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Hydrophone sensors - originally designed to find submarines - are helping us find leaks quicker. Here’s Becky and Dan to explain how the technology works. The sensors sit on our network listening for the telltale signature of a leak. Analysts send the data to our teams on the ground so they can act before the leak becomes visible. These sensors will be vital if we are achieve our ambition to get down to one the lowest leakage levels anywhere in the world. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vMnwT
This is what we do - and every project like this is a lesson which helps us learn and improve. This is the latest pipeline connecting to our network, it will soon be bringing water to new homes at Alconbury Weald in Cambridgeshire. We serve one of the fastest growing region's in the UK, and 200,000 new homes are planned for 2025. Supplying them all with water and sewerage - without impacting our environment - is going to be one of our biggest challenges yet. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vMnwK
It's National Apprenticeship Week - a chance to celebrate some of the fantastic young people who are the future of our industry. We've got 60 apprenticeship opportunities available in our business this year in a variety of engineering roles. Brianika Greenaway and James Weedon both recently graduated from their AW apprenticeships and are making great strides in their career. “The apprenticeship was really challenging but you get so much out of it and it was great to earn while you’re learning," James said. "I’m now a qualified electrical technician trusted to work on my own and I really enjoy the role.” Brianika said: “My job is really important because I find leaks on our pipes, which are not always visible to the naked eye. Anglian is the best in the water industry at tackling leakage, and I’m proud to be part of such a great team.” Read more about Brianika and James' stories and find out more about our 2019 Apprenticeship Programme at http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vMAKH
We've been at the FloodEx event in Peterborough this week talking to partners, contractors, agencies and innovators about tackling flooding by using nature to create more green, absorbant urban areas. In the coming years we plan to invest in sustainable drainage systems in streets, school playgrounds and carparks using natural features likes trees and grass. We're also looking at using smart water butts and other innovations to slow the flow and stop drains and sewers becoming overwhelmed during storm events. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vMAEc
Ultrasound is commonly used to scan expecting mothers - and bats use it to find prey. But we’re deploying ultrasonic technology to detect leaks on our water network. By placing two sensors on a pipe we can measure ultrasonic waves and work out how much water is flowing through it. Taking these readings on different sections of the pipe network means we can detect if there is water escaping. The big advantage is we don’t need to put a flowmeter inside the pipe so the sensor is mobile, versatile and there is zero risk to water quality. This sort of technology is increasingly important when it comes to tracking down the hardest to find leaks – and we’re always on the lookout for new techniques to help us. We already lead the UK water industry on leakage, but over the next five years we’re investing £240m in staff, data analysis and innovation to bring our leakage levels down to world beating lows.
We know we need to do more to connect with underrepresented groups. We're proud to be part of the Inclusion Commitment ensuring the energy and utilities workforce is inclusive and diverse. Currently, our sector is not yet representative of the UK workforce for gender, BAME, disability, and under 24s. We will work collaboratively as a sector to drive change.
We've launched our bills and investment plan for the next 12 months. We will be investing £470million in our region's water and sewerage networks, targetting the areas that customers have told us matter most to them including reducing leakage even further, providing top quality drinking water, protecting against severe weather such as drought and flooding, and tackling the impacts of climate change. This will be funded by an average bill of £1.21 per day for an entire family – less than a litre of bottled water or one barista coffee. This year’s small bill increase - of 4p per day, in line with inflation - will allow us to continue to invest in the necessary infrastructure to prepare for the unique challenges our region faces, like a fast growing population and a third less rainfall than the UK average. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQZ9W
It may feel damp and soggy underfoot around the region but in fact rainfall has been lower than normal during Autumn and Winter. Here's what the the situation looked like at the end of January. Our water resources team are keeping a close eye on reservoir, river and groundwater levels and we're busy making sure our boreholes are all working efficiently as we head towards the summer peak in demand. Please consider how you use water in your home and garden. There's lots of water saving tips on our website here http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQoI3
In one of our most challenging recent leak repairs we used a thermal imaging drone to identify the location of a damaged pipe under a solar farm. Digging in a live power site to access a mains pipe serving hundreds of customers required weeks of careful planning. Our army of leakage technicians are using the latest technology to drive down leaks across the region and we've got ambitious plans to do even more. Although we already lead the water industry in finding and fixing leaks, we're committed to spending £240million over the next five years to reduce leakage levels by a further 22%. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQoKO
Meet Legend, he’s helping us get to know our customers and their individual needs better. Everyday 75 people in the UK are registered blind. We recently teamed up with The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association to give our staff a better understanding of sight loss. The team took part in activities to experience sight loss first hand and give them the skills and confidence needed to address potential barriers to independence. Understanding the perspectives of people with sight loss will help us adjust how we operate so we can ensure our roadworks and our communications with customers are planned with sight loss in mind. Everybody’s sight is different and everybody has different needs. http://glassdoor.com/slink.htm?key=vQbmV
