The future of the UK water sector - interview with Stewart Tennant

On World Water Day 2019, Stewart Tennant, Market Leader Water, UK, at GHD, discusses the biggest challenges facing his clients and the growing importance of smart technologies.

What is your overall goal as Water Sector Market Leader for the UK?

For me, it is about working with our clients/customers to provide high quality, safe drinking water that is affordable and reliable, as well as effective sewerage and wastewater treatment to reduce our impact on the environment.

What are the biggest challenges for your clients in the sector?

Our clients genuinely want to innovate and use smart technologies but must couple that desire with working in a heavily regulated sector. For example, a company will need a highly skilled engineering supply chain in order to innovate, but the regulatory pressures to drive down costs can work against this aspiration and the talent we need is diverted to other sectors and industries.

How does the UK compare to other countries in terms of innovation?

In the UK, we struggle with the idea of water shortages and see water as an abundant commodity. We fall behind others in terms of innovation. Following a 10-year drought in Australia (2001-2011), many regions and cities have managed to significantly reduce their water consumption. In Sydney, the water use in 2018 was 306 litres per person per day, down from nearly 650 litres in 2003. In Melbourne, they have a target of 155 litres per person per day with actual usage currently at 161 litres per person per day. Water reuse and recycling has also been adopted in Singapore and in other countries.

How can we improve this situation in the UK?

The answer lies in engagement with younger generations to communicate the challenge’s facing the water industry and drive behavioural change in water use. The BBC’s Blue Planet series with Sir David Attenborough had a huge impact and we need to do more of the same.

What are some of the future developments in the sector that you are keeping your eye on?

We are seeing the emergence of smart technologies employing monitoring and data-acquisition to manage water treatment and supply. I see these systems being used as part of a wider approach to optimise how we design, operate and maintain treatment systems.

What is an example of a smart technology?

We are working with a water authority to use weather data and machine learning to predict operational outcomes in sewerage networks. This could potentially help mitigate impacts on customers and the environment.

What about major worries for the sector?

The global population growth and water scarcity will become an increasing issue for the industry. As global temperatures continue to rise, cities around the world will have to figure out how to do more with less water. The Cape Town water crisis will no doubt feature in the emergency planning strategies of governments around the world.