18 | JANUARY 2020 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk
The Knowledge
This case study
examines how
Anglian Water used
pipeline assessment
technology to
determine the
condition and
remaining service
life of a vital water
main.
K
eeping its net-
work of more
than 38,000km
(or 22,000 miles)
of water mains in
working order is extremely
important for Anglian Water.
The utility serves the East
of England, an area that
is among the driest in the
country, receiving only ap-
proximately 600mm (23.6in)
of rain each year on average
- significantly less than else-
where in England. With more
than six million customers in
the region and in Hartlepool,
Anglian Water's 27,500-sq-km
(10,618-sq-mile) service area
is the largest of any water and
sewerage utility in England
and Wales.
"Some areas have a
lower annual rainfall than
Jerusalem," said Fionn Boyle,
optimisation project engineer
for Anglian Water. "That's why
it's vital that we look a'er the
water that we've got."
Boyle said the region's
topography provides little
assistance for the utility.
"Large parts of our region are
typically flat and low-lying,
with approximately a quarter
of the land actually below sea
level," said Boyle. "With few
hills around to help out with
gravity, Anglian Water has to
rely on pumping water from
place to place, and that uses
lots of energy."
This relative scarcity
requires Anglian Water and
its customers to do everything
they can to make the most of
the water they have—hence
the utility's slogan, "love every
drop."
Rising demand
In response to a projection of
future significant population
growth in the area, the utility
evaluated 7.2km (4.5 miles) of
an existing line between a res-
ervoir and a treatment facility
to determine if it could stand
up to increased stress.
"The population of Anglian
Carrying out a
pipeline assessment
The Echologics
team listening for
leaks on site.
