WATEF Blog Archive

Dawn Murphy explores the aims and objectives of our partner project - REDAWN. The REDAWN project (Reducing Energy Dependency in Atlantic Area Water Networks) aims to foster the adoption of hydropower energy recovery technology in built water networks in the Atlantic Area (AA). The project involves 15 partners from 5 countries. The WATEF Network contributes to two work packages in this project. <....

Readers will know that in the UK we each use, on average, 140 litres of water per day. At the 2019 Waterwise annual conference a few weeks ago, we focused on getting to 100 litres or less. Sir James Bevan put a lot of welcome oxygen on the subject with his now infamous ‘Jaws of Death’ speech, in which he said ‘We need water wastage to be as socially unacceptable as blowing smoke....

This year’s World Water Day was on the 22nd of March, a day when we all consider the importance of water to life, health, livelihood and wellbeing. It is also a time to pause and think about the 2.1 billion people who still lack access to safely managed drinking water services and the 4.5 billion people who lack safely managed sanitation services.

For many years, a silo mentality has existed in the regulatory world that has permeated through to designers, architects and tradesmen. Whatever topic or item they are dealing with has been considered in isolation. This has created conflicting requirements, guidance and practices that have tended to hinder progress to newer and more ecological ways of doing things.

Of all the weird and wonderful things that find their way into our sewers, micropollutants are some of the most difficult to remove. Dr Jannis Wenk (University of Bath) explores what effects these pollutants have on our environment, and what technologies can be employed to remove these before they reach the food chain.