Water Excellence

Highlighting innovative ways in which water companies are maximising efficiency while minimising operational costs

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Anglian Water says the prolonged dry weather has emphasised the need for additional water resources in the east of England in coming decades, which it plans to address with two new reservoirs, costing £3.7 billion. The company has now updated on its plans for taking the projects forward and when they are expected to come online.
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The parent company of South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water has confirmed it is suffering disruption to its IT network after being targeted by a criminal cyber attack. Meanwhile, Thames Water has dismissed as a hoax claims by the cyber criminal group C10P that it had hacked the company.
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Yorkshire Water has begun a pipe-lining programme to address structural and water quality issues by spray lining 14km of piping in the coming year. Programme partner Morrison Water Services said the scheme, which it claimed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will reduce costs and embedded carbon emissions by up to 60% each compared to excavating and replacing pipes.
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South West Water is the latest company to declare a temporary usage ban will be imposed in parts of its region to protect water resources after months of low rainfall. The south west was officially declared to be in drought on Friday by the National Drought Group.
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A group of senior water sector figures working to address demand management challenges has been disbanded in the same week that a drought was declared across much of the country. Chair Nicci Russell, chief executive of Waterwise, said recommendations made by the group in a report to Defra and Ofwat had not all been taken up. Rebecca Pow, as minister, had told the group current provisions to address the looming water deficit would suffice.
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Yorkshire Water has begun a pipe-lining programme to address structural and water quality issues by spray lining 14km of piping in the coming year. Programme partner Morrison Water Services said the scheme, which it claimed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will reduce costs and embedded carbon emissions by up to 60% each compared to excavating and replacing pipes.
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Latest in Water Excellence

Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency have launched a joint investigation to determine the sources of poor-quality bathing water in the region. It comes after people were advised against swimming in the sea in Bridlington last year after an Environment Agency sample deemed the water poor quality.
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Southern Water has revealed that unacceptable water quality levels were to blame for outages which left 25,000 households without water earlier this year. The water company’s internal investigation report concludes that Hardham Water Supply Works in West Sussex was shut down in May due to a change in chlorine levels. The report adds that “this shutdown was triggered automatically when water quality levels fell below acceptable standards for water supply”.
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Southern Water has redesigned a wastewater treatment works in Kent to reduce storm overflows at a spill hotspot. The company claims that by redesigning its Swalecliffe site near Whistable, it will be able to cut overflows in the area by up to 30% thanks to the installation of new chambers and pipework. Campaigners and local businesses have been calling for action after it was revealed that the area had seen 202 sewage releases last year.
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Northumbrian Water is turning to drones to carry out water quality samples along the region’s rivers and coastal waters. The water company has announced a trial alongside cloud data experts Makutu in what is being billed as a “world first”. If successful, Northumbrian claims that the trial could offer real-time water quality data available to the public.
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With the state of the UK’s water industry gaining more media and political attention than ever before, Shakespeare Martineau's Isaac Murdy and Helen Rowland explore the case for renationalising the industry. The pair look at what renationalisation means and explore the potential pitfalls of a return to the “good old days”.
Opinion
The National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised Defra for showing “weakness” in its oversight and enforcement of environmental regulations. The NAO report into Defra’s performance concludes that the arms-length body is “behind where it needs to be” on a number of statutory targets. The report pays particular attention to targets to improve water quality, which it claims Defra is on track to miss.
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Southern Water’s social tariff is not being claimed by a large number of its most vulnerable customers. Conversely, a large number of people who show “no signs of financial difficulty” are on a social tariff provided by Southern, according to a trial of data-driven solution which aims to identify and predict financial vulnerability at a household level.
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Singapore has managed to overcome a challenging natural environment to become a world leader in water infrastructure. William Yong, of Binnies Singapore, explores the country’s water resilience success story and the lessons we can all learn from its self-sufficiency.
Opinion
Contractors have a critical role to play in helping utilities companies future proof their networks. Ronan Clancy writes for Utility Week about the steps supply chains can take to meet this challenge.
Opinion
Dr. Robert Bornhofen – director of innovation at District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) – outlines the approaches and attitudes that have underpinned the rollout of smart wastewater solutions across America’s capital.
Interviews
Asset management experts from Thames and SES Water set out key challenges and potential enablers of proactive maintenance regimes as they strive to replicate ‘suspiciously low’ leakage levels achieved in the Netherlands.
Analysis
Yorkshire has added a novel sludge screen to a wastewater treatment site that, if successful, will be rolled out to other locations. Dubbed 'The Beast', the screen was developed in the US to filter sludge directly from a tanker rather than via a holding tank.
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