WET News

6 WET NEWS MARCH 2018 | wwtonline.co.uk NEWS+ United Utilities recruits sniffer dog in war on leaks in UK first • UU brings in UK's first sniffer dog to be specially trained in finding leaking water mains U nited Utilities has recruited a sniffer dog to find leak- ing water mains. The dog, named Snipe, has been trained to help pinpoint problem pipes in rural areas where the water does not always show on the surface. The 16-month old cocker span- iel was a stray rescued in Ireland before he was headhunted to begin his training for the North West water company. He has been going through a rigorous training programme to help him become the first dog in the UK to assist in finding leaks, learning how to recognise the tiniest traces of chlorine used to disinfect water supplies. Next he will learn how to put this into practice in a live environment, working with the leakage detec- tion teams at the water company. Tap water contains one part chlorine per million parts water, with the dog's nose capable of detecting scents at one part per billion. Hannah Wardle, Leakage Man- ager at United Utilities, said: "Tackling leakage is a real prior- ity for us and we're always look- ing for new and innovative ways to do the job more effectively. "The North West of England is a notoriously wet region, and sorting the leaks from the pud- dles especially out in the fields can be real challenge. This is where we hope Snipe will really come into his own, as his sensitive nose can detect mains water at incredibly low concentrations. "With leakage detection it's all about building up the evidence using a range of different tech- nologies. We're trialling the use of CONTRACT WINS A planned new wastewater treatment plant for Gibraltar has moved a step closer after the government of the territory awarded an Advanced Works Contract to the joint venture between Northumbrian Water and Modern Water Services Ltd, which covers the design and survey work required for final planning and environmental approvals as well as preliminary site works. Bedford Pumps Ltd has landed two key contracts for Thames Water at Hampton and Kempton Water Treatment Works. Global service provider Servest has won a three- year contract to support Scottish Canals, the public corporation of the Scottish Government responsible for managing the country's inland waterways. able asset to the team." Snipe is being trained by North West-based Ross Stephenson and Luke Jones, both ex-military dog trainers. "Using dogs to search for drugs and explosives is well known, but Good monthT- Bad month For Southern Water, after Bewl Water reservoir refilled following winter rain, meaning it does not need to use an emergency drought permit granted by the Environment Agency last month. The reservoir, which is on the boundary between Kent and East Sussex, has staged an astonishing recovery thanks to weeks of rain. For Irish Water, which was forced to issue a "do not drink" and "do not wash" notice to customers in Kilcloon and surrounding areas in County Meath due to elevated chlorine levels. The company was first notified of water quality issues on Monday 8 February and lifted the notice on the Thursday, having identified a "mechanical issue". Welsh Water uses ice pigging for mains cleaning programme • SUEZ technology used to remove sediment and build-up deposits D wr Cymru Welsh Water is using ice pigging to clean pipes while minimising disruption to customers. Ice pigging is a pipeline-clean- ing solution from SUEZ that involves isolating a section of main and passing a thick ice slurry through the pipework from a tanker via a hydrant, with the ice forced by pressure to remove sediment and built-up deposits to leave the pipe clear. The programme of works, being carried out with Morrison there are a host of other applica- tions that we are only just start- ing to explore," Stephenson said. "We're really excited by the pro- gress Snipe is making and we hope that soon water leak sniffer dogs will be a common sight." date. A further 250km is planned for delivery by the end of the financial year. Ball said: "With the challenges of delivering a cost-effective solu- tion for our client in line with their regulatory obligations, ice pigging has proven to be an ideal mains cleansing technique. "A typical ice pigging run takes less than an hour to complete, meaning the impact on the key measure of 'customer minutes lost' is minimal. This, along with less holes being dug outside cus- tomers' properties, has ensured the projects have been success- fully delivered with reduced disruption." The bulk of the work under- taken during the nine-month mains cleaning programme has been at night to further reduce the impact on customers. The MUS team has been involved at every stage in the pro- cess, from scoping and designing the schemes through to the instal- lation of the enabling works and the implementation of the ice pig- ging programme itself. A further 400km of ice pigging has been planned for year four of the AMP period. satellites and drones to get a bird's eye view of a particular area, but the devil is in the detail, and pinpointing the exact place to start digging is more difficult than you might think. "Snipe is going to be an invalu- Utility Services (MUS), covers Denbighshire, Anglesey and Flintshire in North Wales and Carmarthenshire and Hereford- shire in South Wales and will ensure that Welsh Water is able to maintain a safe and reliable sup- ply of water direct to its custom- ers' taps. Headed up by Clean Water Contract Manager Dave Ball, sup- ported by a team of project man- agers, the programme of works has involved the cleaning of 135km of potable water mains to

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