PRESS RELEASE - December 2007

Biwater Opens Multi-Million Pound North Coast Wastewater Treatment Scheme

Biwater are delighted to announce the opening of the new state-of- the-art North Coast Wastewater Treatment Works in Portrush. Delivered ahead of time and within budget the facility is part of Northern IrelandWater’s (NIW) £45 million North Coast Scheme which is the most complex urban wastewater treatment and EU bathing water compliance scheme ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

Up to 54 million litres of wastewater can be treated at the new facility every day, ensuring wastewater from Castlerock, Articlave, Coleraine, Portstewart and Portrush is treated to the highest standard.

The works were officially opened by Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy with Biwater representatives Mark Studholme, John Abraham, Dave Marsh and Tom Standring in attendance.

In addition to the new treatment works the North Coast Scheme included the building or refurbishment of 14 pumping stations, the laying of 25km of new sewers and the construction of a 1200m long sea outfall.

The North Coast is designated as an Area of outstanding beauty and during the construction period special care was taken to minimise impact on the surrounding area and wildlife.

Contractors met weekly with DRD Roads Service and planned all construction work on roads around peak holiday seasons and key events, trenchless technologies were employed where possible for the laying of all pipelines and sewers, all spoil excavated during the construction process was reused and various surveys were taken in order to minimise impact on any local plant and animal communities.

With no direct discharges of untreated wastewater at any coastal sites the quality of the bathing waters surrounding the North coast has been greatly improved as a result of this scheme.

The scheme also aims to accommodate future residential and commercial growth in the area to the year 2030.

PRESS RELEASE - November 2007

Composting Success

The award of the Deerdykes composting project in Scotland sees Biwater achieving one of its key 2007 strategic aims in entering a market outside the water industry. Deerdykes composting and Organics Recycling Facility receives green waste, liquid waste (industrial
effluents) and sludge (from industrial waste) for on site processing. The site was a redundant ASP plant that has been converted into a composting facility. One of the main aims of the project was to re-use an existing civil engineering structure in a sustainable way.
With the project well underway and proving to be a success, Biwater is now extending the scheme by adding a further four composting tunnels. The composting facility has already
produced 500 tonnes of compost that was used in a local land restoration scheme. This is a fantastic example of an environmentally sustainable project that encompasses both recycling and re-use of existing structures.

PRESS RELEASE - October 2007

Community Spirit by the Bottleful

With the summer flooding wreaking so much havoc across the UK it was only natural that we
would step in to support our client where we could. The flooding this summer devastated many communities by cutting off the supply of clean water as well as causing damage to property and belongings.
The rapid response we offered meant Severn Trent Suppliers were able to provide local communities access to bottled water. The mobilisation of distribution teams was quick and efficient delivering clean bottled water supplies to local residents. One local resident commented on how the crisis had fostered a war-time spirit.
The flooding of Mythe WTW brought members of the supply chain together to support Severn Trent in the restoration of clean water supplies to the local residents. With the collaboration of all involved it meant that a quick and efficient delivery of clean
water was possible.
One of our contributions was to send John Jenkins, an extremely experienced electrical supervisor, that already had knowledge of Mythe having worked there previously.

Another Gold in the Bag

The Biwater Leslie Joint Venture sets the standard once again with the achievement of a Gold award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents award scheme.
To achieve this level of award evidence has to be provided of an effective health and safety
management system and the demonstration of a good or improving accident and injury rate.

PRESS RELEASE - September 2007

Raising the Standards
Local beaches along the North Coast of Northern Ireland will see an improvement in the standard of the bathing water to the latest EU levels.
The major new works, situated at Craigtown More along with the opening of 15 new or refurbished pumping stations, a new 1,200 m long sea outfall and over 24 km of new sewers sees the completion of this part of the £45 million scheme. Trevor Haslett, Director of Engineering and Procurement at NIW, said the North Coast Wastewater Scheme represented the most complex wastewater treatment project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland .
“The scheme spans a distance of over 16 km and bringing on line the myriad pieces of infrastructure has been a mammoth task. It is fantastic news for the area that the new treatment works is fully functional ahead of the main summer bathing season.”

PRESS RELEASE - August 2007

Raising the Standards
Local beaches along the North Coast of Northern Ireland will see an improvement in the standard of the bathing water to the latest EU levels.
The major new works, situated at Craigtown More along with the opening of 15 new or refurbished pumping stations, a new 1,200 m long sea outfall and over 24 km of new sewers sees the completion of this part of the £45 million scheme. Trevor Haslett, Director of Engineering and Procurement at NIW, said the North Coast Wastewater Scheme represented the most complex wastewater treatment project ever undertaken in Northern Ireland .
“The scheme spans a distance of over 16 km and bringing on line the myriad pieces of infrastructure has been a mammoth task. It is fantastic news for the area that the new treatment works is fully functional ahead of the main summer bathing season.”

PRESS RELEASE - July 2007

Biwater Staff are Blooming Helpful

Cheam and Sutton Community Parks Group has a centre that is used by disabled people who grow flowers and plants for the local parks in the area. Working closely with their neighbours Biwater TAC (Team @ Cheam) has helped out with some of the harder tasks at the centre that have been outside the group’s capabilities. This sparked an interest in the work being carried out at Cheam and a site visit was organised. The visit included a site induction, provision of PPE equipment, tour of the works control room with a demonstration by an operator from Sutton and East Surrey Water, a crane lifting demonstration and finally tea and
biscuits! All visitors were presented with a Certificate of Participation. A great day was had by all.

PRESS RELEASE - July 2007

Anglian - We need it now

Quick thinking, fast action and reliable delivery were the necessary ingredients for residents in the North Walsham area caught in heavy storms. Luckily, working with Anglian Water, we could provide all three.

Problem: Recent storms caused floodwater to enter the aquifer via a borehole that supplies North Walsham WTW, affecting 6000 dwellings. Anglian Water had to issue a notice to the residents informing them to boil all drinking water.

Solution: Delivery, installation and commissioning of a UV plant within 6 days.

Wednesday: Review and decision on the most suitable way to treat cryptosporidium.
Thursday : Site mobilisation and enabling works commenced ready to install plant on delivery
Friday: Intercepted and re-directed a UV plant (should have been going to another Biwater location!)
Saturday: UV Plant installed and flushing began at 3am. MIC sampling completed and results fast-tracked.
Sunday: Results passed and plant commissioning completed. Plant was put into supply a day earlier than the deadline!!
Monday: Anglian Water was able to lift the boil notice from the local residents.

This was teamwork at its best, without the collaboration and dedication from our staff, Anglian Water and our supply chain the plant installation would not have been possible.Chris Newsome, AW Director of Asset Management thanked individual members of the team for their magnificent efforts and also passed on thanks from Peter Simpson AW Chief Operating Officer.

PRESS RELEASE - June 2007

Biwater Releases New Membrane Brochure

Biwater has released its new membrane brochure detailing its capabilities in desalination, membrane bio-reactors, industrial water treatment, water re-use and softening.

Click here to download the New Membrane Brochure

PRESS RELEASE - May 2007

Carrickfergus Opening Ceremony

On the 15th of May, Carrickfergus WwTW was officially opened by Alderman David Hilditch (Mayor of Carrickfergus) and Dermot McCurdy of Northern Ireland Water.

The project added secondary treatment, FST's, sludge processing and odour control to the existing site and was completed on time and within budget. Following a brief ceremony, David Mculloch of NIW conducted a tour of the site and praised the performance of the new plant.Carrickfergus is the first in a series of plants constructed by the Biwater Graham Joint Venture, to improve the bathing waters of Northern Ireland.

PRESS RELEASE - May 2007

New Award - Mogden WwTW Phase 1 Upgrade

Value: £15M
Client: Thames Water
The scheme is part of the Tidal Thames Quality Improvements which will improve dissolved oxygen levels within the River Thames by improving treatment levels and reducing storm discharges.
Competitively won this project has a 27 month programme and will include extensive refurbishment to the east side of one of Thames Waters' largest wastewater treatment plants.

PRESS RELEASE - January 2007

Biwater Deliver Early

Biwater have put water into supply through the newly constructed GAC plant at Thames Water’s Netley Mill site 13 days ahead of the undertaking date. The 12MLD plant supplies Guildford and represents a water supply ‘island’ for Thames meaning continuity of supply was crucial and thus requiring special focus on shutdowns.

The DWI undertaking date of 31 December was always a tough target and Biwater’s design and Project Management experience helped both to win and successfully deliver the competitively tendered scheme.

Keith Banner, Thames Water’s Project Management described this as ‘a fantastic achievement’.

Steve Darker, Biwater’s PM said ‘this was real stakeholder team effort – with Thames Projects & Operations, Biwater and the local residents all collaborating to ensure regulatory compliance’.

PRESS RELEASE - December 2006

Biwater Awarded Membrane Scheme

Biwater’s reputation as the UK’s premier process contractor has been confirmed by the award of a £3.5M membrane scheme at Wichling WTW for Mid Kent Water. The 14 MLD microfiltration plant was won following a competitive tender process the scope including Pumps, Membranes, Chemical dosing and Controls. Key to the success of the award was Biwater’s understanding of the clients and technologies needs and thorough Supply Chain Management to deliver value.

PRESS RELEASE - November 2006

ISO20000 APPROVAL FOR BIWATER

Biwater Treatment Ltd is now ISO 20000 approved following a successful audit by Lloyd's Register of Quality Assurance. ISO 20000 is the new international standard for the management of IT Services. Biwater Treatment is amongst only a handful of companies in the world to achieve approved status under this standard.
Biwater Treatment was previously approved to the British Standard BS15000 which has helped to secure and deliver consultancy contracts with a significant IT content. Approval to ISO 20000 verifies Biwater's IT capabilities to a global standard.

PRESS RELEASE - August 2006

BIWATER RESTRUCTURES FOR GROWTH IN THE UK

Biwater has recently restructured its UK operations, to provide increased focus and service level performance to its existing water client base, and to achieve growth in the wider environmental and utilities sectors.

The newly formed Biwater Services Limited has two operating subsidiaries. Biwater Treatment Limited will continue with an enhanced focus on programme management, frameworks, design and construct delivery of water assets. The formation of Farrer Consulting Limited sees the return of an old industry name. Farrer Consulting brings together existing specialist skills into a focussed business unit, with activities in asset and data management, design engineering solutions, operations and maintenance and corporate inventories.

PRESS RELEASE - April 2006  

BIWATER AWARDED CHEAM REFURBISHMENT

Biwater’s work as a turnkey contractor in the south of England has continued with the award of a £9M refurbishment contract at Cheam WTW for Sutton & East Surrey Water.

The competitively won scheme has a two and a half year programme and is a highly complex refurbishment of a 90MLD softening plant. The work includes the replacement of all existing process and Hydrochloric Acid pipework and vessels and the provision of a new chemical building.
The key to the success was Biwater’s effective optioneering and value management system which balanced the use of advanced materials with value alternatives. Underlying this within the selection process, was Biwater’s strong track record in Health, Safety and Environmental management together with planning and programme management skills. Effective interface management will be used to collaborate with Sutton & East Surrey to ensure that the site will be maintained in operation throughout the refurbishment.

Recruitment at Biwater  

Biwater Treatment is a leading water and wastewater business which develops and delivers solutions and services to a wide client base across the world.  Our main UK business streams are Construction and Consultancy.

The company is in a solid growth phase following the award of a number of very significant framework agreements with UK water companies.  Our strong forward order book is creating exciting opportunities for staff at all levels and a need for additional innovative, enthusiastic newcomers to join our teams working throughout the country.

A variety of site and office-based positions offering exciting professional and personal development opportunities are available across the range of disciplines.  Our immediate requirements are for our Heywood Head Office and in our framework operations for Anglian Water, Severn Trent Water, Scottish Water and the Water Service in Northern Ireland.

We are a forward-looking organisation and place great value on our people and the contribution they can make to the continuing success of our business.

If you are interested in learning more about our current opportunities, please contact Emma Spencer.

PRESS RELEASE - September 2005  

BIWATER & AEWT JOIN FORCES TO TACKLE GROWING
WORLD DESALINATION MARKET

London – 7 th September 2005 – Today, Biwater USA, Inc., an international water and wastewater treatment company based in Florida , acquired Advanced Environmental Water Technologies, Inc. (AEWT), a supplier of advanced membrane systems with one of the largest municipal installed capacities in the world. Biwater USA, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of British company Biwater Plc.

Following the acquisition AEWT will pursue opportunities in the U.S. market and internationally under its new trade name Biwater AEWT. The company will continue to operate from its office in Pasadena , California , but will be based in Miami , Florida .

The combined expertise of Biwater and AEWT will provide clients with integrated design and project management solutions for the complete treatment scheme.

Biwater’s CEO, Larry Magor commented, “The purchase of AEWT will enable Biwater to expand its business profile and become a significant global player in the application of advanced membrane separation technologies. Together we will meet the growing demand for the supply of high quality water irrespective of the source.”

PRESS RELEASE - August 2005  

BIWATER GRAHAM WINS

ULSTER NORTH COAST PROJECT

Northern Ireland’s Department for Regional Development - Water Service has awarded the £37 million contract to design and build its new North Coast wastewater treatment works to the Biwater Graham Joint Venture. Located at Craigtown More between Portrush and Portstewart, the new works will treat sewage from the two seaside resorts, and from Castlerock, Articlave and Coleraine.  It is part of the planned £735m upgrade of the province's water and sewerage infrastructure through to 2008. Existing works at Articlave and Coleraine will be decommissioned, and flows will be transferred to Craigtown More through a 15-mile network of new mains and nine pumping stations.  Final effluent will be discharged through a 1,200-metre sea outfall off Rinagree Point. 

Treatment will include screening, grit removal, primary settlement, activated sludge secondary treatment and final settlement. 

 As well as accommodating future residential, commercial, tourism and industrial growth for the next 25 years, the project will ensure compliance with the EU Bathing Water and Urban Waste Water Treatment Directives. A further challenge is posed by the complex environmental impact plan, which is designed to safeguard the area's terrestrial and marine flora and fauna during and after the work. 

Completion is programmed for the spring of 2007, in time for the new bathing season.

PRESS RELEASE - July 2005  

BS15000 FIRST FOR BIWATER TREATMENT 

Biwater Treatment has become the first company in the water industry to achieve certification to BS15000, the new quality standard for the management of IT services. It is one of just thirty two organisations around the world to win the approval to date, among them ‘blue chip’ names such as BT, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Siemens and Vodafone. Biwater Treatment’s approval encompasses ‘management of IT services in support of project management, water asset management and related consultancy for projects typically for the water industry’. 

It puts the seal on a six-month run of approvals for the company during which it received certification to the latest standards for its management of quality (ISO 9001),health and safety (OHSAS 18001), and environment (ISO14001). Commenting on the latest success, Biwater Treatment managing director Mark Studholme said: “BS15000 is the first standard focused exclusively on the management of IT, which is a central component of our business operations.” 

“Along with our other approvals, it demonstrates to the water industry that our specialist technical expertise is supported by a comprehensive infrastructure that operates to world-class standards.”

PRESS RELEASE - April 2005  

BIWATER LESLIE WINS RoSPA GOLD

Biwater Leslie, the joint venture of Biwater Treatment and Glasgow-based civil engineering contractor George Leslie, has received a Gold Award in the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents Occupational Health and Safety Awards for 2005.

Central to the joint venture’s success was its unbroken run of 30 months between July 2002 and December 2004 on projects for Scottish Water & Scottish Water Solutions without a single RIDDOR reportable accident , amounting to more than half a million working hours .

To help engender the positive health and safety ethos that underpins this achievement, around one in four of Biwater Leslie’s on-site employees are trained safety representatives, and site managers deliver regular health & safety ‘toolbox talks’.

The ‘safety first’ attitude of mind has also inspired engineering and operational efficiences, such as the use of GRP instead of reinforced concrete storage tanks, which eliminates the hazards associated with deep excavations, access scaffolding and power tools that may cause hand-arm vibration; and a method of changing a pumping station wet well float that requires just one man on the surface rather than a team of three working in a confined space.

Biwater Leslie takes the safety message beyond its own workforce to the community at large and children in particular, as illustrated by the accompanying photograph of ‘hard-hatted’ pupils at Tayvallich Primary School in rural Argyll & Bute, who had just listened to a talk on the dangers of playing near construction sites.

PRESS RELEASE - March 2005  

BIWATER HANDS OVER WATER SUPPLY TO LOCAL WATER COMPANY

Biwater & Nuon’s JV, Cascal, is preparing to hand over the operation of its package plants in Aceh , Indonesia to the local water company.

The Biwater Group has been working hard to supply clean water to refugees since the tsunami hit on 26 th December 2004 .

With the help of its Bournemouth & West Hampshire (BWH) and PT Adhya Tirta Batam (ATB) operations as well as its office in Singapore , Biwater has sent equipment and skilled volunteers to the disaster area.

The team of nine skilled volunteers from Biwater arrived in Aceh in January to set up the equipment. Once the equipment was set up and the two volunteers from BWH were satisfied that they had trained the ATB staff to use the equipment, they returned back to the UK . The ATB staff are still operating the plants which is currently supplying between 10 to 13 water tankers from the local water company as well as a steady stream of refugees who are collecting water from the standpipes at the site.

The local water company has now deployed three full time plant operators and over the next five weeks ATB staff will provide additional training to the operators. The equipment will remain in Aceh indefinitely but even after departure of the ATB staff, they will be available if help is required.

PRESS RELEASE - January 2005

BIWATER RESPONDS RAPIDLY TO INDONESIA ’S REQUEST FOR AID

Biwater’s JV, Cascal, with the help of its water companies in the UK ( Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water) and Indonesia (PT Adhya Tirta Batam) rushed to organise aid for Indonesia when they were contacted by the Medan City Water Company (PDAM Medan). Skilled personnel and package water treatment plant equipment has been requested and is now on its way to Indonesia .

PDAM Medan has currently identified nine refugee camps on the outskirts of towns in northern Sumatra and each comprises of 6,000 people. Three camps are to the south of Banda Aceh and desperately need small package treatment plants. River water up to a few kilometres inland is still saline and the relief team will need to dig wells to extract raw water.

Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water (BWH) has provided one trailer mounted water treatment plant producing water for up to 50,000 people, two skid mounted water treatment plants to supply up to 16,000 people each, temporary storage tanks and 100 days stock of chemicals, tools and provisions. In addition BWH has released three skilled operators who will be in Indonesia for approximately two weeks while they train the PT Adhya Tirta Batam (ATB) staff to operate the package plants. ATB with the help of Cascal’s Singapore office has played a large part in arranging the logistics of moving the equipment in Indonesia as well as liaising with PDAM Medan to find the most suitable locations for the treatment plants. ATB staff will operate the plants for up to three months during which time they will train suitable Acehnese staff to take over the operations.

Biwater also has a number of volunteers that they are willing to sponsor for a period of three months to help rebuild water supply infrastructure in Indonesia and Sri Lanka and is currently in discussions with various Aid Agencies.

Biwater Plc together with Biwater Treatment staff have also currently collected £3500 for the Tsunami Disaster Appeal. Biwater will match the final amount that is collected.

PRESS RELEASE - December 2004 

BIWATER / RESPONSE JV TARGETS IRISH WATER PROJECTS

Biwater Treatment has formed a joint venture with Cork-based engineering company Response Engineering to bid for DBO (Design, Build & Operate) projects in Ireland under the name Biwater Response Utilities.

The jv also has an agreement to utilise Zenon membrane technologies in appropriate cases. To date, Biwater has completed two Zenon MBR projects for wastewater treatment; at Campbeltown for Scottish Water, and at Buxton for Severn Trent. It recently secured a third, for the Northern Ireland Water Service's new Ballyclare WwTW in County Antrim.

With more than 200 clients, Response is well-known in the Irish water and wastewater treatment industry for the manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of all types and sizes of treatment plant.

"DBO is winning increasing favour as the best long-term means of revitalising the Irish water and wastewater treatment infrastructure," said Response managing director Noel Hanley.

"The joint venture combines Response's local experience, reputation and presence with Biwater's financial strength and international experience of Design Build and Operate projects."

PRESS RELEASE - November 2004 

BIWATER TREATMENT SIGNS A NEW CONTRACT IN LODZ, POLAND

Biwater Treatment has just signed a construction, installation and refurbishment contract to extend a WWTP in Lodz , Poland . This will include the extension of three biological treatment lines, sludge thickeners and modernisation of a screen house. The period of execution is 24 months.

The city of Lodz is the second largest city in Poland and is situated in the centre of the country. When construction is complete this wastewater treatment plant will be the biggest sewage treatment plant facility in Poland .

The project is worth 12 million Euros and was awarded to a Joint Venture between Biwater Treatment and Warbud SA of Poland .

PRESS RELEASE - September 2004 

APPROVALS HAT-TRICK FOR BIWATER

In the space of just six months, Biwater Treatment has received approval to the latest standards for the way it manages three key aspects of its work – quality, health and safety, and environment.

The triple success – a rare achievement amongst contractors to the water industry - encompasses ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO14001 respectively. Assessment in all cases was by LRQA, widely considered to be one of the most rigorous certification bodies.

It gives Biwater one of the highest scores on Verify, the website used by many water companies to check potential suppliers’ compliance with standards.

“It is clear that today clients expect formal confirmation from contractors that they are actively managing their quality and environmental performance,” said John Abraham Operations Director. “OHSAS 18001 is not so well-known, but we expect that it too will become a requirement as the importance of health and safety issues grows.”

PRESS RELEASE - August 2004 

Biwater Signs a Contract for a New Wastewater Plant in Bulgaria

A consortium of Biwater and the Bulgarian company “Building Development Holding” have signed a contract for the design and construction of a Euro 16 million wastewater treatment plant in the city of Haskovo, Bulgaria. The plant will be funded by the European Investment Bank.

Tendering for this project began in January this year. 19 European consortia expressed an interest in the project, six were prequalified, of four finally submitted offers. The Biwater/ Building Development Holding Consortium was selected to undertake the work.

The 72,000 m³/day wastewater treatment plant in Haskovo is a part of the project called the “Construction of Wastewater Treatment Plants in the Maritza River Basin”. This project includes wastewater treatment plants in the cities of Stara, Zagora, Dimitrovgrad and Haskovo.

The construction of the wastewater treatment plant in Haskovo is expected to begin in March 2005 and to be completed during 2007.

PRESS RELEASE - April 2004 

NEW LEDBURY WwTW WILL REMOVE PHOSPHORUS

Biological phosphorus removal to meet UWWTD tightening discharge consent is
central to Biwater Treatment's contract at Severn Trent Water's Ledbury
wastewater treatment works in Herefordshire.

The £6.1m project also includes storm water CSO screening at the main feed
pumping station and provision for a future tertiary treatment stage.
Completion is scheduled for March 2005.

Designed for a population equivalent of 13,930,the new plant will treat a
process flow of 132l/s to a final effluent standard of BOD 10: Suspended
Solids 20: Ammonia 3 (summer) and 5 (winter) mg/l.

The process incorporates 6mm screening, grit removal, crude sewage and RAS
conditioning, two diffused air oxidation ditches for biological phosphorus
removal, final settlement, odour control to the inlet works, RAS/SAS
pumping, SAS thickening and new MCC/power distribution.

PRESS RELEASE - December 2003

BUXTON 'SAFETY CULTURE' GETS SEVERN TRENT AWARD

Biwater Treatment has won Severn Trent's 2003 Health and Safety Award for
its performance on the new Buxton Sewage Treatment Plant.

Instead of being chosen from nominations made by Severn Trent's own staff,
this year's award was based on submissions made by the contractors
themselves, followed at the final stage by presentations and interviews of
the project teams to establish which had developed the most effective 'safety culture'.

The Buxton plant is on a restricted split site adjacent to a significant number of major hazards - a railway, the River Wye, the A6 main road, a large supermarket and the town centre itself.

From the very beginning of the planning and design stage, Biwater worked with Severn Trent to minimise safety risks, often by finding alternatives to potentially dangerous procedures. For example, existing sewer systems were re-used to avoid laying new pipes in heavily contaminated land; and piling beside the A6 trunk road for a new pipe bridge over the river has been avoided by using a road crossing instead.

Since construction started, the site management teams from both parties have been working closely with Biwater's safety department. Some of the initiatives adopted have been very simple, such as issuing operatives with safety glasses and gloves of their choice, which has nonetheless been very successful in reducing minor accidents. Other examples include logging the number of hours each person uses vibrating tools to avoid the risk of vibration white finger; and using a tower crane to reduce plant movements and storage problems.

In the view of Biwater operations manager Nick Addison, it is good teamwork every day on site that is the real driver behind the successful reduction in risk to operatives and interface management.

"Teamwork with the operatives starts during our induction programme and Safety Action Group meetings, which are chaired by the site manager on a bi-monthly basis and attended by representatives from all trades and companies involved on the site," he says.

"This has created a teamwork approach between Biwater, Severn Trent Operations and our sub-contractors, which does more than just disseminate safety information down the managerial chain. It gives positive feedback from site operatives, who see that the important part they play in the site team is recognised.

"In return, we exhibit a truly personal ownership of the whole issue of safety - along with a greater sense of professionalism and increased job satisfaction."

PRESS RELEASE - November 2003

AWARD FOR BIWATER ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Biwater Treatment's new asset management system has won the 2003 IWEX
Innovation Award for Most Innovative and Effective Multi Utility Service.

The company's Integrated Utility Management System (IUMS) combines data
management with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning
technology (GPS) to deliver significant operational cost savings whilst
accurately positioning and mapping assets.

Benefits begin in the field with network maintenance personnel, whose
vehicles are equipped with positioning and mapping facilities that save time
in locating and travelling to the item of plant in need of attention.

At the same time, the System assists the operational manager in tracking the
location of fleet vehicles and dispatching the nearest available team to an
incident, ensuring maximum operational efficiency and customer service.

Completing the process is the continuous flow of information from the field,
which is used to 'cleanse' and update network records and improve Geographic
Information Systems.

As well as increasing flexibility and responsiveness, IUMS allows the
operational manager to monitor staff, provide additional lone worker safety,
record routes for optimising travel and fuel costs, and minimise 'lost'
time, all of which have a direct, positive impact on the bottom line.

PRESS RELEASE - September 2003

AIRPORT TREATMENT TAKES OFF

Although industrial treatment usually implies some kind of manufacturing activity, airports also use and handle large volumes of water and they are under increasing pressure to treat it adequately. Richard Clarke of Biwater Treatment outlines some of the problems – and the remedies available.

Amid much anticipation of the Government White Paper that will set out the future of the industry in Britain, airport operators are more than usually concerned to show that they meet current legislative requirements in all aspects of their work.

With respect to water specifically, it is the ever more stringent standards set by the Environment Agency that are setting the agenda and giving momentum to the search for innovative and effective solutions.

Very often the answers are to be found with companies such as Biwater Treatment, whose accumulated expertise in the service of the water utilities across more than a century includes an extensive portfolio of consultancy and operational services that are readily applicable to airports’ needs.

Take, for example, leakage detection surveying, which has considerable potential for reducing water costs and maximising operational efficiency. In many cases there is a double benefit to be had here, because the airport’s effluent charges are calculated as a percentage of the clean water usage - so reducing leakage delivers savings on both costs.

Similarly, securing up-to-date information on airport underground water assets through GPS-mapped drainage areas and their modelling surveys is invaluable for planning efficient maintenance programmes – not to mention forestalling impending failures that were previously not know of.

And the implications of surface run-off, which is a big concern for water utilities at the moment, is just as much of a problem for airports, with their acres of runways and associated hard-standing areas. Of particular concern under this heading (and potentially in need of special treatment) are the de-icers used on aircraft during sub-zero temperatures, and the run-off from hot fire training rigs, where airport firefighters practise their skills on artificially created fires.

Although these are the main preoccupations amongst airport operators at the moment, the following brief survey of recent Biwater projects shows that individual needs can be very varied.

Wastewater and run-off treatment
Like many, the biological filter at this airport was installed when it was an RAF airfield during the Second World War, but it is now called upon to treat wastewater from the present-day terminal building together with some surface run off. By a fortunate coincidence, the original equipment was supplied by Ames Crosta – one of the ‘famous names’ since absorbed into Biwater Treatment – and the company was able to refer to the original drawings and renew the decayed metalwork with identical parts. By keeping the original siphon design it was possible for the treatment plant to work purely through hydraulics, and it requires no electrical power to move
the filter arms.

‘Hot Fire’ run-off
Depending on analysis, this can be expensive and difficult to dispose of in accordance with present-day requirements. As well as carrying out on-going sampling and testing, Biwater has processes for treatment solutions to a level that allows discharge to a local brook or water course.

Mapping underground assets
Drainage surveys using the latest GPS positioning equipment have been carried out for four different operators to provide exact locations of features such as sewer runs, manhole positions/details and directions of flow. This is especially useful if the airport was originally owned by the MOD, which attached little importance to adequate drainage records.

Leakage detection
A recent survey of a clean water system was carried out to identify the positions of the leaks in below-ground pipework. This reduced both water and effluent costs.

Water re-use
The run off water from impermeable surfaces at this airport is currently collected in a holding tank. Biwater is developing an appropriate treatment system so that the water can be re-used or harvested for non-potable purposes such as aircraft washing and toilet flushing – a cost effective and environmentally friendly means of contributing to the greater demand for water that will be created by a proposed expansion.

Asset management and maintenance
A comprehensive service contract for all water and waste related areas that allows operators to concentrate without distraction on their revenue-building activities.

PRESS RELEASE - June 2003

DUAL SITE FOR NEW BUXTON WwTP

Biwater Treatment has started work on the £8.2m upgrading of Buxton
Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Although some existing structures will be refurbished and converted, the
process route is new, utilising fine bubble diffused aeration and MBR
filtration complemented by improved sludge handling facilities. Design flow
is 16.7MLD, with a loading of 1230kg/d BOD.

The topography of the plant is unusual, with the inlet works and sludge and
storm handling plant on the existing site, and aeration and MBR in a
redundant quarry on higher ground nearby.

The A6 and a major local road run between the sites, and flows will be
transferred through an underground pipe crossing that has already been
installed as the first stage of the project.

The completed scheme will meet the new consent of 15:25:5/10 (BOD:SS:NH3), a
combination of the Fishery and River Quality Objectives consents.

The membrane plant will yield an effluent suitable for discharge into the
adjacent stretch of the River Wye, and the downstream filter beds that
polished the effluent from the old plant will be demolished and returned to
a natural state.

Because Buxton is in a conservation area just outside the Peak District
National Park, environmental and aesthetic considerations played an
important part in the planning process.

To help satisfy these concerns, Biwater carried out a number of
environmental impact studies in conjunction with Severn Trent, and produced
3D images of the plant as it will appear from the principal vantage points.

The 77-week programme will be completed in July 2004.