WET News

2 WET NEWS JUNE 2017 COMMENT "Resilience may be the word but ignore innovation at your peril" JUNE £85M A joint venture between Farrans Construction and Roadbridge has been awarded the £85M deal to carry out United Utilities' Thirlmere Link Mains programme. "His wealth of knowledge and expertise within the water sector will help drive totex solutions and further efficiencies for customers " Nomenca MD Andy Langman on Gavin Stonard's appointment as engineering director. Portsmouth Water has reduced operating pro‰ t for the year ending March 31, 2017, from £7.6M in 2016 to £5.6M. Turnover was up at £40.3M, compared with £39.8M for the same period in 2016 During the year, it invested £4.2M to replace 21km of pipes to improve the long-term reliability of its network, and completed a UV treatment plant at its Eastergate and Westergate water treatment works. £5.6M £4.2M 6K Aquam's online training initiative designed to reduce human error in the way hydrants, valves and pumps are operated has now certi‰ ed 6,000-plus water network operators. £100M How much the infrastructture deal was that the Kier and Interserve JV had been working on for Severn Trent "As a company, we are guardians of the networks and assets, but every one of us uses the service" NI Water chief exexcutive Sara Venning responding to analysis by the University of Ulster that the company will have benefitted the community by £2.5bn in the six years to 2021. "In the type of high- urgency situations in which ‰ re‰ ghters work there can often be a need to take action quickly" Northumbrian Water on working with fi re and rescue services to help them better understand how they can reduce inadvertently causing a mains burst. 3.2km Irish Water is seeking planning permission from Fingal County Council to upgrade the existing sewer network for Blanchardstown, serving surrounding catchment areas including Kildare, Castleknock and Ashbourne. The scheme includes 3.2km of new sewer pipelines. 'Resilience' is the word but don't ignore innovation M ove over innovation, there's a new word in town – resilience. It's de• nitely word of the month as resilience is set to take centre stage in the next price review, PR19. And it's great to hear that the industry is not just talking about resilience to climate change but the impact that extreme events can have on networks and, ultimately, the customer. Floods and droughts have major e„ ects on communities so the more resilience that can be brought in to overcome these issues so much the better. This means predictive management will become increasingly important. If we all had a crystal ball, there wouldn't be an issue. But we don't which means water industry contractors and the supply chain will need to be innovators if the UK and beyond is to have water and wastewater infrastructures that can stand up to the challenges presented by climate change Resilience may be the word, but ignore innovation at your peril. When walking away is the right thing to do So Severn Trent Water and the joint venture between Interserve and Kier have parted company. The JV had been working on a £100M infrastructure deal as part of Severn Trent's £300M Birmingham Resilience project. However, if reports are right there was a spat over budget. Did the joint venture feel the work couldn't be done within the budget set and without taking a • nancial hit? We will probably never know but if this was the case then walking away was most probably the brave and right thing to do. Cleaning up by accident A type of bacteria accidentally discovered during research supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) could fundamentally re-shape e„ orts to cut the huge amount of electricity consumed during wastewater clean-up, scientists have revealed. The research found that the microorganisms – 'comammox' (complete ammonia oxidising) bacteria – can completely turn ammonia into nitrates. It maybe an accidental • nd but this could prove to be a real money-saver for the industry. IN A NUTSHELL T he water industry must consider natural, social and human capital in addition to • nancial capital in its business planning if it is to successfully address the myriad of challenges it faces over the coming years, according to global infrastructure services • rm AECOM. The group said that natural, human and social capital are not typically included in business planning, but incorporating them into decision-making now could help shape a more • nancially secure water industry in the future. It said identifying and valuing these additional forms of capital could transform the basis on which billions of pounds worth of investment decisions are made. AECOM's environmental economists and asset managers are working with companies in the water sector to develop ground-breaking methodolo- œ Group warns that not factoring additional capitals into invest- ment choices now could have impact on business resilience. AECOM: Water sector must not overlook natural, social and human capital gies for evaluating potential in- vestments in managing assets, such as reservoirs, treatment works and sewers, using an ex- tended range of metrics that in- clude natural, social and hu- man factors. Adrian Rees, director of asset management at AECOM, said: "While there is growing recognition of the need to include natural capital in expenditure planning, very few organisations in the water sector are yet to fully take account of their investment programmes' social and human impacts and look at how these capitals can be applied when managing assets. Given the signi• cant challenges faced by the industry, not factoring these additional capitals into investment choices now could have a major impact on business resilience in the longer term. "Water companies are planning for 25 years or more in advance so the investment decisions they make now must be resilient to any changes they might expect in the future. The sector has the opportunity to lead the way in the assessment of natural, social and human capital, not just for the water industry, but for company planning and reporting across all sectors." AECOM said thinking beyond • nancial considerations to measure and value natural, human and social capital requires • rms to take a long- term approach to investment planning. While installing a new sewer, for example, may bring immediate ¤ ood prevention bene• ts, intro- ducing sustainable drainage systems as an alternative could also provide habitat for biodiversity, improve local air and water quality and create green spaces that encourage local com-munities to exercise and interact. www.teekaycouplings.com tel: +44 (0)1494 679500

• Cover