What now for water?

The UK and Welsh governments have launched an Independent Commission to review the water sector and its regulation, marking the largest industry overhaul since privatisation. Is the UK government finally taking meaningful action to address decades of mismanagement in the water sector—or are its current actions just another layer of bureaucracy? This new initiative promises to tackle systemic failings, attract investment, and clean up our waterways. But as rivers remain polluted and infrastructure lags behind, one has to wonder: will this government deliver real change, or is it a convenient distraction from deeper regulatory failures?

Despite political indifference, our sector faces major challenges that demand changes in approach and strategy:

• Climate change – increasing the value of resources and posing threats to resilience. 
• Demography – altering consumption patterns and increasing demands on infrastructure.
• Ageing assets – increasing vulnerability and risk of failure
• Funding – a broken model that undervalues water and imposes restrictions on investment.
• Regulation – inhibiting innovation and investment.

It is clear that the cumulative effect of these challenges will be to demand a new approach to asset management over the next five-year period, water company business plans collectively call for more investment with three main outputs at the top of agendas:

• Leakage and resilience of supply
• Lead replacement
• Pollution and refurbishment of wastewater infrastructure

Before the final determinations, the demand for investment in critical water infrastructure will exceed the outputs that can be achieved from traditional refurbishment and replacement technologies and that new trenchless technologies will need to be adopted as business as usual to meet the cost challenge and programme requirements.

Pipelining has a key role to play in AMP8 and independent research has shown that trenchless rehabilitation can save up to 75% in costs and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 97% when compared to open-cut replacement (Appeldorn: based on 150mm diameter refurbishment). 

Lining also delivers other operational benefits :

• Speed – lining requires minimal excavation allowing for greater efficiency with installations of up to 1.5km possible in a single shift.
• Total Installed Costs – lining reduces the need for infrastructure diversions, traffic management and logistics associated with open-cut refurbishments.
• Societal Costs – lining reduces asset downtime (meeting the new 3-hour target) and is generally less disruptive and safer than open cut.

Although lining has been used over several AMP periods the full benefits are yet to be realised and new technologies such as UV curing and pull-through liners are game-changing options that provide greater flexibility and efficiency than traditional CIPP systems that involve lengthy curing times and extensive pipe preparation.

Pressure pipe lining systems are suitable for operating pressures up to 24 bar. The flexible liner is winched through the existing pipe and then inflated with compressed air and held under pressure through bespoke end couplings. The liner has many benefits over conventional CIPP systems:

• Non-cure methodology – maximises install efficiency and reduces costs associated with length-cured systems
• Flexibility – with wall thicknesses of <5mm allowing for navigation of bends
• K efficiency – (0.007) improving flow rates
• Condition tolerances – requires minimal pipe preparation and cleaning
• Rapid and efficient install at 6m per minute

The liner has already been used across Europe for 20 + years on water, sewage and gas networks. To date, adoption in the UK has been restricted to use on wastewater networks with rising mains being a key area of interest. Regulatory barriers and the inability of DWI to agree or provide a testing facility for this and other innovative technologies to achieve Reg 31 status enabling use on potable networks means that key outputs relating to water leakage cannot currently be addressed in the UK.

It is ironic and disappointing that solutions that directly address the need for change are blocked by bureaucracy and regulatory incompetence. Perhaps more worrying is Labour’s promise to empower OFWAT to hold water companies to account for pollution incidents. Financial penalties only place further constraints on refurbishment budgets and also act as a red flag for institutional investors, factors that alongside ageing infrastructure will inevitably lead to more asset failures unless new techniques are adopted.

Pull-through liners offer a great solution for rising main refurbishments in AMP8 and it is hoped that it will be adopted as BAU on reactive programs that deliver sustainable and cost-effective solutions rather than the current practices of patching up networks on a reactive basis. Fitting a repair clamp is an admission of failure but exposing a main does provide an opportunity to assess the condition and develop a proactive response that minimises disruption and future-proof networks at a proportionally lower cost.

To speak our team about pipe rehabilitation solutions at Sanivar UK, contact us.