Clean Water Investigations

Clean Water Services

Quality

Provision

Quality

Hardness

Discolouration

Unusual Taste or Smell

Flouride

Lead

Provision

Leaks

Flow and Pressure

Reservoirs

Meters

Review

Notes

• Most of the opportunity would be around either sampling, or education
• A lot of sampling and testing will be completed at the point of Treatment by the Utility
• It is likely that Utilities have teams in place for these functions
• It is likely that ,manufactuers, organisations or chains already have facilites management teams or contractors for this
• Even if not, the savings garnered by them may not be finanically viable for the Utility (even if wastage, for example, was reduced
• Some of the quality components can only be identified by a consumer in a property (discolouration, for example).
• In STW, Grant has contacted Ross Stokes to investigate opportunity.

Water Meters

Most water meters are located outside your property in your boundary box. You can see your outdoor meter by lifting the lid and having a look. It may be a little dark or mucky so you may need to pour a little water over it to clear any dirt or use a torch. Some meters are located inside your house. They’re normally placed near to your internal stop-tap. If you don’t know where yours is, message our team and they’ll be able to help you find it.

Opportunity?

Leaks

Other common leaks you may find inside your home:

• Dripping taps

• Household appliances

• Overflow from a water tank or cistern in the loft

Check if you can see water dripping or running out of an external overflow pipe. These signs may mean you have a leak. Checking for leaks outside of your property Signs that indicate a leak:

• A wet patch in your grass or paving
• An area of grass growing much quicker than that around it.
• Sunken patches or slabs of paving
• A change in water pressure

Spotting leaks at home can be challenging as they’re often hidden or difficult to spot. In most cases an increase in your bill may be the first sign that there might be an issue. Leaks don’t just have an impact on your pocket, they can cause damage to your appliances or even your home itself. Leaky toilets are the most common type of leak. Around 1 in 10 properties have a constantly running toilet and they’re not always easy to spot. A leaking toilet can waste an average of 400 litres of water a day which works out at approximately £300 per year. This can happen because some modern toilet systems overflow into the bowl rather than through an external overflow pipe, making them harder to find.

Opportunity?

Hardness

Sampling Sampling could be completed at either, points of treatment, or provision to homes.

Education Engagement could be completed with domestic customers to outline the impacts of hard water. and how to mitigate the damage to their appliances.

Unusual Smell or Taste

Sewerage This could be coming from your drain or sink. Chlorine or Bleach Chlorine is added during the final stage of the water treatment process. Some customers may notice this more than others if they are sensitive to the taste or smell. The taste and smell on chlorine can be stronger when:

• You live nearby to one of our treatment works facilities (The closer you are, the more noticeable it may be)
• The time of day, as first thing in the morning and early evening is peak time for water use. This means the water comes more quickly from the treatment works and may contain more chlorine.
• The temperature of the water. For example, cold water can hold chlorine for longer than warm water.

Metallic and Earthy Reactions between chlorine in the water and rubber or plastic parts in your plumbing can cause an unpleasant taste or smell. This is commonly found near pipes connecting appliances such as:

• Washing machines
• Dishwashers
• Other appliances connected to the water supply

Opportunity?

Reservoirs

Reservoirs are artificial or natural bodies of water created for storing water to ensure a reliable and consistent supply for drinking, industrial use, and agriculture, while also providing flood control and enabling hydroelectric power generation. They store water during rainy periods for use during dry spells, manage water flow in rivers, and can serve recreational and environmental purposes. Primary purposes of reservoirs:

• Water Supply: Reservoirs store water collected during wet periods and release it during dry seasons to meet the demand for drinking water, and industrial and agricultural purposes.
• Flood Control: They can absorb excess water from heavy rainfall and storms, releasing it at controlled rates to mitigate downstream flooding and protect communities.
• Irrigation: Reservoirs provide a consistent source of water for farming, supporting crop growth and ensuring agricultural productivity, even during droughts.
• Hydroelectric Power: Water released from reservoirs can turn turbines to generate electricity, providing a renewable energy source.

Opportunity?

Flow and Pressure

The most common causes for supply interruptions are:

• Unseen leak
• Bursts
• Home plumbing problems
• Network issues

Air lock or blockage in the pipework

• Your flow can also be affected by:
• high demand in the morning and early evening
• the size and condition of your service pipe
• the height of your building

If water isn't coming out of your taps as quickly or as powerfully as normal, you may have a problem with the flow, pressure or velocity of your water. Often it's hard to know what the difference is between the three terms.

• Flow: The amount of water coming out of your tap
• Pressure: The force of the water coming out of your tap
• Velocity: The speed of the water coming out of your tap

If you have a problem with your water pressure, it will probably affect all your taps. If you have a problem with flow or velocity, it will probably only affect one or some of your taps.

Opportunity?

Water Meters

Reading, Fixing, and Replacing There could be a workstream to check water meter readings. This could become part of both domestic and commercial engagement. Allowing a speciifc snapshot of a designated water meter. If more training were desired, there could be an componenet of installing, or fixing water meters too.

Hardness

Water hardness measures the amount of natural calcium and magnesium that’s present in your water. At the very beginning of the water cycle, when rain falls, there is no calcium or magnesium present in water. Once rain makes contact with the ground, and begins to trickle into waterways, the water absorbs up the naturally occurring minerals in the environment as it flows over rocks and ground. The hardness or softens of your water will vary depending on where you live. It's generally harder in areas with soluble rock like limestone, and softer in areas with insoluble rock such as Granite. You’ll find water hardness in water quality reports expressed as the equivalent amount of calcium carbonate in parts per million (mg/l) for every litre of water.

Opportunity?

Lead

Since 1970 it has been illegal to build new homes using lead fittings or pipes for water supply, but some older homes may still have lead pipes. . There are a few ways you can tell if you have lead pipes. Unpainted lead pipes are a dull grey colour, and have swollen, rounded joints where they meet other pipes. Lead is a soft metal and so if you tap a lead pipe with a metal object, like a coin, you will hear a dull thud rather than a clear ringing like you would with harder copper or iron pipe. Boiling water will not remove lead from it.

Opportunity?

Discolouration

Cloudy Water This is likely due to air trapped in the pipes due to nearby repairs on the network. As the air dissolves into the water, tiny air bubbles form and can make the water appear cloudy. These bubbles should clear naturally within 24 hours. Yellow, Brown, Orange, or With Bits White or blue bits in your water can often be limescale which can be stained blue by new copper pipes or by old copper pipes breaking down. Discolouration is likely caused by disturbances to the natural minerals and sediment that built up in the pipes over time as water passes through the mains, service pipes or the plumbing within your property.  Disturbances to your water can happen for a few reasons such as: 

• A burst mains in your area 
• A sudden change to flow and pressure, which can pick up sediments in the water 
• The fire service using a hydrant on the street 
• If we’re repairing pipework in your area 
• The corrosion of pipes 
• Plumbing issues in your home 

Blue or Green Water Your water may look slightly green or blue if there are higher than normal levels of copper in it.

Opportunity?

Leaks

Investigation and Education There could be a workstream where complaints of leaks (or suspected leaks) were investigated with individual households, looking at common internal causes (such as leaking toilet cisterns). This would need provision by Client of people who had raised complaints or queries. The Team could also be used to investigate more severe and Utility based leaks. This would help prevent costs to households but also reduce water wastage and usage for the Utility. This could also be completed for large manufacturers, organisations, or chains.

Flouride

Fluoride is added to improve dental health. In some areas, the local health authority can request thatfluoride is added to our water to improve dental health. Fluoride is added as a diluted solution or powder at the water treatment works. Special control systems make sure it doesn't exceed the maximum allowed level by European and UK standards. The fluoride is purchased against high quality criteria and we follow strict guidelines set down by the UK Government to make sure that your water is wonderful, clean and safe to drink.

Opportunity?