Humph The Thirsty Elephant

Those of us engaged in the UK Water Sector are familiar with the ‘elephant in the room’ that shames our industry, the inability to provide a testing facility to allow products to be accredited to Regulation 31 for use on Potable Networks.

The consequence of inertia means that it is now over three years since facilities for leachate testing closed meaning that technologies proven in other territories cannot be used to deliver efficiencies and that established products have faced challenges in getting approvals renewed.

Promises have been made about future provision but progress is at a ‘glacial’ pace and there is a general lack of ownership and responsibility from DWI and DEFRA and there is even some doubt as to whether the exacting testing standards can even be met or proved in laboratory conditions (particularly around the recovery parameters of compounds in leachate testing)

The consequence is that Water Supply Companies cannot use lining technologies to address leakage on potable networks and 2,617m litres a day are lost (Source: Environment Agency)

Beyond the wastage the consequence for consumers is even greater, hosepipe bans, water restrictions and the proposed introduction of peak water tariffs are all consequences of the failure of the sector to embrace innovation and proactively address Leakage. What other business charges its customers retrospectively to treat a natural resource and then tolerates upto 20% leakage (aka shrinkage) in its distribution. And when faced with supply problems encourages its customer to reduce demand resulting in a proportionate loss of revenue !

The failure to adopt innovative lining technologies (CIPP, UV and winch through liners like our own SaniTube technology) also has significant Societal costs. Traditional refurbishment techniques including open cut and slip lining cause extensive disruption and rely on extensive civils works meaning that scenes like this are a daily occurrence and inconvenience.

Lining is estimated to Save 75% against the cost of open cut replacement and reduce CO2 emissions by upto 97%* . At the current rate of replacement ( 0.14% a year) it will take 700 years to to renew the water network using traditional methods (National Audit Office).

The case for the adoption of lining on Potable networks is overwhelming

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT ON REG31

*Appeldorn (2013)