The last 12 months has certainly been a period where we have all had to adapt, evolve, and innovate and this is evidenced in the sheer breadth, originality and outstanding quality of this year`s Welsh area Innovation Awards.

A huge thank you from the area committee to all the applicants, winners, judges and our sponsor Pump Supplies, who have made it possible to continue celebrating and showcasing innovation within the Welsh Area.

We are delighted to announce the 2021 Welsh Area Innovation Award Winners!

 

 

Winners:

  • Ideas Category:
    • Winner: ​Virtual Water Efficiency Audits – David Gough ​
    • Runner Up: ​Noisy pumps cost money – DCWW Water Services Innovation Team
  • Clever Data Category:
    • Winner: CCTV Artificial Intelligence Solution – Liam Butler, DCWW Data Science Team in collaboration with ITS, Wastewater Networks & Wastewater Research & Innovation Team​
    • Runner Up: High Level Model Audit Automation – DCWW Wastewater Hydraulic Modelling Team
  • Collaborative Working Category:
    • Winner: Wastewater-Based Community-Level Surveillance of COVID-19 in Wales -​ Bangor University, Cardiff University and DCWW​
    • ​Runner Up: Water Network Camera Survey Developments​ – API, PIPA & AVK​ and DCWW Zonal Studies Team, Water Network Alliance & Innovation Team
  • Market Adaptation Category:
    • Winner:  MALDI-TOF Confirmatory Analysis – DCWW Glaslyn Laboratory, Quality Policy and Compliance team
    • Runner Up: Vega Radar Instrument for level measurement ​- Vega, Hornbill & DCWW​
  • President`s Award:
    • Winner: MOVA (Manual Handling Load Measurement & Risk Reduction Clever Data Tool)​ – MOVA Data Team
    • Runner Up: Water Network Camera Survey Developments – API, PIPA & AVK and​ DCWW Zonal Studies Team, Water Network Alliance & Innovation Team

 

The Overall Winner who will be invited to represent the Welsh Area at the 2021 National Institute of Water Presidents Dinner is Wastewater-Based Community-Level Surveillance of COVID-19 in Wales – Bangor University, Cardiff University and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.

The partnership successfully established the first UK national-scale wastewater-based epidemiology network for the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in the general population of Wales. The project has monitored the changing state of the pandemic in Wales, supported and informed public health policy decisions and built national capacity for future pandemic preparedness. It has strengthened the existing ties between the partner organisations and highlighted the important role the wastewater industry plays in national public health.

Congratulations!

The Welsh Area Committee were overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of excellent entries for this year’s Institute of Water Welsh Area Innovation Awards… and we are delighted to share with you this year’s winning entries!

  • Clever Data: Bretton Davis (Arup) & Redmond Jenkins (DCWW) – Predictive Pollution Reduction: Tackling Foul Sewer Pollution with Machine Learning
  • Collaborative Working: PestSmart Team (DCWW) – PestSmart: working collaboratively to control weeds, pests and diseases while looking after people, water & wildlife project
  • Ideas: Jack Huggins (Arup) & Redmond Jenkins (DCWW) – Virtual Asset Handover & Operation Training Tool
  • Market Adaption: Vyvyan Evans – “Sludge Bugs

 Overall winner:

  • Bretton Davis (Arup) & Redmond Jenkins (DCWW) – The Predictive Pollution Reduction project aims to prevent future environmental pollution events by advising a strategy for predictive maintenance by using machine learning and other data driven methods. By using data, the project aimed to provide an unbiased perspective on what causes environmental pollution and by using machine learning, identifying trends that human perspectives cannot see. Well done Bretton and Redmond!

 

“It’s great to have the recognition as a team and have the opportunity to develop initiatives such as this project, especially where we believe it can make a real difference to operational teams, our customers and the environment”. – Redmond Jenkins 

 

Presidents Awards: This goes to an innovation that has captured the imagination of the judges… the winner is Alun Griffiths for The Griffiths Bespoke Utility Vehicle! Their unique vehicle was specifically developed for the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Repair and Maintenance Framework and comprises of a lighter commercial cab, which provides an enhanced driving experience and increases the load carry capacity, automatic gearbox, long-wheel base and reduced height of the overall chassis. The carbon emissions from the vehicle have been reduced, and the risk of manual handling has been eliminated. Well done Alun Griffiths!

CPD: Charlotte Rhodes – the judges were impressed with Charlotte’s achievements over the previous year and her forward looking goals to continue to develop her skills and knowledge.