WET News

News: Tunnelling team hand-digs 20-metre stretch of Edinburgh sewer. P4 Expert View: Trant on the C-TECH process for phosphorus removal. P10 Onsite: Welsh Water's award-winning sustainable urban drainage projects. P12 WET NEWS WATER AND EFFLUENT TREATMENT NEWS Infrastructure commission calls for national water supply network JUNE 2018 Volume 24 • Issue 6 Government wants to wipe out wet wipes MPs hold inquiry into regulation of water industry E ngland ought to have a joined-up 'national water network' to protect against drought, while new reservoirs and desalination plants will be needed as well as greater water e ciency e orts, according to a new report. The report, 'Preparing for a drier future: England's water infrastructure needs', was pub- lished by the National Infrastruc- ture Commission, the body set up to make recommendations to government about the country's long-term infrastructure needs. It warned that England's homes and businesses could face having supplies cut o in times of severe drought if the water industry does not improve infra- structure and water e ciency. Commission chairman Sir John Armitt called for a twin-track approach of improving infrastruc- ture and reducing leakage as well as encouraging households and b u s i n e s s e s t o r e d u c e t h e i r demand. The report argued that such a joint approach needs to become a reality to ensure the network is „ t to meet future pres- sures from climate change and an increasing population. To ensure England has a water supply network that can with- stand ever-greater pressures, the report makes clear the need for a new national water network to transfer water from areas of sur- plus to those that need it. In addition, there is also the need to develop further infrastructure, such as new reservoirs or desali- nation plants. While leakage can never be fully eliminated, the report calls on ministers to set the industry a target to halve the amount of water lost through leaks by 2050. It adds that, to help make the UK's network better able to meet future pressures, water compa- nies should have the option to apply for compulsory metering, so homes and businesses in their area can better monitor how much they consume. National Infrastructure Com- mission chairman Sir John Armitt said: "We take for granted that we will always have a reliable water supply, but despite our reputation for rain, the country risks water shortages. Climate change, an increasing population – particularly in the drier south and east of England – and the need to protect the environment bring further challenges. "We want the government to deliver a twin-track approach to ensure plans are in place to create additional infrastructure, includ- ing a national water network and a s i g n i f i c a n t r e d u c t i o n i n D efra has confirmed it is aiming to eliminate wet wipes as part of its 25-year p l a n f o r t h e e nv i r o n m e n t , although it indicated that it is not currently planning to imple- ment a ban. The government's 25-year environment plan vowed to tackle the "scourge of waste plastic" and, while wet wipes were not speci„ cally addressed, it has now been confirmed that they are among the products it wants to see eradicated. In a statement, Defra said: "As part of our 25-Year Environment Plan we have pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste, and that includes single-use products like wet wipes." A later statement clari„ ed that "there are a number of ways" it can achieve its ambitions to tackle the issue, adding: "Our focus for wet wipes is to work with manufacturers and water companies to develop a product that does not contain plastic and can be safely " ushed. "We are also continuing to work with industry to make sure labelling on the packaging of these products is clear and people know how to dispose of them properly." Water UK has said wet wipes – which are usually made of plastics, wood pulp and cotton and are regularly " ushed down toilets – make up around 93 per cent of the material causing sewer blockages. T he Environment, Food and Rural A airs Committee is holding an inquiry into the regulation of the industry. The committee will consider how well the water industry serves consumers and the environment, how innovation can be encour- aged and whether the current regulatory enforcement mecha- nisms are „ t for purpose in their aim of encouraging responsible behaviour. It will assess whether the industry is adequately delivering a twin-track approach of increas- ing water supplies and reducing water demand and will also con- sider if there are any potential bene„ ts for the environment that could be achieved through regula- tory divergence post-Brexit. Neil Parish MP, chair of the committee, said: " The water industry is facing a number of challenges. As the UK's population increases and the impact of cli- mate change becomes more appar- ent, pressure will be put on water resources and the industry's abil- ity to provide a reliable and safe supply of water to commercial and domestic consumers. "Ofwat has recently criticised water companies for their perfor- mance around incidents of leakage and pollution, as well as of their „ nancial arrangements. "Our inquiry will scrutinise this essential industry closely and, where necessary, lay out the steps necessary to resolve any issues that are identi„ ed." demand. "At present, 20 per cent of all mains water is lost to leaks, so we recommend that Defra should set an objective for the water industry to halve leak- age by 2050. We also recommend allowing companies beyond water-stressed regions to be able to apply for compulsory metering alongside other water e ciency measures. "If we are to avoid our taps running dry in times of extreme drought, we need the government to act on our recommendations without delay." Responding to the NIC report, "New assets are likely to be the solution of last, rather than Š rst, resort" Stuart Crisp, BPDA, P14 "I think C-MeX is the most important change in the industry at the moment for contractors" Benjamin Bax, Kier, P8 rather than Š rst, resort" Stuart Crisp, BPDA, P14 ž NIC report says homes and businesses could face having water supplies cut off "If we are to avoid our taps running dry, in times of extreme drought, we need the government to act on our recommendations without delay" NIC chairman Sir John Armitt W orkstream 69, an asset management programme encompassing Yorkshire Water's entire asset base, has been awarded to Black & Veatch. Because insight-driven asset management is critical to customer satisfaction and regulatory compli- ance, Black & Veatch is implement- ing a lean reliability centred main- tenance (LRCM) programme. Christopher Steele, head of information management & analyt- ics for Black & Veatch Water Europe, said: "We took the gold standard for asset management, aviation, where asset failure can be fatal, and tailored this best practice to York- shire Water's needs."¦ LRCM looks at what a process is intended to do, what factors stop the process from delivering, then works to mitigate those factors. Workstream 69 is one of the „ rst, as well as the largest, RCM programmes undertaken by a UK water company. In another „ rst, the Asset Infor- mation Standards, which dictate how the assets are recorded and the asset information held, were created with full participation of operations and maintenance (O&M) teams. This enabled a collaborative LRCM study, producing a condi- tion-based maintenance pro- gramme based on failure modes, with O&M buy-in. This approach means time and money are focused on ensuring Yorkshire Water asset management programme awarded to Black & Veatch process and asset outputs are maintained. Initial indications are an approximately 30 percent decrease in reactive O&M work. Steele said: "By cost-e ciently reducing asset failure, this unique approach to the introduction of reliability centred maintenance for a water company will yield signi„ - cant customer service, environ- mental and regulatory bene„ ts." Workstream 69 extends Black & Veatch's AMP6 relationship with Yorkshire Water. Water UK chief executive Michael Roberts said: "The report backs up the water sector's ground- breaking research in 2016 about the growing risks to water sup- plies due to climate change and population growth. " Wa t e r c o m p a n i e s h av e invested heavily over the past three decades to improve services and continue to invest £8 billion each year, and we need to sustain that and encourage much more e cient use of water. "Everyone needs to play their part, and companies – working closely with government, regula- tors and customers – are currently developing their next „ ve-year business plans to address the pressures we all face." Potential water shortages in London are a particular concern highlighted by the report. In the worst-case scenario it highlights, restrictions on water use in the capital alone could cost the economy more than £300 million per day. Steve Robertson, chief execu- tive of Thames Water, said: "We welcome this " agship report and will take full account of its recommendations. "We agree that more needs to be done to protect customers from the real long-term risk of severe drought."

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