WET News

wwtonline.co.uk | NOVEMBER 2018 WET NEWS 15 the harmonic content, as gener- ators might be an additional source of, or be susceptible to, harmonics. Pump bearings are another factor. Pump manufacturers usually state that the pump should achieve a speed of around 30Hz in less than a sec- ond to build up a flow of water to lubricate and cool the bear- ings. Some VSDs offer so•ware features such as a quick-ramp feature that allows a pump to reach its minimum speed as quickly as possible, extending pump bearing life and reducing unplanned outages. When the quick ramp stage ends, a slower ramp can be used, ensuring minimal turbid- ity and smooth operation once the pump starts creating flow. Retrofits also a major option VSDs for borehole pumps are best introduced as part of the overall design for the borehole pump system to get the greatest benefit. However, retrofitting a VSD later can still bring many benefits and is a major option when considering optimising the performance of boreholes. In fact, the majority of VSDs installed on borehole pumps are retrofit projects. Anglian Water is saving £2,000 a year on a borehole pump's electricity costs follow- ing the installation of an ABB VSD on a submersible pump motor. The borehole is one of two operated by Anglian Water, at separate locations, that feed the reservoir serving customers in Sudbury, Suffolk. Prior to fitting the VSD at Blackhouse Lane, both pumps were run at fixed speed all of the time but had to be turned off frequently as the reservoir had reached the desired capacity. Anglian Water suspected that this system was inefficient as it was pumping more water than was required. The frequent stopping and starting of the pumps was also causing excess turbidity in the extracted water. The decision was taken to install a VSD on the pump motor at Blackhouse Lane. The drive alters the speed of the pump's motor to top up the res- ervoir as required, while the borehole pump at Woodhall Road, without a VSD, runs at full speed to provide most of the demand. This has reduced the amount of energy used by the Blackhouse Lane pump motor by £2,000 per year. It has also reduced the turbidity in the extracted water to an accept- able level. VSD RETROFIT PAYS FOR ITSELF IN JUST 12 DAYS In the most extreme cases, turbidity can make water extraction financially unviable. This was the situation facing one water supply company which was considering closing a borehole as a result. The site in question uses two 90kW extraction pumps that were switched on and off as required. As the pump motors where connected DOL, each start created an excessive amount of turbidity that mean the utility had to wait 14 days for it settle out before it could start supplying water. ABB installed a VSD on one of the two pump motors for a trial period. The drive was programmed to have stepped ramp periods to allow for lubrication of pump but reduce the stirring up effect of the silt at the bottom of the aquifer. The result was an immediate 80 per cent reduction in turbidity, bringing levels within legal limits, and a 40 per cent reduction in energy use. The site now produces 2.7M/L of potable water each day – providing a payback period of just 12 days from installation of the drive. A VSD was fitted for Anglian Water at Blackhouse Lane 27 NOVEMBER 2018 | BIRMINGHAM WATER INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CONFERENCE EMBRACING DISRUPTION TO TRANSFORM THE WATER SECTOR DISCOVER THE FULL AGENDA AND REGISTER AT: wwt.events/waterinnovation SUPPORTED BY SPONSORED BY WWT-WITI-A4ad-vs1.indd 1 15/10/2018 16:59 News: Thames Water stepping up battle against leakage. P4 Onsite: Veolia to deliver Vartry WTP as part of €200 million Irish Water upgrade. P14 Onsite: How the Glasgow Tunnel Partnership delivered the £100 million Shieldhall Tunnel. P16 WET NEWS WATER AND EFFLUENT TREATMENT NEWS Regulators demanding more ambition on resilience SEPTEMBER 2018 Volume 24 • Issue 9 Yorkshire Water tenders £1BN in civils work B&V names new director of asset management D efra, the Environment Age n cy, t h e D r i n k i ng Water Inspectorate and Ofwat have written to water com- panies to urge them to show increased ambition for AMP7 to meet the resilience challenge. The joint letter on 9 August outlined the importance of meet- ing customers' water needs while protecting the environment at a time of climate change, popula- tion growth, societal expectations and increasing environmental aspirations. It emphasised the need for regional thinking that transcends company boundaries and indi- cated that they wish to see com- mitments to major new water resources infrastructure. "To meet this challenge, we need ambitious and co-ordinated leadership across industry, gov- ernment and regulatory bodies," the regulators said. "While we think water companies need to own this challenge, we will work jointly to support and facilitate your e… orts." They said there is a need for: Increased ambition in the forth- Greater use of markets and competition to ensure solutions are delivered eˆ ciently Clear, joined-up direction from government and regulators A re s p o n s ive re gu l a to r y approach to deal with issues as they arise The letter said that in addition to ambitious new leakage targets, "water companies should begin work now on projects and trans- fers to enhance resilience", add- ing: "We want companies and regional groups to use the PR19 regulatory period to demonstrate tangible progress in increasing collaboration and developing creative strategic water supply solutions." They accepted that "one size will not Ž t all" when it comes to regional water resource planning but said: "We expect water com- panies to commit time and money to regional planning and assessing the feasibility of regional and inter- regional solutions in the forthcom- ing regulatory period. This includes considering strategic transfers and str ategic water stor age infrastructure." Y orkshire Water has gone out to tender for two major AMP7 civils contracts worth over £1 billion in total. The frameworks cover the 2020- 2025 period, with the possibility of a three-year extension. The utility is seeking partners for a multi-supplier 'complex civils' framework worth £750 mil- lion that covers all civil and struc- tural engineering activity not delivered by its existing Tier 1 partners in the Yorkshire Alliance integrated delivery team. It is also tendering for a sepa- rate 'minor civil and building works' contract worth an esti- mated £290 million. Applicants must demonstrate how they can support 'The Capi- tals' concept, which is a business philosophy adopted by Yorkshire Water looking at all projects from six key perspectives: Ž nancial, manufacturing, natural, social, human and intellectual capital. Carly Gilley, procurement at Yorkshire Water, said: "The aim of the frameworks is to deliver a commercial approach that incen- tivises safe, sustainable solutions to deliver maximum level of ser- vice improvement through a culture that ensures collaboration and beneŽ ts for all." The deadline for submitting B lack & Veatch has named Mark Kaney as director of asset management as it continues to grow its Europe asset management business. Kaney will dr aw upon 20 years' experience in the utility sector, working for utility com- panies and their consulting partners. "The speed of technological development, and the falling cost of effective data and analytics solutions, mean the value of embedding good asset manage- ment thinking is becoming more prevalent," Kaney said. "The programmes which real- ise the greatest beneŽ ts are those embedded enterprise wide: from boardroom to control room." Kaney's last role, as both asset management director and head of digital development, means he is well placed to help clients maximise the potential of data and digital tools to support their asset management goals. "Black & Veatch is a technol- ogy-led company," Kaney added. "It has outstanding knowledge of the ways in which digital tech- nologies can enhance asset man- agement and how they can be integrated to create the solution best suited to clients' needs." Black & Veatch's understand- infrastructure such as reservoirs, water transfers and desalination projects". In their conclusion, they wrote: "We fully expect that you will meet our challenge to be "This is a fantastic opportunity to engage sta‹ in a new and exciting way" Steve Havvas on Anglian Water's VR programme, P23 "We're able to o‹ er a very di‹ erent solution than we did as two separate companies" Bryan Harvey, Bryan Harvey, Jacobs, P12 Jacobs, P12 › Water companies told to 'own this challenge' and take more collaborative approach "We want companies and regional groups to use the PR19 regulatory period to demonstrate tangible progress in increasing collaboration and developing creative strategic water supply solutions" Joint letter to water companies after it was revealed that total leakage across England and Wales had risen to 3,183 million litres a day for April 2017 to March 2018, from 3,123 million the previ- ous year. In the wake of the results, Environment Secretary Michael G ove called water company bosses to a meeting at Defra, which was attended by South Sta… s (also representing its sub- sidiary Cambridge Water), Bristol, Severn Trent, Thames, Yorkshire, Essex & Suffolk (via its parent company Northumbrian), Ports- mouth and United Utilities. Gove said: "I met the heads of a range of water companies today [31 July], speciŽ cally those where leakage has been an issue. " W h i l e e x t r e m e we a t h e r events do pose a challenge to the industry, they are a consequence of climate change with which we all have to deal. We all agreed water companies must do more to adapt and prepare for changing weather patterns. "I have asked the companies I spoke to today to raise the bar on tackling leaks and agree ambi- FEBRUARY ISSUE Focus on: Digital engineering Water treatment Pumps and pumping systems Onsite: Galliford Try leads Yorkshire Water's MBBR WwTW upgrade. P12 Onsite: Symology delivers insight managed service web portal to Anglian Water. P14 Insight: GPS PE Pipe Systems on installing barrier pipe within contaminated land. P16 WET NEWS WATER AND EFFLUENT TREATMENT NEWS O at assesses PR19 business plans with companies to spend £50BN on service improvements OCTOBER 2018 Volume 24 • Issue 10 Water companies, NGOs team up to help environment Murphy wins £57M sludge project contract O fwat is scrutinising busi- ness plans for AMP7, with water companies pledging to spend a collective £50 billion on service improvements as well as cutting leakage by an average of 16 per cent over the course of the 2020-25 period. As p a r t o f t h e 2 0 19 p r i ce review – which sets the price, service and incentive package that the water companies must deliver in AMP7 – each company across England and Wales has set out what it intends to deliver and what it proposes to charge customers in the years ahead. Ofwat will categorise them according to the level of quality, ambition and innovation they have demonstrated when it pub- lishes its initial assessment on 31 January 2019, with ‡ nal decisions to be made in December 2019. At a time when the privatised water industry is coming under serious pressure, Consumer Coun- cil for Water chief executive Tony Smith told The Guardian: "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 posi- tive and decisive action." The companies have outlined pl ans to spend a total £50 billion on service improvements, repre- senting a 13 per cent increase on AMP6, while average domestic water bills could fall by more than 4 per cent in real terms. They have also responded positively to Ofwat's 15 per cent leakage challenge, with only South East Water – at 14 per cent – falling short, and Yorkshire Water and South Staffs Water targeting reductions of 25 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. Thames Water said bills would remain ˜ at before in˜ ation and that it will invest a record £11.3 billion over the course of AMP7, with plans to reduce pollution incidents by 18 per cent and leak- age by 15 per cent. United Utilities announced a 10.5 per cent reduction in real terms in average bills, a reduction of over £1 billion in expenditure compared with AMP5 and "a major water resilience scheme with estimated construction costs of over £750 million in AMP7 and AMP8 to be directly procured for T wenty environmental NGOs, co-ordinated by Blueprint for Water, have joined nine water companies to create a set of shared principles setting out how they will work together to help leave the environment in a better state. Anglian Water, Essex & Su¡ olk Water, Northumbrian Water, Sev- e r n Tre n t , S o u t h e r n Wa te r, Thames Water, Un ited Utilities, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water a r e a l l i nvo lve d a s w e l l a s Waterwise. The companies and charities are already working together on many projects across England, including tackling pollution by 'unflushables', natural water ‡ ltering and working with farmers on more environmentally friendly agricultural techniques. Among the shared principles announced are: greater collabora- tion on policy and projects; pro- moting greater awareness of the links between water management and the natural environment; working together to achieve and build upon Water Framework Directive obligations; sharing key data sets; and joint efforts to enhance and improve the resilience of water-based ecosystems. Hannah Freeman of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, chair of Blue- print for Water, said: "We must make sure investment and action delivers e¡ ective improvements for wildlife, habitats and custom- ers alike, and this initiative is a ve r y we l co m e s te p to w a rd s achieving change." M urphy & Sons Ltd has been awarded a £57 million contract by Yorkshire Water for a new energy and recy- cling facility in Hudders‡ eld. Murphy will use its engineering expertise to deliver the design and build of Yorkshire Water's new facility, including ne w anaerobic digesters; a new sludge reception plant; sludge thickening plant and storage; CHP and dual fuel boilers; sludge dewatering and lime treatment; cake storage; and a new liquor treatment plant. The new facility is a key stra- tegic investment for Yorkshire Water, as part of their ongoing blueprint to supply safe drinking water and handle wastewater for their ‡ ve million customers. Work has already started on the design and is set to ‡ nish in May 2021. Murphy CEO John Murphy said: "We're delighted to be work- ing with Yorkshire Water on this important project. We are con‡ - dent that using our ever-growing engineering expertise and work- ing closely with them, we will deliver a solution which provides outstanding value for their cus- tomers. We pride ourselves on being able deliver solutions that improve peoples' lives, and look forward to doing just that on this project." Yorkshire Wate r communica- tions advisor Mark Allsop added: "This scheme supports our com- mitment to invest in renewable energy and bene‡ t the environ- ment as we look at ways of reduc- ing carbon emissions." customers in Manchester and the Pennines". Northumbrian aims to cut customers' bills by 10 per cent by 2020 and by up to 14 per cent by 2024/25, reiterating its inten- tion to eradicate water poverty by making services more afford- able than ever before. It will also look to invest £3 billion pounds on improving water and waste- water services across the region. Severn Trent plans to cut bills by 5 per cent while spending £6.6 billion, saying it will use its "innovation and commercial pipelines to deliver a 13 per cent "There's always lots of people that might not have searched before they start digging" Richard Broome, LinesearchbeforeUdig, on reducing utility strikes, P18 "I see asset management becoming more pervasive throughout organisations if they're going to succeed" Mark Kaney, Black & Veatch, P8 LinesearchbeforeUdig, on reducing utility ¨ Plans involve 13 per cent increase on AMP6 spending across English and Welsh water companies "This price review could de‡ ne the future of the water industry in England and Wales" Consumer Council for Water chief executive Tony Smith L abour leader Jeremy Corbyn has criticised the "failures" of the water industry as the party expanded on its plans for renationalisation. Corbyn said: "Thanks to the failures of privatised water com- panies, our water infrastructure is crumbling and people are forced to pay through the nose for ser- vices. Under Labour's plans to bring our water system into public o w n e r s h i p , p r o f i t s w i l l b e Corbyn says water infrastructure is 'crumbling' as Labour sets out nationalisation plans e© ciency in spending". Anglian Water proposed a £6.5 billion investment programme, including £240 million to reduce leakage by a further 22 per cent, a Water Resources Management Plan totalling £630 million, £783 million to support the environment through the Water Industry National Environment Programme, and £650 million to enable sus- tainable growth and allow for more than 200,000 new homes to be built in the region by 2025, through improvements to water and water recycling networks. South West Water's 'New Deal' promises lower bills, improved service, better environmental pro- tection and a stake and greater say in the company for customers. Water UK chief executive Michael Roberts said: "The water industry's record over the past 30 years – cutting leakage, keep- ing bills a¡ ordable, improving water quality, and cleaning up r ivers – has been good, but the business plans o¡ er to take it to another level. The industry has set out an ambitious vision for the future of water that puts cus- tomers right at the heart of eve- rything that companies do." pounds for public services to be raised from Labour's Inclusive Ownership Fund and a wide- ranging consultation on putting workers and service users in charge of running the water, energy, rail and mail industries. McDonnell said Labour were "planned, ready and prepared" to hand economic power back to workers, citizens and communities to a degree never seen before, a d d i n g : " L e t ' s b e c l e a r : reinvested so that households across the UK have better services and lower bills." At the Labour Conference, Shadow Chancellor John McDon- nell o¡ ered further detail on how the party plans to bring utilities back into public hands. It comes as part of a package of measures to broaden ownership and control in the economy, including giving workers a third of seats on boards, billions of nationalisation will not be a return to the past. We don't want to take power away from faceless directors only to centralise it all in a White- hall office, to swap one remote manager for another. "[Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Indus- trial Strategy] Rebecca Long-Bailey and I are launching a large-scale consultation on democracy in our public services. We are also setting out our plans for a new publicly owned water system that puts this essential service back in the hands of local councils, workers and customers.There will be unprec- edented openness and transpar- ency in how the industry will be managed. "We are ending the pro‡ teering in dividends, vast executive sala- ries, and excessive interest pay- ments. Surpluses will be rein- vested in water infrastructure and sta¡ , or used to reduce bills." The only guide to the major collaborations in the water industry ALLIANCES 2018 THE LEADERS 2018 WET NEWS WET News and WWT's definitive guide to the largest contractors in the water industry WET definitive guide to the largest contractors in the water industry In partnership with: WET NEWS Booking deadline: 16th January (Publish date: 4th February) For editorial enquiries or opportunities contact: Michael Butcher T: 01342 332073 E: michael.butcher@fav-house.com WETnews-featuresad-Feb.indd 1 12/10/2018 11:00

• Cover