Water & Wastewater Treatment

12 | NOVEMBER 2015 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk To take away 1. The Scottish Government wants to position the country as a 'Hydro Nation', with an innovative water sector leading the way internationally, contributing to economic growth 2. Scotland's environmental regulator SEPA sees itself as a constructive partner in this strategy and wants a more balanced approach to risk in the sector 3. Scotland's response to the Water Framework Directive will see it step up catchment management initiatives for priority chemicals, with extra treatment a last resort 4. Scottish Water is pursuing integrated supply chain management, sharing risk and opportunities with the supply chain via longer-term contracts 5. It is also working with local councils and developers to implement a more integrated and consistent approach to sustainable drainage Events Innovation key for Scotland's 'Hydro Nation' vision C ustomer service and innovation in water technology will be two central planks of Scotland's future as a 'Hydro Nation', WWT's Water Scot- land conference heard. Addressing the conference in Glasgow, Douglas Millican, Scottish Water's chief executive, said that Scottish Water has customer satisfaction scores of over 90% and that it was the most trusted UK utility; but this still le‡ room for improvement and the company was now applying different standards to its customer service. "Which of our customers, apart perhaps from large businesses, actually compare our service with other water companies?," asked Millican. "Customer expectations are determined by the standards of companies in other sectors that they do business with. That's why we've set a goal to match the performance not of other water companies, but of leading customer service organisations across the country." Sustaining performance while cutting cost entails 'doing more with less' and improving understanding and management of risk, he added. Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, told the conference that public appreciation for its water, together with technical innovation, were both crucial for the Scottish Government's vision of Scotland as a 'Hydro Nation'. "Being a Hydro Nation means recognising the importance and value of our water resources, managing the water environment to best advantage and developing and promoting more efficient use of resources. It means being a nation which uses its knowledge and expertise to contribute to a flourishing low-carbon economy." The Hydro Nation Innovation Service, set up by the Scottish Government, is supporting this vision by allowing innovators access to Scottish Water testing facilities and accelerating the progress of new technologies to market. Terry A'Hearn, chief executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said that regulators could play their part in the vision by adopting a less risk averse, partnership-based approach. He pointed out that SEPA has a specific mandate not just to protect the environment, but to do so in a way that facilitates economic growth. "As a regulator how do you support innovation? You need to break down something that is in the DNA of any regulator, which is to avoid risk. It's a question of balance. We can take some regulatory risks in a way that supports innovation," said A'Hearn. THE SPEAKERS "The example of Volkswagen is a timely reminder that it takes years to develop customer trust but it can be destroyed in a few moments." Douglas Millican CEO Scottish Water WWT Water Industry Technology Innovation conference, Dec 1, Birmingham. Details: wwt-innovation.net NEXT EVENT "What would Steve Jobs do if he was running SEPA? We need to find the equivalent of the iPad for 21st century environmental work." Terry A'Hearn Chief Executive Scottish Environmental Protection Agency "Scottish Water doesn't want to go down the route of end-of-pipe solutions for all the chemicals [in CIP2] unless there really is no alternative." Bess Homer Strategic Planner Scottish Water "Being a Hydro Nation means recognising the importance and value of our water resources, and managing the water environment to best advantage." Keith Brown MSP Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure James Brockett reports from Glasgow

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