News from clients

• WPL HiPAF^® selected for prestigious £3.6m visitor centre
• Environmentally sensitive project required resilient system
• RIBA-accredited CPD seminar led to contract

Wastewater treatment specialist WPL has supplied a packaged wastewater treatment system for Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s new £3.6 million visitor centre. The prestigious outdoor gallery in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the largest of its kind in Europe, will open its new centre, to be known as The Weston, on 30 March 2019.
 
Designed by award-winning architectural practice Feilden & Fowles, which specialises in environmentally sustainable buildings, The Weston is naturally ventilated and features an air-source heat pump and a dense green roof. It also incorporates a pioneering low-energy environmental control system to maintain favourable conditions in the gallery all year round.
 
Hampshire-based WPL was originally approached by buildings and services consultancy Skelly & Couch following a lunch-and-learn CPD seminar with technical sales manager Dominic Hamblin. The WPL Off-Mains Drainage Seminar is accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and explains the options available when mains sewerage is not possible.  
 
The Environment Agency consent for YSP required high quality discharge to the River Dearne and WPL provided a high specification two-tank modular WPL HiPAF – high performance aerated filter – treatment system. The HiPAF was installed by Alive Construction along with duty-standby blowers and GSM telemetry, also provided by WPL, to give extra resilience.
 
The bespoke system is designed for a maximum flow of 18m³/d, discharge of 22kg/d biological oxygen demand (BOD) and 3kg/d ammonia. YSP welcomes 500,000 visitors annually and required a system that could manage the seasonal fluctuations in load while complementing the environmental ambitions of the wider project.
 
Most importantly, the underground treatment system makes minimal visual impact on the site, fitting sympathetically into the historic landscape which boasts works by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Andy Goldsworthy. The Weston includes a restaurant, gallery, public foyer and shop and is set into a hillside in a former quarry.
 
Dominic Hamblin said, “This project has been a pleasure to work on. I’m very proud that WPL is playing a role in bringing more people to Yorkshire Sculpture Park by providing wastewater treatment for this stunning new visitor centre and returning a steady flow of high quality treated water to the environment.”

Gareth Jones, managing director WPL said, “We are pleased to have been selected to provide the wastewater treatment system for Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s inspiring new visitor centre. This contract builds on our success in the tourism and leisure market where seasonal flows, environmental protection and visual aesthetics are major considerations for our clients and their customers.”

Peter Murray CBE, executive and founding director of YSP said: “We’re excited to complete construction on The Weston which is an important part of Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s future. The new centre is a reflection of our ambition to increase long-term resilience and sustainability by building audiences, further developing our artistic programme, and increasing visitor income.
 
“We are very grateful to the many different organisations who have made this project possible, including our visitors who have provided invaluable support.”
 
www.wplinternational.com

Over 100 delegates attended British Water’s inaugural Women in Water event held in London on 27 November 2018. The event sold out weeks in advance and attendees heard career advice from water industry leaders and took advantage of the opportunity to network at the highest level. 
Northumbrian Water chief executive Heidi Mottram is the first woman to lead a UK water utility. She described how gender-enlightened policies at British Rail in the 1980s brought her into an operations management training scheme: “I wound points, operated signal-boxes and coupled trains together in the middle of the night,” she said.

Advising anyone wanting to advance their career, she delivered a tough message: “Doing your job well is not enough, you’re going to have to stand out and do things outside your remit that make a difference. 

Mottram recommended building as big a base as possible by moving jobs and trying different things. “You’re going to have to move at a bit of pace, be brave,” she said. “I was moving jobs every two-and-a-bit years and always doing more than was needed.”

Mottram said she didn’t see herself as ambitious or driven, “I’m motivated where I think I can do something better, where I can do something different and add some value.”

Kate Davies, chief operating officer, EU Skills, revealed the stark gender gap in the UK water industry where only 20% of the workforce is female against a national average of 47 per cent. This actually compares favourably with other utilities where the figure is 17 per cent. “Water is ahead, and we’re going in the right direction,” she said, pointing to a glacial 2% shift over 10 years.

Inspirational stories from women’s careers included Alice Elder, senior asset engineer at Affinity Water, who came into the industry after realising she wanted to do something with a tangible benefit to people. She talked about the value of mentors and how inspiration had come from men as she “didn’t see women in positions of leadership and management” at the time.

“My mentors were great,” she said, “they could see the value I brought and what I could offer a team. It’s a really important role for men to recognise the qualities we bring,” she said.

Karen Dingley, head of mining & water services at WSP told a similar story about the mining industry where she might be the only woman on isolated sites around the world. She urged women in the water industry to “Get into schools, encourage girls to get into maths and science.”

Lila Thompson, British Water’s chief executive elect said, “The event has exceeded my expectations in terms of the range of women that came, their experience, skills and the departments they represent. The stories we’ve heard have been inspiring, showing what is possible for women in this sector.”

Looking ahead Thompson said, “I’d like to see even more interaction and more practical advice at future Women in Water events. Also, this is an event for men and women, so I would like more men to join future events. Men are critical in helping women on that journey, as we’ve heard today, and where women are in leadership roles, the relationships will be reciprocated.” 

Women in Water was hosted by PA Consulting and sponsored by Anglian Water, Thames Water and Cranfield University.

www.britishwater.co.uk

MANCHESTER, UK: Global pipeline infrastructure company Aquam Technologies has strengthened its UK team for industrial and commercial markets with three senior appointments this year. Stuart Henderson has been appointed Director - Industrial & Commercial and is heading up Aquam’s UK growth strategy across multiple sectors including food & beverage, industrial process, public sector estates and hotels & leisure.
 
The team will also work closely with water retailers, providing their clients with the support services necessary to pinpoint, fix and mitigate leakage and corrosion in ageing pipeline infrastructure. Henderson has over ten years experience of the UK water retail market and previously worked for both Severn Trent Water and Scottish Water.
 
Paul Henderson has also joined Aquam as Senior Business Development Manager and will support businesses wanting to understand and manage risk associated with pipelines and water management. He has delivered programmes of works for the maintenance of critical drinking water infrastructure for over 20 years.
 
Aquam’s third appointment to the industrial & commercial team is Operations Manager Jon Shelton, who will oversee clients’ infrastructure projects. Shelton has over 30 years’ experience working with some of the UK’s leading installers of pipelining technologies.
 
Aquam managing director, Tim Bowen, said, “I’m delighted to welcome Stuart, Paul and Jon to Aquam as we embark on a period of rapid growth in UK industrial and commercial markets. Aquam is well established in utilities in the UK and the same services and technologies for pipeline diagnostics and rehabilitation can deliver huge benefits to clients in other sectors.”
 
Stuart Henderson said, “This is an exciting time for Aquam as we grow our UK business and open up our technologies and services for pipe surveying, leak detection, pipelining and cleaning to all markets. Most of our operations can be delivered without disruption to buildings’ occupants and fixtures and fittings, which is especially important to hotels, commercial offices, hospitals, prisons, schools and industrial facilities.
 
“There is huge potential for Aquam in the UK and I look forward to working closely with Paul, Jon and the team to deliver our strategic growth plan and reach new clients.”
 
Aquam’s specialist technologies for assessing and rehabilitating pipeline infrastructure are available globally and are already well established in the UK utilities and in commercial and industrial markets in North America. They include Investigator and LDS1000 pipe survey and leak detection tools and Nu Line blown-in epoxy pipeliner and Nu Drain cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), which are ideal for non-disruptive rehabilitation of small-diameter networks within facilities.

www.aquamcorp.co.uk

• Thompson to lead UK water industry’s largest supply chain membership organisation
• British Water celebrates 25^th anniversary year
• Association launches rebranding initiative including new logo

British Water has named its new chief executive as Lila Thompson, who has been promoted from her position as international director. The announcement was made as staff old and new celebrated the 25^th anniversary of the trade association at a reception at the Gherkin in London. 

Speaking about her appointment, Thompson said, “I am very excited about the opportunity to lead British Water and represent the interests of its members at all levels. This is a time of significant change both within the industry and politically, especially with Brexit imminent.
“It is important that British Water delivers a broad spectrum of services that help our members grow both at home and overseas. Integrated catchment management is increasingly seen globally as essential for effective water and wastewater management and a closely networked supply chain is key for the delivery of successful projects.”

Ms Thompson is the first woman to lead British Water, which has an 80-year heritage and now boasts over 200 member companies. She will take up the full-time position on 3 December 2018 as current chief executive Lloyd Martin steps down.
British Water also revealed its new look at the anniversary reception, following a root-and-branch rebranding exercise. The changes include a new logo and will be rolled out across the association’s media platforms in the coming weeks.

British Water chairman Chris Loughlin said, “This is an exciting time for British Water as we celebrate our 25^th anniversary and announce our new chief executive. We are also marking the milestone by rebranding the association.
“I am delighted to welcome Lila Thompson to her new role at the helm of British Water after undertaking an extensive search internally and externally for the right candidate. She has already demonstrated a long-term commitment to the association and has built strong relationships with many of our member companies. 
“I look forward to working closely with Lila in growing the organisation and enhancing the opportunities we can open up to members. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Lloyd Martin for his outstanding leadership over the last three years.”

www.britishwater.co.uk 

·      Leak detection technology company Primayer signs earlybird AMP7 contract
·      Multi-supplier contract could be worth £40 million
·      Five-year agreement begins immediately

DENMEAD, UK: Anglian Water has awarded one of the first framework contracts of AMP7 to leak detection specialist Primayer. The £40 million agreement for leak detection products has been awarded jointly to 10 suppliers and will ensure the utility has access to as wide a selection of equipment as possible.
Primayer, which is based in Denmead, Hampshire, has been manufacturing intelligent technologies for water network monitoring, leakage control and flow measurement for over 20 years. The company’s research and development team works closely with utility field teams and their partners to develop best-in-class technologies that directly meet industry requirements.

In a change to the way frameworks are usually planned, the five-year contract with Anglian Water runs from 2017-23, covering the remainder of the current regulatory asset management period (AMP6) and the start of AMP7, which runs from 2020-25. Anglian Water aims to reduce leakage by 22% across its 40,000km network in AMP7 with a total investment of £240 million.

Kevin Brook, sales director, Primayer said, “Ofwat, the water industry regulator for England and Wales, has raised expectations on leak reduction dramatically. Utilities are expected to cut losses by 15% minimum in AMP7 to avoid penalties and some, including Anglian Water, are going even further.
“Anglian Water has taken a very considered approach to the way this framework has been set up. Awarding the framework for leakage products to multiple suppliers gives the company access to a very broad range of equipment and starting it immediately means they hit the ground running.
“Primayer is delighted to be named as one of their partners and we look forward to working ever more closely with the Anglian leakage team.”
Sean McCarthy, head of leakage at Anglian Water said, “We already have the lowest level of leakage in the water industry at half the national average. But being ahead of the curve means we’re now into the realms of tracking down really hard to find leaks long before they’re visible to the naked eye, meaning our leakage targets are now really tough.

“We’re looking into every avenue of engineering available to us to continually be better and technology like this will revolutionise our ability to meet those tough targets.”