Navigating the changing tides of water management in construction

Navigating the changing tides of water management in construction

When it comes to the weather in the UK, one feature ranks at the forefront of the national consciousness like no other rain. This is not without good cause, according to the World Bank, the UK is the European country which experiences the fifth largest average precipitation by depth per year. While frequently complained about, this steady supply of rainfall is critical for the country’s water supply, environmental health and food security, to name a few. However, it can also pose some major challenges.

These are not new to construction, and the duty of care for any construction firm or site owner to ensure wastewater meets set criteria when it leaves the site is well recognised. However, the Environment Agency has administered several substantial fines in recent years for water pollution incidents, leading to questions of whether the industry has fully got to grips with wastewater management.

In recent years, pressures from a growing population and climate change are putting the spotlight on water like never before. Questions over the quality, quantity, and reliability of clean water in the UK have dominated the headlines this summer in a situation described by the Environment Agency as an existential threat. So, what does this mean for construction?

Challenges from a changing climate

This additional strain means that water pollution incidents are facing unprecedented levels of scrutiny. The financial costs of fines dished out for construction breaches by the environmental agencies of the UK are growing, but they do not yet have the teeth to seriously harm the bottom lines or change the practices of big players. However, in today’s world of ESG, and closely interconnected stakeholder communities, fines are just one part of the picture. Often it is members of the public that first becomes aware of environmental breaches, and it could be the court of public opinion which will be the most damaging for construction firms.

A major pollution incident at a community nature spot could turn a trusted business into public enemy number one overnight. Many tender documents now require construction companies to disclose any association with pollution-related events and there is a real risk of losing further business if a company has lost credibility due to perceived negligence by the public.

At the heart of this issue is the question of where the buck should stop when breaches happen. Currently it is contractors alone who suffer the consequences when things go wrong. However, is it time for clients to also face the music from the Environment Agency if they fail to require suitable water management provisions? Of course, when it comes to reputational damage, this is already on the cards as general opinion is unlikely to look favourably on a tendering company which has failed to require an effective solution from a contractor.

Building best practice

So why are these missteps happening? When I talk to construction firms, one common theme is uncertainty around what effective water management should look like. While an environmental specialist may be working closely with a project, their scope covers a huge area and a full appreciation of best practice and the solutions available may be lacking.

The good news is that simple, cost-effective and time-effective solutions already exist, and are ready to be deployed now.

What companies often need is a truly independent consultative partnership with a specialist, who can review a site, break down the key pollution risks and determine what measures and technologies are needed for a safe project. With the correct technology in place, key elements of the water management process can even be automated. This enables companies to monitor wastewater on site and automatically treat it with reagents to ensure it can be released back into the environment, within safe and regulatory compliant criteria, eliminating the risk of costly mistakes.

The addition of autonomous solutions to the portfolio of construction water management products can add extra rigor to the water treatment process at a time when that’s exactly what is needed by the industry. But the key to all of this is developing a specific and targeted strategy for each individual project, ensuring that a full assessment has been carried out and appropriate measures are in place to avoid firms falling foul of unexpected incidents.

New challenges

It’s not just wastewater where new challenges are being posed by the changing climate. With the near surface bone dry following a very dry winter, attention in the build up to this year’s summer months notably shifted to the management of dust. A nuisance to anybody living, working on, or operating a business near a construction site and a target for complaint and community action if left unmanaged.

With groundwater levels at a low, some major schemes have been faced with the challenge of abstraction licences to draw water from either the groundwater regime or local watercourses have been prohibited. With no natural source of water for dust suppression, contractors have been left scratching their heads as to where they can source water for this essential task.

Some well prepared sites have been harvesting water in their attenuation lagoons in the lead up, choosing not to treat and dispose off-site but rather paying close attention to storage volumes and managing their levels to ensure environmental compliance is met. But for those sites where space is a premium and attenuation lagoons are a luxury, or others, where appropriate foresight has been sadly lacking, finding a source of suitable water has moved up the agenda at speed this summer.

Tankering potable water into a project will have undoubtedly been considered but due to the extortionate cost and high carbon footprint this is not an optimal solution. A far more sustainable approach can come from reviewing onsite processes which are producing grey water and assessing the feasibility of treating this water onsite for re-use in dust suppression.

Grey water by its very nature is water that is a byproduct of a process and sometimes it can contain more than one contaminant of concern making it difficult to find a suitable use for it. However, this is another area where using the correct technology can make a difference. Solutions developed for the removal of of suspended solids from wastewater can be tweaked and with small adjustments to the process philosophy, the unit can be used to target certain heavy metals within grey water, enabling it to be confirmed as fit for purpose in dust suppression. The benefits of this are two-fold, supporting construction companies to operate in a more cost effective and sustainable way, while protecting vital water resources.

The future of water management

In a changing landscape, commitment to best practice, deploying the right technologies and adopting effective water management will be crucial. I am confident that this shift is happening, and the ever-growing pressure on water resources will ensure that it does. Ultimately, water management is all about the right sized approach for each project or challenge on a case-by-case basis. I’d like to think that this is where OSSO will most effectively do our bit to contribute to robust and efficient wastewater management for the modern-day industry and protect our most important resource for the future.