FEATURES
HARP: tunnelling into the future
The Haweswater Aqueduct – stretching from Cumbria to Greater Manchester – has long been recognised as a major feat of engineering. This vital gravity-fed pipeline is now undergoing a £3bn tunnel upgrade – one of the UK’s biggest ever...
What Makes Lead Pipe Replacement Projects Succeed?
The UK’s lead pipe replacement programme is, in theory, one of the most straightforward public health interventions imaginable: find the pipes, replace them, protect people. In practice, it’s proven stubbornly difficult to deliver at pace. Water companies are struggling...
Blasting Through the Nitrogen Removal Challenge in Wastewater
Wastewater treatment plants face increasing pressure to improve nitrogen removal. Under AMP8, water companies are expected to deliver significant reductions in both phosphorus and nitrogen through upgraded treatment processes, optimisation of assets, and wider environmental interventions. Nitrogen management is...
The solution to tightening phosphorus limits
Phosphorus is one of the most important issues in municipal wastewater treatment in AMP8. Here, Daniel Parry, Head of Sales – Municipal and Industrial, Water Tech, at Veolia, outlines what this means for operators and the technologies available to...
New insight reveals declining phosphorus levels in English rivers
The Environment Agency and the University of Stirling have published a report on the links between phosphorus concentrations and ecology in English rivers.
Phosphorus remains one of the most significant pollutants in England’s rivers. In recent decades, the overall concentration of phosphorous in...
New MBR will be UK’s largest
The UK’s largest membrane bioreactor (MBR) is being installed by United Utilities at its Wigan wastewater treatment works.
The scheme – part of a £230m investment – aims to slash phosphorus, ammonia and iron levels in treated wastewater before it...
Lessening the load: a practical guide for improving phosphorous removal
Ross Brace, filtration business manager at Hydro International, explains what water utilities should consider to ensure their tertiary treatment equipment effectively tackles phosphorous
Phosphorous is an essential element for sustaining plant life – but too much can cause harm....
Meeting ultra-low phosphorus limits at scale
Ever increasing phosphorous targets are driving wider adoption of advanced technologies, writes Duncan Wildgoose, business development manager, Xylem UK.
Interim targets for phosphorus removal - requiring water companies to reduce phosphorus in treated wastewater by 55% by December 2030 -...
Wessex Water in algae treatment trials
Wessex Water is taking part in trials of a nature-based wastewater treatment process that uses algae to break down contaminants.
The £1m agreement – a joint venture with wastewater firm Marlowe Environmental Services (MES) and technology company i-Phyc - will...
Yorkshire Water uses smart sensors for source water selection
Reducing disinfection by-product risk through real time water quality monitoring.
Yorkshire Water supplies essential water and wastewater services to over five million people across the Yorkshire region in the North of England. The utility operates over 670 water and wastewater...
Anglian Water’s @one Alliance embarks on critical Storm Tank Programme
Anglian Water and its @one Alliance have begun construction on the AMP8 Storm Tank Programme, marking a pivotal moment in one of the most significant capital investment periods in the company’s history.
With £47 million committed to delivering 35...
County Durham trial could boost river protection
Engineers working on an £18m project in a County Durham village are trialling an innovative solution to help protect and improve the region’s rivers, streams and coast.
Northumbrian Water is working to reduce spills from ten storm overflows (SOs) in...
United Utilities celebrate success in cutting storm overflow spills across Cheshire
United Utilities has reported another reduction in storm overflow operations across Cheshire over the past year, demonstrating further progress on its environmental commitments.
Official figures released by the Environment Agency (EA) have confirmed a 45% reduction in spill duration during 2025, with the number of spills from...
AI sewers and nature help cut storm overflows in Whitstable
A pioneering “smart sewer” system is already transforming how the Southern Water network operates during heavy rainfall.
Using realtime artificial intelligence, the system actively manages flows through the sewers as rain increases, helping to prevent overflows before they happen and reducing pressure...
Taking the weight off ageing Victorian drainage
Jon Fawcett, Head of Technical at Keyline Civils Specialist, discusses how attenuation systems can relieve pressure on existing drainage infrastructure.
chaos, business closures, and communities rocked by flooding.
Extreme rainfall events are becoming commonplace due to climate change, and a growing...
Smart water networks start with state-of-the-art pipes
Smart water networks are often associated with sensors, digital platforms and realtime data management. However, the foundation of any truly intelligent water network lies in the physical infrastructure itself. Without reliable, highperformance pipelines, no level of digitalization can compensate...
North East Project Pipeline: first phase completed
More than 30km of a new water pipeline has been built in the first phase of a major investment to protect the North East’s water supplies.
Completion of engineering work on Phase 1 of Northumbrian Water’s Project Pipeline: County Durham...
Roaming robot detects early pipework problems
A blockage-detecting robot is sending back its first signals from inside the sewer network, helping engineers to spot early build-ups before they cause flooding.
Trials are continuing in Seaham, County Durham, for Pipebot Patrol, a £1.8m innovation project led...
Major milestone in the building of Anglian Water’s Strategic Pipeline
Anglian Water is laying the foundations for a 20-million litre water storage tank at Welby, Lincolnshire.
The plan is to secure the future of water supply resilience between Lincoln and Grantham, forming part of one of the UK’s biggest infrastructure...
PipeDiver successfully deployed on critical pipework
Scottish Water used cutting-edge inspection technology in Dundee to assess the condition of a critical 30-inch trunk water main serving the south of the city.
Installed in the 1980s, the strategic concrete trunk main plays a vital role in supplying...
The hidden risks of overlooking the ‘health’ in health & safety: what water sector employers need to know
The water sector is one of the most safety-critical parts of the UK economy. Employees often work in high-risk environments, from treatment works and pumping stations to underground pipes, reservoirs, and confined spaces. These roles come with clear physical...
Leak tech covers record ground for Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water is using drones to help find and fix leaks, particularly in hard-to-reach rural areas.
The recent cold weather – interspersed with periods of milder temperatures – has seen the ground become hard and then soggy and saturated, leading...
Why skills matter in protecting water networks
The water industry is investing heavily in technology to protect clean water networks by introducing advanced leak detection tools, smarter asset management systems, and increasingly sophisticated monitoring of water quality.
These innovations are essential. However, technology alone does not secure...
Ceramic Ultrafiltration takes centre stage
Utilities and industrial operators face compounding pressures. Feedwater variability is increasing, regulatory scrutiny is intensifying, capital budgets remain constrained, and operating teams are expected to maintain performance with limited room for disruption.
Against that backdrop, ceramic ultrafiltration has shifted position....
Why predictive intelligence is non-negotiable for UK water
The Independent Water Commission’s (IWC) Final Report, delivered in July 2025, is being called the water sector’s 21st century “Great Stink” moment.
For a multi-billion-pound industry defined by challenges including sewage spills, failing infrastructure, and the confirmed abolition of its...
Building a future‑ready workforce for a digitally transformed water industry
Paul Armstrong Managing Director of People and Talent Solutions
The UK water industry is entering one of the most demanding periods in its history. From tougher environmental expectations to ageing assets and rising public scrutiny, water companies are being pushed...
How Northern Europe utilities identify water losses
As water tariffs rise and infrastructure ages, utilities across the Nordic region are under pressure to do more with less. While much of the stress is visible in budgets and regulatory reports, the core challenge lies beneath the surface...
Why flow data is becoming central to upstream leakage management
Upstream leakage remains one of the industry’s hardest challenges
The way water companies calculate and manage upstream leakage is changing. Regulatory guidance is increasingly clear that reliance on indirect estimates and assumptions is no longer sufficient.1,2 Ofwat’s encouragement to move...
Building resilient networks through in-pipe intelligence
Leakage has moved beyond being a technical performance metric. It is a financial liability, a regulatory risk, and a reputationcal issue that boards can no longer treat as background noise.
Around 20 per cent of treated water in England and...
Sustainable groundwater treatment: clean water using ion exchange technology
Groundwater supplies around 65% of Europe’s drinking water supply and 25% of its agricultural irrigation water, including in the UK. Europe also has a growing nitrate pollution problem affecting borehole and surface water, despite legislation intended to reduce farming...
