The days when water companies just dealt in water are long gone. Today, they take a much more holistic approach to the impact that they have on the areas in which they operate.
That is why much of Southern Water’s focus is on investigating ways to not only promote more effective water usage but also to save and generate energy through technologies including solar power and the innovative use of bio-solids in sludge.
Overseeing the move from purely being a water provider to a company that has a much more wide-ranging role is Chief Executive Ian McAulay, who took on the job at the start of the year in the latest stage of a career that has seen him occupy senior roles with the likes of Viridor, Pennon Group, MWH and United Utilities.
One of his key tasks is overseeing the preparation of the latest of the company’s regular review of operations required to be submitted to industry regulator Ofwat in early 2018.
The review is a huge piece of work that will involve widespread consultation and delve into every aspect of the company’s operations. When completed, it will emphasise the high priority that the company places on protecting the environment.
Ian said: “We believe that the company has to be part of the community and it is important to us that we obtain people’s views on our performance
“As a company, we have to be constantly vigilant about issues such as clean beaches and water usage. We know that we do not always get it right but we work hard to identify ways in which we can improve.
“In the run-up to our submission to the regulator of the latest review of our 25-year strategic plan, people in the South East will be asked to give their views through everything from surveys to forums. Indeed, whenever I am in a café or a taxi or taking a walk I keep an ear out to see what people think about what we do!
“One of the big considerations for us is constantly seeking to improve the way that we protect the environment.
“We have invested heavily, for instance, in detecting and repairing leaks. That can be a challenge because they are not always easy to detect and if we dig up a high street it can disrupt businesses but we are constantly working on ways of reducing wastage.
“That is of particular concern in the South East and we need make our use of water as efficient as possible. Water resilience is important to us.
“I am encouraged by the way that all the water companies in the South East meet regularly to discuss such issues. My view is that just because you are in competition with someone does not mean you cannot work with them.
“As part of our work at Southern Water, we have also adopted a new approach that examines the issue of diffuse pollution, which is more subtle than what people would ordinarily identify as pollution.
“As part of the work we will examine our impact on whole river catchments, focusing on the wider area, not just rivers and streams.
“The company is also working hard to bring about improvements in our beaches. There have been problems in the past, we acknowledge that, but we are making advances and we know it is important that we do so because clean beaches are good for tourism and the local economy.”
As part of its environmental work, the company has been exploring the potential presented by renewable energy.
Ian said: “We are becoming more interested in renewable energy. For example, we have introduced solar energy on some of our sites, which works well in the South East because of the amount of sunshine we enjoy.
“We are also looking at improving the generation of energy from bio-solids contained in the sludge which is produced as part of the wastewater process.
“The Dutch refer to their wastewater plants as energy factories and we are looking at a similar approach. We already produce sludge as part of what we do so it makes sense to explore ways in which we can make use of it to generate and store energy.
“All these projects are small scale but taken together they offer great potential. They are part of our more holistic approach to what we do.”
