As a member of the IWater registered as a CEnv, REnvP or REnvTech, you can highlight your outstanding work by winning at the 2022 #SocEnvAwards. Two prestigious awards are available:
– Environmental Professional of the Year 2022
– Registrant Newcomer of the Year 2022
Nominees must be registered as a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) or Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech), but anyone can submit a nomination.
2021 Environmental Professional of the Year, Dan Reading CEnv, said “In terms of career benefits, you certainly gain additional profile, but I find its greatest value is that it provides additional credibility when operating with clients and industries where assurance is paramount.”
Submitting a nomination is free and the deadline for submissions has today been extended to 16:00 BST on the 29th April 2022 following requests to allow more time for those enjoying an Easter break. Submit your nomination, here: https://socenv.org.uk/socenvawards22/
Source to Tap is inviting all farmers, landowners and contractors in the River Derg area to attend a free agricultural contractor fair and information roadshow being held on Thursday, April 28, from 11am to 4pm at Aghyaran Saint Davog’s GAA Club, near Killeter, Castlederg.
This free, informative, event is being organised to allow landowners to meet local agricultural contractors and to offer advice on water-friendly agricultural services such as weed-wiping for rush control and livestock exclusion fencing to prevent riverbank erosion. The event will also share some of the important learnings from the Source to Tap project, that could benefit landowners and farm businesses.
The Source to Tap team will also update attendees on work undertaken on the Land Incentive Scheme in the River Derg catchment.
Supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, Source to Tap is an innovative partnership project that has been working since 2017 to improve the health of waterways in the cross-border catchments of the Erne and Derg rivers.
Through the development of sustainable, catchment-scale solutions, Source to Tap has been working with local communities to develop effective ways to protect rivers and lakes. Source to Tap has also trialled various land management measures in forestry, peatland and agriculture and the outreach programme has been informing the public about their critical role in protecting our waterways.
The agricultural sector has been key to the success of many of the Source to Tap projects and as the program concludes in Summer 2022, this upcoming event on April 28 will help inform future best practices for protecting local watercourses
Everyone is welcome to come along and find out more about protecting the water environment and how such measures can help reduce financial outgoings on the farm.
For more information visit www.sourcetotap.eu
Engineers Without Borders UK runs a number of initiatives that seek to inspire the next generation to engage in solving tomorrow’s problems in an ethical, responsible and sustainable way.
To provide sustainable energy for all, we urgently need to enhance the efficiency and affordability of high performing appliances. The Efficiency for Access Design Challenge invites teams of university students from all over the globe (to create affordable, high-performing off-grid appliances and enabling technologies. You can see a highlights video from last year here
They are looking for reviewers with off-grid, appliances, international development, and globally responsible engineering experience, particularly in:
- Water Purification and Pumping
- Sanitation
- Information and Communications Technology
Key information
- Students will submit a 4000 word report and three minute video
- Endeavours will be made to match your experience with the most relevant submissions
- Each review will take 1-2 hours to complete
- To prepare you for your role as a reviewer there will be a reviewer briefing on 19th April
- To apply simply follow the link below
https://eu.jotform.com/form/210756262770355
Today, we’ve published our Forward Work Programme for 2022-23, which sets out CCW’s strategic priorities and key campaigns for the coming year. We’ve also unveiled a new mission, vision and purpose that will guide everything we do, along with a new set of values to define how we do it.
Our areas of focus for 2022-23 are:
- Continuing our work to End Water Poverty
- Connecting people with the water environment
- Securing better protection for business customers
- Ending the misery caused by sewer flooding
- Getting help for those suffering repeat service failures
You can watch our videos to hear from CCW colleagues about why these priorities are so important, and how they’ve been shaped with the changing needs of both household and business consumers in mind.
You can also view our 2022-23 calendar online. Here you can find key dates of events, meetings, reports and publications we’ve got planned for the coming year.
We’ve received a great response to our strategy consultation, so thanks to everyone who has had their say on our plans, objectives and campaigns. We’ve worked hard to bring these to life in a way that resonated with the people we help, and will look forward to working with you in the year to come.
Newcastle University is inviting applications from UK and International students for four funded PhD opportunities.
Students will benefit from a bespoke training scheme delivered by world leading experts from academia and industry, access to world leading experimental and computational facilities as well as close and regular contact with industry and end user partners. CDT WIRe is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community, and offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies. For further information on the CDT WIRe scheme visit the web site: cdtwire.com
The four doctorates available are:
Proactive management of dissolved organic carbon in catchments to mitigate climate change impacts on trihalomethanes formation in water treatment (sponsored by Northumbrian Water Limited & EPSRC)
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-funding/search-funding/?code=wire214
Resilience to climate change and its impact on dissolved manganese concentration in water reservoirs (sponsored by Scottish Water & EPSRC)
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-funding/search-funding/?code=wire217
Catchments as the first stage of treatment (sponsored by UKWIR & EPSRC)
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-funding/search-funding/?code=wire216
Quantifying and Abating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Large Wastewater Treatment Plants (sponsored by Northumbrian Water Limited and EPSRC)
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-funding/search-funding/?code=wire215
Details can be found on the links above.
Closing date for all applications 16 May
Severn Trent has today launched Wavemakers, a brand-new annual ideas challenge that’s seeking to nurture talents and create innovation in the community.
The project, that’s been especially created to find unique and innovative ideas in the world of water, will turn to local talent to help develop new ideas that could be rolled out across the Midlands.
The first round of Wavemakers will give potential future innovators, aged 16+, the opportunity to develop ideas on how to reuse and/or save water, and in return could potentially see one lucky participant rewarded with either a one-year university course or £2,000 cash-prize towards supporting their development.
Richard Powell, Innovation Manager at Severn Trent, said: “We’re really excited to be launching Wavemakers, as we believe that working collaboratively is the best way to create innovative ideas that have the potential to change the lives of individuals within our communities.”
“We all have a duty to do our bit by saving water and by looking after it, so that’s why we’re inviting members of our communities to help us on this mission, as well as investing in their potential.”
The Wavemakers challenge is ideal for those who are passionate about making a difference and brimming with ideas on how to achieve that. All applicants will get access to online training and resources from Severn Trent, which include project management fundamentals, budgeting, finance support and business development tools.
If shortlisted, applicants will also get the chance to team up with local university partners across the Severn Trent region and design their innovations over six-weeks. Alongside benefiting from a mentorship programme with Severn Trent.
Richard adds: “Our team of Innovation experts are constantly working hard to explore new innovative trials and test out the latest gadgets, but we also want to hear from you! We’d really love to see as many innovative, and different ideas as possible, that could help change the way we look after water. We know our communities are brimming with talent, so we want to work together.’’
The Wavemakers aims to empower the communities it serves to rethink its water use, live more sustainably and develop innovations that will benefit their local areas.
As well as looking to innovation, Severn Trent is also taking a leading role in the Midlands with a series of ambitious programmes that will address water scarcity, boost biodiversity, and enhance the environment through its £566m Green Recovery programme that includes creating a brand-new water supply to boost resilience of water supplies across its region.
Applications for Wavemakers can be submitted via the Severn Trent Water website from 1st April until Sunday 8th May .
For more information, please visit: www.severntrent.com/wavemakers
On World Water Day, the English and Welsh water regulator, Ofwat, has awarded £5.2m to innovative projects using new technology and cross-sector collaborations to improve water quality, reduce pollution and enhance services for consumers.
Between now and the summer, the Water Breakthrough Challenge will award up to £39m to projects across England and Wales. The Water Breakthrough Challenge is part of a series of competitions from Ofwat, and run by Nesta Challenges with Arup and Isle Utilities, designed to drive innovation and collaboration in the sector to benefit individuals, society and the environment.
13 projects will benefit from the first tranche of awards announced today, known as the “Catalyst Stream”.
IMPROVING WATER AND RIVER QUALITY
Several innovations to improve water quality have been awarded prizes. Severn Trent, working with California-based Microvi Biotechnologies and Cranfield University, has been awarded £760,000 to begin work on a “biocatalyst solution” that uses microorganisms that remove ammonia from wastewater without generating nitrous oxide emissions (a gas 300 times more potent than CO2).
“Tapwater Forensics” from a consortium of seven water companies and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology has been awarded £370,000 to meet its aim of establishing the UK as a leader in genetic sequencing of drinking water to revolutionise the ability to monitor and investigate water quality failures in the same way DNA testing revolutionised medicine and scientific research.
And £446,000 has been awarded to “SuPR Loofah” by Northumbrian Water, Welsh Water, the University of Newcastle and the University of Northumbria. The project removes and recovers phosphorous run-off from agricultural fertilisers using engineered micro-algae. This prevents it causing damaging algal blooms and uncontrolled outbreaks of weeds in watercourses which can suffocate natural ecosystems. Phosphorous is an essential but finite energy-intensive chemical resource which is diminishing – this new circular approach would see it re-used as fertiliser in agriculture. It can also reduce imports of phosphorus for farming and its associated emissions from mining and transportation.
FIXING LEAKS AND PREVENTING POLLUTION
In addition, projects that could contribute to preventing leaks from water pipes and sewers, and keeping associated repair costs down, have received £400,000. Yorkshire Water’s “Designer Liner” which can be retrofitted into existing water pipes, prevents leaks and extends the life of national water infrastructure. It in turn reduces the amount of water abstracted (i.e. removed) from watercourses which should also cut energy usage and costs to customers.
Meanwhile, “Pipebots” from Thames Water, the University of Sheffield and Synthotech Ltd are robots that can monitor sewer rising mains from the inside. Too often, rising main faults only come to light should they burst. The robot monitors enable preventative inspections while the pipe is in use to minimise the risk of pollution spills by identifying faults before a pipe ever fails.
Harry Armstrong, Director, Ofwat said: “It is great to see the water sector deliver more exciting and impactful projects through this round of Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge. The winners all have huge potential to benefit people, society and the natural environment. I’m excited to see these projects become reality and start to make a real difference in the way we do things.”
Myrtle Dawes, Solution Centre Director of the Net Zero Technology Centre and chair of the Water Breakthrough Challenge Catalyst Stream judging panel said: “It’s a pivotal moment for the water sector – meeting the challenges of climate change head on and making good on promises of improved water quality across the water system at pace. There is no silver bullet to fix these challenges – they all require multiple approaches and solutions like those awarded funding today.”
MORE TO COME
The Water Breakthrough Challenge is a £39 million competition, which aims to bring forward industry-leading innovation that deliver benefits for water customers, society, and the environment, split into two streams, the £5.2m Catalyst Stream and the Transform Stream which will award up to £34m. They are both part of Ofwat’s £200m Water Innovation Fund to grow the water sector’s capacity to innovate, enabling it to better meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment. The Transform Stream will award funding later in the spring.
Both streams were open to initiatives aligned with one or more of Ofwat’s five strategic innovation themes. Initiatives submitted to the Catalyst stream were called on, at a minimum, to reach the stage of prototyping and testing some components of their solution with real users; while initiatives in the Transform stream should go beyond this and deliver tangible benefits for customers, society and the environment. The Transform stream winners will be announced later in the Spring.
To find out more, visit waterinnovation.challenges.org.
Job Title: Professional Registration Manager
Location: Gateshead, NE11 0AZ
Salary: From £24,370
About the Institute of Water
For over 75 years the Institute of Water has been the only professional body in the UK to exclusively support the development of those working in the water industry. Our goal is to enable our members to reach their full potential to drive the sector forward. We are inclusive, non-hierarchical, supportive and sustainable.
About the role
We are recruiting a Professional Registration Manager to manage the professional registration journey covering all levels of Registration in Engineering, Science and the Environment and to ensure compliance with the respective licences. The role also includes monitoring the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of members and managing the Annual CPD Awards.
Specifically, this role involves:
- Managing applications – including payments – for professional registration
- Advising applicants and employers on the requirements and procedures for professional registration
- Promoting Professional Registration, including presenting online and at face-to-face events
- Liaising with assessors and arranging reviews and giving feedback to applicants
- Managing the pool of assessors, including currency/training and demographics
- Maintaining procedures, records and information in accordance with licence conditions
- Acting as point of contact for and representing IWater in meetings with licensing bodies
- Managing CPD monitoring and CPD Awards
- Supporting general membership and events process when necessary, including payments
Key Skills/Attributes:
- Good communication and interpersonal skills and a good command of the English language
- Good working knowledge of Word, Excel and Outlook
- Good organisational skills
- Self-motivated but able to integrate into a small team
- Ability to prioritise workload
Key Result Areas
- Registration – including Assessor management
- Licensing
- CPD
- Customer Service/Teamwork
Our offer
We are offering a salary from £24,370 – depending on experience – plus a pension contribution of up to 8% after probation.
We have a generous holiday allowance of 25 days (not including bank holidays) and we operate an extended office shut down over Christmas and New Year.
Our offices are based on Team Valley and hours of business are 09.00-17.00 Monday-Friday (35 hours per week). We are currently working to a hybrid model and staff work from our offices 2 days a week. The role may require some travel throughout the UK and occasional overnight stays.
We appreciate a good work-life balance is important so we try to allow flexible working where possible and encourage and facilitate staff development.
We are a small team but you will also be working with our volunteers, our Board of Directors and the wider water sector, including water industry Chief Executives, Academics and partner organisations.
How to apply
Send your CV with a covering letter saying:
- What attracted you to the vacancy
- What you can bring to the role
- How you meet the Key Attributes
- How you would help promote professional registration
Together with contact details for two people who would be prepared to give you a reference to lynn@instituteofwater.org.uk
Closing Date: Monday 11th April
Interviews: 4 Carlton Court, Team Valley, Gateshead, NE11 0AZ – date to be confirmed
Cranfield University is inviting applications from UK and International students for three funded PhD opportunities.
Students will benefit from a bespoke training scheme delivered by world leading experts from academia and industry, access to world leading experimental and computational facilities as well as close and regular contact with industry and end user partners. CDT WIRe is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community, and offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies. For further information on the CDT WIRe scheme visit the web site: cdtwire.com
The three doctorates available are:
Disrupting disruptions: Drinking water treatment resilience to chemical shortages (sponsored by EPSRC, Anglian Water and Thames Water) Application deadline April 18
Ceramic nanofiltration: Creating a resilient future for drinking water supply (sponsored by EPSRC, Anglian Water, Scottish Water and Welsh Water) Application deadline 31 May
The potential to minimise Nitrogenous Disinfection By-Products and their Toxicological Importance (sponsored by EPSRC and UKWIR Ltd) Application deadline 31 May
Details can be found on the links above.
Better rivers will help bring about a better North West. That’s the message from the region’s water company which has today published a series of commitments to kick start a river revival over the next three years.
The four-point plan sets out that United Utilities will:
- make sure the company’s operations progressively reduce impact to river health
- be open and transparent about its performance and plans
- make rivers beautiful, supporting others to improve and care for them and
- create more opportunities for everyone to enjoy rivers and waterways
Most of these pledges will be delivered over the next three years, including investment in wastewater systems, enhanced data monitoring and sharing, greater innovation and more use of nature-based solutions.
For example, at Southwaite in Cumbria a new wetland area is being created which will be able to treat any excess storm water that has to bypass the wastewater treatment works during heavy rainfall. As well as improving the local watercourse, a tributary of the River Eden, the wetland will improve wildlife habitat and create a more beautiful environment for local people.
United Utilities has committed to reduce the number of spills from storm overflows by at least a third, between 2020 and 2025. This will be supported through a £230m investment programme at sites across the region, leading to 184km of improved waterways. The company will also make sure that all storm overflows are monitored by 2023 and real time data on their operation is made available to the general public.
Jo Harrison, Environment, Planning and Innovation Director at United Utilities, said: “As more people have come to appreciate the environment since the pandemic, there’s a real drive to improve our rivers and waterways. People want to swim, to enjoy riverside walks and get back to nature, and we have an important role to play by upgrading the sewerage infrastructure in the region.
“It’s a long term ambition, but we believe we can make some major improvements over the course of this decade, building upon the latest data that shows sewer spills have reduced by 28% between 2020 and 2021.
“But that’s only part of the solution; we can’t do this on our own. River health is affected by many factors so we’ve published this route map to show how we will get our own house in order and help others to get involved and work collaboratively. Ultimately, better rivers are better for everyone across the North West.”
Members of the public will be able to get involved with the plans that are promised. United Utilities will support local groups and authorities with new applications for inland bathing waters, and will also create further recreational clubs at its reservoirs. A community fund will be launched to support local river health initiatives and, working alongside The Rivers Trust, there will be the opportunity for people to volunteer as citizen scientists to collect data on river health which will help inform further improvement work.
Mark Lloyd, CEO of The Rivers Trust, said: “We welcome United Utilities’ focus on driving long term improvements in river health, creating new recreational opportunities and reducing the operation of combined storm overflows.
“United Utilities has been leading the industry with its approach to working in river catchments over the last 20 years and through our strategic partnership we hope to strengthen this significantly over the coming years, to ensure that real improvements in the North West’s rivers are delivered for everyone to enjoy.
“Our joint initiative with the help of citizen scientists to collate better data, provide transparency to the public and monitor progress is vital to success.”
United Utilities is also championing legislation to ban wet wipes that contain plastic and lobbying for a ban on all wet wipes that are not ‘Fine to Flush’. Wet wipes are the scourge of sewer systems because they persist and build up to form blockages which reduce sewer capacity and increase the risk of spills into watercourses.
For further details about United Utilities’ commitments to improve river health in the North West visit: https://www.unitedutilities.com/our-commitments-to-river-health