Newly acquired equipment and expertise make South West Water the first water company in the country to become self-sufficient in installing AVT’s unique inline valves

South West Water has taken a major step forward in controlling burst situations and reducing service interruptions to customers by becoming the first UK water company to acquire Advanced Valve Technologies’ (AVT) EZ Valve™ kits. The acquisition of these kits from AVT’s UK distributor, R2M Ltd, means South West Water operatives now have the ability to quickly install valves using their own resources.

In 2018/19 South West Water reduced the overall duration of any interruptions to customer supplies, beating its target for average duration of interruptions per property and achieving its best ever performance in this area. This was despite a 40% increase in the number of mains bursts during the summer due to ground movement arising from the prolonged dry period.

Recognising customers’ priorities, the company is focused on delivering further improvements in this area, particularly given the challenging targets it has set itself for the 2020-25 period. Improvements include the establishment of an enhanced monitoring centre, expanding the company’s fleet of alternative water supply vehicles and operatives and increasing the use of business intelligence software using network data to provide further insight.

While leaks and bursts are inevitable, the AVT EZ Valve system will enable South West Water to repair damaged pipes without shutting off the water supply and interrupting service to customers. The innovative system is designed with a built-in isolation gate that allows the valve to be installed under pressure in challenging conditions and enables faster restoration than alternative solutions.

The kits include an innovative machine that mills a small 120° slot in the top of the pipe, eliminating the need to cut a coupon or remove a section of the pipeline. This design preserves pipe integrity and allows the valve to be installed under full pressure.

South West Water’s Director of Networks, Mark Hillson, said: “We were eager to have access to the specialised kits so we could begin installing the valves ourselves. With the exceptional training our field teams have received, we’re now in a position to act much more quickly to emergency situations and will be better able to manage burst situations to offer even more reliable service and keep customers in supply.

“We’ll also utilise the equipment to reduce the impact of planned work on our customers. Where it’s not possible to use other alternative water supply mitigation options, such as one of our fleet of newly acquired tankers, we’ll use the EZ Valve kit to install additional isolation points and minimise the area impacted by any such activities.”

As part of the partnership, 30 installers, a mix of internal resource and operatives who are contracted to the company from the Kier Group, were put through intensive training at South West Water’s Exewater depot in Exeter, Devon, to learn how to install the inline valve. Trainees received classroom instruction followed by hands-on training, during which they familiarised themselves with the installation process.

Additional employees will receive training to install AVT EZ Valves using the three installation kits, which will be located at South West Water regional hubs and will serve customers across the South West and Bournemouth operating areas.

In addition to the EZ Valve equipment, the water company has purchased a fleet of eight new water tankers and 15 fully equipped alternative water supply (AWS) vehicles which will carry the full range of supply mitigation equipment. To fully utilise this equipment South West Water has recruited a 17-strong AWS team who will be focused on deploying the equipment with the sole aim of keeping customers in supply.

Mark said: “As part of our PR19 process we spent a lot of time talking to customers. It’s clear that a safe and reliable supply of drinking water remains their number one priority. As an organisation we absolutely recognise the importance to customers and the local economy of keeping supplies on, whatever the circumstances. We’ve learned from recent extreme weather events, such as the Beast from the East, and have responded by investing in the people, skills and equipment that will help us achieve our ultimate aim of zero interruptions.”

South West Water’s Network and Customer Services Manager, Richie Adams, added: “From an operational point of view, it is exciting to be taking delivery of this new equipment, giving the frontline teams new tools and greater flexibility to minimise disruption to our network and importantly our customers.

“The EZ Valve kits are another tool in our toolbox to aid the reduction in properties affected and where we currently don’t have valves, or existing valves are not functioning correctly, they will enable us to install a valve live. This will reduce the need to disrupt customer supplies, which may have been affected without this new kit.

“We are committed to taking on and achieving the challenging targets and performance improvements that face us going forwards and this substantial investment in a new team and equipment will allow greater focus and flexibility to achieve our goals.”

Speaking about the partnership, AVT President Harry Gray said: “We’re pleased to help South West Water improve its internal capabilities for managing potential interruptions to supply using our award-winning inline valve. We designed the AVT EZ Valve kits to put our technology in the hands of companies that need it. As the first water company in the UK to take advantage of this innovation, South West Water is in a position to respond swiftly to emergency situations and better manage its supply interruption outcomes.”

R2M Ltd. Valve Division Director Matt Harris added: “We have a long history of close collaboration with South West Water. They were looking for more ways to reduce customer minutes lost and provide a better level of customer service as they work towards their AMP7 commitments. They like the EZ Valve as it’s compact and fast to install valves on live networks. Importantly, they wanted an asset that not only looks like a valve but also operated the same as the standard valve.”