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Water companies urged to “be bold to cut pollution”
UKwater companiesmust be “bold and brave” if they are to achieve ambitious pollution targets andmeet the high expectations of regulators over the next five years. The comment comes fromKaryn Georges, head of consulting at global innovation and technology consultancy Isle, ahead of the company’s Zero Pollutions Conference on 14 September 2020.
With the industry regulator Ofwat instructing companies in England andWales to reduce pollutions to surfacewaters by almost a third before 2025 and the Environment Agency expecting companies in England to “sprint” to zero pollutions,more effective risk forecasting andmitigationmeasureswill be necessary. Adding to the challenge is another Ofwat requirement – no increases in customer bills in the 2020-2025 investment period –which further builds the case for cost-effective, data- led solutions, smart analytics and innovative technologies.
Georges said: “Zero pollutions are achievable, ifwater companies, regulators and customers work together. There is newtechnology out there that can have a significant impact on water companies’ pollution performance, but it does require themto be bold and brave.
“Meeting the targetswon’t be easy forwater companies and not being able to increase bills makes it even harder but they have to be inventive inwhat they do and go for it.”
Making the transition to real-time networks will be one of the topics explored at the virtual conference.
Georges said: “Having sensors and real-time tools that allowcontrol rooms to seewhat is going on in their network before problems occur is a key element ofwhat is a complex solution. That iswhy it remains the biggest area of innovation and interest.
“There are definitely some real leaders among UKwater companieswho aremoving forward with these solutions and seeing fantastic results.We nowneed thewhole sector to understand howto effectively implement and workwith this technology.
“Of course, this is a relatively newarea and somewater companies are still learning how best to interpret and respond to the incoming data,whichmight be slowing progress, butwe are finding a realwillingness to take things
forward.”
Customer behavioural change and education also continues to have amajor role in achieving zero pollutions andwill be another talking point at the conference.
Georges said: “Customers need to be engaged andwilling to play their part by not causing blockages by putting thewrong things down sinks and toilets. This is an area that some water companies have done quitewellwith but, aswe sawwith the increase in sewer blockages during the coronavirus lockdown period inMarch and April, it is clear that some customers have not yet engagedwith the subject.
“I think amore joined-up approach fromthe industry is needed if all customers are to understand the impact they are having. If the whole sector couldwork together and come upwith one cohesivemessage,we could see a real difference now.”
Collaborating and sharing knowledge and experience is “critical” to tackle pollutions, both on the customer side and operationally,
KarynGeorges
Georges said.
“Thewater industry has to take huge steps quite quickly but there is a feeling nowthat we’re all in this together and there is away forward. Collaborating is essential if the industry is to greater achieve its pollution targets and deliver the service that customers and regulators expect.”
Isle’s Zero Pollutions Conference takes place virtually onMonday 14 September 2020.
Delivering essential training in a digital landscape
Water industry training programmes have had to undergo a transformation to ensure essential learning continues during the coronavirus pandemic. Ceris Van de Vyver, head of technology and training at global innovation consultancy Isle, shares insights into delivering training virtually.
Islemoved quickly to create a virtual training programme as the pandemic began to unfold. Whatmade this a priority?
As the Covid-19 crisis has proven, there is no industrymore critical to public health and the global economy thanwater andwastewater. Underpinning it are highly skilled specialists, who are duty bound tomaintain in-depth knowledge of legislation and complex technical standards around the supply ofwater, treatment ofwastewater and protection of the environment.
With fast-changing travel restrictions and 26 drain TRADER | October 2020 |
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shifting global lockdowns likely to impact in- person training for some time,we recognised early on that a complete switch to digital training was necessary, so createdmore than 30 new courses tailored specifically for a virtual audience. The courses coverwater treatment, wastewater treatment, sustainability and leadership and all are in the process of receiving Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment (CPD) accreditation through the Institute ofWater.
What benefits to virtual training have you discovered?
The benefits arewide reaching. In developing its virtual Programme forWater Professionals, Isle’s training teamhas built an e-classroomwhich has already reached clients in South Africa and the UK – allwhile trainer,Mandhy Senewiratne,was in Australia. This ability to overcome travel disruption and connect people located in
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