Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1083348
8 | MARCH 2019 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk The Talk: opinion ROBERT SPENCER, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, AECOM Capital needs integrated water approach The concerns of Londoners about the capital city's resilience highlight the need for integrated planning across water, wastewater and stormwater A n interesting finding in AECOM's recently launched Future of Infrastructure 2019 report – which surveyed more than 10,000 people across 10 international cities for their views on city infrastructure – is that more than a third of Londoners are not confident in the capital's ability to protect them against natural disasters, such as flooding. Indeed respondents in London identified improving environmental sustainability as a top priority, with upgrading water and power utilities among the most necessary improvements to infrastructure . Of greater concern than improvements MATTHEW ELLISON, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, WATER & ENVIRONMENT SECTOR, WIRELESS INNOVATION Can we future- proof utilities' data transmission? As the deadlines for BT's withdrawal of TDM and PSTN services approach, water utilities with legacy systems will need to consider how to reliably and cost-effectively transmit their control, automation and voice data B T's CN21 initiative to convert to IP broadband ultimately promises reduced OPEX, lower maintenance and an enhanced customer experience. However, the decision to not develop like-for- like services following the cessation of Time Division Multiplex (TDM) private wire in 2020 and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) services in 2025, poses significant challenges. Whilst digital transformation and an integrated supply chain are important goals of Ofwat's 2020 vision, IP migration shouldn't be forced. It should be timely and to public transport, these somewhat unexpected findings highlight the importance of water resilience for Londoners. But with potable water resources and sewerage capacity in the city under stress, new developments and regeneration across the capital may need to look at alternative ways to deliver efficient water consumption, sustainable flood risk management and increased resilience to climate change. An integrated approach to the management and provision of water services and flood risk management can help ensure high standards of water efficiency, surface water management and flood risk reduction that go beyond the requirements of the current London Plan. Integrated Water Management Strategies (IWMS) help integrate water consumption and flood risk management into an overall masterplan and utility delivery, setting out a framework to sustainably manage potable water, sewage, drainage and flood risk needs using an integrated approach. Using an IWMS to identify opportunities for integrated water solutions early in the development process will aid investment decision-making and help ensure the strategic infrastructure required to deliver more sustainable water management is captured within the masterplan for a new scheme. An IWMS will incorporate a real mix cost-effective, with a choice of solutions, minimising downtime and protecting customers. So, how can we efficiently transmit data to monitor and control infrastructure and assets pre, during and post IP migration? Private wire is no longer available for new outstations and new PSTN services can't be purchased ašer 2023. Interim solutions, like SOTAP (Single Order Transitional Access Product) are expensive for low bandwidth communications, as is fibre connectivity. Communication providers will likely advocate switching to SOTAP when it becomes available in 2020 and water companies embracing this option will have to commit to full IP migration by 2025. VSAT isn't a viable alternative as this residential grade public network system lacks the requisite security, reliability and resilience. Other issues are that many telemetry and SCADA systems operate in silos and multi- supplier landscapes can be complex and expensive. Our clients' biggest concerns are the cost of migration, and that failure to meet deadlines means downtime. Their priority is a solution that protects their customers; avoids regulatory fines and reputational damage; and fulfils practical requirements. The ideal solution must communicate seamlessly with legacy Telemetry/SCADA; comply with a range of protocols; receive of measures, including area-wide wastewater recycling systems, surface water attenuation and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD). Crucially, such a diverse range of measures improves the flexibility and adaptability of supply options, helping to increase the overall resilience of a new development. Initially, the IWMS will need to assess existing flood risk sources and water infrastructure to determine baseline constraints and conditions unique to the site. Recognising that water challenges, such as excess surface water, can also be a resource if managed and reused, an IWMS will focus on reducing the demand for centralised water supply. Key to the successful delivery of an IWMS is to include all stakeholders that will have an influence on how water will be managed and used in the development. IWMS is a relatively new concept and there is little guidance on methodologies and objectives available for this type of approach. AECOM is bringing together its experience of WSUD, cost benefit analysis for flood schemes and water cycle and surface water management to develop its own methodology for future IWMS approaches. Given the scale of development and regeneration in London, a step change in the provision of water supply, wastewater treatment and water infrastructure for new developments will likely be required. schedules and control signals; provide sufficiently low latency; and be viable post IP migration. Operational control over signal parsing, scheduling and profiles; advanced archiving capabilities and a manual download function are also essential. "One size fits all" doesn't work for the diversity of applications, data and timescales, so it's essential to identify an end- to-end solution that enables customisation and proper system integration. Expertly configured Satellite data and voice solutions meet these requirements and support analogue and IP applications concurrently. Whilst fixed line and cellular can be inaccessible in remote locations or natural disasters, satellite offers a range of failsafe hardware and services that can be integrated for a bespoke end-to-end solution. Historically satellite was expensive, but good providers will offer flexible payment, like a 5-year lease-purchase. Our water experts are creating a calculation tool that allows clients to compare the pricing of their current systems, other solutions and a lease- purchase of our solutions, to demonstrate the cost benefits of satellite. With the right satellite solution water utilities can turn the challenges of IP migration into an opportunity to create a smarter network, enable insights-driven innovation and achieve long-term efficiency, security and sustainability.