ROUND TABLE: CARBON REDUCTION


a rock and a hard place, where on one hand it has to respond to calls for greater quality, and on the other for reduced energy consumption. Herein lies the dual challenge, since increased water treatment is likely to result in some increase in carbon emissions. Yes, technology can help, but both Fisher and Bird were agreed that there is a cost risk associated with innovation; that not all adopted technologies will give the anticipated outcomes in terms of carbon reduction or functionality in terms of flooding risk, and this should be more closely considered by regulators if water companies are to meet carbon reduction targets. From here, Stephenson wanted to push the


There is clearly a need for innovation, but not always in a conventional way, according to Thames Water’s Sarah McMath


The point was made that in the event of a


sudden storm, everything gets washed down the drainage network, and the impact of grey water on wastewater collection systems is considerable. “Yes, ultimately we need a set of assets that


are transmitting sewage to treatment facilities and as little rainwater, infiltration stream water and highway drainage as possible,


in “Technology is great, but the


key issue relates to people” Paul Fisher


a system that is 60-70% combined,” said Bird. “I accept it’s a challenge and it will probably take 30/40/50 years, but we need to get going. Some have made a start in this current five years; some of us will have integrated urban drainage approaches. I suggest it will probably pick up the pace, particularly ahead of the climate change adaptation challenge.” Bird also wanted to make a point about


blockages. “In light of recommendations made by the Pitt Review and the Flooding Act we must work closely with the EA and local drainage authorities to understand the complexities of combined systems. We are undertaking some joint working in Torbay to identify misconnections where there is a mix of waste that can cause pollutions and problems. If you solve that, it will improve network efficiency.”


26 Water & Wastewater Treatment April 2011 Ultimately the carbon debate is about


attitude and the trade-off between profitability in the short term and sustainability in the long term. “If you want to be ethical and conserve


what will be a scare resource in the future, then good leadership will promote growth through your influence – because you are credible – then growth in terms of business because you are influential,” said Roche. After the corporate viewpoints had


been aired, Stephenson asked whether the Government and regulators should provide incentives for water companies to invest in energy saving technology. “The short answer is yes,” said Pluke. “The EA


has done good work regarding embedded carbon calculations in certain projects – the regulators are open for discussion about incentives and we need to work with them.” Ofwat’s


infrastructure


measures are key incentives, and this point was ably made by Bird, who added there were plenty of mechanisms to focus attention on the effect of operation and maintenance to the network. “I’m unsure about regulators driving


incentives – they certainly drive challenges,” said Roche. “In the past few years we’ve had six or seven changes to energy and carbon type legislation incentives. This is a very volatile area and it does little to encourage a culture of timely and effective response, given a five year investment cycle that is fixed in terms of capital investment.” “We are not lined-up enough with the


regulators regarding quality schemes,” agreed McMath. “We’re sometimes driven down a route that is almost non-negotiable on quality, which potentially means energy and carbon reduction comes way down the list of priorities.” The industry appears to be caught between


thought train towards innovation, asking what kind of technology is required, and which areas most need investment to help reduce energy consumption. “There is clearly a need for innovation,


but not always in a conventional way,” said McMath. “For instance, at Thames Water we’re looking at the hydraulic modelling and operational management of networks. If you have level and flow monitors within the network and you have very good hydraulic models you can start to make daily decisions on moving sewage around, instead of just accepting that it simply flows to a sewage works. There are good opportunities for efficiencies in this area.” Gaisford was keen to outline the difficulties


of measuring the performance of pumping stations, particularly regarding the efficiency of certain sections of the network. Here, determining best practice appears to be open at the moment – with industry divided about the most effective way to rate and benchmark these systems. “Technology is great but the key issue


serviceability


relates to people, i.e. up-skilling,” added Fisher, introducing a new theme for debate. “As an industry we seem to have forgotten some of the things we did 15 years ago. Yes, we need to consider the right technology and the right processes, but let’s not forget to ask if people have the right skills. At Severn Trent we’re on a journey to encourage our people because they can, inevitably, be blockers.” “Yes, there’s plenty of existing innovations,


but I agree it’s also about educating the people who operate these technologies and helping overcome resistance to change,” said McMath. “Introducing a new pump can be journey for an operator if they’ve used the previous model for 15 years. But by giving data and information, and making that part of what they are monitored on, you start to get a very different operational


response. For instance,


at Thames Water we recently moved one of our operations managers to head of energy and carbon, and as a result we’ve seen a step


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