Water & Wastewater Treatment

www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | MAY 2020 | 25 The Knowledge: phosphorus removal I ntensifying pressure to reduce phosphorus in AMP7, the water industry's 2020-2025 Asset Management Period, means stricter limits and, crucially, introduction of chemical dosing on many smaller sites not previously requiring it. Linked to this is a strong focus on phosphorus removal in the Environment Agency's ambitious Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). Water companies are challenged at the same time, by industry regulator Ofwat's price review PR19, to deliver more cost- effective and efficient solutions, improve services and give better value for money. To achieve all this, and stay in profit, they will need many more chemical dosing systems, manufactured faster, supplied at lower cost and backed by greater collaboration. Producing much larger numbers of dosing systems and reducing their price, without compromising on performance and integrity, will require collaboration and radical change. First, water com- panies must move away from the large, expensive and o'en over-engineered systems they have historically speci- fied. Their manufacture, involving long lead times and high costs, is especially uneconomical when each buyer insists on bespoke standards which differ from those of the others. Contrast this with the idea of using standardised small and medium systems which could be built faster, in larger num- bers, giving an economy of scale. They would also reduce the need for costly duplication of outline design work and feasibility studies. Through repeated ap- plication of standard designs and produc- tion practices, manufacturing efficiency would be optimised, along with product consistency, quality and safety. WES urges the water industry to use the current 'optioneering' exercise set out by National Infrastructure Planning to engage with colleagues and partners in exploring how to adopt such standardi- sation and value engineering. Working together can be the key to shared eco- nomic benefits, better dosing systems and wider improvements in the reduction of phosphorus, it says. Simpler chemical dosing to meet AMP 7 phosphorus reduction demands Will the UK's chemical dosing equipment manufacturing base have enough capacity to meet substantial increases in demand for phosphorus treatment systems during AMP7? Not unless water companies, contractors and their supply chains cooperate with manufacturers in developing and using simpler, more standardised systems, says Kevin Wheeler, managing director of WES.

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