WET News

Wet NeWs WATER AND EFFLUENT TREATMENT NEWS News+ Welsh Water showcases innovation projects, including virtual site visits. P7 Onsite: Refurbishment The inlet upgrade at Scottish Water's Meadowhead treatment works proved a challenge from the start. Find out why, P12-13 Insight: IT & telemetry Can hydraulic modelling overcome an ageing water distribution network's outages and pressure fluctuations? P16-18 • • Thames Water joins forces with business, industry, academic and environment organisations to set out a vision for UK infrastructure assets and services. public acceptability and envi- ronmental obligations. The coalition's vision is for the UK to invest efficiently, affordably and sustainably in the provision of infrastructure assets and services to drive the economic growth necessary to enhance the UK's position in the global economy, support a high quality of life and shi• towards a low carbon future. This will be achieved through innovation, resilience, investment in low- carbon infrastructure, and demand management A report will be published in the autumn, setting out a vision for UK infrastructure up to 2050 and a series of interventions government and industry will need to make to realise the vision. In addition to Thames Water, the coalition includes ICE, CBI, KPMG, Pinsent Masons, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Graham A coalition, comprising a number of organisations including Thames Water, has called for evidence to inform an independent assess- ment of the UK's future infra- structure needs and how they could be met. The coalition is carrying out the National Needs Assessment (NNA), the findings of which will inform the work of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC). The needs assessment will be based on evidence gathered during the nationwide consulta- tion, evidence hearings, research being undertaken by the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC), and a vast pool of data and analysis. It will take into account factors such as climate change, population growth and technological "game changers". It will also review different options for meeting the UK's needs, considering affordability, Coalition calls for ture infrastructure evidence Arcadis warns of profit shortfall FEBRUARY 2016 Volume 22 • Issue 2 Second Canadian win for SWI A slowdown in North America and emerging markets have been blamed by Arcadis for it issuing a profit warning. The Dutch group is now expecting its operating profit for the whole of last year to be 10% higher than for 2014 – not the 20% it had previously outlined. Arcadis, a global design and consultancy group for natural and built assets, said that in the last quarter of 2015 market conditions in North America and in emerging markets further deteriorated, resulting in lower revenues and order intake. This had required additional restructuring measures amounting to €5M. The group, whose UK acquisitions include EC Harris and Hyder Consulting, added that the planned divestment of its non-core energy assets in Brazil "could not yet be realised and continues to be actively pursued". Dalton (former Highways Agency CEO), National Grid, London First, Green Alliance, Transport for Greater Man- chester, and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry. The coalition is being chaired ICE president and NIC commissioner Sir John Armitt, who said: "Effective infrastructure drives growth, supports job creation and creates thriving, sustainable societies. But infrastructure is expensive, can be disruptive during construction, and requires fine political judgement so resources are best used to meet the country's needs. "The National Infrastructure Commission has been established to provide dis- passionate analysis on these long term needs, and act as a catalyst for reaching consensus so vital projects are built. The recommendations it makes S cottish Water Inter- national (SWI) has started a second major assign- ment in Calgary, Canada, carrying out a service review of the city's Water Resources business unit. The latest project is expected to run until July, and follows a similar 12-month review of the Calgary water business's operations and maintenance functions, in which the Scottish Water team identified annual efficiency benefits of up to CA$5M (£2.5M). Nigel Ayton, managing director of SWI, said: "This new assignment in Calgary is welcome recognition of Scottish Water's experience of transforming the delivery of water services in Scotland. It demonstrates the continued demand for Scottish Water to export its expertise through services which help international clients raise standards and reduce costs." SWI, established in 2012 to develop business opportunities abroad, achieved exports of more than £2M in its last financial year. "…it is essential that we prepare for higher water demand over the next two decades " Dave Wardle, ICE, p4 must therefore be robust, evidence based and help policy- makers with the o•en difficult and controversial decisions they have to take." Sir John said the coalition had united to provide the NIC with an independent view on infrastructure, which it can feed into its work. "We all share a common goal – the development of a long-term infrastructure strategy which drives the economic growth necessary to enhance the UK's position in the global economy, support a high quality of life and enable a shi• to a low carbon future. "Our independent, evidence based needs assessment will result in a shared vision to 2050 and set out options for delivering the vision. We will harness the coalition's broad expertise and importantly, open the infrastructure debate up to all with a stake through our wide consultation." "The challenge is making sure we get the right solutions…" Bryan Harvey, CH2M, p8-9 SELWOOD Plant & Pump Hire & Sales Selwood is celebrating 70 years of business and we would like to thank the huge number of people who have contributed to our success over the years. Today we are proud to deliver the highest quality pump and plant, hire and sales service in the UK and around the world. S e l w o o d P u m p & P l an t H i r e & S a l e s 1 9 4 6 - 2 0 1 6 023 8026 6311 www.selwood.co.uk

• Cover