The water consulting business at Mouchel has seen strong growth to start 2017 with a reappointment to a key AMP6 project for Essex & Suffolk Water – the consultancy has also strengthened the team with the appointment of five new staff.

Mouchel, which will rebrand as WSP in July following last year’s acquisition by WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, has been reappointed by Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) for its domestic retrofit program across their residential customer base. 

Mouchel has been partnering with ESW and their water efficiency program for the past 11 years to deliver approximately 10% of ESW’s water saving target set out in the Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP).

Now entering its 13th phase, each involving liaison with approximately 15,000 customers within a designated catchment area, the programme aims to deliver home “audits” with a view to saving residents as much water as possible.

This is carried out by a team of professional plumbers, who assess the existing water fitments in a home (showers, toilets, baths, taps, outdoor water supply etc.) to ensure residents are benefitting from the most up to date water saving devices available.

Phase 13 of the project is due to begin in April 2017, which has recently been rebranded as “Every Drop Counts”.

Hamish Chalmers, Mouchel technical delivery manager, said:

“We’re very proud to have been selected once again to carry on delivering this valuable service for the customers of Essex & Suffolk Water in what is the driest region of the country. With each phase we see new levels of innovative working achieved and we will continue to work hard with Essex& Suffolk Water and their residents to ensure every drop counts. We look forward to carrying on our highly successful partnership deeper into the AMP6 program.”

Five new appointments to further strengthen water team

Tim Knobbs has also joined Mouchel as technical director for design and capital delivery, one of five new appointments to the water team. He arrives from Atkins having spent the last two years as the engineering manager for the 230-strong CABV (Costain Atkins Black & Veatch) JV design team working as part of Thames Waters £1.7bn AMP6 eight₂O Alliance.

A chartered engineer, fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and member of the Chartered Institute of Water & Environmental Management (CIWEM), Tim Knobbs will develop and lead the water consultancy’s technical community and will be charged with raising the consultancy’s profile for technical excellence, both with water-industry clients and the wider industry.

Mark Carlisle, Head of Water at Mouchel, added:

 “With our work across the UK from Whitesands, Scotland to North Wales to Essex, it’s been a productive start to the year for our growing water consultancy. In 2017 we’ll continue to work to grow our business whilst focusing on client delivery, technical expertise, and making the most of the fantastic opportunities the WSP integration is providing.”