The following are summaries of papers published in other parts of ICE Proceedings during 2003 that readers of Water Management may find of interest. You can get copies of individual papers emailed or posted to you for £5 or faxed to you for £2 a per page from the ICE library (telephone +44 (0) 20 7665 2251; fax +44 (0) 20 7976 7610; e-mail library@ice.org.uk). In all cases you need to complete a copy request form which can be downloaded from the ICE website at www.ice.org.uk. Summaries of all papers in ICE journals are also freely available and fully searchable at the ‘journals on-line'section of the ICE website at www.ice.org.uk.
Briefing: Biotechnology cuts sludge volumes
R. Mene
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Civil Engineering, 2003, 156, No. 1, 7
Europe and North America now generate 40 million tonnes of sewage sludge each year—and it's getting harder to get rid of. Ranjit Mene of Ondeo Degrémont reports on a new technology developed in France that cuts activated sludge volumes by up to 80%.
Briefing: Military technology adapted for battle against water leaks
J. Proctor
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Civil Engineering, 2003, 156, No. 3, 104
A collaboration between military and water engineers looks set to provide a much-needed breakthrough in the UK water industry's battle to cut its 3 M/I a day losses from pipe leaks. John Proctor from Yorkshire Water reports ona new development in leak-noise detection.
Sustainable decision making for the UK water industry
R. Ashley, D. Blackwood, D. Butler, J. Davies, P. Jowitt and H. Smith
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Engineering Sustainability, 2003, 156, No. 1, 41–50
Sustainable development serves as a comprehensive framework for the formation of policies and actions that integrate environmental, economic, and social issues. It recognises that the Earth's natural systems are not only critical to basic economic needs, but also to human quality of life. There are now increasing public and legislative demands for water service providers to use this ‘triple bottom line’ approach in weighing their role, responsibilities and risks to people, planet and profit. These sustainable development principles are of prime importance to the water industry and should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a business constraint. However, translating these principles into concrete action is not a simple task. The Sustainable Water industry Asset Resource Decisions (SWARD) project has explored the difficulties that organisations face when making asset investment decisions, particularly the way in which sustainability considerations are included in these processes. SWARD has devised a framework of decision support processes that can be used to include the principles of sustainability more effectively within the decision-making processes.
Environmental implications of upland run-of-river hydroelectric schemes
T. L. Shaw
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Engineering Sustainability, 2003, 156, No. 4, 201–207
The UK Government is committed to providing 10% of the country's electricity supplies from renewable energy sources by the year 2010, and has set a target of 20% by 2020. The steps by which these goals could be achieved will clarify their planning implications and hence prospect of being realised. Hydroelectric power brought electricity to many world communities for the first time and some still depend heavily upon it. Most others, like those in the UK, long ago had to look elsewhere for supplies as demand outstripped the potential of this source. The World Bank is now exploring the prospects for adding significantly to the capacity of hydroelectric power in countries with unexploited resources. Renewed interest in hydroelectric power comes as a direct result of international concern about the effects on the environment of burning fossil fuels. However, not all hydroelectric projects have been blemish-free. The purpose of this paper is to review this aspect of the hydroelectric industry as it relates to upland run-of-river projects—the aim being to establish how governments can best look to this form of hydroelectric power to meet some part of their renewable energy targets. The ever more stringent and strongly precautionary approach to new projects of all types being taken by the regulatory bodies is significant in this respect. It is concluded that the commonly-voiced message that the development potential of hydroelectric power in the UK is exhausted merits careful re-examination in view of the fact that historic schemes were intended for a variety of purposes, not all of which are pertinent to current requirements. In particular, just as changing circumstances have encouraged the growth of the ‘no-storage’ wind power industry, so too has hydroelectric power moved from a dependence on reservoirs to the ‘take-it-as-you-find-it’ run-of-river solution. The present political will for economic solutions to the growing international energy dilemma is also a new factor, upland run-of-river schemes often providing viable solutions for electricity production when assessed against all criteria. This paper focuses on the environmental issues that are likely to arise when assessing this type of project.
Treatment of wastewater for irrigation in Mauritius
G. Amblin
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Engineering Sustainability, 2003, 156, No. 4, 209–219
When complete, the St Martin Sewage Treatment Plant will serve nearly a third of Mauritius’ 1.1 million population. As well as protecting the marine environment, it will provide a valuable source of water to supplement irrigation supplies to west-coast sugar-cane plantations. This paper explains: (a) the treatment process selection which favoured conventional activated sludge over extended aeration; (b) the need for nutrient removal; and (c) the choice of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for disinfection and problems of dyes from the substantial textile industry. It also describes the complexity of the effluent discharge control system designed to: (a) release a tertiary quality effluent to the irrigation canals blended with the present surface water supplies to avoid sodium accumulation in the soils; (b) avoid flooding the canals; and (c) provide an emergency storm flow discharge via the same common outfall pipe to the sea. Construction of the new treatment plant at St Martin began in January 2001 and is due to be completed in August 2004.
Water and sanitation for the disabled in low-income countries
H. E. Jones, R. A. Reed and J. E. Bevan
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Municipal Engineer, 2003, 156, No. 2, 135–141
As many as one in five of the world's poorest people are disabled. For the majority who live in developing countries, access to the basics of life, such as food, water and shelter, is a daily struggle. An analysis of available information and opinion has found that disabled people in low-income communities are routinely excluded by water and sanitation projects, due primarily to external barriersRin the environment, infrastructure and institutional practicesRrather than to disabled peoples’ own limitations. There is a lack of awareness and understanding about disability among the majority of service providers, which is compounded by an absence of appropriate and available information that would enable them to take practical steps to improve access for disabled people. This paper argues that water and sanitation service providers have a key role to play in reducing barriers to disabled people's participation in daily activities, and thus relieving their poverty and isolation. Planners and service providers therefore need to consult and include disabled people at all stages of the project cycle.
Strategic marketing of water services in developing countries
C. Njiru and K. Sansom
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Municipal Engineer, 2003, 156, No. 2, 143–148
The recent (2000) global water supply and sanitation assessment by the World Health Organisation found that over one billion people do not have access to improved water supply. The finding points to the challenges faced by municipal engineers and other professionals responsible for the provision of water services in developing countries. Population growth and the increasing poverty, particularly in the urban areas, compound the challenge. A key objective for water utilities is to provide services to the growing population, including the poor, in a financially sustainable manner. Strategic marketing offers an innovative method of meeting this objective. Research aimed at adapting and developing a marketing approach for use in the water sector was carried out in a number of developing countries between 1999 and 2001, with detailed field research in Kenya, Uganda and India. This paper discusses strategic marketing of urban water services and provides a methodology that water utilities could use to structure their service delivery options to customers while meeting their financial objectives. The paper outlines how utilities could structure service delivery with appropriate pricing and serve more excluded customers (including the poor) at affordable cost and achieve financial sustainability. The paper concludes that strategic marketing of water services has potential to improve services to existing and excluded (potential) customers while improving the utility's revenue base.
A flood failure flowchart for buildings
I. Kelman and R. Spence
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers—Municipal Engineer, 2003, 156, No. 3, 207–214
This paper identifies the main pathways by which flood-induced pressure differentials may damage residential properties in England. The process looks beyond slow-rise floods and subsequent damage from water contact in order to consider pressures induced by depth differentials, velocity and waves. A Flood Failure Flowchart is presented which provides first-order insight into the main failure modes which should be quantified in detail. Uncertainties remain due to lack of information and weaknesses in the analysis, particularly the reliance on British Standards which are not currently adequate for designing to mitigate all forms of flood damage. British Standards, possibly in the form of a rating system with guidelines, could nonetheless provide an appropriate mechanism for formalising the vulnerabilities which residential buildings experience from flood pressures. The lack of literature in this area suggests that prior recommendations on flood damage reduction did not necessarily have a strong basis overall because they were bounded to exclude flood-induced pressures. This paper is thus only a first step towards systematically identifying and categorising potential failure modes of residences during floods.
