Water & Wastewater Treatment

INDUSTRY NEWS Wastewater facilities risk overload from fracking Smart liquid lime Non Compliance What could this mean to you? Pollution, closure, heavy fines, negative publicity, loss of profits? Industries treat acidic effluent in different ways, but many are now turning to Neutralac SLS45, the UK's fastest growing, high strength liquid lime. Utilities, Metals, Chemical and Food manufacturers are all under compliance pressure to meet increasingly stringent wastewater treament legislation - and why many are harnessing the benefits of Neutralac SLS45. Test the water with a no-risk FREE field trial. www.neutralac.co.uk Derek Thompson Product Manager T: 01298 768 670 M: 07976 391 673 Lhoist UK, Hindlow Buxton, Derbyshire derek.thompson@lhoist.co.uk 6 A study by engineering consultancy Amec has warned of the strain on UK wastewater-handling facilities caused by hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. The Government-commissioned report, released on 17 December, says that over 18,000m3 of wastewater could be produced by each well, placing "a substantial burden on existing wastewater treatment infrastructure capacity." Fracking involves pumping water, sand and chemicals into rocks at high pressure to extract gas. Significant quantities of heavily-contaminated industrial wastewaters need to be processed by specialist technologies prior to reuse or disposal. The fracking water treatment industry is a fast-growing sector and a report from technology advisory firm, Lux Research, in 2012, said the US market alone would grow by 28% annually, taking it to £5.5Bn by 2020. New technologies to treat fracking wastewater are under development, mainly by the oil and gas industry. Amec says co-operation with water companies and local planning authorities could address the problem of treatment capacity in the UK. However, in November 2013, utility trade body Water UK said fracking may be impractical in parts of the UK due to regional water supply scarcities. "The quantities of water needed vary by site and throughout the gas exploration and production process, but the demand could have an impact on local water resources," the trade body said. "This demand may be met from a number of sources, including the public water supply, direct abstraction, water transported by tanker from other areas, or recycling and reuse of treated flowback or produced water." It added: "However, where water is in short supply there may not be enough available from public water supplies or the environment to meet the requirements for hydraulic fracturing." Amec estimates 14 to 51 truck journeys for water and wastewater in and out of each site, which "could have an adverse impact on traffic congestion, noise or air quality." The Government-commissioned report said as many as 2,880 wells could be drilled, generating up to WICS competition head joins Ofwat The former head of competition at the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) has joined the regulator for England and Wales, Ofwat. Richard Khaldi spent six years at WICS, where he was head of competition, overseeing the regulation and management of the Scottish non-household retail market – the first competitive water market in the world. The opening up of the market in England is a much more complex undertaking as there are numerous wholesalers in the market. The lack of transparency and variability of data across the industry is viewed by some as a barrier to new entrants when competition opens up in 2017. Water & Wastewater Treatment January 2014 Khaldi takes up the post of senior director - customers & casework this month. Three further appointments complete Ofwat's leadership team. Claire Forbes and Bev Messinger have already started as director of corporate communications and senior director of operations, respectively, while Christine Farnish has been appointed as a nonexecutive director to Ofwat's board. Jonson Cox, Ofwat's chairman said, "Customers, the industry and investors have told us that they rely on a strong, independent and robust regulator. All these appointments, executive and non-executive, together with those earlier in the year, play a vital role in rebuilding Ofwat's capability." Protests took place against fracking exploration in Balcolmbe, West Sussex, last August. a fifth of the country's annual gas demand and a significant number of jobs. New exploration rights are to be offered to fracking firms in summer 2014 and fracking could take place in counties across Great Britain. Some 95,000km2 or 60% are being opened up for exploration rights. Environmental campaigners have objected to the plans. Greenpeace's Anna Jones said, "There's no public mandate for this industrialisation of the English countryside and for digging up new forms of fossil fuels. Real energy security in the UK can only be achieved through clean renewable sources and energy efficiency." Defra invites views on abstraction reform The Government launched a consultation on reforms to its abstraction licence system on 17 December and is inviting the views of any interested parties. The reform is needed and widely supported because of the growing pressures on water resources, and the introduction of a more efficient and resilient water abstraction system will protect the environment in the longterm. An Abstraction Reform Advisory Group has been brought together to help develop the proposals. The consultation closes on 28 March 2014 and can be accessed at https://consult.defra.gov.uk/water/ abstraction-reform/. wwtonline.co.uk

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