WaterWeekly 2.0 Vol 3

A weekly round-up of all the latest news in the water industry!

Your go-to weekly newsletter on all things water.

Ever-evolving advancing technology; New management systems, positive deals in business, developing research and the growing involvement of AI tools; This week’s newsletter gives an insight into the latest business investments, the impact of our warming environment, and new digital initiatives for our industry!

-??????? To begin with, researchers at the University of Stirling have received ￡670,000 in funding from NERC for a project that will develop a cost-effective system for monitoring water quality in real-time cutting-edge technology. The project will be led by Science Director Dr Peter Hunter at the University who has highlighted that their “ability to measure changes in water quality is fundamental to understanding the combined effects of human and climate pressures on freshwater ecosystems”. The funding will enable higher quality evidence to be examined quicker and more thoroughly, which will encourage a greener, cleaner environment for everyone.

?

-??????? We are witnessing the use of AI every day! AI is giving our water industry the opportunity to drive efficiency and innovation. Collecting and analysing historical data through AI technologies is unlocking operational insights and allowing greater efficiency in detecting weather concerns. Researchers from DTU have helped Jammerbugt Municipality develop an early warning tool that can buy time to reduce the risk of intense flood damage and engage with good management systems that will divert the water away. AI was used in the development of the ‘wet index’ tool.

Read more here - https://smartwatermagazine.com/news/technical-university-denmark-dtu/using-ai-develop-early-warning-systems-flooding

?

More Business development news over the last couple of weeks.

English Water companies partner for ￡180m initiative to prevent sewage spills – The up coming 12 months will see huge investment puncturing the industry to help prevent more than 8,000 sewage spills polluting our English waterways. Treatments will involve the funding into advancing AI systems to manage storm loads, the installation of more sewer monitors to detect issues earlier, and the recruitment and training of specialists to support current spilling issues.

Mott MacDonald and 嘉科工程 have been outlined by Thames Water as technical partner to support the delivery of the company’s ￡4.7B future asset investment programs. It will be under their SRO framework which will help mould the delivery of investment programs which support the management of water supply resiliency in London and surrounding areas.

“Mott MacDonald and Jacobs will deliver a range of technical, engineering, environmental and regulatory services and planning content to take the schemes through the development phase and into delivery.”

Veolia has been awarded Europe’s largest water management 12-year contract by SEDIF. The powerhouse has been chosen for the management of its public drinking water service from 2025 to 2036. The deal holds a total value of around 4 billion euros over the 12-year time period, and will manage water distribution for 4 million residents in Paris with aims of reaching optimal water quality and managing wate pricing.

CEO of Veolia says “We have come up with an offer of exceptional quality for the people of the Paris region, featuring numerous innovations and world firsts. Alongside SEDIF, with whom we share a vision and values for the water service of tomorrow, we are going to revolutionize the world of water.”

?

Tackling The inevitable – Climate issues

As climate change continues to aid the critical need of cleaner, more efficient water supplies all around the world, our industry persists in shining light onto managing and diluting the threat.

European Commissions – As climate change tightens its grip on Europe, demands from our industry carry on changing and expectations rise. As our weather warms, the lingering issue of drought fuels political friction over water resources - The cost of droughts and floods for EU countries is estimated at around 170 billion euros per year.

The commission commits to enhancing EU-wide resilience measures, including strengthening workers protections against heat waves, establishing minimum climate resilience requirements for EU spending, and providing management guidance for rural landscapes to withstand climate risks.

Between 2020 and 2050, we are twice as likely to have a year with water restrictions due to droughts in England compared to the 1997-2004 period.

?

Digital Technology Innovation

Lately the process of digitalization of the water sector has accelerated with the implementation of disruptive technologies that are changing the predominant business models we use.

Martin Jackson , Head of Digital Strategy & Product Management at NWG (Northumbrian Water Group) has recently sharesd his take on innovation initiatives on the digital front.

-??????? ?Read more here - “We created a digital vision in 2017 to be ‘the most digital water company in the world’” ( smartwatermagazine.com )

South East Water installs 100,000 water digital meters which have saved customers throughout Melbourne $5.3 million in water bills. Since the roll-out of installations began, the meters have been successful in detecting small but costly leaks weeks or months before they were due to erupt, saving more than a billion litres of drinking water and expensive bills for customers. – A great example of digital advancements bettering customer experience.

?Let’s conclude with a little info on an exciting event that took place recently.

2024 WateReuse Symposium

Symposium in Colorado; concluded with a Tech Showcase spotlighting top new and emerging technologies that could improve water recycling within the next 5 – 15 years. Sponsored by Xylem , the showcase was predicted to present innovative technologies that improve the efficiency or efficacy of treatment processes, collection or distribution processes, or residual management. Exhibitors included AWC (American Water Chemicals) , H2O Innovation , Veolia , Xylem , Intuitech and many more.

-??????? Learn more about this year’s event - WateReuse Association

As always, thankyou so much for reading this week’s post filled with water news that has bubbled to the surface over the last two weeks.

Make sure you didn't miss last weeks special for World Water Day featuring Chloé Meyer from Bluefield Research ! We are working on some other great features in the coming weeks, however if you would like to be, or have a request of someone let me know in the comments!

As always, if you are hiring for your team, or exploring new opportunities get in touch at [email protected]