Water Innovation 2050, the alliance established by 19 UK water companies to reinvent and reimagine the UK water sector by 2050, has this week launched four challenges the utilities hope the wider Water Innovation 2050 community can help with.

Launching the challenges. Water Innovation 2050 said:

“If you think your company can help us, we want to hear from you. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are, we need creative minds with a proven track record to help us solve some of our biggest problems.”

Deadline for initial submissions for the challenges is midnight on Monday 2nd November - the four challenges are as follows:

Challenge 1 - New leaks on existing networks are minimised

Water companies need to understand the mechanisms by which leaks form and grow, and further develop strategies and techniques to prevent or minimise new leaks because they wish to reduce the number of bursts and the subsequent amount of water leakage occurring.

How might we develop an understanding of how leaks form and grow, and prevent this occurring by reducing operational impacts or pinpointing weaker mains so that the number of bursts and leaks forming on pipe networks is significantly reduced?

Challenge 2 - Repairs are quick, economic with minimal disruption

Once a water leak or burst is located, water companies need to carry out repairs on the pipes quickly, economically and with minimum disruption to the customer because they wish to reduce the run time of the leak, the cost of the repair and the length of time that customers are affected.

How might we develop tools and techniques that allow us to accurately locate the leak, carry out excavations and repairs that require minimum footprint and time, and reduce the risk of subsequent failures so that overall leakage amounts and repairs costs are significantly reduced and customer satisfaction increased?

Challenge 3 - Carbon neutral construction materials and methods

The construction of new assets and the repair of existing assets is often necessary to maintain a resilient service and enable growth in the communities we serve. There is a significant carbon footprint associated with many of the materials which we use in the construction of operational assets.

There is also a significant carbon footprint and potential disruption caused by site preparations, excavations and reinstatement works involved in the delivery and maintenance of our large assets.

How might we use innovative, low-carbon alternative materials to replace traditional materials like concrete and steel, construction techniques which minimise earth movements, and also approaches and technologies that will remove carbon from the environment at all stages of the asset life cycle?

Challenge 4 - Alarm rationalisation, deploying the right resource to the right site at the right time

Alarm systems for asset failure or system malfunction including run signals or level monitors are usually the first chance a water company has of intervening when things go wrong with supply or wastewater collection systems. Due to the very large number of assets and the wide range of system setups, it can be very difficult to effectively prioritise alarms during busy periods e.g. high rainfall events.

Alarms during this time may be as a result of sensor or telemetry failure rather than an actual, urgent need. As a result, alarms can be incorrectly prioritised meaning that resources may not be allocated to the most critical sites. Not only is this an environmental risk but there is also a risk of undue stress and anxiety on the alarm handling teams who make the decision based on information available.

How might we develop a solution which would help us to deploy the right resources to the most critical sites, particularly during busy periods? This may be by removing alarms or using additional information to verify genuine alarms.

Organisations and individuals who think they can help are being invited to complete a short form with their details and entry – click here.

Water Innovation 2050 added that for organisations unable to submit their entry in time, or aren't in a position to work on these specific challenges would be able to apply for other future challenges.