WET News

Wet NeWs WATER AND EFFLUENT TREATMENT NEWS News+ Engineering job vacancies are on the increase but a stalemate is emerging as recruits hold out for contractor roles. P7 Onsite: Sampling & monitoring While CIP1 identified how effective treatment methods are at removing certain chemicals from wastewater, CIP2 quantifies how many are discharged. P12-13 Insight: Sludge treatment & disposal Effective grit removal is often overlooked but without it process inefficiencies and increased electricity costs can occur. P14-15 • • 'Boom and bust' cycle causes heavy recruitment, training and redundancy cost burden. is "under increasing pressure" from other industries in terms of the skills shortage. "That skills shortage is not just at design and engineering level, it's on the ground. It's about operatives in the field." The 'boom and bust' tradi- tion associated with the five- yearly regulatory cycle contin- ues to plague the industry with Hopkinson saying that the first year of AMP6 has been "one of the worst" that the water indus- try's supply chain has faced since privatisation. "In terms of the amount of work that has come their way [contractors, suppliers, manufacturers] it appears that we have fallen into the same old trap that we have not got schemes designed and planned." Hopkinson said: "This is absolutely a big issue that we need to face over the next few years. The only way we're going A round £4Bn 'has been wasted' in recruitment, training and redundan- cies as a result of the negative impact of the water industry's AMP cycle, according to Lee Horrocks, business unit director at Mouchel. Speaking at our Water Industry Supplier conference in Birmingham last month, Hor- rocks told delegates that the £4Bn spend, spread over AMP1 to AMP5, was because of work flow. "That can't be good for our sector." He added that of the people who have le" the water industry, 40% "will never come back", choosing to work in another industry instead. "Our industry drives a cycle that drives people out of it." Future Water Association (FWA) chairman Martyn Hop- kinson told the conference, sponsored by Marsh Industries and Danfoss, that the industry Billions of pounds 'wasted' over AMP work flows Enter the water industry 'Oscars' DECEmbEr 2015 Volume 21 • Issue 12 Pump Hire, Sales & Service Selwood has been manufacturing, hiring and selling pumps for over 60 years. Please call for expert advice on all pumping applications. Models From 50mm To 300mm Selprime Auto Self-Priming Super Silent From 58db(A) Hydraulic Submersibles Electric Submersibles 24/7 Callout Branches Nationwide 08450 733835 www.selwood.co.uk Pump Hire, Sales & Service Selwood has been manufacturing, hiring and selling pumps for over 60 years. Please call for expert advice on all pumping applications. Lanes takes over UKDN Waterflow T he Water Industry Achievement Awards campaign is well underway with the closing date for entries being January 15, 2016. Organised by WET News and Water & Wastewater Treatment, the awards celebrate and reward forward thinking and best practice in the water industry. The winners will be announced at a glittering extravaganza at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on May 17, 2016! Details of the awards are available online at wwtonline. co.uk/awards or by emailing wiaa@fav-house.com. Seven companies have already signed up and are sponsoring categories. Making a welcome return are NM Group, sponsoring Most Innovative New Technology of the Year; the CPSA, sponsoring Sustainable Drainage & Flood Management Initiative of the Year; Asset International, sponsoring Carbon Reduction Initiative of the Year; TES and Saint-Gobain PAM, co-sponsoring People Initiative of the Year; Selwood, sponsoring Health & Safety Initiative of the Year; and Teekay Couplings, co-sponsoring Engineer of the Year. to face that and come up with an answer, because there isn't a silver bullet, is for us to sit down and discuss in open forum with all stakeholders to address the situation." He also questioned whether the transition investment that the water companies were allowed to bring forward into the final year of AMP5 had materialised. However, Matthew Crabtree, programme director at Costain, said there had been a lot of design and engineering work happening in the run-up to AMP6 within the water compa- nies. However, he said a prob- lem was caused when they received the final determina- tions "and saw their efficiency challenges. That prompted a "new commercial conversation that has gone on for far too long". Full report next month T he business and certain assets of wastewater and drainage services provid- ers UKDN Waterflow and UKDN Waterflow Technical Services have been bought by Lanes Utilities for an undisclosed figure. The two UKDN businesses were in administra- tion, with Deloitte appointed administrator. Lanes Utilities said the businesses complement the existing service provisions of its parent company, Lanes Group, within the highways, rail, utility, insurance and commercial sectors. Wayne Earnshaw, managing director of Lanes Group, said: "The acquisition of these businesses is part of our continuing expansion strategy. It will contribute to our business growth, in terms of our ability to serve current customers, and attract new ones." The acquisition reinforces Lanes Group's position as a leading service provider in the UK within the wastewater and drainage market sector, enhancing the company's future growth and performance, strengthening the assets available, and providing even greater geographic presence. "…I have had a passionate interest in the industry for many years" Jonson Cox, Ofwat p2 "It seemed a very simple engineering solution – albeit it needs a big footprint..." Dermott McCurdy, NI Water p8 "This is abso- lutely a big issue that we need to face over the next few years. The only way we're going to face that is for us to sit down and discuss it in open forum with all stake- holders" Martyn Hopkinson, FWA

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