Securing Wastewater Treatment Fit for the Future
Jul 18, 2022
As population growth puts pressure on wastewater treatment plant capacity, Andrew Baird, technical director, WPL, makes the case for better understanding and greater flexibility.
It is no surprise that Ofwat has coupled population growth with climate change as the two long-term trends putting water industry assets under strain. The number of people living in the UK is expected to rise by 3.6 million (5.5%) over the next 10 years, from an estimated 65.6 million in 2016 to 69.2 million in 2026.
Demographic change was also cited in Thames Water’s recent announcement that it is constructing its first sewage works since 2005, in Guildford. The utility says population growth, which will particularly impact London and the south east, makes the new works necessary.
In Ebbsfleet new town in Kent, plans to build 15,000 new homes for an expected population of 40,000 are already underway and as mains sewerage is currently unavailable, WPL modular packaged plant is providing an effective alternative. The modular configuration of the treatment units is designed to be highly flexible and will serve the town as it expands.
New build is an obvious way to meet the demand of population growth, especially when a whole town or housing development is underway, but optimisation of existing wastewater treatment assets can also reap significant rewards.
As the regulator has highlighted, not all water companies have sufficient understanding of the condition and resilience of their existing assets, or how this is likely to evolve over the longer term. Deeper knowledge about assets means utilities can be more efficient in their maintenance and replacement activity, reducing the risk of service failure to customers.
In my 30 years in the water industry, I have installed, restored and maintained a wide range of wastewater treatment equipment and have identified many ways to drive efficiency and deliver major savings in both capital and operational outlay at many sites.
One option that is sometimes overlooked is the repurposing of older assets, which are typically longer lasting because they were over-engineered when investment was less constrained. The outer shells of most older concrete treatment tanks not only remain intact, but are strong and have plenty of life left to give.
While sometimes neglecting the potential of this legacy infrastructure, there is simultaneously a perception at large in the industry that an alternative wastewater treatment technology could be available in the next 20 years - but no one has yet pinpointed exactly what that is.
The water industry knows it urgently needs a technology that is available, robust, flexible and financially viable. My belief is that the solution is already here in the shape of modular offsite build - and it is cost positive.
In a recent project with Wessex Water, WPL retrofitted an existing circular sludge tank with WPL’s Hybrid-SAF cells, which proved significantly more cost-efficient than the trickling filters originally planned and doubled process capacity. The utility shared the site’s 2040 design horizon, ensuring the solution was futureproofed for anticipated population growth.
In our experience, the cost of traditional treatment plants is two to four times higher than modular build and the civil engineering work required means much longer is required onsite than for packaged plant installation. For WPL, asset specification is based on a 20-year lifecycle, which takes into account localised population growth and migration.
Sometimes minor process interventions can reap major benefits in terms of capacity. At one small rural site, a legacy WPL plant was upgraded within the confines of the existing site footprint, while keeping effluent quality within consents at all times.
After undertaking hydraulic analysis, WPL’s design engineer advised minor alterations and improvements including switching the media to one with a higher surface area. The changes near doubled the flow and load and major capital investment was deftly avoided.
Those charged with making investment decisions want certainty that assets are reliable and that they will work. Pollution risk to the environment is non-negotiable - water companies are coming under heavy scrutiny and corporate reputation has never been more highly prized.
Asset management requires continual development if utilities are to meet the major challenges of population growth and climate change in a way that is sustainable and affordable to customers. Asset optimisation that can fuse legacy infrastructure with new modular technology creates robust futureproofed treatment plant with the flexibility to adapt to those innovations sitting just beneath the horizon.
More News and Articles
Aug 11, 2022
News
Harnessing the Benefits of Process Patents
WPL has been granted a patent for its cutting-edge WPL Hybrid-SAFTM process technology. The patented technology employs a submerged moving-bed, fixed-film reactor which can treat wastewater with greater energy efficiency compared to traditional submerged aerated filters (SAFs), in a tighter …
Aug 11, 2022
News
‘Water quality as-a-service’ about more than throwing tech into networks
Awarded more than £700,000 from the Water Breakthrough Challenge Catalyst Stream, Treatment-to-Tap seeks an industry watershed by supplementing a tech rollout with collaborative data analysis and behavioural science to build trust in tap water.
Aug 10, 2022
News
MWH Treatment Wins Severn Trent Framework Contracts
Water sector specialist MWH Treatment has been awarded a place on Severn Trent’s AMP7 (regulatory asset management period 2020-25) framework for both design-and-build and build-only water and wastewater treatment projects. The agreement extends an existing 20-year relationship and MWH Treatment …
Aug 09, 2022
News
Reliable Pipeline Protection with DENSO: New Laying Method in Water
For the rehabilitation of a drinking water pipeline in the district of Aalen, 200 km north-east of Munich, Germany, the DENSO Group Germany protects weld seams from corrosion very quickly and efficiently using a new laying method that floats in …
Aug 08, 2022
News
VARIOKIT Tunnel Formwork Solution Deep in the Heart of the Golden City
With construction work being carried out in depths up to 30 metres in the centre of the city famous for the Golden Gate Bridge, an enormous building structure is being realised. When completed, the Chinatown Subway Station will form the …
Aug 04, 2022
News
The Construction Site Determines the Installation Technology: Light, Steam, Hot Water or Ambient Temperature
Which curing method should ideally be used in the context of rehabilitation projects in building and site drainage? The market for the rehabilitation of building and property drainage is currently developing dynamically. The complexity of construction sites in particular places …
Aug 03, 2022
News
100 Years Lifetime of Polyethylene Pressure Pipe Systems Buried in the Ground for Water and Natural Gas Supply
TEPPFA and PE100+ Association have identified the need for explaining the difference between the design point at 20 degree/50 years and the expected life-time of PE80 and PE100 pressure pipe systems. Research, extrapolation studies and reports on dig-up pipes in …
Aug 02, 2022
News
World's Biggest 'Listening Project' Will Help Save Water
United Utilities is rolling out the biggest “listening” project of its kind in the world in a bid to tackle water leakage. The North West water company is installing around 100,000 ‘acoustic’ loggers over the next two years on its …
Aug 01, 2022
News
Always Moving Forward in Pipeline Technology
A dense pipeline network spanning over three million kilometers is the global backbone of industry and commerce. To keep supply stable, innovative pipeline companies are constantly expanding the network and making it denser even in sparsely populated places. In the …
Jul 29, 2022
News
Using Plastic Pipes for Heating and Cooling Brings Energy Efficiency Gains
Surface heating and cooling using plastic pipes is being highlighted at the moment as it is helping facilitate a greater uptake of renewable heat sources and is proving highly energy-efficient in our increasingly energy-aware climate.
Jul 27, 2022
News
WPL Wins Holiday Park Wastewater Contract
Wastewater treatment specialist WPL has won a contract to provide onsite wastewater treatment at a holiday park in Cornwall. The underground installation at Juliots Well in North Cornwall will replace the existing septic tank and includes a WPL HiPAF (high …
Contact
WPL Ltd
Lianne Ayling
Marketing Manager
Unit 1 Aston Road
Hampshire PO7 7UX Waterlooville
United Kingdom
Phone:
+44 2392 242 635