Category: Analysis
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Lessons learned from catchment-based trading in nature in south-west England
In this summary article, Professor Mark Everard explores the private investment Bristol Avon Catchment Market programme, along with its challenges and successes in ecosystem restoration. The full report on this programme can be found on the IES website. Introduction Interest in nature-based solutions (NBS) has grown, offering potential benefits for climate resilience, water security, flood…
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PFAS in our water: a global problem demands a sustainable solution
Gareth Leonard, Managing Director of REGENESIS in Europe, explores how PFAS remediation can be performed efficiently and sustainably. PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) contamination of groundwater is a widespread problem on a massive scale, impacting the water sources that 65% of Europeans use for drinking, bathing, and cooking. According to the European Environment Agency, human biomonitoring…
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The use of artificial intelligence in surface water flood management
Dr Mónica Rivas Casado explores new ways AI can be integrated into surface water flooding monitoring and management. In England alone, 5.6 million properties have been reported to be at risk of flooding, with approximately 3.1 million households at risk of flooding due to rivers and the sea.,, The impact of surface water flooding is…
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Flood AI: Rural communities and a new flood warning system
Caitlin Rogers, the FloodAI innovation lead from Isle Utilities, shares the resilience and innovation aspirations of FloodAI. In Northumberland, there are six catchments that do not have access to the regular Environment Agency flood warnings. This means communities have no warning to protect their property, or even their safety. This is because when it rains,…
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Development of a digital twin for carbon neutrality
Aalto University researchers are supporting the Viikinmäki wastewater treatment plant in its goal to become carbon neutral
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Innovation in the water sector: ecosystem services, Net Zero and nature-based solutions
In this article, we examine how innovation is being explored by the water sector. Here, innovation needs to be understood as new methods, ideas, products, or solutions for adoption by environmental practitioners. We look at three different domains within which innovation has played a significant role: ecosystem services, nature-based solutions (NbS) and greenhouse gas emissions…
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Making a splash: new and innovative approaches to the monitoring of bathing waters
Bathing waters are defined as ‘surface waters […] other than excluded pools and waters, at which the Secretary of State expects a large number of people to bathe […]’.1 There are many more coastal locations than inland sites designated as bathing waters, but there is a growing movement to designate more river locations as such.…
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Bridging the skills gap in the water sector: challenges, solutions, and future transformations
The water sector plays a vital role in providing clean and accessible water to communities, safeguarding public health, and ensuring sustainable water resource management. While various sectors are facing skills shortages, the water industry is particularly affected. It struggles to fill 35% of job openings, exceeding the national average of 23%. Over the next five…
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Creating a distributive Smart WaterGrid for the future
Water Net Gain is a new £1.1 million initiative led by South West Water and the Westcountry Rivers Trust. It is funded under the OFWAT Water Breakthrough Challenge, a pioneering £200 million programme to unleash a wave of innovation in the water sector and tackle some of the major challenges of our time – delivering…
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Wastewater matters: The state of our rivers and the pollution crisis
Over the past two years, the coverage of the wastewater industry in England has been pretty much the centre of the headlines. Never have storm overflows had as much attention as they have had during this time period. The water industry has been quite clearly put in the firing line and blamed for the woes…
