Next Year's Programme

UKWIR currently facilitates over 50 projects for UK Water Industry sponsors. Contractors who are interested in bidding for any of the new projects in next year's programme (see notes below) should click on the 'Interested' link connected to that project's details and complete the form there. This will automatically be passed to the relevant Project Manager.  The deadline for Expressions of Interest is 31 December 2008 - Expressions of Interest will not be accepted after this date.

NB Owing to the large number of expressions of interest received, these may not be acknowledged, nor does completion of the form guarantee that the contractor will be invited to tender for the work.

	Benefits of smart metering
	Objectives Review smart metering strategies adopted by other countries or utilities. Conduct a market survey of available technologies and develop a strategic approach and business case model. The report should enable the development of a UK smart metering strategy and action plan.

Best practice for Derivation of Leakage Cost Curves in ELL Modelling

Objectives There are a number of different approaches to estimating the leakage cost curve and it is not clear what is the best approach. Most companies have limited experience in recent years of the costs of reducing leakage, as leakage has generally been stable. The project aims to determine the advantages and disadvantages of alternative methods of estimating the relationship between active leakage control costs and the level of leakage.

	BMP for blockage reduction
	Objectives Guidance on the effort and cost required to make a significant impact on the numbers of blockages and “other causes” flooding incidents

Cost benefit of baseline water efficiency activity

Objectives Voluntary water efficiency targets were introduced in 2008, and a lot of work is going on to assess benefits of new water efficiency activities or particular interventions, but no assessment has been made of baseline activities. The benefit of baseline activity needs to be quantified, certainly in terms of a level of activity, but ideally as Ml/d saving. Confidence limis to such assessments would need to be described.

Dangerous Substances and Priority Hazardous Substances/Priority Substances Under the Water Framework Directive

Objectives A large scale sampling and analysis programme is panned for 2010 to 2012 to inform government, industry and regulators of the need for enhanced sewage treatment processes to remove priority substances from the environment. Initially this project aims to provide information to refine cost predictions for the sampling programme. This would include Obtaining agreement of all water comapnies to - Detailed methodologies, analytical techniques and limits of detection, site investigation plans, common reporting, sites to be studies, methodologies, work programme, reporting and evaluation. Coordination and interpretation of the investigations programme will be a second phase, which may be awarded seperately.

Environmental and social benefits and costs of metering and water efficiency

Objectives 1. To undertake an expert review of best available information on the environmental and social benefits and costs of household metering, and household and commercial water efficiency activities. 2. To provide authoritative, robust data for use by water companies in their regulatory submissions. 3. To support the robustness of water company proposals as they will come under close scrutiny by regulators. The study should be undertaken in close liaison with Defra, Ofwat, EA, CC Water and waterwise.

Fire Hydrants and Fire Fighting Supplies

Objectives Promote greater mutual understanding of fire fighting issues at a consistent level throughout the UK. Minimise risks to water quality and loss of revenue to Water Co by promotion of domestic sprinkler systems that meet water company requirements and influencing against other systems. Produce guidelines for the location of fire hydrants on new developments and produce guidelines for flow at hydrants to enable development of 'self-cleaning' distribution systems Develop protocols for improving hydrant security to minimise risks associated with unauthorised hydrant use. Develop protocols for the removal of excess numbers of hydrants whilst minimising the risk of water co not being reimbursed the cost of this work.

Integrated Waste Management

Objectives The broad objective is to understand the impact of competition and increased scrutiny/concern on recycling of sewage sludge to agriculture due to an increase in other organic waste streams being recycled in this manner. This includes identifying the following: the regulatory barriers to such co-digestion; availability of existing assets in providing a solution; opportunity available to the industry. A review of the potential benefits to IWM, in terms of consistent standards of treatment and management across the industry, increased biogas production, reduced volumes taken to land from solids destruction during AD and carbon footprint reductions In addition a desk top review types of waste that can be mixed and potential methods to bring other waste streams into WwTW efficiently This review should identify: regulatory barriers to co-digestion; availability of existing assets in providing a solution; opportunty available to industry

Investigation of Organic Chemicals in Sewage Sludge

Objectives The recent UKWIR report has summarised existing knowledge and used a risk-modelling approach to determine which organic chemicals are likely to be of concern (in terms of achieving the limits). This project will monitor actual organic chemicals levels in sewage and sludges to check the findings of the model and improve it and findings as necessary. If this practical work confirms that specific organic chemicals are likely to be an issue, a further stage of the project should look at the actual impact of such levels on the environment.

	Investigation of the impact of historic biosolids applications on soil microbial activity
	Objectives To determine the long-term impact of zinc on soil fertility with realistic loading/application rates, using field trials on three sites with a known history of sludge application. These plots will be on sites that have received sewage sludge applications over the past 5-10 years

Pollution Inventory Datasheets - Review of WFD specific pollutants and additions to reporting list

Objectives The UK environmental agencies have stated that the reporting lists for pollution inventory are likely to change for reporting 2009 data. It will, therefore, be necessary to derive coefficients for substances to be added to the reporting list. The UKWIR estimator continues to be fit for current intended purpose and includes an element of future proofing. However, to allow Companies to be legally compliant with Regulatory requirements in an efficient and cost effective manner, it is necessary to review and modify as appropriate the value of the coefficients used for WFD Specific Pollutants and Priority Substances.

	Review of cost-benefit analysis and willingness to pay
	Objectives Objectives: - establish how much influence CBA has had in decision-making on prices and service improvements - review the role of CBA in determining the economic level of capital maintenance - review the different approaches to assessing customer willingness to pay - assess the options for quantifying benefits where willingness to pay is not appropriate or available

Risk based approach to flooding

Objectives Pitt Review recommendation 21 says: "Defra should work with Ofwat and the water industry to explore how appropriate risk-based standards for public sewerage systems can be achieved". In response to that this project aims to develop an industry agreed process for predicting flood risk properties to enable investment to be more appropriately focussed. Existing prioritisation of flood alleviation and asset maintenance schemes is based primarily on frequency of flooding, with an assessment of numbers of properties/areas affected, and the cost/benefit of carrying out an alleviation scheme. This project seeks to develop a risk based methodology.