Tackling mounting challenges to keep water and wastewater flowing

THE WATER and wastewater industry is responsible for managing the critical infrastructure to keep water flowing, and delivering clean and drinkable. But the sector has come under more scrutiny in recent years, mainly due to falling customer satisfaction, and the pressures facing it are ever increasing.

To explore these challenges, and highlight some of the solutions those in maintenance, and health and safety roles should leverage, RS created 'Maintaining the Flow', a water and wastewater industry report

Ageing infrastructure presents major challenges for maintenance 

Long-life assets are a feature of the industry. Maintainers are often dealing with Victorian infrastructure, which has major implications in terms of the amount of maintenance required: more is needed to keep old assets operational. This incurs cost in maintenance and downtime. 

RS’ maintenance engineering report Performance in Focus cited 52% of engineers working in the utilities sector spend more than 100 hours per week on unscheduled downtime. Additionally, failures in assets can lead to further costs in fines, as this service industry is heavily regulated.

Investment to modernise ageing assets

In April, OFWAT, the Water Services Regulation Authority, announced an investment of £104bn for the upgrade of assets and infrastructure for the water industry as part of a new five-year regulatory cycle for the industry, known as Asset Management Period 8 or AMP8. This investment is to be allocated to reducing spills from storm overflows, building resilience to drought, and replacing almost 8,500 kilometres of water mains. 

But It is clear though that other solutions have to be fully optimised. Firms in the sector should be leveraging solutions providers to help them better manage assets and engineer resource. That could be outsourcing maintenance services like calibration, or lubrication and oil condition monitoring. These are vital maintenance activities that improve asset performance and extend life, but present challenges when it comes to having the skilled engineers to execute them.

Environmental goals are a significant consideration for all organisations, but in the water and wastewater sector where processes are energy-intensive, looking at ways to become more energy-efficient is crucial. Using energy management field services can help water companies reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions by identifying areas for improvement.

Managing risk to workers is paramount

The water and wastewater industry is a high-risk place to work, with hazards ranging from biological hazards to working at heights, or managing chemicals, oils, grease and navigating mechanical moving parts and machinery. This means workers are often right in the midst of potential danger, so the need for robust health and safety provision is non-negotiable. This is vital both for worker safety and avoidance of damages to the organisation. 

Despite this industry being high-risk, RS’ 2025 health and safety report highlighted that the number of firms in the utilities sector executing accident prevention and physical incident strategies were lower than the overall average of other industrial sectors like manufacturing, and facilities and intralogistics. 

This is where collaboration and turning to solutions partners can throw a lifeline to water organisations in aiding their health and safety processes. 

Using PPE specialists that are technical experts can help companies solve issues they may not know the cause of, or a solution. 

RS worked with one firm where the on-site facility for the correct washing of workwear to remove dangerous enzymes from wastewater couldn’t prevent the workwear from shrinking in the process. When RS investigated further, it emerged this was because, unlike on most sites, there was no proper drying room. Workers were putting the garments through a tumble dryer at hot temperatures for a quick turnaround. An interim solution has been developed by RS while the water company considers a more long-term approach.

Using inventory solutions to minimise downtime 

With ageing assets and infrastructure causing unscheduled downtime in this industry, using vendor-managed inventory solutions can ensure vital supplies are on hand when needed, even at remote sites. 

Vendor-managed inventory solutions profiles operations so the right stock, whether PPE and workwear, or tools and engineering consumables, is always available. This means engineers don’t have to drive around suppliers to obtain products, causing further downtime. Furthermore, inventory can be kept in strategic locations, mapped out in a data-led way. 

Digital technology and maintenance must work in tandem

Maintenance teams will then never be more than a defined number of miles or minutes from a site from which to obtain the items they need. Not only does this minimise downtime, but enhances safety as it lessens the temptation to take a risky shortcut because the storeroom has run out of the required product. 

RS’ report highlights some of the ways in which digital technology is aiding the water and wastewater industry. But, in addition, the huge potential to improve how maintenance is managed must be realised in order for water and wastewater companies to accelerate progress in overcoming challenges and achieve important goals. 

The RS ‘Maintaining the Flow’ report can be downloaded in full here: tinyurl.com/yc4vuxuz

For more information:

uk.rs-online.com

Tel: 03457 201201