WET News

4 WET NEWS JUNE 2017 News+ Southern Water announces large bathing water investment • Utility identifies the 'Magnificent Seven' bathing waters that will benefit from multimillion-pound funding to improve water quality. S outhern Water has announced the seven beaches where it will be working alongside local authorities and others to improve water quality in its major £31.5M Bathing Water Enhancement Programme. The seven beaches are Shanklin in the Isle of Wight, Selsey, Middleton-on-Sea and Worthing in Sussex, and Deal Castle, Leysdown and Minster Leas in Kent. These seven will benefit from a multimillion-pound invest- ment to bring their bathing water quality up to 'excellent' standard. The decision follows a year of detailed investigations by a team of experts, including coastal sampling, microbial (DNA) source tracing and CCTV surveys. Southern Water's Paul Kent, who is overseeing the Bathing Water Enhancement Pro- gramme, said: "We're immensely proud of this groundbreaking project. Our customers asked us to help boost more bathing waters in the region up to 'excellent' standard and, with the support of local authorities and others, that's exactly what we're doing. "Alongside the 'Magnificent Seven', we've also earmarked some additional funding at a further six bathing waters which have a chance of achieving 'excellent', if the relevant local authorities are also willing to pursue improvements. We're producing and publishing detailed Action Plans for all 21 bathing waters – at the remaining eight these will give a detailed report of what could be done to improve water quality. "We're thrilled to be playing such an active part in protecting and enhancing our region's bathing waters." Southern Water's region includes more than 700 miles of coastline, representing the lifeblood of many communities through tourism, business or leisure. The company has invested millions of pounds in recent years to reduce the impact of its wastewater network on bathing water quality; however, bathing water is also affected by a range of other sources of pollution such as contaminated rainwater CONTRACT WINS • Wessex Water has selected MWH, now part of Stantec, to provide technical consultancy to support its AMP6 investment programme. The framework will provide support to Wessex Water's in- house design team. • Sapphire Utility Solutions has been awarded a framework contract by Cumbria County Council for the clearing, inspection and mapping of drains and gullies. • Lagan Construction has signed a €3.7m contract which will provide a secure supply of water to the people of Greencastle, Inishowen. Laganwater, part of Lagan Construction, will be responsible for the project's mechanical and electrical installa- tion. running off roads and agricultural land, waste- water from privately-owned treatment works, boats and animals on the beach such as dogs and seabirds. Of the 14 bathing waters not selected, the work has identified a further six which could achieve 'excellent' standard if some additional activities are carried out by local authorities. Southern Water will be working closely with the relevant local authorities and, where feasible, will seed-fund improvements Need to know Southern Water has invested millions of pounds to reduce the impact of its wastewater network on bathing water quality Bathing water is also affected by a range of other pollution sources such as contaminated rainwater Eight other bathing waters will receive a detailed report of what could be done to improve water quality Southern Water's region includes more than 700 miles of coastline Worthing features among Southern Water's 'Magnificent Seven' bathing waters "Alongside the 'Magnificent Sev- en', we've also earmarked some additional funding at a further six bathing waters which have a chance of achiev- ing 'excellent'..." Paul Kent, Southern Water through the Bathing Water Enhancement Programme. The remaining eight bathing waters will receive a pack with the completed detailed investi- gations into the sources and pathways of pollution – so local authorities and other key agencies can understand the root causes preventing excellent bathing water quality and how they can help address these issues. Good monthT- Bad month For UK software company SEAMS which, in partnership with consultancy AECOM, won a major award for its asset management work with a water company in Australia. For eels in Walton on Thames, where Thames Water has installed new eel screens to protect an endangered species. The £6.5M screens help the eels and elvers avoid being drawn in to Walton's reservoirs from the Thames during the water abstraction process. For Italy, which has received a final warning from the EC for failing to ensure that all areas with more than 2,000 inhabitants have adequate urban wastewater collection and treatment systems. Consortium calls for a 'water neutral' PR19 • Blueprint for Water wants companies to 'significantly scale up' their demand management programmes to increase resilience W ater companies must make sure they do not increase in the amount of water abstracted from rivers and groundwater, despite increases in population and climate change, a consortium of environmental and water efficiency groups has insisted. Blueprint for Water – a coalition of environmental, water efficiency, fisheries and angling organisations – has published a report outlining its priorities for the upcoming price review PR19. In the publication, the group said it wants to see a "water neutral" PR19, in which companies "significantly scale up" their demand management programmes to increase resilience. This includes ambitious water efficiency measures – through both offering and fitting products and behaviour change engagement – increasing overall metering of households as well as the proportion of smart meters, and reducing leakage. Companies, the coalition argued, must also increase the availability, promotion and take-up of social tariffs and efficiency retrofit to protect vulnerable customers and all those struggling to afford their bills, combining these with water efficiency measures to help manage bills down. Companies develop plans to incentivise customers and communities to reduce consumption during dry periods and in catchments most at risk from abstraction, setting out specific and ambitious pro- grammes to manage demand during periods of peak use. Over the next 18 months, water companies in England and Wales will be drawing up their business plans for 2020 to 2025, as part of PR19. The Blueprint for Water said it believes that nature should be at the heart of these plans. Its four priorities for PR19 are: protect and restore catchments from source to sea; stop pollution; use water wisely and price water fairly; and keep rivers flowing and wetlands wet. The group has been engaging with the government, regulators and water companies, as well as its members and supporters, to develop its 'Blueprint for PR19'. "We urge water companies to adopt our Blueprint for PR19 environmental manifesto. We are confident that customers will support the programme we set out, based on effective company research to date. As Blueprint, we will play our part, continuing to work with the water industry to develop and successfully implement its plans," it said.

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