Polyethylene (PE) potable water mains have been in widespread use for several decades. Over 30 years ago, Severn Trent Water took a far-sighted approach of laying testbeds of plastic pipe mains, which provided a unique opportunity for sections to be exhumed and studied to establish long term deterioration in typical service conditions.

Chemical and mechanical testing was backed by statistical analysis to show that PE pipes will remain in very good condition, and significantly greater than the commonly quoted 50 year lifespan, with useful information for a number of material cohorts. Focus was also given to joints and useful information provided on creep and its effect. Although butt fusion joints performed well, pipe lifetime is likely to be limited by electrofusion joints.  Causes of deterioration are explained and validated through the analysis with a view given of “end of life”.  A simple risk assessment tool for PE pipe has been developed to assist with the targeting of samples needed when assessing a particular network for asset management decisions on pipe repair and replacement.

The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive is currently under review in 2020, with discussions being held as to whether advanced treatment for substances such as pharmaceuticals should be mandated to achieve a minimum reduction across wastewater treatment works, as is undertaken within Switzerland. This project looked at the implementation of pharmaceutical removal in Switzerland and its implications for the UK in terms of cost and effectiveness. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations made for the Water Industry and policy makers regarding pharmaceutical removal from effluent at wastewater treatment works. This knowledge will enable UKWIR and its members to inform, engage with and influence policy decision makers to ensure that any changes to the UWWTD are proportionate to the environmental benefit they will deliver.

If companies wish to address and reduce customer-side losses they need an end-to-end strategy that encompasses external supply pipe leakage and internal wastage. The strategy must address both the identification of these losses and how they will be subsequently dealt with. It is the customer who is responsible for their supply pipe and plumbing so any drive by the water company to reduce those losses needs full customer buy-in and collaboration. Customer facing policies therefore need to be in place, clearly stating the approaches the company will take and level of support that will be provided to the customer. This report and accompanying modelling framework provide guidance on different approaches to customer-side losses, the associated costs and the benefits that can be achieved. Using the guidance presented, companies will be able to develop the most appropriate policies to address their own business needs as well as customer satisfaction.

Phosphorus is an essential element for all life and is widely recognised as a key factor influencing the status of river and lake ecosystems. Much past research and monitoring work in these ecosystems has focused on an individual fraction of the total phosphorus pool, operationally termed soluble reactive phosphorus. However, an extremely wide range of non-soluble reactive forms of phosphorus may exist in fresh waters.

The objectives of this project were to -

• provide an independent assessment of the state of research knowledge regarding non-soluble reactive forms of phosphorus in rivers and lakes;
• identify key priorities for future research and monitoring work in this area;
• and consider the potential for development of a typology system to describe the ecological impacts of non-soluble reactive forms of phosphorus in rivers and lakes across the United Kingdom.

The objectives of this study were to demonstrate whether the findings from recent laboratory studies on disinfection by-product (DBP) formation apply to full scale water treatment processes, to understand the interaction between DBP formation and treatment process under works conditions and to gain knowledge on the impact of bromide and nitrogen in the formation of brominated HAAs and nitrogenous DBPs under works conditions. This was achieved through a set of seasonal sampling rounds across 8 water treatment works (WTW), each with different treatment processes (including coagulation, ion-exchange, granular activated carbon, membranes and advanced oxidation) and raw water quality (carbon, bromide, nitrogen, source type). The findings demonstrated a clear way forward for managing total regulatory and toxicological risk associated with DBPs for each WTW. The key message was that for some water sources attention should be given to the formation of brominated HAAs. Control of these DBPs may require an additional precursor removal stage or alternative management of disinfection processes.