mwh innovation in action newsletter for severn trent water

Innovation In Action December 2012 of 8

Newsbrief‐InnovationInAction

As we successfully deliver projects for our customer, Severn Tent Water, innovative solutions continue to add real value. Championed by MWH staff, these solutions provide a rich source of knowledge, driving efficiencies within the One Supply Chain (OSC). This newsletter features many examples of MWH innovation and spotlights the people who make them happen. From across the region you will see how we are delivering schemes that meet the expectations of colleagues in Service Delivery. You will also see how we share best practice with our supply chain and engage with local communities to leave a positive and lasting legacy.

Working closely with Severn Trent Water, MWH has devised an innovative solution for the ageing Rapid Gravity Filters (RGF) at Church Wilne. Built in the late sixties, Church Wilne WTW has suffered water quality failures associated with ageing plant. Studies confirmed that the original RGF do not comply with current design standards and the washwater recovery plant is at its design limit.

In collaboration with process experts from Severn Trent Water, MWH has developed a radical and extremely cost‐effective refurbishment solution. In scheme development, the team reviewed and subsequently discounted an earlier (AMP4) proposal which, on scrutiny, wouldn’t improve process security for the site.

The new scheme incorporates an innovative re‐design of all 12 RGF cells, together with a new backwash pumping system and underground buffer tank. Major elements of the works include:

Flexible control system that allows both sequential or combined with collapsed pulse backwashes

New high level feed channel replacing existing low level channel, allowing greater media depth and increased expansion for an improved backwash

Re‐profiling the floor and fitting Severn Trent Services “LP tetra blocks” to the filter floor to optimise backwash distribution

Installation of underground washwater buffer tank and backwash pump building

Saving circa £7m over the new‐build option, the RGF refurbishment is a process‐led exemplar project. Led by Mark Hadley, the MWH team has collaborated with STW’s Process Integration team to develop a solution that reduces both CAPEX and OPEX. This innovative process also gives STW’s Service Delivery teams much greater flexibility when choosing backwash options.

Meetingthepeopledeliveringourinnovativesolutions

ChurchWilneRapidGravityFilters–aradicalandcosteffectivesolutiontoimproveprocesssecurity

“Church Wilne’s flexible control system will allow STW’s Service Delivery teams to choose their preferred backwash option.” Mark Hadley MWH Senior Engineer Raynesway 07834 294732



DeliveringAssetManagementsolutionsMWH has been busy working with Severn Trent Water in delivering a new service to provide Portfolio Risk Assessments (PRA) on entire groups of assets. This is all part of Severn Trent Water’s drive to ‘Be the Best’, especially when safeguarding the water quality of their customers.

Starting with the ‘Groundwater Serviceability PRA’, MWH has assessed 54 borehole sites for asset condition and water quality risks. The assessment results are used to plot all of the sites on a risk based matrix: Likelihood ‘Good to drink’ and Consequence ‘Always On’. This has allowed the team to prioritise any immediate investment needs and other schemes to be developed in AMP6. The approach has worked well for Severn Trent Water and is being repeated as part of the Major Works Disinfection PRA. A team has started to carry out asset condition and operational risk assessments for Severn Trent Water on their major works disinfection systems. Again, striving to ensure water is always treated to quality standards, the work involves prioritising sites and mitigating new risks that emerge.

RealTimecontrolMWH is in the early stages of developing a new initiative to bring energy efficiency to Severn Trent Water’s sewage works. A new method of process control (Real Time Control) is being developed with Hach Lange for a site trial with Severn Trent Water. A collaborative venture between MWH and Costain will demonstrate the capability and benefits of the system. When complete, the trial will provide a template for installing similar systems at other works in the future. Initial meeting have been held but “watch this space” for progress reports and the results of the trial.

ProactivemanagementkeepsplantoperationalatNewthorpeMWH is currently upgrading Newthorpe STW to ensure the plant meets future consent levels, particularly those relating to ammonia. Scope of works includes refurbishment of five rectangular trickling filters over a two‐year rolling programme. The filters incorporate new cantilevered distributors, independent Variable Speed Drive (VSD) motors and rails. New catenary systems for power distribution are also being fitted to replace time expired bus‐bars.

A key project requirement is to ensure that the plant remains operational at all times of the year. This means that only one filter can be taken out of service at any time and during winter months all filters must be operational. Listening closely to the informed views of Service Delivery is enabling MWH to keep the works operational by:

Sequencing work so that filters with high failure rates are refurbished ahead of more reliable units

Maintaining a set of critical spares and identifying interchangeable components

24hr callout response from MWH

Using temporary wetting to keep filter media active when a filter cell is taken out of service for refurbishment.

“Local knowledge and innovative design is helping MWH deliver programme savings and keep existing plant operational at Newthorpe STW.” Kevin Woolley MWH Site Manager Newthorpe STW 07738 501975

Variable Speed Drives reducing OPEX

“MWH is providing expertise in process, and programme management for Severn Trent Water as part of these projects.” Tim Brammer MWH Principal Engineer Longbridge 07956 541599



OneSupplyChainprocurementsavingsforChemicalDosingA One Supply Chain (OSC) procurement initiative, led by Suzanne Cunningham of MWH, has been looking at reducing the cost of chemical dosing equipment. A working group, comprising all members of the OSC, looked at a variety of ways to achieve the 20% efficiency challenge. The starting point was to review the current framework with Lintott Control Systems (LCS).This indicated that low scale savings (approx. 4%) were possible through bulk ordering and reviewing material selection.

The group also realized that much bigger efficiencies (+20%) could be achieved through new suppliers offering different solutions. The benchmarking experience of Tier One contractors working in other regions was instrumental in reaching this decision. However, introducing these new solutions would require the existing STW specification to be revised. The group decided that this was a worthwhile exercise, and worked closely with STW’s Standards Department to review and ultimately revise the existing specification.

The change to the specification was only agreed after careful review of the technical and commercial capabilities of the new solution providers. In particular, the group looked closely at the benefits of the new kiosk and bund arrangements offered by the new suppliers.

Reviewing the specification has allowed new suppliers (EPS and Gee) to enter the supply chain. This gives us a wider pool of cost‐effective chemical dosing solutions to choose from, as we work towards delivering the efficiency challenge.

ConsiderateConstructorssuccesscontinuesImproving the image of construction is the primary goal of the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). This ethos is driving some exceptional performance by MWH on Severn Trent Water projects. Staff on our schemes at Bamford, Clay Mills and Tideswell have all received CCS “Performance Beyond Compliance” awards in recent months.

Some comments from the CCS monitors demonstrate how our sites are all scoring well above the industry average of 31/40:

“proactively monitoring energy consumption with site receiving email alerts when energy costs are higher”

“site has an active Safety Committee and reduced working at height risks”

“no complaints received to date and all excavated material reused on site”

“an exemplar site of which the company can be rightly proud”.

Working with the local community at Bamford, the local Primary School was presented with a cheque for £500. This was raised through an H&S initiative on site with the school commenting, “gifts of this nature make such a difference and enable us to have those much needed extras”.

Wider pool of suppliers increases delivery options

“The challenge was to achieve at least 20% efficiency on the total cost of a chemical dosing installation, without increasing OPEX.” Suzanne Cunningham MWH Regional Supply Chain Manager Heywood 07738 501975



Recognising and rewarding the efforts of all team members was a key feature of the recent “stand‐down” day for the Clay Mills’ e5 project team. Taking an “early bath”, project staff, including colleagues from Severn Trent Water, gathered at Burton Albion FC on 19 September. With presentations from key members of MWH’s management team, the initial part of the afternoon focused on recent changes to Health and Safety procedures. This included an explanation of our Drugs and Alcohol policy and looking at how industry attitudes to this topic have changed dramatically in recent years.

Saying thank‐you was also an extremely important part of the day. Recognising that ‘it’s the people who make the difference’, several members of the team received awards. This included the presentation of a signed football to the site team and several STAR certificates. These publicly acknowledge the contribution from individuals whose work may sometimes be overlooked.

‘Giving something back’ has always been one of the ways that MWH supports the communities in which it works. Since the early days at Clay Mills, the project team has supported Burton Albion FC in their engagement with the local community. Continuing this policy, the Clay Mills’ team presented a cheque for £500 to St Giles Hospice to support the outstanding work that they do. An evening meal, and the opportunity to see Burton Albion in action, rounded off a memorable day which was all about recognising and rewarding achievement.

Makingoursitessaferthroughcontinualimprovement

Makingtimetoacknowledgeindividualperformanceandplanforfutureimprovements

“Anyone who identifies an unsafe act or unsafe situation should stop work and report the situation to a supervisor.” Mike Kilbride MWH Regional H&S Manager Site based 07747 772960

Acknowledging the efforts of all the team

Working as one team in the wider community



QualitydrivenstakeholdermanagementEggington is a small River Intake works near Burton on Trent with site access via the A38, which is a major trunk road. However, visibility at the junction of the site access road and the A38 is below minimum standards. This has caused several ‘near misses’ as vehicles enter or exit the site. To alleviate this, MWH is designing a new access road that will significantly improve safety for all vehicles accessing the site.

There are a variety of external parties that have a vested interest in the scheme, including Derbyshire County Council (Highways and Planning), Environment Agency, Land owners, Highways Agency, Utility companies and the local community. Successfully managing these stakeholders is a crucial objective of the MWH solutions team, including Assistant Engineer Shauna Barrett.

This task has been made considerably easier by Shauna and the team using a Document Tracker, developed by our in‐house QA team. This spreadsheet has over 500 entries showing all the key deliverables and documents that can be required on any scheme. These include EA consents, planning permissions, customer consultations, road transport statements, ecological surveys and flood risk assessments. Careful planning and on‐going liaison with all stakeholders has:

Identified the crucial planning dates and allowed timely submission of key documents

Allowed the scheme to achieve target dates for scheme delivery

Given stakeholders the opportunity to contribute positively to scheme development

Increased confidence of local community through up‐front communication.

DesigningaholisticapproachtocommissioningTo ensure commissioning requirements are fully considered at design stage, MWH is spearheading a major initiative in this sometimes overlooked area. Led by MWH Commissioning Manager, Chris Hurt, this approach ensures that the commissioning team is involved effectively at all stages of design.

With 18 years of water industry experience, Chris works closely with our design teams to ensure they fully consider commissioning requirements. In practice, this means Chris/his team attending design review meetings and ‘commenting’ on associated Control Philosophies, Piping and Instrumentation Drawings and HAZOP studies.

During Stage 2 of the project life cycle, our commissioning teams may also visit sites. This allows an early understanding of any ‘on the ground’ issues before target price is agreed. Design to commission also includes early completion of outline Commissioning Plans and site handover meetings; these ensure that commissioning staff fully understand all construction related issues.

The ‘design to commission’ philosophy helps improve service delivery through:

Commissioning requirements embraced at design stage and reflected in Control Philosophies, PIDs and HAZOP studies

Reduced time on site for commissioning teams

Fully integrated project teams where knowledge is passed from one project to another

Ensuring requirements of nearby STW assets are considered during project design

Supply chain expertise used to continually improve commissioning process.

“Identifying the crucial planning issues anddates has allowed timely submission of key documents.” Shauna Barrett MWH Assistant Engineer Enabling Team Raynesway 07921 494229

“Improving our service delivery by ensuring a commissioning voice is heard throughout the design process.” Chris Hurt MWH Commissioning Manager Raynesway 07789 903870



A recent lighting scheme, carried out by MWH Direct, has highlighted the value of listening closely to the views of our ultimate customer: the Service Delivery teams at Severn Trent Water.

At Derby STW, there were legacy issues with the site’s lighting, which at certain locations was inadequate for safe maintenance. The lighting also raised working‐at‐height concerns as scaffolding or mobile working platforms were often required to replace failed units.

The MWH Direct team subsequently carried out a Lux (lighting) survey and proposed an enhanced lighting design. This would eliminate working at height and provide a modern, low‐energy lighting system for the works. Developed in collaboration with the site’s Service Delivery team, this proposal recognised the importance of their input as the end‐users of the installation.

MWH subsequently installed the lighting in a timely, safe and efficient programme, with minimal disruption to site operations. Throughout the installation, our site team kept in close contact with Severn Trent’s Service Delivery Team. This ensured that the delivery solution matched (and ultimately exceeded) their expectations.

Commenting on the installation, Severn Trent Water’s Service Delivery Manager Andy Blake endorses the collaborative approach.

“I am very pleased with the way the job has gone and would like to take this opportunity to share some positives regarding the work at Derby. Liaison has been excellent all the way through. Gwyn Thomas (MWH Electrical Supervisor) has given us every opportunity to influence the choice, positioning and control of the lighting.

This has been a refreshing change from what we sometimes experience! On my travels around site it has been good to see the sub‐contractor (RG Walton) working safely and to the standards we expect. Thanks to all for a job well done”.

FlexibleandresponsiveMWH Direct has also successfully completed schemes at a number of other sites, including Measham, Packington, Barton‐under‐Needwood, Bakewell and Ilkeston Hallam Fields. Working closely with Service Delivery staff, MWH Direct has delivered value for money solutions that match customer requirements, as shown by some recent feedback from Severn Trent Water:

“the installation looks really good and has been closely monitored by Gwyn Thomas and his team”

“the Pricing/Scope documents are clear, showing everything that has been agreed”

“another nice tidy job from MWH Direct, with good co‐operation and feedback from the staff”

“the Packington Sludge Pipeline Project represents good value for money”

MWHDirect‐workinginclosecollaborationwithServiceDeliverytoprovidevalueformoneyschemes

Collaborative design reducing H&S risks

Delivering a Direct pipeline of value‐for‐money projects

“Walking the site with our colleagues in Service Delivery is the key to understanding our customer’s requirements.” Gwyn Thomas Electrical Supervisor MWH Direct 07894 297101



ExternalinnovationfromakeystakeholderAs one of the water industry’s key stakeholders, the views of the Environment Agency are always of particular interest. A recent Lunch and Learn session at Raynesway highlighted the benefits of sharing knowledge with our partner organisations. This lunchtime session, hosted by EA Innovation Manager Andy Powell, gave an overview of the process that the EA use to identify and share innovation and best practice.

A recent EA initiative, Ideas Street, encourages and rewards staff at all levels to improve the business by suggesting ways to improve. Andy also showed some great examples of EA innovation, some of which are shown here.

Future meetings between the EA and MWH are now planned so that knowledge can be routinely shared across both organisations.

InvolvementofsupplychainsupportsefficiencychallengeTapping into the knowledge within our supply chain is helping our teams meet the on‐going efficiency challenge. On our schemes at Newthorpe and Tideswell STW, MWH engaged Saftronics Ltd to consult on the proposed EICA solutions. Following a site survey, Saftronics undertook further office‐based investigation and submitted a revised design. This new proposal from Saftronics was presented to MWH and Severn Trent Water, who subsequently approved this revised and cost‐effective design.

During this cross‐party consultation at Stage 3, further design improvements were suggested and subsequently adopted. Engaging Saftronics and collaborating with all interested parties in the detail design at Stage 3 has:

Helped generate a CAPEX saving of more than £6,702 (24% of the original tender value)

Eliminated costs associated with SCADA modifications

ClipstoneGACVessels

Changing the embankment design to be more material efficient using remote‐control grass cutting devices such as “Robo Cut”

Concrete Canvas ‐ a lightweight innovative material replacing life expired geo‐textile covering on gabion baskets

“This exercise has shown that there is a wealth of experience in the supply chain which adds real value and should be encouraged on other schemes.” Darren Chiles MWH Senior EICA Engineer Raynesway

Early and safe completion of large‐scale site installation minimised disruption to local residents



STARfollowingatBAMFORDCongratulations to the entire Bamford WTW project team for winning Gold in the annual Severn Trent Award Recognition (STAR) awards. The team picked up their award from Chief Executive Tony Wray in the Future Impact category for protecting the environment.

This award recognises the team’s efforts to protect a local population of toads whose spring migratory route crosses the site. To protect the toads from harm, the project team worked closely with ecological specialists to collect and translocate them to a nearby lagoon where they can safely spawn. This has been widely acknowledged as an excellent example of ecological best practice.

Further success for Bamford came with publication of the project as a case study in UK Water Projects 2012. This is widely acknowledged as one of the industry’s most prestigious periodicals.

PARforthecourseatRugbyThe PAR (Peer Assist Review) process is a creative session where subject experts meet to brainstorm specific “project challenges”. MWH staff, Richard Saville and Peter Howard, have recently attended a PAR on the Costain/MWH project at Rugby Newbold STW. This collaborative session produced potential solutions for a variety of issues including pump selection, sludge thickening and MCC location. Further information (post meeting) from the wider MWH business has also strengthened the business case for the developed solutions.

MWH staff Stuart McAllister (PM), Julie Jeavons (Tech. Discipline Leader) and Mike Kilbride (H&S Manager) are also sharing their considerable knowledge with PARs planned for December.

CollaborativesuccessWorking closely with our supply chain, MWH has successfully managed 138 heavy vehicle movements (concrete wagons) in just one working day. These were all safely coordinated on a highly constrained site at Overseal STW, a popular residential village in the heart of the National Forest. Site access is via a single track lane that exits onto one of the village’s main roads. Maintaining public safety and not disrupting the village traffic were top priorities for the site team.

A carefully planned and coordinated traffic management plan allowed the team to achieve these objectives and cast the base of the 25m dia. annular oxidation ditch to tolerance in one day.

Excellent on‐site working from supply chain partners, Bredon Aggregates and Hollywood Plant Services, contributed significantly to the successful outcome of the day.

ContributionswelcomeFor more information on these and other topics or if you have any ideas that you would like to share with the One Supply Chain, please contact either:

[email protected]

or

[email protected]

Making a real difference to Severn Trent Water

On solid ground with our supply chain at Overseal

“This coordinated approach allowed over 500m3

of concrete to be successfully placed, with zero public complaints and normal village traffic movements maintained.” Phil Dunn MWH Site Manager Overseal STW 07432 108579

http://www.waterprojectsonline.com/case_studies/2012/Severn_Trent_Bamford_2012.pdf

http://www.waterprojectsonline.com/case_studies/2012/Severn_Trent_Bamford_2012.pdf

mwh innovation in action newsletter for severn trent water

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