Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1029929
FAT OF THE LAND: Northern Ireland Water urged the public not to allow fats, oils and grease to enter the sewers a er discovering a fatberg so thick it had risen to the top of the manhole cover on a street in Belfast. QUOTE OF THE MONTH "Thanks to the failures of privatised water companies, our water infrastructure is crumbling and people are forced to pay through the nose for services." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn underlines his party's plans to renationalise the industry £50BN Water companies have pledged to spend more than £50 billion on improving services in their business plans to Ofwat in AMP7, a 13 per cent increase on AMP6. 4% Domestic water bills are to fall on average by more than 4 per cent in real terms if Ofwat approves companies' plans. 16% Companies have pledged to cut leakage by more than 16 per cent on average in AMP7 – the biggest leakage programme for 20 years. GOOD MONTH FOR… Scottish Water, which has been re-accredited by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) with Platinum accreditation three years a er becoming the first company in Scotland, and the first water company in the world, to achieve the recognition. The company said the Platinum accreditation status from CIPS, the world's largest procurement and supply professional organisation, demonstrates "the maximum value Scottish Water brings to customers and continues to pioneer leading-edge procurement practice within Scotland". BAD MONTH FOR… Foyle Food Group, which was fined £40,000 at Cheltenham Magistrates Court a er pleading guilty to charges of breaching its trade effluent consent. Severn Trent recorded almost four times the allowed level of phosphorus and 12 times the limit for suspended solids at its Blakeney Sewage Treatment Works in Gloucestershire in January this year. NUMBERS: PR19 SPECIAL The Talk: roundup 6 | OCTOBER 2018 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk ROUND UP Ofwat to test water company plans Ofwat has begun to scrutinise water companies' business plans for AMP7, with the regulator due to publish its initial determination for each company's plan in January. The best plans could benefit from incentives through the price review process, while those that fall short will face closer scrutiny and interventions and could receive lower returns. Ofwat will make final decisions on the services water companies must deliver and limits on the prices they can charge customers in December 2019. CCWater chief executive Tony Smith said: "This price review could define the future of the water industry in England and Wales. It represents a key opportunity for water companies to restore consumer trust by proving to their customers that they're taking positive and decisive action." Thames unveils record £11.7BN investment plan Thames Water's five-year business plan to Ofwat proposes £11.7BN in investment, including £2.1BN to boost resilience and reduce leakage. The company said its plan will deliver an 18 per cent reduction in pollution incidents, cut leakage by 15 per cent and generate enough green energy to power 115,000 homes. SW Water unveils radical 'New Deal' South West Water's business plan promises lower bills, improved service, better environmental protection and a stake and greater say in the company for customers, with an enhanced opportunity for extra rewards should South West Water beat its targets. The New Deal includes plans to offer customers a £20M shareholding and a greater say in the business, building on South West Water's pioneering WaterShare scheme, first introduced in 2015, which rewards customers for the company's outperformance.