Martin Ingham Hazel Thompson

March 2012

Water Safety Plans and Catchment Management

Water Safety Plans (WSP)

• Background to WSP

• Who is involved?

• Comparison of Approaches • Embracing WSP – NWL Values

• What are the benefits of BAU?

• Catchment Management

• Summary

WSP - Background

The aim of Water Safety Plans (WSP) is:

“To consistently ensure the safety and acceptability of a

drinking water supply… through the use of comprehensive risk

assessment and risk management approach that encompasses all

steps in water supply from catchment to consumer”

• Required for all potable water sites

• Anything that can affect water quality and quantity or lead to rejection of supply by customers

WSP – Who is involved?

• WSP adopts a Source to Tap approach assessing risks of hazards and hazardous events arising within these threads:

 

Catchment Treatment Network Customer

• Downstream progression of residual hazards through the threads

• Additional business areas also provide important supportive roles

Comparison of approaches

Previous Approach Current Approach

Focus on chemical parameters Hazard origin based

Limited hazards identified More extensive range of hazards identified

Delivered by external consultants In-house, dedicated WSP coordinator

Purely data driven Incorporation of local knowledge and experience

Less awareness and involvement across the wider business

Collective input from a wide range of staff

Limited focus on potential catchment hazards

Initiated by catchment hazards which could impact downstream threads.

No assessment of actual risk to customers

Customer focussed approach throughout

WSP – NWL’s Working Approach

• Steering group and working group• Local group working and workshop risk assessment sessions

• Pilot workshops carried out to develop best methods • Standardised approach across NWL

Steering group

Local Catchment

groups

Local Treatment

groups

Local Network/ Customer

Installations groups

Customer Representati

ve

Working Group

WSP in practice

WSP in practice

CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS

WSP in practice

CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

WSP in practice

CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

RISK SCORE WITHOUT

CONTROLS

WSP in practice

CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

RISK SCORE WITHOUT

CONTROLSC

ON

TR

OLS

WSP in practice

CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

RISK SCORE WITHOUT

CONTROLSC

ON

TR

OLS

RISK SCORE WITH

CONTROLS

WSP in practice

CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

RISK SCORE WITHOUT

CONTROLSC

ON

TR

OLS

RISK SCORE WITH

CONTROLS

IS RISK ACCEPTABLE?

Residual Risks

In some cases despite all the control measures some risks remain

For example for coliforms risks can come from:

• Livestock being present in the catchment

• Risk in the network of bursts

A possible mitigation is catchment management

But age and condition of assets can leave a residual risk – Maintenance programme in place

Embracing WSP – NWL Values

Customer Focused: • Makes us think about what customers find unacceptable about the

water we supply e.g. discolouration and its causes

• Enhances safety of supply and minimises disruption of service to customers e.g. taking action to control identified risks

Results Driven: • Financial results: target capital investment = reduce failure demand;

Right First Time Every Time

• Ensures water quality targets are met e.g. assessing the adequacy of current control measures

Embracing WSP – NWL Values

Ethical:• Open and honest approach to risk scoring

• Increases customers’ confidence in NWL

Creative:• Challenges current behaviours and norms

• Joined up thinking across all areas

One Team: • Encourages consideration of risk impacts upon downstream threads

• Collective ownership for risk to customers

WSP – Scale of the task

North South Total

Catchment 48 25 73

Treatment 35 29 64

Network 35 25 60

Customer 35 25 60

Total 153 104 257

• WSP are extensive and detailed • A Business As Usual (BAS) process is key to ensure WSP are

dynamic and practical • Cross departmental involvement is key

WSP – What are the benefits of BAU?

• Support the business case

for capital investment WSP demonstrate risks to our customers

• Better targeted financial investment

Hazard mitigation reduces risks across all threads

• Assist with our relationship with DWI:

Support business case for investment

Review WSP Risks

Proactive Action: Asset

Planning

Capital Project

Delivery

Asset Owner

Accepts Asset

Reduced Risk to

Customer

WSP and catchment management

• NWL does not own the catchments we abstract from.

• Historically no dedicated catchment advisor, catchment work delivered on a reactive basis.

• Now proactively working in our catchments to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders.

• WSP are a good vehicle to enable catchment management delivery to be steered to provide the best possible service to our customers.

• Identifying issues at source will ensure that other threads are suitably prepared to manage any carried forward risks.

• This ensures Right First Time Every Time service delivery to our customers.

Example of a catchment risk

• WSP identified that in Teesdale water colour could be a risk

• While the treatment works can resolve this issue, it places additional strain on its resources and incurs associated chemical and energy costs.

• By proactively working in the catchments we have the opportunity to reduce colour loadings on the works.

• Ultimately this could benefit our customers by reducing operational costs and reducing the risk of dissatisfaction from discoloration events.

Work in Teesdale

• NWL has worked with Durham University and other stakeholders to investigate the effects of grip blocking on water colour.

• So far there has been minor improvements and monitoring is still ongoing

• NWL also supports Peatscapes - North Pennines AONB project.

Example of a catchment risk

• WSP identified that in the River Coquet catchment pesticides could be a risk.

• Large scale capital investment has been made at the works – GAC plant.

• Emerging pesticides which cannot be removed through standard treatment processes e.g. metaldehyde, the active ingredient in slug pellets.

• Need to find alternative solutions – catchment management

Work in the River Coquet Catchment

• Metaldehyde does not pose a risk to health but there is a real risk of failing to meet drinking water standards.

• Other pesticides - even when treatment is an option it is generally expensive and not sustainable/environmentally sound.

• In order to minimise the risk we must reduce the chance of pesticides getting into the water environment.

• Working with local organisations, farmer liaison and offering training opportunities to those using pesticides.

• It is hoped that by raising awareness of the issue and the risk posed to drinking water that we can help to safeguard the future of our resource.

The benefits of upstream thinking

NWL works closely with stakeholders in order to deliver catchment projects:

• Rivers Trusts

• Catchment Sensitive Farming

• Environment Agency

• Local Agronomists

Catchment management gives NWL the opportunity to address water quality

issues at source thereby reducing the risk to treatment and ultimately deliver

satisfaction to our customers.

Summary

• Source to tap risk assessment

• Encourages risk management to ensure safe potable water to our customers

• Promotes a working culture of collective ownership

• Upstream thinking can help target resolution of issues at source provide a more long term sustainable solution

• Wider catchment stakeholder engagement can help address hazards before they become problematic

• Customer confidence in NWL is further strengthened by implementing WSP

Any Questions?