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Collaborating to rethink rainwater management: The winning Ofwat Innovation Fund project seeking to transform how we value, manage and use rainwater
This week, industry regulator Ofwat confirmed that The Rainwater Management Platform project - led by Wessex Water, CIRIA, Stantec and HRWallingford, and with collaborative support from UKWIR - has been awarded £2 million via the Ofwat Innovation Fund to develop the national Platform: a one-stop dig...
21/05/2025
UKWIR launches new website featuring innovative AI search tool
UKWIR’s new and improved website has now launched. Based on extensive user research, the new site boasts a cleaner, more navigable interface – which is just the beginning of a continuous journey to enhance UKWIR’s digital capabilities, supporting the water sector’s own digital transformation. ...
15/05/2025
Opportunities for recovering valuable resources from water treatment sludges
The circular economy and advancements in technology present an opportunity for water utilities to consider the value of the wastes that they produce, and the resources which they could recover. ...
23/03/2025
Using smart meter data to meet ambitious leakage targets
The need to conserve precious water supplies has never been more pressing. Growing water demands coupled with heightened, climate change induced drought risk has compounded existing water resources challenges....
23/03/2025
UKWIR launches new AI search tool
We’re on a mission to make accessing our research easier and quicker than ever before. ...
23/03/2025
UKWIR provides evidence for the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee Nitrogen Inquiry
UKWIR provides evidence for the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee Nitrogen Inquiry...
14/03/2025
UKWIR New CEO
UKWIR appoints new chief executive officer ...
17/02/2025
UKWIR leakage documentary included in cross-sector sustainability film series, The Ripple Effect: Inspiring a Resilient Environment
Adjusting for climate resilience is mandatory to ensure a safe future for us all. From drought and flood management to water governance, and climate adaptation, The Ripple Effect series underscores the urgency of collaboration to ensure a thriving, biodiverse planet for the next generations....
02/01/2025
Wastewater treatment works’ process emissions
As the monitoring of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the UK & Irish water industries is increasingly built into regulatory requirements, there is a need to limit the emissions linked with wastewater treatment works’ (WWTWs’) operational practices. The aim of this project was to set out recommend...
30/08/2024
Source and pathway control of non-sanitary pollutants
River health remains high on the customer agenda, with much of the media attention focused on combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and uncontrolled discharges. While this is an area that has attracted unprecedented amounts of investment, the challenge of river pollution is multi-faceted. For instance, tr...
29/08/2024
Leadership transition at UKWIR
After six years of distinguished service, Steve Kaye will be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer in November 2024. During his tenure, Steve has significantly strengthened UKWIR's role within the water sector. He has overseen the development of strategic offerings, fostered collaboration with w...
11/06/2024
Update gives insights into non-acoustic leak detection and location technologies
Water leakages from pipes pose a significant environmental and economic problem and tackling this issue is one of UKWIR's strategic priorities....
19/05/2024
Customer behaviour campaigns on blockage reduction
Customer blockages in sewers are a major issue in the UK. Every year in England and Wales water companies spend millions of pounds dealing with over 300,000 blockages – thousands of which see people’s homes and belongings ruined by sewer flooding....
17/05/2024
Introducing the next phase of the Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP)
UKWIR strategic programme manager, Jenni Hughes has been working on the industry’s Chemical Investigations Programme for the last decade. Here she outlines what we can expect from the upcoming phase of this vital project....
16/05/2024
UKWIR seeks partners for carbon accounting workbook
UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) is seeking expressions of interest from partners to develop a next generation version of the carbon accounting workbook, which ensures the water sector has a robust framework for calculating its greenhouse gas emissions....
17/04/2024
Collaborating to rethink rainwater management: The winning Ofwat Innovation Fund project seeking to transform how we value, manage and use rainwater
This week, industry regulator Ofwat confirmed that The Rainwater Management Platform project - led by Wessex Water, CIRIA, Stantec and HRWallingford, and with collaborative support from UKWIR - has been awarded £2 million via the Ofwat Innovation Fund to develop the national Platform: a one-stop dig...
21/05/2025
UKWIR launches new website featuring innovative AI search tool
UKWIR’s new and improved website has now launched. Based on extensive user research, the new site boasts a cleaner, more navigable interface – which is just the beginning of a continuous journey to enhance UKWIR’s digital capabilities, supporting the water sector’s own digital transformation. ...
15/05/2025
Opportunities for recovering valuable resources from water treatment sludges
The circular economy and advancements in technology present an opportunity for water utilities to consider the value of the wastes that they produce, and the resources which they could recover. ...
23/03/2025
Using smart meter data to meet ambitious leakage targets
The need to conserve precious water supplies has never been more pressing. Growing water demands coupled with heightened, climate change induced drought risk has compounded existing water resources challenges....
23/03/2025
UKWIR launches new AI search tool
We’re on a mission to make accessing our research easier and quicker than ever before. ...
23/03/2025
UKWIR provides evidence for the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee Nitrogen Inquiry
UKWIR provides evidence for the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee Nitrogen Inquiry...
14/03/2025
UKWIR New CEO
UKWIR appoints new chief executive officer ...
17/02/2025
UKWIR leakage documentary included in cross-sector sustainability film series, The Ripple Effect: Inspiring a Resilient Environment
Adjusting for climate resilience is mandatory to ensure a safe future for us all. From drought and flood management to water governance, and climate adaptation, The Ripple Effect series underscores the urgency of collaboration to ensure a thriving, biodiverse planet for the next generations....
02/01/2025
Wastewater treatment works’ process emissions
As the monitoring of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the UK & Irish water industries is increasingly built into regulatory requirements, there is a need to limit the emissions linked with wastewater treatment works’ (WWTWs’) operational practices. The aim of this project was to set out recommend...
30/08/2024
Source and pathway control of non-sanitary pollutants
River health remains high on the customer agenda, with much of the media attention focused on combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and uncontrolled discharges. While this is an area that has attracted unprecedented amounts of investment, the challenge of river pollution is multi-faceted. For instance, tr...
29/08/2024
Leadership transition at UKWIR
After six years of distinguished service, Steve Kaye will be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer in November 2024. During his tenure, Steve has significantly strengthened UKWIR's role within the water sector. He has overseen the development of strategic offerings, fostered collaboration with w...
11/06/2024
Update gives insights into non-acoustic leak detection and location technologies
Water leakages from pipes pose a significant environmental and economic problem and tackling this issue is one of UKWIR's strategic priorities....
19/05/2024
Customer behaviour campaigns on blockage reduction
Customer blockages in sewers are a major issue in the UK. Every year in England and Wales water companies spend millions of pounds dealing with over 300,000 blockages – thousands of which see people’s homes and belongings ruined by sewer flooding....
17/05/2024
Introducing the next phase of the Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP)
UKWIR strategic programme manager, Jenni Hughes has been working on the industry’s Chemical Investigations Programme for the last decade. Here she outlines what we can expect from the upcoming phase of this vital project....
16/05/2024
UKWIR seeks partners for carbon accounting workbook
UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) is seeking expressions of interest from partners to develop a next generation version of the carbon accounting workbook, which ensures the water sector has a robust framework for calculating its greenhouse gas emissions....
17/04/2024
Introducing the 4th Phase of the Chemical Investigations Programme
For this month’s blog, we spoke to UKWIR strategic programme manager, Jenni Hughes. With ten years’ experience working on the industry’s Chemical Investigations Programme, she outlines what we can expect from the upcoming phase of this vital, ongoing project. Alongside this, she also offers her refl...
05/04/2024
Accelerating Progress in Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Water Industry
In recent years, significant steps have been made in the right direction for improving equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the UK and Irish water industries. But, there is still room for improvement. With population increase, extreme weather events and aging infrastructure placing ever-growin...
02/01/2024
Opening access to our reports
On behalf of our members, we oversee the delivery, from concept, through research to peer-review and publication, of high-quality reports on varied topics every year – and have done so since UKWIR was formed in 1993. Our research covers a broad spectrum of topics crucial to the UK and Irish water i...
28/02/2022
Our first step towards a centre of excellence
At the risk of making too obvious a pun, I’m delighted that Spring has sprung.  Carly, Shaunna and everyone else involved have done a fantastic job in turning an idea in a strategy into something much more real. That they achieved this in just over six weeks after being appointed in July is astonis...
29/09/2021
Looking towards a more collaborative future
Our recent inaugural UKWIR annual conference was a chance to bring together different stakeholders from the water sector and hear from water companies, academics, the supply chain, government, regulators and other industrial sectors. Of course, it was a virtual event and while it concluded a challe...
12/01/2021
Steve Kaye, CEO of UKWIR gives his perspective on the opportunities associated with the new Water Innovation Strategy.
The challenge laid down by Ofwat to develop a strategy to guide the delivery of transformational innovation in the areas where rapid progress is most needed has been taken on with energy and enthusiasm by the water sector. The publication of the UK’s first innovation strategy lays a path for a very...
05/08/2020