Transcript february 2 0 0 5

Water Safety Plans and
Catchment Management
Martin Ingham
Hazel Thompson
March 2012
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
Steering group
Working Group
Local
Catchment
groups
•
•
Local Treatment
groups
Local Network/
Customer
Installations groups
Pilot workshops carried out to develop best methods
Standardised approach across NWL
Customer
Representative
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
HAZARD
IDENTIFICATION
RISK SCORE
WITHOUT
CONTROLS
CONTROLS
CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS
WSP in practice
HAZARD
IDENTIFICATION
RISK SCORE
WITHOUT
CONTROLS
CONTROLS
CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS
RISK
SCORE
WITH
CONTROLS
WSP in practice
HAZARD
IDENTIFICATION
RISK SCORE
WITHOUT
CONTROLS
CONTROLS
CARRIED FORWARD HAZARDS
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
Reduced
Risk to
Customer
Asset Owner
Accepts
Asset
Proactive
Action: Asset
Planning
Capital
Project
Delivery
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?