatory interface across Ofwat, the Environment Agency and DWI. In the past schemes have been proposed which appeared promising, only to fail late in the feasibility stages when issues emerge. By working together through RAPID

Conclusion There is a saying that you should never waste a good crisis. Prolonged dry weather over the last 3 years has stressed many catchments and focused minds on what action is needed now to make our water resources resilient for the future. Finding the right solutions has quite rightly become a national priority.

By taking a national strategic approach we can be more confident that water will be available when and where it’s really needed, whilst also delivering a better natural environment.

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HAVANT THICKET RESERVOIR – INNOVATIVE REGIONAL WATER RESOURCE COLLABORATION As the water industry prepares for the biggest shake up in water resource planning since privatisation, we put the spotlight on Portsmouth Water’s plans to develop Havant Thicket Reservoir – an innovative collaboration which is setting the scene for future ways of working.

The reservoir, which will be the first to be built in the UK since the 1980s, will boost the resilience of the water-stressed South East and help protect precious chalk streams in Hampshire.

What sets it apart from other infrastructure plans is the unique collaboration between Portsmouth Water and neighbouring water company Southern Water. While Portsmouth Water will build and operate the reservoir, it will be funded by payments from Southern Water for the bulk transfer the scheme will unlock to provide the water its customers need in Hampshire.

It’s a collaboration which is being closely followed as an emerging example of increased collaborative water resources planning and its potential to lead to further investment in much-needed new infrastructure.

As Portsmouth Water’s CEO Bob Taylor observes: “The need for new water resource infrastructure has never been more acute.

The perfect storm of climate change and population growth, coupled with the need to protect and improve the environment for the long term by reducing unsustainable abstractions, means water companies need to identify and deliver new sources of water like Havant Thicket Reservoir and explore opportunities to transfer them.”

It’s also timely that the project is going ahead under the auspices of the new regulatory body, RAPID, which has been created specifically to accelerate the development of new water infrastructure and transfers. RAPID – the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development – is made up of the three water regulators Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate – who will be looking to learn lessons from this project to benefit other larger schemes on the horizon.

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Taking a regional view of water resources The need for Havant Thicket Reservoir, and the water it will unlock to transfer to Southern Water from Portsmouth Water’s other sources, was identified through both companies’ planning processes and confirmed by the work of the regional group, Water Resources South East (WRSE).

It was included in WRSE’s most recent regional strategy and Portsmouth Water and Southern Water’s WRMPs, which gained approval from Defra in late 2019.

Portsmouth Water already provides up to 30 million litres of treated water every day to Southern Water. Once the reservoir is operational in 2029, this will double to 60 million litres per day – through an additional 9Ml/d from existing sources and up to 21 million litres enabled by the reservoir.

The total export will be equivalent to 24 Olympic size swimming pools on a daily basis. This means that by 2029 more than a quarter of the water Portsmouth Water produces will be transferred to others.

Bob added: “We first developed detailed plans for the reservoir in 2008 but were unable to take it forward as we couldn’t

justify the cost and the need for our own customers. It’s this unique collaboration we’ve progressed with Southern Water, and the wider regional need, which is allowing us to progress it now.”

Overall, the reservoir will be able to hold at least 8.7 billion litres of water and will cost more than £120 million to design and build, together with associated pipelines and an access road.

It is part of Southern Water’s £800-million solution to protect the Rivers Test and Itchen in Hampshire, both world-famous examples of rare chalk streams, by reducing the amount of water it takes from them.

This important change means Southern Water needs to find alternative resources to meet demand, with the new reservoir forming a key part of its wider plan for the decades ahead.

Bob adds: “Portsmouth Water is in a better position than other companies in our region, as our supply area is only under ‘moderate water stress’. This is mainly down to the underground springs, most notably at Bedhampton and Havant, which provide plentiful, clean water. In winter, much of this water is surplus to our requirements and flows out to sea so we can make much

FEATURE: WATER RESOURCES PLANNING better use of it regionally by capturing it and storing it until it’s needed.

“It’s another ‘first’ for the project as traditionally reservoirs are fed from surface water sources, whereas Havant Thicket Reservoir will be fed from groundwater.”

Creating a host of community benefits The site for the reservoir has been owned

by Portsmouth Water since 1965 and covers 160 hectares on the northern outskirts of Havant, east of Portsmouth. The location was chosen as it sits in a valley on clay, providing a natural seal for the reservoir water. The area is currently grassland and open space, with small areas of trees and a network of paths which link to the adjacent Havant Thicket woodland managed

by Forestry England. Adjacent to the site is Hampshire County Council’s Staunton Country Park – a park, farm and café popular with local communities – and an organisation with which Portsmouth Water has a long standing relationship.

The new reservoir will take up most of the proposed site - measuring around 1.6 kilometres from east to west and 0.8 kilometres from north to south. It’ll be up to 20 metres deep, with landscaped sloping embankments on three sides and a large wetland area to the north – designed to provide a safe inland nesting area for threatened coastal birds and other wildlife.

As well as vital water resources, the site has the potential to offer a host of benefits to the local communities - education, health and wellbeing, local employment and training opportunities. Leigh Park, which sits adjacent to the site, is home to some of the most deprived wards in England, with high percentages of residents with no qualifications and in bad health.

Bob said: “It’s an invaluable opportunity for us to be able to enhance our local area and create opportunities for employment and wellbeing. As a company we have just developed a Community Partnership and the reservoir project is at the heart of this commitment to add further value to the communities we work in. This is our ‘social contract’ with the communities we serve through which we aim to deliver enhanced community amenity value through Havant Thicket Reservoir and also provide support to our customers to find ways of using water more efficiently.

“We’re planning to provide a visitors’ centre with education facilities, play and picnic areas and trails and paths for walking, running, dog walking and horse riding. We’re continuing to explore other ways the site can support local residents, with a particular focus on young people in the area.

“It’s important to us as a local employer and service provider to deliver on our social contract with our customers and it’s part of the reason why there is strong support for our proposals – from regulators, local and regional councils and environmental groups to local communities.”

In a recent survey of 100 residents living near the site, 70 per cent said they were completely supportive and 24 per cent somewhat supportive of the reservoir development, based on the water provision, environmental initiatives and leisure activities being proposed.

Overall, building the reservoir will bring more benefits – for the environment, wildlife and local people – than the existing grassland and trees. Unfortunately, the development will mean the loss of some ancient woodland and the company has engaged extensively with the Environment Agency, Natural England and the local wildlife trust to develop a robust mitigation plan. It has pledged to deliver an overall environmental net gain.

A natural capital assessment of the project carried out by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust estimates the reservoir will deliver additional ecosystem benefits with a present value of £57.26 million (over 50 years) with greater values associated with drought years (£125.40 PV over 50 years).

In addition to the new wetland, new woodlands and hedgerows will be created, existing woodlands improved and wildflowers planted on the reservoir banks.

Tree planting started in 2019 and this spring a further 3,000 will be planted to create a memorial woodland in partnership with Havant Borough Council.

Extensive surveys have already been carried out to look for and monitor wildlife, such as dormice and bats, and new habitats will be established for wildlife to migrate to before work to build the reservoir begins.

Portsmouth Water plans to submit a planning application for the reservoir in

autumn 2020 following a month-long consultation in May with local communities and partners.

More information can be found at: www.portsmouthwater.co.uk/ havant-thicket-reservoir

Havant Thicket Reservoir timeline 2020-21: Planning application and preparation, including more habitat creation and species relocation

2021-23: Site preparation and access road construction 2023-26: Main construction phase with clay excavation to construct the reservoir embankments and pipeline construction 2027-29: Reservoir filling and leisure facilities built.

The need for investment The case for increased investment to build resilience to drought was made in Water UK’s Water Resources Long-Term Planning Framework, published in 2016, and the 2018 National Infrastructure Commission report – Preparing for a Drier Future.

This has led to the development of a National Framework for Water Resources by the Environment Agency, in collaboration with water companies, Government, industry regulators, sectors who rely heavily on water and other stakeholders.

It marks a shift to regional planning to identify the strategic schemes needed to boost regional and national resilience to drought and inform the next round of Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs) in 2024.

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HWM

WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR WATER SUPPLY IF THE WORLD WARMS UP? When President Trump and Greta Thunberg took verbal shots at each other at this year’s Davos Economic Forum, climate change was again pushed to the front of the news cycle.

But while high-profile protestors and politicians argue, an ever-growing body of research confirms that world is getting warmer and weather patterns are becoming more severe as a result.

The world is getting warmer 2019 was the second-hottest year on record globally, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), topped only by temperatures in 2016.

“The decade that just ended is clearly the warmest decade on record” explained GISS Director Gavin Schmidt when announcing the 2019 figures. “Every decade since the 1960s clearly has been warmer than the one before”.

Scientists are in agreement that the world is warming and the 2015 Paris Agreement suggests that politicians concur. So, if the world is warming, what does this mean for our water supplies?

How does a warmer earth affect our water?

Should temperatures continue to rise, the world would inevitably become drier, which would impact on fresh water supplies.

Warmer air holds more moisture than colder air (up to 7% per degree of warming according to the Clausius-Clapeyron equation), meaning as temperatures rise, more water is taken from the earth’s surface by evaporation.

Greater evaporation rates would negatively affect water stocks in reservoirs, leading to more incidences like Day Zero in Cape Town, where the city was at real risk of completely running out of water.

As well as from bodies of water, moisture is also taken from the ground, so greater evaporation would contribute to drier, more arid ground conditions. In turn, this would likely increase the demand for water from

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industries that rely on the ground to operate, specifically agriculture.

What goes up must come down Additional moisture in the atmosphere will increase the volume and consistency of rainfall events, which already pose a challenge to water networks.

In the UK, increased rainfall is already being recorded. The 2018 UK State of the Climate Report found that the last decade (20092018) was on average 1% wetter than 19912010 and 5% wetter than 1961-1990.

Furthermore, the amount of rain recorded on extremely wet days has increased by 17% over the same time period.

The challenges posed by wetter weather The most obvious risk of consistently wetter weather is that of flooding, and in 2018 the Environment Agency warned that intense bouts of flooding are set to become more frequent.

In fact, Met Office records show that since 1910 there has been 17 record-breaking rainfall months – with 9 of the 17 being post 2000.

In 2015, storms Desmond, Eva and Frank, and the resulting flooding, caused approximately £1.6bn worth of damage in the UK. And more recently, Yorkshire experienced what was described as ‘biblical’ flooding after parts of the UK were bombarded with a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

Flood water is quickly contaminated with pesticides and a variety of other pollutants, bringing additional challenges to an already stretched water network.

Can we be at risk of water shortages and flooding at the same time?

While this seems counterintuitive, global

warming and inconsistent rainfall patterns increase the risk of both clean water supply deficits and flooding in the future.

As rainfall gets heavier, larger quantities of water are pushed downstream more quickly, avoiding capture. Additional issues such as less prolonged periods of rain and warmer, drier summers affects the consistency of water flow also.

Water companies in the UK, and internationally, understand the threats to their networks and are investing heavily in infrastructure to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

Effective leak detection, provided by advanced products such as PermaNET SU, is helping to dramatically reduce water loss, supporting ambitious leak reduction targets and ensuring a consistent supply to customers.

To combat flooding, products like SonicSens 3 are helping to ensure the efficiency of sewer networks, identifying signs of blockages and ensuring a consistent flow, especially during high demand.

By increasing investment in network monitoring solutions, water companies are taking important steps to ensure their networks are robust in the face of the challenges and demand increases brought by global warming.

FEATURE:

Whether detecting leaks or monitoring sewer effectiveness, our advanced technology is constantly working to make your network as efficient as possible www.hwmglobal.com instituteofwater.org.uk

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THE DECS FRAMEWORK: TAKING A RUBIK’S CUBE APPROACH TO ACHIEVE WATER SECURITY

When attempting to solve a Rubik’s cube most people pick a colour and complete one face of the cube before moving on to the next.

The same goes for solving the challenges of water security.

In what’s becoming an increasingly common story, many countries today are at risk of running out of water, with water availability now cited the most greatest risk to business continuity and growth according to the Global Risks Report 2020. The report also lists extreme weather events, “failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation,” and natural disasters as the top three risks in terms of likelihood and all are connected to water.

by Hassan Aboelnga

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PhD Researcher at Uni Kassel and Technical University of Cologne (TH Köln), Management Committee member of Specialist Groups at IWA, and Water Security Task Force Member at IWRA

Water is at the heart of sustainable development and is critical for livelihood, socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and for human dignity. Water is also at the core of adaptation to climate change, serving as the crucial link between the climate system, livelihood and the environment.

While this approach is fun, it is ultimately doomed to fail, because addressing the needs of one side of the cube causes the remaining five to be thrown into chaos.

Despite major efforts, The world has failed to turn this transformational vision of the 2030 Agenda into real transformational policies.

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Ten years are left for the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, UN-Water reports show the world is off track to achieve the water goal – the heart of the SDGs-, thus the same goes for all water related SDGs So tenuous is the situation, that climate change mitigation and adaptation fall far short of being achievable.

Business as usual trajectory is not an option and would have severe implications for water and food security, socio-economic development, public health as well as peace and political stability.

Why does water security matter and what is the role of the private sector?

Today’s water sector in many countries faces the fundamental challenge of trying to do more with less – not an easy endeavour - due to increasing demands, massive influx of refugees, chronic water scarcity, intermittency of water supply, high levels of non-revenue water, lack of access to safely managed water and sanitation

FEATURE: WATER RESOURCES PLANNING services, climate extremes such as droughts and floods, ageing infrastructure, lack of information systems, weak institutions and strained human and financial resources.

Moreover, water security is more complex under great change pressures (population growth and climate change) and under fragile contexts which intensify water resources vulnerability and weaken the social contract between institutions and local communities as a destabilizing force and risk multiplier.

Source: Abeolnga, et.al

Water security should be defined as “The dynamic capacity of the water system and water stakeholders to safeguard sustainable and equitable access to adequate quantities and acceptable quality of water that is continuously, physically, and legally available at an affordable cost for sustaining livelihoods, human wellbeing, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.” Aboelnga, et.al Water utilities are typically unable to meet development finance demands solely through mobilising domestic resources and have to attract new sources of financing.

Despite the crucial role of private sector to bridge the financial gap and increase the utility performance, the water sector is still not attractive for many stakeholders.

Private sector is able to deal with many risks, such as controlling the billing system properly, managing operating costs, and expanding the water and sanitation infrastructure. However, they are cautious about accepting major risks beyond their control, such as droughts or rapid exchange rate changes, and if asked to bear these risks will price their services accordingly.

Private sector also want to know that the regime in the country will respect the rules of the game, and not create risk by changing regulations or policies in midstream.

The DECS framework for achieving urban water security in challenging world There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the water challenges of today, but there are many issues need to be considered together.

Solving the challenges of water security is like solving a Rubik’s cube. The Rubik’s cube starts to usually find structure and the different pieces find their places when its solver adopts a systematic approach.

Still, solving the whole cube takes time and perseverance.

Framing the challenges of water security goes beyond single-issue indicators such as water stress, water quality, or access to water sanitation and includes holistic thinking about community’s demands and expectations. There is growing recognition of the role that fragility and conflict can play in aggravating water insecurity; infrastructure may be seriously deteriorated, and institutions may be weakened to the point where service providers are unable to provide basic water services and incapable of managing water related hazards, resulting in riots, migration, and loss of livelihood’s life.

The assessment framework depends on four main dimensions to achieve urban water security: Drinking water and human beings, ecosystem, climate change and waterrelated hazards, and socio-economic factors (DECS). The framework further enables the analysis of relationships and trade-off between urbanization and water security, as well as between DECS indicators. Applying this framework will help governments, policymakers, and water stakeholders to

target scant resources more effectively and sustainably. The study reveals that achieving urban water security requires a holistic and integrated approach with collaborative stakeholders to provide a meaningful way to improve understanding and managing urban water security.

To achieve urban water security and sustainable water management, we need collective actions to implement the integrated framework of DECS and more is needed to enhance the role of the private sector and civil society. Actions by governments and the international community are only part of the solution to solve the most serious water challenges.

Under an effective policy and regulatory framework, the private sector could play a greater role in supplying cost effective and quality water service, as well as in harnessing and developing new technologies that enhance water security. Civil society, academia, and the media also have important contributions to make. Much greater public information is needed to educate people about the availability of water resources and the costs and consequences of water use and practices.

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RESILIENCE PR19 AND AMP7 The Water Act 2014 extended Ofwat’s primary duties to include furthering the long-term resilience of water and wastewater services.

Always important in maintaining the delivery of water and wastewater services, in PR19 (Price Review 2019) resilience in the round has been highly prominent in the water company’s thinking and business plans.

This article seeks to place the resilience of physical infrastructure and associated capital works in the wider context of ‘resilience in the round’ and, in particular, looks at the impact of this evolution on contractors and product manufacturers and the contribution they can make.

Resilience in the round The definition of resilience referenced by Ofwat is: ‘The ability to cope with, and recover from, disruption and anticipate trends and variability in order to maintain services for people and protect the natural environment now and in the future.’

The three different spheres of resilience – ‘resilience in the round’ – are corporate, financial and operational. Clearly, all three are closely linked and fundamental to a water company’s business model. If a water company’s reputation is damaged by, for example, a pollution incident, it may find it harder or more expensive to raise finance which in turn will impact on its ability to fund physical infrastructure projects such as new pipelines, reservoirs and treatment works.

Six capitals and 4Rs Taking Anglian Water as an example, their business model embraces, ‘…an integrated systems approach to resilience, considering the needs of our customers, stakeholders and the environment’. Anglian references the 4Rs and six capitals in their systems thinking and resilience reporting.

The six capitals emphasize the different kinds of capital an organisation relies on to survive and thrive. They are often referred to as financial, manufactured, human, social/relationships, intellectual and natural.

A major resilience project draws on financial, manufactured (construction) and human capital and impacts on ecosystems whose building blocks are natural capital such as geology, flora, fauna, soil and water.

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Resilience – the ability to withstand shocks and stresses - can be modelled as ‘Risk x 4Rs’. Risk takes into account the scale and duration of impact of any shock or stress, the likelihood it will occur, and the vulnerability of the organisation. The 4Rs are, in effect, factors that mitigate the risk. The 4Rs of resilience are Resistance, Reliability, Redundancy and Response/ Recovery. Increasing capacity, creating alternative sources of supply, ensuring system reliability and building in control mechanisms are just some of the ways water companies can increase network resilience.

Characteristics of network resilience projects Whilst every infrastructure resilience project is different, there are certain characteristics that are common to many. Resilience projects, by their very nature, tend to be strategic compared to ‘bread and butter’ maintenance and repair works. This provides the opportunity for detailed planning, greater scope for innovation and creativity, and collaborative input from ‘expert’ third parties such as contractors and product manufacturers.

These factors are important because resilience projects are often complex, larger in value and physical size, and higher profile. Consequently, there is a premium on quality and ‘getting it right first time’. Water companies shouldn’t have to revisit critical resilience infrastructure.

Opportunities and challenges Given the above, resilience projects provide both opportunities and challenges for contractors and product manufacturers.

Alongside resilience, innovation and customer service, collaboration is one of the most prominent themes of PR19.

One opportunity for contractors and product manufacturers is to collaborate with water company engineering teams and consulting engineers to unlock efficiency gains at the design stage.

Successful collaboration, however, places demands on contractors and product manufacturers. They have to have a culture that embraces collaboration, the technical resources, capacity and experience to collaborate, and the ability to deliver on their commitments to the group. A further opportunity is that the development of new products and techniques on one resilience project are often transferable to others.

From theory to reality: Dalmacoulter resilience scheme An example of the afore-mentioned opportunities and challenges in action is the Dalmacoulter resilience scheme in North Lanarkshire. The scheme required the construction of a 1000mm diameter HPPE pipeline between Cumbernauld and Airdrie. The pipeline was almost 5km in length and was in duplication to the existing pre-stressed concrete pumping

FEATURE: WATER RESOURCES PLANNING main. It ensures the resilience of supply to 185,000 people.

The project was delivered by the Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA), a partnership of AECOM and Morrison Utility Services.

AVK collaborated on the design and development of critical phases of the project. The final scheme design incorporated thirteen gate valves including four DN800 Series 55 RSGV (Resilient Seated Gate Valves) which were developed specifically for the project. At the time the largest RSGV ever supplied into the UK market, they provided the impetus for AVK to start work on developing DN900 and DN1000 RSGV for other resilience projects across the UK. Dalmacoulter illustrates the ‘demand pull’ influence of water company resilience projects on new product development and range extension. Early engagement, recognition of manufacturer expertise, and close collaboration created an environment conducive to creativity, innovation and challenge resolution.

Always on A mantra of AMP7 is ‘always on’, the requirement of water companies to ensure continuity of supply to domestic and commercial customers. This is likely to lead to an increase in the number of network resilience projects to link different elements of the water supply network both intraregionally - within individual water company

regions – inter-regionally – across water company boundaries.

These projects provide contractors and product manufacturers with the necessary technical, human, financial and cultural ‘capital’ with an exciting opportunity to contribute to the resilience of the nation’s water and wastewater networks.

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FROM STRATEGY TO OPERATIONS – LEAKAGE ASSET MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Leading water industry professionals are responding to the leakage delivery challenges set

by Ofwat for AMP7 and beyond. Ofwat expects that customers should not pay extra for companies to deliver their stretching but achievable performance commitments1, so the stage has been set.

This time we focus on ‘Detect’ and the factors behind successful long-term leakage detection to improve the levels of service to customers.

by Michael Butler Technical Manager, RPS

Rising to the challenge The RPS ‘Life of a Leak’ model breaks down each activity that goes into fixing a leak - Prevent, Predict, Detect, Repair, as shown in Figure 1. Our December article in the Institute of Water Magazine looked at Frontier Leakage Optimisation (FLO) and its role in the leakage strategy development and targeting, with an emphasis on ‘Prevent’ and ‘Predict’.

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Implementing new leakage strategies combined with traditional and emerging technologies can significantly improve operational performance to achieve the ambitious company leakage targets agreed for AMP7. Identifying the optimal leak detection methodology for a given location, accounting for seasonality and network characteristics, is something experienced operational staff have a feel for. This becomes increasingly difficult for less experienced staff, especially when considering relatively new or emerging technologies and alternative ways of working. Obtaining the evidence to support decisions is important and by pooling information from across the industry, we can develop a picture around the consistency of success and highlight unexpected outcomes to inform and drive continuous improvement.

New methods for collecting and handling data, especially around leakage detection and repair will continue to improve year on year. Robust data, analysis and strategy will lead the way, supported by the subsequent follow-up and behaviour of skilled individuals and teams. Clarity of responsibilities and measures of success between internal business streams, contractors, and individuals is vital.

Getting this right takes time and benefits from ongoing review, and there are many examples of where this is working and where it isn’t. ‘District Metered Area (DMA) ownership’ and consistency of resource allocation is one example of an approach that has largely fallen out of fashion in recent years. But the tide is turning as new evidence champions the efficiencies that can be achieved through consistent management and local field staff.

What success looks like How do we ensure efficiency savings in leakage reduction going forward?

Communication, feedback, collaboration and ownership are key.

FEATURE: ASSET MANAGEMENT Figure 1 - ’Life of a Leak’ illustrates the opportunities to reduce leakage by reducing run times.

factors is equally important and having the flexibility and understanding of where and when to apply a ‘DMA ownership’ policy and response is key to success.

Digital Surveyor It’s also useful to consider the future leak detection technicians entering the industry. The use of technology is now commonplace and school leavers will be well versed in the use of apps, widgets and other mobile technologies. It wouldn’t be right or appropriate to invite them into an innovative and forward-looking industry, and then give them a stick with a wooden fitting on it.

Communication The rollout and implementation of the next generation of bespoke network monitoring and reporting software, such as Waternet™, will further enhance leakage detection efficiency. Our ability to monitor and manage networks in real-time, using sophisticated alert systems allows companies to respond quickly to emerging bursts on the network and prioritise responses to deliver greater value and service to customers. Bringing together data on leakage, pressure, climate, water quality, works management, and a host of other information ensures that the wider benefits to the industry and its customers can be realised.

Feedback Intensive DMA leakage investigations are another tool in the box for improving leakage, where data can be used to identify the likely causes of long-running leakage with follow-up investigations, and feedback from operational staff used to prove leaks or provide additional information to pinpoint the cause. Whether this results in the location of long-running leaks or a calculated change to leakage, such as from previously uncaptured consumption, the benefits are typically long-term and justify the additional effort to resolve when targeted appropriately.

Collaboration and Incentives Working closely with partners and contractors, water companies are building trust and certainty in leakage delivery.

RPS has worked closely with clients to improve project performance and to deliver

best value to their customers. Collaboration measures include joint leakage management boards and teams, and the establishment of Operational Area Delivery Plans. We’ve also worked with our clients to trial innovative leakage equipment to combine data, within and between companies, via industry club projects and UKWIR best practice studies to share successes and identify additional improvement opportunities.

Innovative incentives are being developed to enhance performance at contract level, in addition to enhancing individual leakage detection staff to improve compliance and development. It is important that incentives don’t drive staff into inefficient ways of working. For example, a target number of leaks can lead to pressurised leakage operatives and increased dry holes, whilst focus on volumes saved is proving to be of greater benefit.

Ownership In some cases where ‘DMA ownership’ is promoted among leakage detection managers and teams, significant improvements in the efficiency of leak detection are being realised. The level of experience and understanding that leak detection technicians obtain from working consistently in the same areas shouldn’t be underestimated. Efficiencies can come from multiple factors - from knowing the best place to park to locate network assets faster, to gaining a comprehensive understanding of the network connectivity, repair history, pipe materials, age and condition, are just a few examples.

Assigning staff based on leak prioritisation

RPS has developed the concept of a ’Digital Surveyor‘. Using data and tools available on a mobile device, such as GIS and Waternet™, and combining these with digital listening sticks provides these new starters with modern tools to support their understanding of the issues around the leaks they’re out and about identifying.

Delivery Leak detection practices are increasingly moving from traditional techniques to more innovative ones incorporating new technologies, digital surveyors and the latest generation of leakage management software for smart networks. This delivers enhanced data to support more informed decisions to increase - productivity and improve network coverage - operatives can pinpoint leakage easily, enabling faster leak resolution to boost the effectiveness of leakage reduction.

Building relationships, sharing of information, and reviewing performance has resulted in greater levels of trust and new measures of success, delivering open and effective teamwork. Clear allocation of area ownership and accountability, however shared, is yielding results.

The progress made over the course of AMP6 has been instrumental in enhancing operational efficiency and will support continuous improvement as we embrace the challenges of the AMP7 cycle.

For more information on optimisation of leakage management, please contact Michael Butler, michael.butler@rpsgroup.com 1 Ofwat, Delivering Water 2020: Our methodology for the 2019 price review. Appendix 2: Delivering outcomes for customers, December 2017, page 65.

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LEADING `BEST VALUE’ FRAMEWORK FOR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING UKWIR, the organisation which manages and delivers a strategic programme of research projects to drive transformational change in the water industry, is tackling the critical issue of water resources planning.

by Paul Merchant

Programme Lead, UKWIR It will produce a new framework for the water industry to develop ‘best value’ water resources plans – in essence, ones that deliver wider benefits to customers, society and the environment over the long-term, and a marked shift away from the `least cost’ approach that has been required in the past.

South West Water’s Paul Merchant, Programme Lead for UKWIR, said: “Water supplies are under increasing pressure because of climate change, population growth and the need to protect and improve the environment, and so the way we plan water resources must change too.

“This project will ensure that water resources plans are developed in a consistent way and can consider solutions that cross regional and national boundaries, and different legal and regulatory jurisdictions, so that collectively we meet future water needs.”

The need for a new approach to water resource planning comes after the National Infrastructure Commission recommended that more investment is needed to increase the UK’s resilience to drought and reduce the risk of restrictions such as rota cuts and standpipes being introduced in the future.

To achieve this, the Environment Agency, in collaboration with the water industry’s regulators, water companies, other abstractors, academics and stakeholders, has developed a Water Resources National Framework.

The National Framework introduces a new layer of regional planning to help identify the strategic solutions needed to meet the challenges of the future. This will include the development of new water supplies and transfers, demand management measures and catchment management solutions – and,

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Powdermill reservoir in Sussex crucially, it specifies that plans must deliver ‘best value’.

Paul added: “What this means in practice is that the regional plans must be developed in a consistent way to assess the value delivered by the different options they have available to them, beyond cost alone.”

This will include considering if the option: ■ could become redundant if things change in the future ■ plays a role in a range of future scenarios that we might face ■ will deliver net-gain for the environment ■ will increase resilience ■ has benefits that outweigh the costs ■ meets the environmental assessments required.

Paul concluded: “If we don’t develop a best value framework there will be inconsistencies across the regional plans, and indeed water company-specific plans, which could result in them being misaligned and delaying the delivery of important strategic schemes, particularly those that cross different regions in England.

“This could reduce the resilience of our water supplies and increase the risk of restrictions during a drought which will impact on

society, the economy and the environment.”

The development of a common framework will also benefit companies outside England by enhancing their decision-making process and supporting the development of schemes that may cross national borders.

The best value framework project in a nutshell UKWIR will develop a legally robust decisionmaking framework that will meet the needs of water industry regulators. This will then be incorporated into the guidance for water companies and regional groups to use as they develop their plans.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with water companies, regional groups and RAPID – the Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development – which includes experts from Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

UKWIR will publish the framework in July 2020 so it can be used to help develop the draft regional plans which will be published in August 2022, and will be used to directly inform the water companies’ statutory draft Water Resources Management Plans which will be published later that year.

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SOLAR-POWERED MOBILE DOSING TRAILER IS FIRST OF ITS KIND The Coal Authority has invested in a unique mobile chemical dosing trailer to help in its work to protect and enhance the environment.

The off-grid system, which can be monitored and operated remotely, will be used while we carry out essential work at our 76 mine water treatment schemes across the UK.

From left are: Graham Osborn, Severn Trent Services project manager; Andrew Hargreaves, Coal Authority operations contract service manager; Lisa Pinney, Coal Authority chief executive; and Stewart Lea, director at Leada Engineering Ltd

For most of the year the innovative unit will be powered entirely by its 4 solar panels, but in poor weather conditions the 5.12kW lithium-ion battery will require supplementary charging every 2 to 3 days by a small, portable, petrol-powered generator.

However, this charge cycle only takes 1 to 2 hours, so manual intervention is minimal.

Andrew Hargreaves, our operations contract service manager, said: “Most of our schemes are working principally to remove dissolved iron from the mine water. They are ‘passive’, which means they use natural means such as aeration cascades to oxidise the iron – converting ferrous iron to ferric iron – and then settling lagoons and reed beds to remove the particulate ferric iron.

“To ensure they continue to operate as efficiently as possible, routine maintenance such as cutting back the reeds or removing ‘ochre’ iron deposits is critical. However, while this work is carried out it can temporarily reduce their capacity to clean the water.

“As a short-term solution we sometimes need to bring in chemical dosing, or ‘active’ treatment, adding hydrogen peroxide to ensure we continue to meet discharge consents. In the past we have used mobile dosing units, but these are typically based in shipping containers which also require generators and fuel bowsers to power them.

“By their very nature, our mine water treatment sites can be very remote and inaccessible, so we’ve developed this small, mobile system, with specialists Leada Engineering Ltd and our contractor Severn Trent Services, to enable us to dose whenever and wherever needed. The unit has on-board chemical storage as well, sufficient for 7 days’ dosing at average dose rates.

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“This trailer also gives us the ability to make an emergency response to an acid-flush event, which is where an existing mine water discharge suddenly and unpredictably exhibits a rapid and significant decrease in pH, which can be sustained for weeks or even months.

“These situations require the addition of an alkaline chemical to increase the pH and restore treatment, so the system has been designed to be multifunctional and – following appropriate safety procedures for chemical changeover – it can also dose sodium hydroxide.”

Graham Osborn, Severn Trent Services project manager, said: “We are excited to see months of collaborative work, to design and build this brilliant piece of kit, come to fruition.

“This is a great example of recognising a need and committing to coming up with a solution that works for our current

requirements. Not only will we use the trailer when taking reed beds and lagoons offline for maintenance, it can also be deployed for pump tests and in emergency situations.”

Stewart Lea, director at Leada Engineering Ltd, said: “We’ve been working closely with the Coal Authority and Severn Trent Services over the past year to deliver a largely selfsufficient system of which we’re very proud.

“With remote access available on an app, you can view the performance of the trailer and, if there are any issues, it will alert operators by email or text. Although primarily designed for planned maintenance, its quick mobilisation and operation means this system is ideal in the event of a breakdown or as part of an emergency plan.”

As a finishing touch, the trailer has been wrapped in a photograph of our Kimblesworth mine water treatment scheme, in Durham, taken by Andrew.

FEATURE: WATER RESOURCES PLANNING

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UNIVERSITY OF BATH

ARE COBBLES KEY TO PROTECTING OUR COASTS?

Traditional hard engineering coastal protections have long been trusted to protect land, property and communities from tidal damage – but rising sea levels are now presenting a new challenge.

Academics at the University of Bath’s Water Innovation and Research Centre (WIRC) are exploring how better understanding the make-up of natural composite beaches and new dynamic protection techniques could help keep coastal areas safe.

Coastal regions are becoming ever more at risk from damaging storms due to increasing storm magnitudes and rising water levels caused by our changing climate: studies have found that almost a quarter of the world’s beaches are eroding at rates larger than 0.5m per year.

At the same time, coastal zones have become heavily populated, with 15 of the world’s 20 megacities located on coasts – so ensuring the sustainability of seaside infrastructure is becoming ever more technically challenging in terms of both policy and investment.

In many areas, new coastal protection will be required to either replace existing obsolete defences or to protect new coastal areas. The high cost and aesthetic impact

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of many traditional hard engineering coastal defences such as seawalls makes them unaffordable or unattractive for many regions where development is minimal, and the highest standards of flood protection are not required - such as on undeveloped beaches. In such locations, soft engineering solutions which provide protection but minimise impact on natural processes and landscape are desirable.

Dr Chris Blenkinsopp, senior lecturer in Bath’s Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering and a member of WIRC, says: “Coastal regions are becoming ever more at risk from damaging storms due to increasing storm magnitudes and rising water levels caused by our changing climate. Protection solutions which are low cost and can be adapted as conditions change are almost non-existent at present.”

Dynamic revetments Studying a new sustainable and naturebased technique to face this coastal threat is the aim of the DynaRev project, which has been running at WIRC since 2017.

Project researchers aim to investigate the performance of a ‘dynamic cobble berm revetment’, and its capability to protect the coast efficiently. The feature, a ridge of cobbles constructed around the wave runup limit, replicates naturally occurring composite beaches, which are one of the most stable types of beaches. Composite beaches consist of a lower foreshore of sand and a back-shore ridge of gravel or cobbles which stabilises the upper beach and provides overtopping protection to the hinterland.

The overall aim of the project is to investigate the stability of dynamic revetments under storm wave attack by comparing the response of the beach to a rising sea level and storms with and without a dynamic revetment structure in a largescale lab experiment.

The laboratory work has been carried out in Hannover, Germany at the GWK large wave flume, which is over 300 m long and enables testing to be carried out at close to fullscale but in a controlled environment using

FEATURE: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION a wide range of sophisticated measurement techniques.

The DynaRev project comprises three main work packages, which will focus on determining the performance of dynamic cobble berm revetments and their resilience in response to a range of wave conditions; understanding wave transformation and the changing state of beaches under rising sea levels; and improving models which predict wave processes and their impact on beaches and coastal structures.

Comprehensive measurements of hydroand morpho-dynamics and sediment transport were collected using a suite of instruments including Lidar arrays and RFID tagging of individual cobbles. The data collected is being used to not only investigate the stability and performance of a cobble revetment in energetic seas with a rising water level, but also undertake detailed studies of nearshore coastal processes including bar formation, energy dissipation in the surf zone, repeatability of wave-by-wave sediment transport and validation of multiple computational models.

Cobbles could reduce coast damage While the DynaRev project is ongoing, initial results show that although the cobbles in a revetment can move individually, over 95% remained a part of the overall structure throughout testing, maintaining a high level of coastal protection.

Combined with observations of existing dynamic revetments in the US, the project’s results suggest that once the beach/ revetment system approaches a state of equilibrium, its stability greatly increases, and the observed recession will slow or stop.

We can help you reimagine your water R&D

Results also show that the presence of the revetment decreases the runup, and the risk of flooding and damage to the hinterlands.

With improved understanding of these issues, the testing indicates that dynamic revetments could provide a feasible alternative to traditional hard engineering structures in some coastal locations as they provide low cost, robust overtopping and erosion protection to the hinterland while maintaining some natural character.

Water Innovation & Research Centre

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

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

go.bath.ac.uk/water-research

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TACKLING THE ROOT CAUSES OF WATER COMPLAINTS

Tackling the root causes of complaints about bills and debt could help transform consumers’ views of their water company, according to a new report by CCW, the voice for water consumers.

Catherine Jones, CCW’s Quality and Information Manager, explores the report’s recommendations in more detail.

Since 2005, CCW has handled more than 400,000 complaints and enquiries about water companies, securing more than £29 million in financial redress for both household and business customers and helping the water industry reduce complaints by about 70 per cent since their peak in 2007-08.

More than half of the complaints made to water companies are related to disputes over billing and charges, driving down customers’ perceptions of the fairness and value for money they receive from their water provider.

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biggest causes for complaint to CCW being the accuracy of bills or how much water has been used, which is known as ‘disputed liability’. Over the last four years, we have seen a steady rise in these cases, but many of these clashes can be avoided if water companies take the right proactive steps.

These measures include flagging up unexpected increases in consumption with a customer before sending them the final bill, while offering them help managing their water use or putting in place a payment plan. Companies should also consider reading meters more frequently to identify potential problems at an earlier stage.

With the publication of its latest report, Getting the measure of billing and debt complaints, CCW is launching a fresh bid to help the industry get to grips with billing complaints, setting out some of the simple steps that the industry can take to reduce these disputes. It also highlights examples of good and bad practice, including some of the cases CCW has helped to resolve.

Over the past decade debt recovery has also consistently featured in the top three reasons why customers are forced to turn to CCW for help with a complaint. Too often companies miss an opportunity to help a struggling customer by starting the debt recovery process without fully understanding the individual’s circumstances.

Currently, only six out of ten households currently think they get a fair deal from their water company1, with one of the

The report recommends companies try different methods of contact to reach out to households in debt, rather than

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repeatedly sending out texts or sending reminder letters. They should also seize the opportunity to remind cash-strapped customers on unmetered bills of the potential benefits of switching to a meter.

Better communication would also help companies to identify customers that are in danger of struggling to pay and position the supplier as a source of help during their financial troubles.

It’s hoped the findings in this report will inspire water companies to develop ideas and agree to take action ahead of an industry-wide billing complaints workshop being hosted by CCW in March. The event will kick-start our campaign to reduce the number of complaints about bills.

Getting the measure of billing and debt complaints can be downloaded from CCW’s website here.

1 Customers’ views on value for money and fairness of water bills are monitored in CCW’s annual Water Matters report: https://www.ccwater.org.uk/research/watermatters-householdcustomers-views-of-their-water-andsewerage-services-2018/

FEATURE: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE/BEHAVIOUR

GRETA THUNBERG SENDS CEOs BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD Ofwat’s exacting approach to meeting its long term goals has focused minds in a sector historically not known for its customer centricity.

by Nick Hadjinikos

Director at Kallinos Communications Under increased regulatory pressure, however, the water sector has been quick to embrace the latest methodologies in improving its customers’ experience.

But not even Ofwat could not have foreseen the the Australian fires or the burning of the Amazon; David Attenborough’s appearance at Davos or the emergence of Extinction Rebellion.

Ofwat published its first climate change policy in 2008, but it was Greta Thunberg who made CO2 emissions, global temperatures and climate change fashionable, unleashing an entirely new degree of people power to her 4m twitter followers, (up from 1.3m in September last year), and from twitter to boardrooms, institutional investors and governments across the world.

Capital Markets have been quick to spot a commercial advantage in embracing the new revolution, fuelled by a realisation that ignoring climate change could be more costly than fixing it. Asset Management giant Blackrock is ‘pushing for a fundamental reshaping of finance’ by naming and shaming companies such as Siemens for their environmental records.

MSCI, on which institutional investors rely, expects its new ESG (Environmental, social and corporate governance) indexes to become key ratings for quoted companies, with even greater followings than their traditional benchmarks. Individual and institutional shareholders increasingly want to invest in innovators.

Almost overnight, it is not our attitudes to the environment that have changed, but the very environment in which we live.

The debate no longer concerns reduction in plastic packaging or the range of an electric car, but how we ensure our longevity. When JP Morgan says climate change will cause “catastrophic outcomes” and threaten the survival of humanity, it’s back to the

drawing board, not just for the Customer Experience (CX) manager, but for the CEO.

Customer insight is your Superforecaster Against such an existential backdrop, it is not enough for organizations in society’s cross hairs to respond to external pressures merely by defining themselves as customer led. Neither is it appropriate to benchmark a water utility’s customer responsiveness against a best of breed, if irrelevant consumer champion such as Amazon.

Instead, and especially in today’s febrile climate, the case for converting ‘big’ data into fast and focused data has never been clearer. CEOs must deploy and depend on their CX programmes not only to respond to, but to learn from and act on their customer’s opinion and expectation. Boards must become collaborative partners in their design and integral stakeholders in their application, with the objective of avoiding guesswork, guiding strategy and successfully navigating stormy weather.

It is easier than it sounds. CX technology has blossomed from its roots in motivating customer responsiveness. Today it helps to drive corporate strategy by converting customer, market and employee opinion, into data driven calls to action. It has become a futurologist, a far-sighted visionary with the insight to keep an enterprise on track by pulling in the necessary data today, with which to to prepare Boards for a very different tomorrow.

Such insight is as much an early warning system as it is a competitive weapon, because corporate behaviour, underwritten by consumers, regulators and financial analysts, will quickly determine consumer choice. Just as a buyer might shun Shell because of a perception that BP takes climate change more seriously, so will they judge their utilities.

Employee Insight Completes The Virtuous Circle If customer opinion is a holy grail, the inter

relationship between contended customer and engaged employee is a virtuous circle. While accelerating into new ways of thinking, it is vital to encourage not just customers but employees to take on board, and not just mimic, your mission statements.

Few know more about your customers’ opinions or make a bigger impression upon them than your customer facing staff, in the call centre or in the field. Not only are your people your eyes and ears, they are also your ambassadors. In future proofing a robust sustainability agenda, the link between customer and employee opinion is paramount.

Lastly, a CX programme helps a Board decide what tone to adopt; how to inform and frame its narrative to regulators, investors, customers and associates. How emotive, nudging, or penalising to be in advocating and communicating change. The death of paper, in a world full of apps and fragmented media, decisions will have to be made about how to communicate to consumers who are rapidly changing the way they access information. From where will objective information come, about consumption/ leaks/water safety/fracking, droughts or floods.

Leadership no longer comes from autocracy, but from engagement From every quarter, climate change raises questions of the modern CEO that few can answer. The only way to find those answers is by asking the right questions.

CX initiatives and their metrics are increasingly apparent in annual reports as Boards strive to build trust, to become more accountable and transparent. But the only way to address the Stakeholder Agenda of the future is to achieve serious differentiation through data driven transformation, and not just use data to create an internal proxy for a customer experience. As CEOs increasingly regard CX as a growth catalyst for corporate income, never has it been more important to regard it as a prerequisite for its outcome.

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ENABLING IMPROVED OUTCOMES IN WATER EFFICIENCY THROUGH A MARKET THAT IS EASIER TO DO BUSINESS IN This January saw MOSL, the market operator for the non-household water market in England, publish its fifth (5) annual business plan which marks a ‘step-change’ in MOSL’s approach and the role it looks to take in operating this young and evolving market.

MOSL was set-up by water companies in 2015 to design, build and implement the central IT systems – known as CMOS, and to support water companies’ readiness in the lead up to the opening of the retail water market on 1 April 2017. The opening up of the competitive water retail market was intended to deliver benefits for non-household customers based on four strategic aims: ■ Customer Service – improved customer services and more tailored services i.e. consolidation of bills ■ Price and Choice – better value for money and reduced bills and charges ■ Water Conservation – support in becoming more water efficient as a business ■ Innovation – greater innovation in water efficiency and better use of technology Since the market opened, the focus has remained predominantly on the delivery of the first two strategic aims; those of improved customer service and lower prices. While the market is still striving to deliver these benefits to customers, the drive for greater water efficiency and innovation has taken a backseat. This is evidenced in Ofwat’s State of the Market report published in July 2019, which stated that “Around 4% of customers who had renegotiated since market opening report water efficiency services as a benefit of renegotiating.”

MOSL’s perspective With nearly three years of experience in the live market, MOSL is now using its unique position at its centre to address these more difficult challenges facing the industry - specifically around water

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conservation and the increasingly urgent environmental agenda, with the aim of challenging and changing behaviours.

We want to bring together ideas that are emerging from across the market - from the regional water companies and new national water retailers – to the smaller companies and new entrants introducing innovation. We are applying these ideas to the centralised market datasets that have been building over the last three years and looking at these with reference to a co-ordinated national context. In doing so, we can nurture innovation; trial new approaches; and leverage benefits for customers, the market and ultimately, the wider water industry.

So how do we do this? As the custodian of central market data, we are using information held on eligible nonhousehold supply points, and meters, together with the associated water

consumption to develop rich insights into consumer behaviours. We also have the mechanism to calculate the different regional economic costs of water using wholesaler tariffs. These take into account different geographies, historical asset investments and current operational efficiency. CMOS uses this information to calculate the money owed by retailers to wholesalers for the services consumed over monthly periods together with the identification of changes in consumption trends.

MOSL’s Green Team In January 2020, we established the MOSL Green Team, made up of a handful of dedicated colleagues, who will look into the potential for providing new insights by linking this central view of consumption to other datasets that exist across the sector. This will enable us to broaden our focus on the strategic outcomes that are difficult to express in purely monetary

FEATURE: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE/BEHAVIOUR terms. For example, the long-term, wider impact of water and sewerage collection, treatment and distribution.

We know through our engagement with them, that water companies are as concerned about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as they are about the economic price of water, however the market structures are not designed to incentivise performance in water efficiency. Market value metrics that more accurately reflect the true cost of water would enable wholesalers and retailers alike to express and compare themselves against an industry baseline.

Carbon tariff One area we are examining in more detail is adapting the regional wholesaler tariffs to align with the cost of carbon already published by each water company. When run against consumption, we can generate a view of the carbon cost of water or sewerage treatment for each region and create a national view that shows how the carbon cost of producing a cubic meter of water varies across the regional companies.

This could kickstart a collective conversation around controllable and non-controllable variables in carbon costs; driving carbon reduction and offset; and ultimately support our industry in its goal to be carbon neutral in ten years.

The approach could be extended to other industry challenges too, for example, in supporting water resilience. PR19 has introduced two new common resilience performance commitments to incentivise long term resilience with the intention of making it easier to compare the relative resilience of different companies. Water resilience is a feature of catchment and network efficiency.

Historically it has been addressed at regional and local levels despite large differences in demand and supply of water across the country, with generally more surplus in the North-West and deficit in the South-East. By linking this supply side view to demand side consumption data at a national level we have the opportunity to develop a central view and drive cross-regional solutions. Viewing these issues and potential solutions nationally, through common data, comparators and objectives could ultimately allow us to solve national issues and apply learning from the non-household market for the benefit of domestic customers.

Next steps By coordinating efforts across the industry and using comparative performance to shine a light on the key challenges, we can increase collaboration and accelerate the pace of change. MOSL’s Green Team is already starting these conversations with market participants, but we are keen to extend this to all water industry stakeholders - specifically developing ideas on how this approach to linking national consumption data to other areas may drive new insight.

If you would like further information on this work or would like to get involved, please contact the MOSL Green Team.

REPORT FROM WESTMINSTER The 21st January 2020 saw the launch of the Government’s APPG “All Party Parliamentary Group” on Net Zero in the Churchill Room of the House of Commons, with the official remit described on www.parliament.uk as “To secure a low carbon and clean industrial and economic future for the UK, embed zero carbon solutions and accelerate net zero growth, innovation and global influence” with Alex Soble MP for Leeds North West [Labour] as the chair.

by Brian M Back

Founding Director Zero Pollution Network

On behalf of the Zero Pollution Network we were pleased to have been one of the invited guests, however after listening to various presentations delivered by group’s sponsors, it was evident that there was no representation or even mention about what is potentially the largest consumer of energy in the UK and the one that also is the custodian of the key to our cleaner future, our Water and Wastewater Industry.

If there was a case of an elephant missing from a room, then this, on that day, it was our industry. Not only is there massive scope to invest to reduce energy consumed but policies for example such as removing rainwater from sewers and regulating flows could have significant impact of reducing sewer flooding and pollution. The latter of which is becoming a thorny issue due to the direct link between sewers and drains and plastics in the oceans.

If anybody wanted the evidence that Government’s and Ofwat’s are out of synch and consequentially their aims are misguided, then this was it through the lack of presence and/or voice at the launch of such an important event.

Simply, if we are to achieve Net Zero and “clean” whether we are like it or not, we are going to need additional spending and not less!

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SUPPLY CHAIN: THE KEY TO AMP7

‘In-period’ Outcomes Delivery Incentives (ODIs) provide water companies with the opportunity to realise financial benefits as a result of improved customer service. Conversely, underperformance can negatively affect water companies should they miss targets.

To ensure water companies reach their ODIs, Mike Froom, Business Development Director at Veolia Water Technologies UK (VWT UK) discusses the key items that need to be considered and how working with a water technology and service provider is an integral part of achieving this.

ODIs, both end-of-period and in-period, were introduced by Ofwat at its 2014 price review (PR14) for implementation in the 2015-2020 price period (AMP6). Both forms of ODI were developed with the intention of providing further incentives for water companies to achieve and outperform the Performance Commitments (PCs) promised to their customers.

Since introduced, Ofwat has continued to evolve its ODIs to further incentivise water companies to deliver on their individual commitments and ultimately improve overall customer experience.

In its final determinations (PR19), released in December 2019, Ofwat recognised an overall improvement in the engagement between water companies and their customers, with over 1.5 million customers

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contacted during the development of water companies’ AMP7 business plans. However, Ofwat have raised concerns that the findings of the engagement and research with regards to customer experience are still not adequately reflected in the business plans of some of the water companies. Ofwat has also set particularly stringent PR19 final determinations which, for some water companies, will make their efficiency targets difficult to achieve. In order to do so, water companies will need to go further in terms of cost efficiency and innovation to ensure that their allowances stretch to cover what is required.

Depending on the individual water and sewage, wastewater or water only company, the demand of the efficiency obligations varies, with the requested costs of companies reduced by as much as 43% in some cases, and as little as 6% for others.

As such, while some companies should be able to meet these efficiency obligations with progressive changes, others will have to think carefully about how they do so and a significant change in performance and delivery approach will be essential for AMP7.

Historically, water companies have looked towards their supply chains in order to meet efficiency drivers by focusing on cost to generate marginal gains. However, in cases where a larger reduction in spending is required, putting pressure on the supply chain will not deliver the necessary results and alternative cost saving solutions will need to be found.

One way in which savings can be produced is by reassessing a water company’s relationship with its supply chain. Over the past 15 to 20 years, large capital programmes have generally been delivered by water companies through engagement with ‘Tier 1’ delivery partners. Whilst this structure has been effective in generating incremental efficiency improvements in the past, this is not necessarily the most cost-effective means to deliver smaller capital projects where engagement with ‘Tier 2’ contractors or direct with supply chain partners could provide significant cost savings.

The supply chain has a wealth of expertise at its disposal and, arguably, consulting directly

FEATURE: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE/BEHAVIOUR with members of the supply chain early in a project can provide opportunity for the most significant value engineering, as well as the development of creative and innovative solutions that will generate savings in the long term. Furthermore, opting not to use a ‘Tier 1’ delivery partner on smaller projects could result in a more cost-effective project delivery.

Technology and service providers like VWT UK have traditionally sat within the supply chain community at ‘Tier 2’ or ‘Tier 3’. In the past, we have always worked to procurement policies aimed at reducing costs to support incremental efficiency targets. However, water companies are gradually recognising that consulting their supply chains and engaging the knowledge of their technology and service providers from the outset can generate cost savings that far out-weigh the alternatives.

A full technology and service provider, VWT UK is well placed to support water companies at every stage by providing innovative design, product delivery, installation, maintenance and process optimisation services. Early engagement

with providers such as VWT UK allows opportunities for innovative solutions that can optimise processes by increasing both capacity and reducing operating costs to be considered at the outset. At the heart of VWT UK’s full-service offering is its AQUAVISTATM suite of digital monitoring solutions. For example, AQUAVISTATM Plant which provides real-time performance optimisation of water treatment facilities to help companies reduce the need for capital expenditure and achieve lower operational costs. It enables the enhancement of hydraulic and biological capacity (as much as a 40% increase) as well as optimising energy usage, chemical consumption and sludge production of the plant.

By engaging directly with a company like VWT UK, we can develop and provide tailored technologies that will help companies achieve what is needed within strict budgets. Opting to work with a full-service provider is also a great way to minimise delivery costs and cover every aspect of a project through one supplier.

Tasked with meeting significant AMP7 performance commitments, within the

efficiency envelope set by Ofwat in the PR19 final determinations, water companies need to look to their supply chains, not to make small cuts, but to create significant cost savings by engaging their expertise. With more pressing in-period ODIs approaching for all water companies, it is essential that companies have structures in place to deliver on set commitments within the time scale and ultimately improve customer experience at minimal cost.

For more information about Veolia Water Technologies UK, please visit: www.veoliawatertechnologies.co.uk

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CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FROM THE FIELD In my decade-long tenure at Thames Water I’ve had various roles in clean water, with different aspects of customer interaction. From this, I’ve learned that behaviours can be perceived differently depending on a range of individual circumstances.

by Dilan Patel

Field Operations Manager at Thames Water Now in the field managing Network Service Technicians (a role I have previously held), I know my team are the face of the company and therefore it’s vitally important to understand our customers’ needs and to resolve them on the first visit as often as possible. Just as important is creating an emotional connection – it’s not what you say but how you say it.

Often when reading the details on a job, it can be taken for granted what is expected and what you’re there for. Making that connection by having a conversation with the customer to understand their issue can result in taking totally different action to what was first assumed. This flexibility is critical for us to deliver good customer experience.

What’s the difference between customer service and experience you may ask? When a customer calls in initially, they’re greeted by an agent to log details of an issue they’re facing – that basic interaction is the service they have received. When someone attends to that customer to further the work they’ve contacted us about – calls to say they’re on their way with an estimated arrival time, gains more information to understand their issue, communicates what action they’ll take to achieve resolution and explains the next steps – this is customer experience.

Having the correct tools and technology enables us to improve our customers’ experience. We’re committed to reducing complaints across our business by 20% as part of our AMP7 plan, with a focus on communicating proactively and consistently so customers have confidence that we’re working to resolve their issues. Accurate and concise data is also imperative to drive good customer experience.

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As an industry we’re now transitioning our method for monitoring customer satisfaction from the Service Incentive Mechanism (SIM) to Customer Measure of Experience (C-MeX). Our final water networks SIM score for 2018/19 increased from 3.65 to 3.83, reflecting our improved resolution rates in this area. We’ve maintained this focus over the last year, closing work with a faster resolution that’s right first time, and our reporting has showed our overall customer experience results continue to improve.

In the new C-MeX scoring mechanism, a sample of customers who have contacted us will still be asked about the service they received, but the big change is that Ofwat are also introducing a survey where consumers over the age of 18 (whether they’re bill-payers or not) will be randomly contacted by Ofwat’s survey company to ask their overall satisfaction with their water company, and whether they would be likely to recommend it. This is known as our Net Promoter Score, or NPS. For those of us working in the field – in the vans, wearing our branded uniforms – it’s even more important we’re creating a positive impression: we are the face of the company, seen by the public daily.

We’ve rolled out a company-wide campaign called HEART – treating customers like family. HEART is a set of customer service

behaviours designed to challenge us in the way we go about our day-to-day roles and activities. They are there to remind, challenge and support us in the way we manage customer issues and lead our teams to deliver on our customers’ needs.

They will help us to deliver our priority of reducing complaints by 20% by exploring five different behaviours; each represented by a letter.

This is building on the initial practice of creating emotional connections with our customers to support their needs. From the agent taking the first call from a customer through the teams despatching the work out to the field and the field staff themselves (plus many others along the way), we’re all dedicated to these behaviours to deliver the best possible customer experience.

We know that our field staff work hard and care about their customers, but we’re looking forward to embedding HEART to all our work so that our customers can see that dedication and know that we’re always trying our best for them. When we see the results in the C-MeX we’ll know our efforts were worth it.

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SWIFTCOMPLY

THE FIGHT AGAINST FATBERGS: WHY EDUCATION IS KEY

A vast and robust piece of infrastructure spanning thousands and thousands of kilometres, our sewer system can easily be mistaken as something quite infinite and indestructible.

There are a number of factors that can explain why the incorrect disposal of FOG is poised to become an issue comparable to single-use plastic pollution. But some particular aspects that should be kept in mind when trying to understand how we got here include: exponential population growth over decades, our migration to a more fat-rich diet and a societal demand for more food service establishments than ever before.

by Laura Su

UK Regional Director, SwiftComply However, with increasing numbers of blockages, raw sewer back-ups and flooding incidents, this only confirms that educating people on the fragilities of our underground infrastructure has become a necessary task.

With public attention now caught by the devastating effects plastic pollution imposes on both our natural resources and sewer systems, customers need to be made more aware of the unsavoury realities surrounding fat, oil and grease (FOG) that are thrown down the sink.

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This last point is particularly critical.

Commercial kitchens are responsible for the most serious consequences of letting fat, oil and grease slip into the sewers, so much so that fatbergs have a consistent history of appearing in areas with a high concentration of food businesses and urban populations.

Education, education, education FOG pollution can be directly linked to various threats and issues, from the contamination of natural water bodies to daily disruptions of business and road closures. Over time, this issue has worsened, as we witness the rise of the sewer monster that we know as the fatberg, forcing the UK to spend around £100

million on cleaning and clearing procedures every year. In a nutshell, this is a serious problem that should be addressed today for tomorrow’s change.

However, convincing people that their individual actions may have huge ramifications can sound like an impossible task, especially when it comes to sewer pollution, where we can’t easily show the scale of the problem until it becomes a much bigger issue. This has been done in the past, however, and with relative success.

Take cigarette-related pollution, for example. Not too long ago, if you told a smoker that a single cigarette butt might contribute to the collapse of an entire ecosystem, chances were, this person would dismiss your claims as nonsense. Whereas today, even the most stubborn smoker will recognise that cigarettes are indeed hard to break down and simply tossing them onto the ground is a bad idea.

It took a newsworthy phenomenon to make people realise the devastation that used fats, oils and grease can cause. Back in 2017, when fatbergs made their big media debut with Whitechapel’s “Fatty

FEATURE: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE/BEHAVIOUR McFatberg,” it became easier to understand why pouring FOG down the drain is wrong.

It was an unfortunate opportunity for education, but an opportunity all the same.

As an industry dealing with water, a natural resource that is so critically limited, we can’t rely on time and media opportunities to raise awareness. Even though fatbergs are popping up more often than ever, far too many people and businesses are still mistreating what goes into the sewer, turning what would otherwise be regarded as small, isolated cases of pollution into massively troubling events for entire communities.

The first and foremost answer to this problem is education. Utilities recognise this and for years have worked on ways to teach the general public about the importance of taking good care of our sewers. A good example are the campaigns that educate domestic customers on better toilet behaviour, which helped people understand to only flush the 3Ps (that’s pee, paper and poo).

Educating as many people as possible is critical because a broad level of public

awareness of relevant issues helps to create pressure to combat these problems. This is what is happening with single-use plastics, for instance. Items such as plastic bags and straws are being banned extensively and the public attention has turned to wet wipes, another big troublemaker when it comes to sewer pollution and fatbergs.

FOG demands a different approach Whilst fat, oil and grease pollution is a general issue, the main polluters are those hundreds of thousands of food businesses across the country who are freely allowing the flow of FOG into the sewers on a daily basis. The main issue here lies with a lack of education on proper FOG management and their responsibilities as food service establishments. We need to make food businesses fully aware firstly of why, and secondly of how, FOG should be properly stored and collected.

So how can we do that? If we take Dublin’s programme as an example, the ideal scenario would combine specific legislation, educational efforts and technology as innovation. After educating and inspecting every food business in operation, the Irish

capital saw the number of commercial kitchens using grease trapping equipment soar from 14% to over 80% in just six years, helping the city achieve an impressive 95% reduction in FOG related blockages.

A large proportion of the programme was centred around face-to-face educational campaigning, putting the polluter central to the project. Representatives from the water company visited food businesses to teach them about FOG pollution, the legislation regarding it and what they should do to prevent it, using the ‘carrot vs. stick’ approach which tends to bring businesses on board more easily. If food businesses understand clearly the consequences of their actions and the benefits of good FOG management, they are more likely to act positively.

In conclusion, education is a key and crucial step in reducing FOG blockages and its impacts to human and environmental health, but this is only the start in what is a long-term fight against the fatbergs.

swiftcomply.co.uk

Empowering the FOG to fuel circular economy SwiftComply’s digital ecosystem connects water utilities, food businesses and service providers.

Our mission is to stop fat, oil and grease at source, stimulating this circular economy through the collection and recycling of FOG into biofuels and materials.

COMPLIANT

RESTAURANT

01482 530 204 | greetings@swiftcomply.co.uk | swiftcomply.co.uk

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SLUG IT OUT (SIO) Metaldehyde, the active ingredient in some slug pellets, is difficult to remove at water treatment works.

Anglian Water have been working with farmers on a campaign called ‘Slug it Out’, which incentivised farmers to stop using metaldehyde and look at the alternative slug control measures available. These alternative measures include: using cultivations to reduce slug egg numbers and adult slug numbers and using slug pellets with an alternative active ingredient, ferric phosphate.

The trial in Lincolnshire, took place from June 2017 to June 2018 in one catchment where Anglian Water abstract water for drinking water. The catchment had c. 92 farmers and in order for the trial to go ahead, every farmer in each catchment had to sign up and agree not to use metaldehyde for one season. The financial incentivisation made to farmers was on the basis of them not using slug pellets with the active ingredient metaldehyde. During this period, the metaldehyde levels did not breach the drinking water standard of 0.1µg/l (individual pesticide limit). Kelly HewsonFisher, catchment adviser with Anglian Water, says that building a relationship with farmers and having individual credibility contributed massively to the success of the project in this particular catchment.

However, she says with the limited resources and Lincolnshire being such a big area, it can be hard for her to get round to all farms and events.

J Wharton (Agriculture) Ltd is a 2,500ha farm within the 12,500ha trial catchment.

The cropping rotation on the farm is wheat, beans, peas, spring oats, either winter or spring barley and oilseed rape. Simon King, Assistant Farm Manager says that “Continuing the use of ferric phosphate was for the environmental benefits.

As an alternative option is available, it should be used.”

Kelly says that there were ‘definitely questions’ from farmers using ferric phosphate to begin with and some farmers were reluctant to sign up initially, with concerns that ferric phosphate was not as effective as metaldehyde. However, as many farmers started signing up to the campaign,

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others followed and the campaign saw all 92 farmers sign up.

The loss of actives may seem like a positive thing to a water company, but Kelly does not agree “if the agricultural industry only has a couple of actives and everyone is using them, there is more risk of those few actives being detected in our water sources.

The more actives the industry has, the more choice farmers have and risk could decrease although with only small quantities of active being required to breach the 0.1µg/l drinking water standard, everyone must do what they can to prevent pesticides from reaching water sources”. The SiO campaign in this catchment was carried out for one year to see if Kelly could get all farmers on board, as this was the largest area Anglian Water had worked in. The trial has continued but focuses on engagement with the farmers. By producing regular newsletters on the catchment news and water quality information and by providing a couple of key events with key speakers each year, Kelly can continue to work with the farmers and maintain the relationship she has developed.

Cover Cropping J Wharton (Agriculture) Ltd also carries out other IPM practices, including cover cropping and direct drilling wheat into it.

Assistant farm manager Simon King says his aim is to try things that can potentially

reduce glyphosate applications, which this does because he’s leaving it to grow and then drilling into it. This cover cropping has also been of benefit to the water company, as demonstrated in a trial that looked at nitrate losses on a farm that had a lot of boreholes, groundwater sources and was high in nitrate levels. The farm looked at what mitigation measures they could put in and established that cover cropping was the most efficient. Cover crops have a great ability to scavenge nutrients and Water Company sampling showed reduced nitrate losses within cover crop trial plots.

In 2017, Anglian Water carried out a cover crop field trial in North East Lincolnshire.

The trial included a number of large strips/ plots across the field. One strip slightly cultivated, then allowed weeds to grow; one strip that had stubble leftover from the previous crop and then three different mixes were drilled (oats with mustard, radish with oats and a 10 seed mix). Porous pots were installed into the soil underneath all of the strips to allow us to capture the nitrate and see which strip which reduce nitrate losses the most. It was found that, the stubble strip lost 90kg of nitrate/ha, which reduced to 10kg N/ha on the 10 seed mix and even the weeds were able to save losses of 3040kg N/ha (see graph below for cover crop trial results).

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SELWOOD

SELWOOD SUPPORTS NINE ELMS TRANSFORMATION PROJECT Nine Elms is a major £15bn scheme to transform an area of South-West London with more than 42 projects taking place to transform Vauxhall and the Albert Embankment into a new residential, cultural and business quarter.

The project is being delivered by the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership, created in 2010 to drive forward one of the largest transformation projects in the capital.

J Browne Construction, a long-standing customer of Selwood pump rental solutions, is one of the contractors on the project, and required support while carrying out works to sewage pipes to enable the construction of a new skyscraper building.

The Challenge Key to the success of the Nine Elms project was ensuring that sewer pipes underneath the development site were made fit for purpose, to avoid the need for disruption for maintenance once the buildings and associated roads were constructed.

The existing pipe was an old Victorian brick sewer, built by the famous Joseph Bazalgette, that J Browne needed to reline with stainless steel to ensure longevity.

To do this they needed to bypass the sewer while the work was carried out, with a system that could cope with a variable flow rate and keep the construction workers in a dry environment.

During a second phase, a similar solution was required at a nearby site to divert flows while an existing sewer was dug up and replaced with a new concrete pipe.

In both cases the footprint was restricted, meaning that conventional pumping setups would have been difficult or impossible to deliver within the available space.

The Solution There were two crucial elements that needed to be delivered for both phases. Firstly, the solution needed to be versatile enough to cope with regular changes in flow with rates ranging from 300 l/sec in dry weather to as much as 3000l/sec in wet weather. Failing to cope with these changes efficiently could have resulted in flooding of the working area and surrounding areas.

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Secondly, the solution needed to fit into the restricted spaces.

For the first phase of this year-long project, the solution was to install six NZ pumps split into two sets of three, with each set discharging into a bespoke manifold at the discharge point.

To ensure the proposed configuration was appropriate, plans were drawn up using Computer Aided Design (CAD) in the planning stages. This ensured the system would fit and provided a clear guide for the Selwood installation team when implementing the solution.

Selwood’s own telemetry system, SelWatch, was installed to monitor flows, along with an audible alarm to ensure that workers could evacuate in the event of the sewer flooding.

During the second phase, the customer created a wet well for Selwood’s Installation

team to work in. This was lower than the sewer, allowing the customer to cut the top of the sewer off to let the water flow into the wet well.

This phase needed to take into account the varying flows which could be affected by tideway works happening upstream.

SelWatch technology enabled 24/7 remote monitoring of these. Once again CAD drawings were used in the planning stages, and on-site alarms were installed to sound the alert about any flooding, with the safety of the workers the primary concern.

The Result Selwood’s solutions ensured both phases could be delivered on schedule, with efficient installation aided by the CAD drawings used in the planning stages. In both cases the sewer works were carried out without delay, keeping the project on track and minimising cost to the customer and, importantly, risks to the workers on site.

FEATURE: PRODUCT NEWS

NEW LOW COST COMPACT 80 GHZ LEVEL SENSORS Extended family for water and waste industries VEGA has extended its proven VEGAPULS family for continuous level measurement.

The new series features the very latest FMCW 80-GHz technology and, with a developed radar level microchip, excellent performance and a low price, it represents a real alternative to ultrasonic technology.

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This makes it highly economical for applications in the water/wastewater sector, or auxiliary applications in process automation.

With features including: ■ Strong focusing - ensuring measurement without the jumps ■ No dead zones - for measurement in confined spaces

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Low power - for remote sites and telemetry Handles build up - enables longer operation without maintenance EX approval - for hazardous areas and chemicals

The compact loop powered radar is available in two versions: a model with a cable connection housing and a standard model with fixed cable connection (IP68).

Optional controllers and Bluetooth built in The compact radars also have an optional field mounting controller for local display, extra outputs and level alarms. Both sensors and controllers can be easily and safely adjusted via Bluetooth with a smartphone or tablet – ideal for harsh environments, operational safety or Ex areas.

More information at www.vega.com/uk

NEW FIRE HYDRANT ‘SMART’ LIDS In conjunction with our customer, Severn Trent Water, FT Pipeline Systems has been developing a ‘smart’ lid for fire hydrants (FH). Severn Trent approached us with a request to modify our existing FH lids to help them resolve an ongoing issue they were experiencing.

Severn Trent have installed around 38,000 leakage loggers across their area. Around typically around 37% of the 10,000 installed in the Birmingham area suffer from intermittent signals. This is because the signal from the logger can’t transmit through the standard fire hydrant lid.

The solution has been to develop an integrated antenna built into the lid to allow the signal to get through. A number of the new smart lids have been installed over the last few weeks on a trial basis and all of them have worked properly without any issues.​

We are now looking at different supply options to ensure the customer benefits from the most cost-effective solution whether that be refurbishing existing lids to include the antenna or furnishing them with new lids. The new smart lids only require one technician to install them and enjoy all the existing time and cost-saving benefits associated with FT locking lids.

The FT locking replacement stop tap lids have been used by UK water companies for almost forty years saving them hundreds of thousands of pounds. Damaged lids can be replaced instantly without the need for digging up the road or pavement and without the need for opening or closing notices, thereby saving time and money. Each lid contains a plastic locking mechanism that, due to its unique design, will not block up with dirt or rust, enabling easy access at all times.

There are over 450 lid sizes available.

For further details contact Nick Shaw at FT Pipeline Systems Ltd Tel: 01543 416024 Email: nshaw@ftpipelinesystems.co.uk

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EASTERNAREANEWS

CHP TECHNICAL VISIT Eastern Area members enjoyed a technical visit to Pyewipe WTW on Thursday 30th January.

The visit showed how Anglian Water is approaching ‘Power from Poo’, utilising two CHP engines on this site to burn the gas produced from the process. This is just one of the sites where Anglian Water has utilised emissions from the process to provide green power for the works and excess to the grid.

Graham Powell, CHP Manager, talked through how Anglian Water’s team had upgraded the generators control system in order to optimise the process further and the tour included a look at the engines, controls and the process to control safety on the site.

YPN EVENT The Eastern Area Young Persons’ Network launched with a Network event on the 30th January. The purpose of the event was to provide the delegates with an opportunity to develop their networking skills, meet young people from the Institute of Water and to help shape future YPN events.

We enjoyed an overview of the importance of networking by Luke Stanbridge, Z-Tech Commercial Director, including how to build rapport and flex individual style based on Insights personality models (Myers-Briggs).

The delegates participated in some “speed networking” followed by a very competitive water themed pub quiz. Throughout the evening, the organisers captured feedback about the preferred development areas for the individuals in the Eastern Area Young Persons Network, we will use these ideas to build a development workshop which will take place in Cambridge at the end of May. If you would like more information or would like to suggest a focus area please contact Rose Shisler at rshisler@anglianwater.co.uk

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NORTHERNAREANEWS

MENTAL RESILIENCE Stress, neuroplasticity, dementia, trauma, depression and loss, all pretty serious topics.

As a committee we host a variety of diverse events, but the recent series of mental resilience events have proved to be among our most popular.

I was delighted to be able to attend the third in a recent series of events covering the topic of mental resilience, this time held within the Yorkshire Water area.

Hosted by John Sunderland-Wright from Achieve, the event covered the theory and practical tips to support mental resilience and toughness relating not just to work life, but to life itself.

Over the past 12 / 24 months I have experienced some extremely tough times and had to cancel my place on a previous version of the event due to the loss of a close family member.

So I was delighted to be able to attend this event to understand more about the theory, and to learn some practical tips and tricks on how to support yourself and those around you.

The morning session was held at Yorkshire Water’s confluence hall, and was open to all whether a member of Yorkshire Water staff or the supply chain. Members and nonmembers were also invited.

Around 35 joined the event mainly from Yorkshire Water staff and it was great to see the diversity of role involved, hopefully they will cascade this knowledge across the business.

The session was a great mix of presentation, interactive sessions and dialogue among the delegates.

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Some key take away’s were a better understanding of how the brain functions, and how we can stimulate new connections in an attempt to reduce the risk of dementia, something very close to my heart as my mother and grandmother but had Alzheimers disease. Learning new skills is a key part of keeping the brain young.

Another fantastic topic covered included tips on building mental toughness which is key to many people’s working role.

As a final note one direct take away from the event has been some advice on achieving better sleep, as a result I now go to sleep in the company of Stephen Fry in the lavender fields of Provence.

It is key that we all take time out from the daily grind to focus on ourself, and this was 3 hours very well spent.

Thanks to John Sunderland-Wright from Achieve, Victoria Ross and the Yorkshire Area committee for organising such a brilliant event.

NORTHERN IRELANDAREANEWS

NORTHERN IRELAND WATER’S APPROACH TO ITS PC21 BUSINESS PLAN

By Ross Calder, NI Area Committee Member The NI Area and Young Persons Network was pleased to invite Dr Adrian McCann, NIAMP5 Project Manager at Northern Ireland Water to deliver a ‘Lunch and Learn’ presentation entitled ‘NI Water’s Approach to its PC21 Business Plan’ to an eager audience of 30 people with a further 20 listening in via the webinar broadcast.

A Price Control (PC) is the mechanism to establish the money Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) requires to deliver water quality, environmental and customer service objectives at the lowest reasonable overall cost. Adrian spoke in detail about the process and timescales involved in reaching a Final Determination and outlined key elements of the Social & Environmental Guidance from the Department of Infrastructure that helps inform how water and sewerage services are to be provided during PC21 (2021 to 2027).

Customers and their views are central to the development of the PC21 business plan so listening and engaging with them and taking part in different stakeholder groups helps NI Water understand key priorities and can build these into its strategy. Adrian also explained how the business plan is structured and touched on the special component of the plan called ‘The Living With Water Programme’ which aims to to develop a Strategic Drainage Infrastructure Plan (SDIP) for Belfast to protect against flood risk, enhance the environment and provide the increased drainage and

wastewater treatment capacity to enable the economy to grow.

NIAMP5 is NI Water’s bid for capital for their 6 year programme - an integral part of the PC21 Business Plan. Adrian stressed that historically investment in wastewater and water infrastructure has not kept pace with Northern Ireland’s needs. While NI Water have been able to maintain safe clean drinking water, huge constraints on its capital budget has meant that wastewater issues have largely been left unaddressed.

The PC21 business planning process has identified ninety-nine areas throughout the province (as shown in the diagram) where new housing and businesses may be unable to get connected to the sewerage system.

A key message from Adrian’s presentation was that NI Water are at a tipping point as they approach the next business plan period and if funding continues at current levels, there will be significant constraints on economic growth, damage to the environment and risk to people’s health.

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SOUTHWESTAREANEWS

INNOVATION AWARDS On 13th February 2020 WRc hosted the South West Area Innovation Awards. We welcomed around 30 delegates to our Dragon’s Den style event to showcase the best innovations from the south west.

We are proud that over the last three years, winners of our regional event have gone on to win the National Innovation Award – proof that we are truly innovative in the south west!

This year we had 7 excellent entries: Latseal - Julian Britton, Wessex Water WRcCSO - Petros Tzinaetis, WRc Watershed Exmouth - Richard Behan, South West Water 3D LiDAR Modelling of Sewers - Julian Britton, Wessex Water & Jameel Marafie, Headlight AI Wheatley Pinpoint - Simon Murray, Wheatley Insite360 - Connor Perrin, COGNICA ChemDash - Josh Pocock, South West Water After due consideration and deliberation the Dragons selected as the winner the 3D LiDAR

Ruth Allen with our winners Jameel Marafie and Puneet Chhabra from Headlight AI and Nathan Hand and Julian Britton from Wessex Water.

Modelling of Sewers by Headlight AI and Wessex Water.

trial stage in a water company within a very short timescale”.

The judges commented “This innovation has true potential to transform the way we inspect pipes and tunnels in the water industry. It will have a significant impact on efficiency, accuracy and health & safety with subsequent benefits to customers. It is a good example of a project, originating from PhD studies, being implemented at

The judges also gave a Highly Commended award to Watershed Exmouth from South West Water, a practical, smart rainwater management system to address flooding issues using state-of-the-art technology and collaboration between the Water Company, SuDS innovator OTA Water, local homeowners and a school.

WELLBEING AND MENTAL HEALTH How to become your own CEO ‘Chief Energy Officer’ On 23 January 2020 the South West Area were delighted to take part in an interactive wellbeing session with Celynn Morin (www.celynnmorin.com), an awardwinning international speaker author, facilitator, and wellbeing consultant who delivered a really informative session focussed on Performance Chemistry.

help us become aware of basic steps that we can apply in our daily routines that will help us to boost our energy levels, improve our health and manage our weight. Our scores gave us the encouragement to look at our lifestyles and make some personal pledges to facilitate improving our wellbeing scores.

As participants, we learned how to manage our energy levels throughout the day, supported by good snacking and hydration habits as well as the benefits of stepping away from our desks and moving around regularly.

Finally, we all enjoyed a celebratory sparkling wine toast to close off the session, emphasising the importance of celebration and gratitude for behaviour change.

We looked at the importance of regular sleep patterns, managing our use of electronic devices and how to develop and sustain health-positive habits.

Celynn introduced us all to her WellculatorTM assessment, a tool to

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The session certainly increased our awareness of choices related to holistic wellbeing and we all made commitments to ourselves to implementing at least one immediate improvement action we could take both for ourselves and our respective workplaces.

A great start to our wellbeing in 2020!

Celynn Morin - Welbeing Speaker with Ruth Allen – South West Area President

MIDLANDSAREANEWS

WELCOME TO THE MIDLANDS AREA TEAM NEWS! The committee has been busy putting together a great programme of activity for our members and guests which have been very successful to date.

The committee has also welcomed a new committee member, Fiona Murphy, who is a Process Engineer at Severn Trent. We look forward to introducing Fiona on the next magazine edition.

The start of 2020 has seen the Midlands Area deliver the following events. One of the recent events which was held on 04 February 2020 was the career highs and lows from our Area President and Severn Trent’s Chief Engineer Bob Stear. Bob hosted a 1 hour event at Severn Trent talking about the disasters he had faced throughout his career so far and how he overcame them as well as the lessons learnt.

Our Area Chair, Rose Jolly, along with Alesia Alblas, held a presentation/webinar about their volunteering experience in Nepal with Raleigh International which was held on 12 November 2019 at Severn Trent.

Having seen the huge benefits these projects can bring to a community and wanting to raise money for great causes like these, Rose is now running the London Marathon on behalf of WaterAid. If you’d like to donate you can do so at https:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RoseJolly2 The committee have also been taking part in various presentations/webinars. Our Area Secretary, Mary Porter-Chorley, delivered a presentation to teams at Severn Trent on 10

February 2020 about her experience so far as a Committee Secretary, the Rising Stars programme as well as the organisation.

Our Area Forum Representative Gary Cox from OnSite and Committee Member, Nicola Fomes from Navigate Infrastructure Consulting were involved with representing Institute of Water at Severn Trent’s Public Liaison Day on 06 February 2020 held at Harvest Fields Centre, Sutton Coldfield.

All events the committee hosted have been great successes and had fantastic responses from the attendees. There have been developments with producing our monthly newsletter to our members/non-members

so watch this space! The committee are continuing to produce a great programme for the rest of the 2020 and are looking forward to a great year ahead!

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SOUTHEASTAREANEWS

VISIT TO SOUTH EAST WATER’S £22M EXPANSION OF THE KELEHER WATER TREATMENT WORKS

On a bright, cold day in January, IWater members from across the country descended upon South East Water’s Keleher Water Treatment Works in Bray near Maidenhead to see the incredible £22m expansion that’s being developed.

Project Manager Duncan Cunningham and Lead Process Engineer Matthew Street were on hand to explain the background of the project and some of the key components.

The project, which is nearing completion of its construction phase, is designed to increase capacity at the treatment works by 50% to allow South East Water to take 68 million litres of water from the River Thames every day and treat it to become high quality, wholesome water; pumped to the taps of customers in Farnborough, Camberley and surrounding areas.

Matthew and Duncan ran through the overview of the project explaining the current processes used at Keleher and the

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successes of the project. The group were shown the 3D model of the site and Matthew took them through some of the finer points of the treatment processes. Duncan took the group out in the existing works from where much of the construction site could be seen.

South East Water were fortunate that the original designers of what was then called Bray Water Treatment works envisaged future expansion, so designed in the expansion works which made planning for the current project very straightforward.

This was an excellent example of future planning and considering the resilience of assets for customers.

The group had the opportunity to ask

lots of really interesting questions to Matthew and Duncan, who fed back that the questions were more probing than they are used to as the construction site has recently been open to the public, however our members asked very pertinent questions which encouraged great discussion amongst the panel and members.

The South East Area have great plans for 2020 including more site visits, friendly networking opportunities, webinars and CPD topics covered for all our Chartered and Registered members. Keep an eye on the events page for upcoming visits and sessions.

SCOTTISHAREANEWS

YOUNG PERSONS’ NETWORK

13th February saw the launch of the Young Persons Network (YPN) in Glasgow.

On the night Lisa McKenzie shared information of how to become professionally registered through the Institute.

your knowledge of the industry or meet likeminded people, the YPN is here to help you thrive in your career.

Whilst Ken Hutchison shared an inspiring ‘Draw my Life’ session, with many twists and turns! Ken also hosted our Water Aid Quiz for the night.

Whilst the network is focused on developing opportunities for young people, we require support from the wider community to share experiences, learning and advice with one another. At our events you’ll meet people from a wide range of ages, job roles and experiences. From students beginning their water industry career to senior leaders, the sense of collaboration within our community

The aim of the YPN network is to provide support to people within their early careers in the water industry. Whether you want to become professionally registered, deepen

HYDRONATIONS LEADERSHIP SERIES The kick-off event is a residential session from 12pm on Wednesday 6th to 4pm on Thursday 7th May, in the countryside setting of Crutherland House, East Kilbride.

It will be led by psychologist Alice Beveridge from training group Tree of Knowledge and she will lead the group through sessions including: ■ ■

■

Personal awareness, social awareness and managing change Getting inspired, leadership theories and how to create and maintain energy Increasing your personal impact, being confident and resilient… and finding your inner batman!

For costs and to book visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk/events call 0191 4220088 or email megan@instituteofwater.co.uk

is what makes the Institute of Water such a valued organisation.

The Scottish Area YPN is looking for committee members, so if you would like to be more involved in inspiring people to join our YPN, please contact the area representative: rebecca.skuce@scottishwater.co.uk.

Please feel free to contact Rebecca for any ideas or suggestions for future events, or just to say hello!

ANNUAL MEMBERS’ DAY 28 MAR 2020, 11AM-2.30PM Following on from a successful event last year exploring the RRS Discovery and V&A museum in Dundee, this year you will be joining other Scottish Area Institute of Water members and their family and friends on a day out at Loch Katrine.

Everyone is invited to learn more about the Katrine Water Treatment Works on an optional tour starting at 11am.

Or you may choose to simply join others for lunch in the steamship café at 12 noon before a 1.5 hour sailing on the Lady of the Lake at 1pm.

For costs and to book visit www.instituteofwater.org.uk/events call 0191 4220088 or email megan@instituteofwater.co.uk

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WELSHAREANEWS

CHRISTMAS SOCIAL On a cold winter’s night last December, members from our Welsh Area gathered together for a casual social event at Cardiff Christmas Market and restaurant Wahaca, providing an opportunity to catch up and enjoy a mulled wine and festive feast.

Everyone enjoyed Wahaca’s Mexican delights, all diets catered for; it was great to see our new members joining us too!

Keep a look out for the next social – upcoming in March 2020!

INNOVATION AWARDS 2020 TABLE BOOKINGS NOW OPEN! Following on from a sold out event in 2019 the Welsh Area President and Committee are delighted to invite you to join them at this “gold medal” ceremony at the Vale Resort, Hensol, nr Cardiff on Thursday 2nd April.

The evening will celebrate and showcase innovation in the Water Industry and will begin with welcome drinks and Networking opportunities. Once seated guests will enjoy a 3-course meal with drinks, followed by the WaterAid raffle and Awards Ceremony, hosted by sports commentator and former Welsh rugby player Eddie Butler, before the opportunity to bust a move or two on the dance floor!

Tables are limited and will be on sale until Friday 13th March on the Institute of Water website. For any queries relating to a booking please contact IWInnovationsAwards@dwrcymru.com We look forward to seeing you there!

MEET THE COMMITTEE – SOCIAL AND AGM The Welsh Area Committee love to meet our members and would like to thank everyone who has taken part in our surveys and events so far, your support is greatly appreciated.

If you have queries, questions or just fancy a chat save the below dates in your diary and come say hello!

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March 2020

Annual General Meeting

Welsh Area’s first Meet the Committee social will be on Thursday 26th March, time and location to be confirmed! This will be the perfect opportunity to pick our Area Committee’s brains on what we do, who we are and how you could join a committee too during a fun and light-hearted evening.

Details are yet to be confirmed but keep your eyes peeled for more coming soon!

Welsh Area’s 2020 AGM will take place on the 7th April and provides your perfect opportunity to step up to join a committee if you’d like to or gain insight into how our committee runs behind the scenes! All are welcome.

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