Watermills in the Fast Lane

The British Grand Prix is one of the blue ribbon sporting events of the season.

At the Silverstone circuit this year, with British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton strongly in contention, over 310,000 attended. And, if the best drivers were on display, as they were, the supporting services had to be equally of world class standard.

That is why Watermills is proud to be the chosen water team.

With 17 kitchens to be supplied and three main hospitality areas set up outside the main buildings the logistics were formidable. Watermills installed in excess of 2000 metres of piping to ensure that the simple things – taps delivering water, toilets and shower supplied and waste piping to the drains were all functioning – facilities that are essential but often taken for granted. And all the water supplied though our temporary pipework had to be tested to ensure it was of the highest possible quality.

Sebastian Vettel of RBR-Renault won the race and was rightly applauded by thousands for so doing; Watermills’ victory is in not being noticed. However the Silverstone management were very quick to recognise our contribution to the event. It was very nice to receive a letter thanking us for our efforts.

Caithness & Airdrie

Watermills gets about: the company covers the entire country and deals with jobs both large and small and of all natures.

Therefore Watermills’ representatives have to cope in all situations and in all weathers and predicaments. But, recently, the wheels nearly came off in the Far North of Scotland deep in the Rumster Forrest in the county of Caithness.

Not because of the difficulties or the complexities of the task but simply because of the ‘billions’ (almost the words of our representative) of midges that enjoyed the presence of the contractors on the remote location. A true Scottish welcome; they tried to eat our representative as he organised a regular supply of tankered water onto the site.

Still, the job got done, the end was achieved and our shattered man only needed a long recuperation with a whisky or two.

If midges represented one of the more unexpected hazards facing Watermills then mud, and lots of it, is a far more frequent obstacle and another Scottish site presented a considerable challenge in this regard.

The National Grid had to install miles of new gas pipeline near the town of Airdrie and Hydrostatic Testing Consultants Ltd. was engaged to test the completed undertaking. Because gas was going to be involved the standards of welding had to be of the highest and the testing of the completed project had to be thorough and yet meet specific time deadlines. As part of this complex process and in order to pressure test the pipeline, Watermills had to supply around 400,000 litres of water within a tight schedule of only a few hours.

This type of work is almost routine to Watermills but what had not been counted on was the state of the ground. It had been a marsh land with pools of water and reeds and ferns dominating and continual rain throughout the afternoon of the trial saw it rapidly revert to little more than a swamp.

But Watermills can handle water in all its moods. 30,000 litre road tankers were hauled out of the site by massive tractors as wheels spun and mud showered; on occasions they were even hauled onto the site by same; and the water was delivered on required.

Applying Professional Standards To Event Management Make It A Win Win

There was a recent radio satirical comedy show (set in the 13th century) where a castle owner was persuaded to hold a rock festival to prevent his estate from being repossessed. ‘What about all the sewerage,’ asked one of the many protesters to this scheme, ‘Where will it all go?’
‘Don’t worry,’ was the answer, ‘we’ll collect it in a tank, pipe it to a barge and dump it on the French coastline.’

Without going into the level of accountability suggested in that solution to waste handling the fact is that the festival and outdoor event industry is a highly responsible one. In recent years it has been diligent in solving problems caused by the onslaught of thousands of people descending on tranquil and usually undisturbed parts of our land for a few days of festivity. In turn this development of pragmatic solutions helps in the sustaining and generating of local tourism – as well as generally advancing environmental protection.

The industry does indeed pay considerable attention to the impact of its activities. The National Outdoor Events Association, Julies Bicycle and the Association of Independent Festivals are all trustworthy and knowledgeable organisations which oversee event plans and provide guidance. Such bodies are being consulted by the British Standards Institution over the adoption of standard BS8901 in the setting of specifications and the necessary guidance for sustainable event management.

This standard defines requirements and identifies the issues and objectives. All stakeholders are engaged in the process of finding solutions, in establishing best practice, improving supply chain procedures, and in the monitoring of progress; ultimately this helps in providing tools for assessing performance, evaluating and reviewing operations and disseminating knowledge through consultation.

Proper evaluation is the key to tackling some of the major challenges the industry faces. Complex and difficult as the problems are there are acceptable solutions and, given due attentiveness and innovation, the management and control of events and their ecological aspect is ever improving.

Water, whether as potable or as sewage, is high on the agenda when it comes to considering the environmental impact. As an issue it is directly related to public health and, indirectly, to the local impact of transport – as regards congestion as well as the aspect of the carbon footprint; it is not uncommon to see tankers and other support vehicles rumbling through small villages, upsetting the locals and, sometimes, even the event itself. Waste tankers are an especial concern as they can discharge foul air as they vacuum waste and discharge.

Yet having the proper provision of drinking water and the proper control of sanitation is the main issue in any large gathering; these can be the most important considerations in any large scale emergency. Often, in the past, these necessities were compromised on as being viewed as simply extra overhead expenses and provision of same was reduced to the bare minimum. Evidence now demonstrates that not a few individuals are put off attending events by what they consider unacceptably low standards of hygiene and sanitation.
In short, the provision of clean, flushing toilets can make all the difference between someone splashing the cash on a ticket or staying at home.

And the cost of proper flushing toilets does not have to be prohibitive; it simply needs a disciplined approach. With applied engineering, professionals can install fully functioning temporary infrastructures and, in doing so, both reduce the carbon footprint and help protect the local environment. Improving the festival-goers experience will, ultimately, improve income for the event and provide a welcome spill-over into the local economy – and doing all this safely.

Thus BS8901 is not just another document for filing. It is an active template for any event wishing to provide a quality experience to the festival-goer whilst safeguarding the general public. Ultimately it will raise the profile and the public perception of events which, too often, equates events with muddy fields and unhygienic surroundings.

In the longer term if we can improve the sanitation at festivals we may use the experience and technical expertise gained to innovate, design and build the equipment that could improve the lives of millions across the world who currently live with neither access to clean water nor to proper sanitation.

After all, not everyone can dump their waste off the coast of France. Responsible people wouldn’t dream of it. Thankfully satire is still legal and the BBC still has a sense of humour, I wonder how long it will last.

Water at Winter Wonderland

With the duration of over 7 Weeks, Winter Wonderland in it’s second year and is already one of the largest and longest events to be run in the central London location of Hyde Park.

One of the challenges facing the event over the last few years is to ensure that not only are the 50 on site chalets offering refreshments are supplied with clean water, but that the waste water is also managed and dealt with in the appropriate and reliable way without the use of either water or waste tankers.

Hyde Park is an historic site and as Watermills’ Adrian Mills explained historically water supply and waste drainage is very limited in the park, therefore it is not located where it is needed. We were asked to design and install a low maintenance temporary system that would operate for the duration of the event.

“To supply services to Winter Wonderland and deal with the waste responsibly and efficiently we used a system developed by our friends in the Netherlands, MTD. Our standard water supply services works perfectly but the waste water posed a number of challenges. We needed special pumps that would pump 350m uphill to the nearest drain. The colder weather was also a significant factor to consider, much of the waste water was from food kitchens so we needed to cater for solidifying grease and food stuff. We used insulated waste discharge pipework with a trace heating wire and Grease traps to counter clogging up the parks drainage system.

Sarah Green from AEG who are the Event organisers said “We are very pleased with the effectiveness the water and waste system the Watermills team has installed.

“Using MTD’s equipment means that we can collect the waste water and pump in to our Grease Traps ensuring that the drains at Hyde Park don’t get clogged with grease” their kit has been tried and tested over many years in much colder climates than London and was the only realistic option. We are not reinventing the wheel and therefore it was not too much of a risk to try something new in the UK”.

Watermill’s Adrian Mills added we have been working with MTD since they met on the Scout Jamboree in 2007 and are happy to work with like minded people who want to improve the event site services offering so long as the emphasis is with offering a Green, value for money and safe service to our customers. With this in mind we are also working closely with the Spanish company Poly-Klyn,.

Watermills Service offering in 2009 is Water Supply and Management, Waste Water solutions, Drinking Water Stations, Showers and Water Recycling solutions.

If you are looking to save money, help protect the environment and improve the site services at your event in 2009 you may find a call to Watermills very interesting.

Water in Any Event

Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink?

Water is often a key factor in many emergencies and is sometimes overlooked. Water is a commodity that we all take for granted, except when it is short in supply or not fit for consumption, it is only then apparent how important wholesome water is to us all. Just ask a resident or business owner in Cheltenham after their experiences this summer.

But what is an emergency? Well, it depends upon the perspective of the stakeholder, be it a multinational organisation, SME, corporation, government or individual.

To take one scenario, maybe obvious to some, possibly not so obvious to others, it is a matter or perspective. Is it a disaster if one of more of the participants of a 10km fun run collapse of heat exhaustion? Well, it maybe for the participant because the individual did not complete his or her objective. It certainly would be a disaster for the participant’s family if the runner died as a result. It would have been an emergency to the paramedic team and to the police, either way.

What impact would it have had to the event? Would it have been a disaster for the event organisers? It certainly would be negative in respect to the media but what if the organisers did not provide sufficient drinking water for the event? If by not properly considering a hot weather
contingency who would be culpable – the environmental health officer, the local government contingency planning department, or the event organiser?

Contingency planning is about pre-planning, considering possible scenarios, working to prevent a difficult situation from turning into a disaster.

If a situation, or a combination of circumstances, occur that is deemed beyond our control, what then?

It is the contingency planning department’s function to consider their worst case scenario and place measures and resources in order to deal with whatever may occur. Worst case scenarios are often thought of as being the responsibility of category 1 teams. It is, however, the responsibility of all the stakeholders to consider the possibility of difficult situations occurring and take measures that may prevent things from escalating or at least handling the circumstances in an appropriate and efficient manner.

The Watermills team provides a service that was born out of considering one of the scenarios posed by a water utility, one of non-compliance with statutory obligations.

How to providing drinking water to the public by other means than the normal piped supply, if the piped water supply was either interrupted or contaminated?

Our overriding focus is on water quality. Water can be delivered in any old vessel – a highway bowser, a rusty tank, a PVC-lined drum or a small skip – but delivery of temporary water for drinking is a different matter.

Collecting water from a recognised potable water source and delivering a temporary supply is not a complex procedure. However, there are some fundamental, but robust processes and procedures required to protect the source location and intended users from microbiological and chemical contamination. The same is also true for the provision of sanitised temporary vessels that are fit for providing buffer storage when the existing supply is insufficient.

The service has developed over the last 12 years providing temporary drinking water supplies. In 2007 alone, we have supplied to a number of pre-planned events; major sports events such as the London Marathon, the Epsom Derby and Ascot week, festivals and concerts such as
WOMAD, and major gatherings such as the World Scout Jamboree in Chelmsford, where we supplied temporary reservoir services to 45,000 scouts delivering two million litres per day for a little over 16 days. During the summer, we supplied water to various events, such as the
Children’s Food Festival for the BBC, sports and live music events, film locations and many smaller public events.

We have provided temporary drinking water solutions to civil engineering projects and construction sites, rail projects in the length and breath of the UK, bridge testing including the Dartford Crossing. We also supplied water for the testing and chlorinating certification of
the mechanical service installation on the Thomas Deacon Academy in East Anglia, pipeline testing for a major gas main in the Cotswolds and Welfare supplies for the decommissioning and rebuild of the Isle of Grain Power Station in Kent.

We have supplied water from top to bottom, from John O’Groats to St Just (Land’s End) serving the teams of steeplejacks that spend their lives cleaning radio masts in some of the most inhospitable and difficult locations we can imagine. We have also carried out geotechnical soil testing (soakaways) across the country.

Gloucestershire floods
Such projects give us the flexibility to cope with various emergencies that can be thrown up. During the recent Gloucestershire floods this summer, we provided 11 tankers on a 24 hour turn around for almost a month to commercial operations affected by having no mains water supplies or contaminated water. Extra emergency personnel were required to help with the situation, we
kept many hotels and many food outlets supplied with drinking water. These outlets needed to be kept open. They could not be expected to ‘boil before use’.

Business resilience and continuity was the aim. Key players, but often forgotten in the fracas were banks and insurance offices. Without satisfactory welfare for their staff, they would have had to close causing further inconvenience to the public; the public who, if you asked them,
would have had enough to deal with and in an emergency would often need financial help. Amongst other businesses we served was an industrial laundry, which handled most of the bedding to the hospitals, nursing homes and hotels.

We are all aware of unusual weather patterns of late: floods, mild/dry winters and the occasional heat wave. Last year, we provided bottled water and drinking water bowsers to the Farnborough Air Show because temperatures soared during the show and the medical team
could envisage a problem looming.

In regard to our services, we have to maintain an element of flexibility. It is difficult to operate a commercial organisation and build in flexibility, but it is very important that we do. We need to
have some spare capacity to deal with an emergency call. The recourses required need to be available, but also functioning daily to pay their way. Ask any haulier and they will tell you that the trucks are only earning when they are on the road delivering. Most businesses need operational resilience but ideally they don’t want to stop being flexible.

Contingency plans
We apply our contingency plans more often than most companies and we do that by thinking ahead. We offer our rapid response on a best endeavours basis and have found that this works
well with organisations who have also thought ahead; organisations who have consulted with us as to how we can be incorporated into their contingency plans. We offer a service where we will
help to identify vulnerable areas and scenarios that may occur. We offer suggestions and recommendations based on our experience and knowhow, and where we can assist should
we be required. In this way, we hope to be prepared. Business resilience applies to all organisations daily, we all depend on it. So if something affects your resilience, how prepared are you?

Finally, there is no better substitute for preparedness than in training and exercises. By the very nature of our work, we are active on a daily basis. Our people are trained to carry out their role;
however, refresher courses and development training are still required. In respect to a contingency plan on paper, it is a good place to start but it should be tested. Exercises are the best way to test and regular training helps greatly in competency. Expertise has to be gained through practice and evaluation. This is something that is very often overlooked. For us there can be no compromise in regard to water quality, our competency and awareness of such issues is fundamental to our service delivery.

Compliance
Regulations and codes of practice are our benchmarks. The provision of wholesome water as a temporary measure is a common practice in the UK, but often is carried out by less than competent individuals. Unfortunately, the practice falls between the attentions of a variety
of regulators and controls imposed by the Statutory Water Undertaker who will issue abstraction licences. We have our own set processes and procedures, many of which have been adopted by parties of interest over the years.

An amendment to the Water Quality (Water Supply) Regulations 2000 in respect to Water Undertakers was included in 2004. It states that anyone providing water to the public and
employees, even if self-employed, shall be classified as a water undertaker and, therefore, will need to comply with the statutory regulations. It is our intention to continue to lead from the front whilst remaining pragmatic. In the future, we are looking to continue to raise the standards by developing training packages to a wider audience who are looking for a greater understanding of compliance.

How do you get a quart out of a pint pot?

A temporary reservoir is the answer…

Watermills is a company that provides solutions to water supply challenges. A recent challenge was how to supply 40,000 campers (scouts to be precise) for 16 days.

The scenario was this: the only supply available was a 200mm main, but the demand at peak periods would outstrip the main supply by as much as fourfold. The average daily consumption was a little over two mega litres (two million litres) but as the mains pressure fluctuated throughout the day between 1 and 1.2 bar, at best the flow was 25l/s over night, during the day the average was 14l/s, for those who are not mathematicians, the piped supply was not sufficient without a solution.

The Watermills solution was to create a self-contained storage buffer that would fill during lower demand to a capacity of 420m3, which was approximately onefifth of the daily consumption. Our pillow tanks were cleaned and prepared prior to deployment, quality tested and pipework bolted together to discharge into temporary mains via our pump.

Water quality was monitored and approved by Essex and Suffolk Water. The pillow tanks acted like a water lung collecting water and rising in height at low to middle demand to a peak height of approximately one metre during the night.

Why not big tanks?
Traditionally the solution has been to install big tanks that could cope with the demand. These are usually open-topped and subject to the atmosphere. Unfortunately big tanks are:

■ Time consuming;
■ Costly to deliver and erect, and equally so to remove;
■ Non-compliant with the water quality regulations unless they are fitted with a Type AB air gap, which is impractical for a tank of that size;
■ Expensive to purchase and to store;
■ Almost impossible to clean in-situ; therefore, require post-filtration and disinfection in order for the water undertaker to supply wholesome water.

In order to comply with water quality standards, Watermills has developed procedures that we believe addresses this aspect and encompasses handling, preparation, deployment and quality testing in the whole. Many have tried but there is no better solution than good practice and due diligence combined with experience.

What or who is a water undertaker?
In the past, the Water Quality Regulations were intended solely for water companies but that has changed. In 2004 an amendment was introduced. The significant purpose of the amendment was to widen the net of responsibility for compliance. The change being that anybody who supplies/provides drinking water for public consumption, even if you are self-employed, will be subject to the legal responsibilities of a water undertaker.

Watermills services
Construction sites, caterers, security teams and public or private visitors use temporary facilities. Welfare units, toilets and showers all need access to fresh drinking water throughout their event or project. The public health inspectors and the HSE are increasingly concerned that the drinking water provided to the public may be non-compliant to the statutory requirements. ‘Wholesomeness’ is the issue. The question is: Can an employer or an event organiser prove that the water is of a wholesome standard when using temporary supplies?

Temporary tanks from 1,200 to 75,000 litres, with or without pumps, standpipes and connections to toilets, showers and drinking water points, will be passed by our quality assurance team and audited. Water transfer is carried out with the same approach, the tankers and bowsers, which are used to transport the water, being quality maintained and certified in the same way.

Watermills Goes Racing

It is one of the major events in the sporting calendar.

Over an intensive three day period almost 250,000 people attended.

Three main hospitality areas were in use, utilising seventeen kitchens and the innumerable toilets and washing facilities, required to feed and comfort the visitors.

The standard was challenging. Only the best would do.

That’s why Watermills was the chosen provider for all water to the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone this year.

The logistics were formidable. Almost 2000 metres of piping had to be installed and connected to local mains supply. And the water that came through this piping had to be of the highest possible standard (to meet with European water quality regulations) – and assured as such with appropriate and reliable tests being carried out and approved.

In addition the simple things had to be so that they were taken for granted; when taps were turned or toilets flushed water had to be there. When individuals wanted drinking water it had to be there.

Much was demanded from Watermills at the Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton wasn’t the only winner at Silverstone.

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As an appendage to Watermills time at the races, the company also provided quality water to the in-tandem Grand Prix related event at Trafford Park, where entrance was free to the public, and visitors participated in a variety of activities as well as watching a F1 car performing spectacular demonstrations on the track and on the skid-pan: skid-pan water supplied by Watermills of course.

In addition Watermills provided clean drinking water to the toilets and the concessions - a total of almost 70,000 litres.

Watermills are now the consultant company to Silverstone tasked with overseeing the design and installation of water provision to the circuit.