Anglian Water is the largest water company in England geographically, serving over 6 million customers. It produces 1.2 billion liters of water per day across its flat, arid, and extensively coastal operating area. Anglian Water has invested over £300 million in the last 17 years to protect coastal water quality by installing secondary treatment at coastal works, creating additional storm storage, removing unsatisfactory combined sewer overflows, installing UV treatment at shellfish waters, and upgrading monitoring systems. Current initiatives include developing a coastal water strategy for the next 5 years focused on improving water quality through partnerships to address diffuse pollution, and expanding a trial text alert system for shellfish harvesters using coastal water quality modeling data.

1. Shellfish Waters –
Working in Partnership
SAGB Annual Conference, London
May 2013

2. Introduction to Anglian Water
• Largest water and waste
water company
geographically
• >6 million domestic and
commercial customers
• Produce 1.2 billion
litres/day
• Flat, arid area
• Extensive coastline

3. Love Every Drop
• Represents a whole new way of working
with our customers and stakeholders
• Putting water at the heart of sustainable
living
• Is about acting today whilst thinking 25
years ahead
• New ways of engaging with customers
• Working with nature to preserve and
protect our resources
• “Keep it Clear” – non flushables
campaign
• The principles of LED underpin:
– investment plans and strategy
– day to day operating practices

4. Shellfish waters in the Anglian
Region
• 15 potential production areas
• 83 Individual beds
• Bed classifications; 3 (A), 93 (B) and
5 (C)
Common Cockle
Smooth Shell Mussel
Pacific Oyster
Native Oyster
Clams
Source: Seafish 2013

5. Our Regulators
Key Regulators: Water Industry
• Ofwat
• Environment Agency
• Defra
• Natural England
Key Regulations for coastal waters:
• Urban Waste Water Treatment
Directive
• Bathing Water Regulations
• Water Resources Act
Key Regulators: Shellfish
Food Standards Agency
• Cefas
• Marine Management Organisation
• Defra
• Natural England
Key Regulations Shellfish:
• Microbial Criteria for Foodstuffs
(EC2073/2005)
• EC852/2004
• EC178/2002
• Shellfish Regulations

6. How we treat waste water

7. Making the Case for Investment
– the periodic review process
Business
Planning
Process
Customers
Our Aspirations
Regulation
Regional
Challenges
Final
Determination
Inputs Validation
Asset Management
Plan

8. Coastal Water Two Decades of
Progress
• Over the last 17 years, we have invested ~£300 million in
protecting coastal water quality. We have;
– installed secondary treatment at all coastal treatment works
– Created additional storm storage at key locations
– Removed or remediated any unsatisfactory CSOs
– Installed UV treatment at shellfish waters
– Upgraded our telemetry and monitoring systems
– Invested in coastal modelling
• Our investment strategy has ensured that:
– none of our CSO’s are currently classed as ‘unsatisfactory’ by the EA
– all our 48 bathing waters have attained Mandatory standard since 2000
– We have telemetry and systems in place to provide a 24/7 response

9. Our Coastal Water Strategy:
Planning for this Decade
• AMP 5 – Coastal Water Strategy Team
– Led by Waste Water Operations Director
and Head of WQEP
– Full time Strategy Manager and Project
Team
• Currently developing our strategy for
the next 5 years +
• Improving water quality
– Diffuse pollution is key
– Everyone has a part to play
– Coastal modelling
• BeachAware
– Tide, natural UV, distance, flow

10. Working in Partnership –
Shellfish
• Partnership with Seafish
– Provision of useful information to Harvesters
– Text alert system trial in Essex 2012
– Memorandum of Understanding
• East Anglian Water Quality Forum
– Increased stakeholder engagement
– Education opportunities
– Common ground
• Sharing technology from BeachAware
• Blackwater / Colne / W. Mersea system
available September
• Ministerial Visit
• Working with SAGB

11. Next Steps …
• Continue to work with Seafish and SAGB - expand
the current trial
• Share experience
– Innovation
– How useful is the CSO notification data?
• Public health?
• Research
– Research review group
– Joint research initiatives
– Reviewing current research
– Pilot opportunities

12. Questions …?