WET News

4 WET NEWS APRIL 2014 Dredging finally begins in Somerset Levels • After the floods, the Environment Agency has finally been able to start dredging rivers in the South-west D redging of one of the major rivers in the Som- erset Moors and Levels began last month as initial work took place on a 200m stretch of the River Parrett, ahead of dredging of an 8km section of river near where the Tone and Parrett meet at Bur- rowbridge. The preliminary work is on a key part of the river that has been specifically identified for dredging and where significant amounts of silt have built up. Dredging forms part of the Somerset Levels and Moors Flood Action Plan, commis- sioned by environment secre- tary Owen Paterson, and has been made possible by addi- tional government funding announced earlier this year. The start of dredging fol- lows on from months of extreme weather which saw the country's largest-ever pumping operation on the Somerset Lev- els and Moors. Twenty-five temporary pumps, brought in by the EA to supplement the existing 40 pumps, worked to pump mil- lions of tonnes of water off the Levels every day, meaning that residents were able to return to their homes as early as possi- ble. Flood waters have now subsided meaning it is safe to start dredging. Dr Paul Leinster, EA chief executive, said: "This is an important milestone in the work to reduce the risk of flood- ing to people, property and land in Somerset and we wel- come the additional money from government that has allowed us to undertake this further dredging. 'We are committed to dredg- ing as part of the joint action plan which includes other measures such as supporting farmers and making some tem- porary flood risk management measures permanent. We will continue to work closely with Defra, Somerset County Council and other part- ners to reduce the impact of future floods." John Osman, leader of Som- erset County Council, said: "We have contributed a signifi- cant amount of money to the pot for dredging and so we are extremely pleased to see the first dredging activity taking place. It is vital that our flood- hit communities know this activity is taking place to give them some reassurance, but dredging is only part of the solution. The Somerset Moors and Levels Flood Action Plan is key to reducing the risk of flooding in the future and we will work hard to win the fund- ing necessary to deliver it." "This is an important milestone in the work to reduce the risk of flooding to people, property and land in Somerset and we welcome the additional money from government that has allowed us to undertake this further dredging" Dr Paul Leinster, chief executive, EA CONTRACT WINS • Contractor brings partners together in a bid to establish BS 11000 relationships, as well as look at areas for development this year Costain workshop puts BIM high on the agenda Pump Hire Specialists Stockists of Flygt Submersible pumps, mixers & related intelligent control systems FREE SHIPPING on all orders* 24hr HELPLINE 01246 201111 WORLD-LEADING Quality & Design sales@marispumps.com www.marispumps.com 01246 201111 Flygt 2000 Series Submersible Pump Range Flygt 3000 Series Submersible Pump Range Flygt Ready Submersible Drainage Pumps *Terms & Conditions Apply C ostain has made a signifi- cant move to improve fur- ther its design management capability, with 13 companies having attended a design man- agement workshop. During the workshop, Costain and its supply chain partners voted anonymously on which three key areas they believed to be of highest importance for improvement in 2014. The sub- jects agreed were risk mitigation, Building Information Modeling (BIM) implementation and shar- ing best practices. Costain said working parties have been set up to make improvements in these areas. The Designer Partners for Pro- gress (PfP) was chaired by Cos- tain's Dan Rennison, head of design management. Rennison said: "The purpose of the meet- ing was to improve engagement with key design partners, look at areas for development in 2014 and to move those companies in attendance towards BS 11000 relationships with Costain." He said: "It was encouraging to see so many of our strategic design supply chain companies in attendance with a real desire for open collaborative dialogue to some of the issues in the industry at present. The working parties for risk mitigation, BIM imple- mentation and sharing best prac- tice will see further improvement between our companies and will ultimately deliver a better service to our customers." Patrick Bruce, group commer- cial director, said the workshops are an important aspect in improving relationships with design partners. YOU WHAT An excellent idea by Costain to create this Designer Partners for Progress workshop to look at areas that can be improved. It's great that the working group settled on the three key areas that they believe are of the highest importance, although why this was done anonymously is a mystery. No doubt, these three issues are same no matter which company is involved. The best thing about this group, though, is that another avenue of collaboration has been created that will benefit the whole of Costain's supply chain. News+ REALITY CHECK • The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee said, in its Managing Flood Risk report last summer, that effective dredging of watercourses must be a priority • Every £1 spent on flood defences to protect communities creates economic benefits worth £8 • Issues like river dredging and flood defence maintenance spending are now the concern of householders, farmers and businesses across the UK YOU WHAT The jury is out over whether the dredging of rivers and watercourses will prevent widespread flooding in the future. The government and Environment Agency have been heavily criticised for not maintaining and dredging watercourses. That criticism may be justified but there does not seem to be any evidence that dredging is the answer. In fact, CIWEM believes dredging could make flooding worse, saying slowing down the rate that landscapes drain water is a more practical approach. It seems investment into the pros and cons of dredging is needed. River levels had to drop before dredging could start following the extreme storms earlier this year • Built asset consultancy EC Harris has been appointed by Welsh Water to provide cost and management services to aid the utility in achiev- ing efficient delivery and quality service for its customers. Welsh Water appointed EC Harris on its AMP5 framework three years ago following a tender process with five other bidders. • Biwater has secured a contract in Constantine, in North-eastern Algeria, that will provide the province with a wastewa- ter treatment plant serving more than 100,000 residents in the 'City of Bridges'. In Constantine, Biwater will commence works in July on the new wastewater treatment plant. • Veolia has won a contract with Formosa Petrochemical Corpora- tion (FPCC). The contract, worth nearly £12.5M, is to upgrade the water treatment plant of the Mai Liao petrochemical complex (south-west coast of Taiwan). GOOD MONTH BAD MONTH Ofwat confirmed South West Water and Affinity Water are awarded 'enhanced' status in the PR14 Price Review. Their price determinations will now be fast-tracked, Dredging of one of the major rivers in the Somer- set Moors and Levels is finally underway. Initial work on a 200m stretch of the River Parrett has started near where the Tone and Parrett meet. The 16 water utilities who failed to get 'enhanced' status in the PR14 Price Review. Ofwat said these companies will have to submit new or improved evidence as part of their business plans. Interserve's £250M acquisition of Rentokil's Initial Facilities is being probed by the Competi- tion and Markets Authority (CMA).

• Cover