United Utilities Corporate Responsibility Report 2009

Case studies

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Carbon champions Since its conception in December 2007, we have maintained and expanded our network of carbon champions across our business to over 40 people. Their key role is to inspire and engage others to take action on reducing our overall carbon footprint.
Foul flooding A specific element of our capital programme is dedicated to removing properties from the At Risk of Flooding Register.
Stockport wastewater treatment works Stockport Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) is our 12th largest wastewater facility in the north west of England, serving a population equivalent of approx 195,000.
The water framework directive The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is often referred to as the single most significant piece of water legislation produced, responsible for changing the general approach towards water management
Workforce management This year we introduced a new workforce management system (WFM), designed to help us improve our service to customers.
Customer satisfaction initiatives Over the year we’ve introduced initiatives to support our aim of increasing customer satisfaction
Wastewatchers The construction industry produces around 1/3 of the UK’s waste annually, which costs money and wastes resources
Carbon in construction Our construction activities contribute to global carbon emissions. Traffic, power generators and site lighting all play a part increasing our overall emissions.
West East link pipeline The West East Link main is an ambitious project which will ensure a continued supply of clean drinking water is available to all of our customers throughout the North West region for years to come.
Delivering a strategy for wastewater sludge Several factors and trends have resulted in the increase of sludge volumes in Europe and the UK over the past ten years, including implementation of the European Union’s Urban Waste Water Treatment
A tale of two sites In last years report we told you of a new environmental compliance team in our wastewater business. This year the team all passed their Waste Management Industry Training Advisory Board (WAMITAB)
Promoting recycled aggregates In July 2008 United Utilities held a workshop with the Highways Authorities in the North West to promote the use of recycled aggregates for the reinstatement of excavations.
Waste & Resource Use Expo On the 10th November 2008, our Mereside conference suite came alive with all things sustainable as our Capital Programmes team and our construction partners showcased their environmental credentials in the Waste & Resource Use Expo
New water efficiency targets New mandatory water efficiency targets for water companies come into effect from April 2010/11 to 2014/15.
Water recycling in Sofia We’re involved in the concession to operate and maintain water services to the city of Sofia, Bulgaria through the Sofiyska Voda company.
Sharing our approach We’re working with our partners in the North West to explore the future safeguarding of our water management through a new project called WaterProof Northwest.
Reducing supplier carbon footprint As well as concentrating on cutting our own carbon emissions, we are working with our priority suppliers to help them measure, manage and reduce their own emissions – and the emissions of their suppliers
Building Sustainability in the Workplace Later this year, hundreds of our people will relocate to Grasmere House, a new, purpose-built facility at our Warrington headquarters.
Changes to draft water resources plan We’ve made changes to our Draft Water Resources Management Plan in response to feedback made during the public consultation held in 2008.
Drought permit sites We have 18 potential drought permit and drought order sites. These are sites where, in the event of a drought, we’d need to vary the conditions of our abstraction licences in order to maintain water supplies to our customers.
Revegetation of the Peak District National Park As part of the Sustainable Catchment Management Plan phase 1 (SCaMP1) scheme, we’re well on our way to revegetating the large areas of bare and eroding peat on our catchment land in the Peak District National Park.
Monitoring progress Work carried out to revegetate the bare peat in our southern catchment area has already shown dramatic results.
Langden Head restoration project Langden Head in Bowland used to be covered by deep peat. However rapid erosion has occurred in some areas and meant that the area had been identified by the Bowland Estate team as for a potential for restoration.
Building work in the Southern area The construction of new farm buildings, as part of our Sustainable Catchment Management Plan (SCaMP), is coming to a close.
Biodiversity activity in Wales In Wales, where we have a 15 year contract to 2020 to operate and maintain Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s assets, we are helping to manage biodiversity in partnership with other organisations.
Protecting biodiversity in capital projects We work hard to protect biodiversity on our capital project sites and cut down on disturbances.
Improving sites with natural designations We continue our work to improve the condition of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) on our land.
The Heron For the past 20 years a totem pole created by our foresters has been a unique focal point at Entwistle Reservoir.
Pipe team unearth rare remains One of Lancashire’s most important and exciting archaeological finds was uncovered during a pipeline project at Poulton-le- Fylde.
Thirlmere access improvements We’ve been making improvements to existing roads, tracks and permissive paths at our Thirlmere estate to enhance the visitor experience, bring more control to access and generate income for estate upkeep.
Gambleside trail interpretation There’s something for everyone at Clowbridge Reservoir with water sports, fishing and orienteering, walking and riding trails through the woodland and an eco trail adjacent to nearby Clough Bottom Reservoir.
Think Carbon In October 2008, we launched a programme of carbon leadership workshops as part of our Think Carbon programme.
Inverted phase fermentation Inverted Phase Fermentation (IPF) substantially cuts the amount of chemicals used in conventional sludge-thickening, and as a result could be a significant cost-saver.
Biogas opportunities Gaining more value from ‘biogas’, a by-product of the sludge treatment process is one opportunity we are exploring.
Changing Lives Challenge This year saw UU launch an innovative fundraising programme which is changing lives in the UK and abroad.
Volunteering programme We believe that supporting our employees’ efforts in the community benefits both the company and our people
Employee fun day Eighteen teams from across UU made the annual Employee Fun Day one to remember and raised more than £10,000 for charity.
Tap into WaterAid To coincide with World Water Day in March this year we joined forces with our partner WaterAid to join the Tap into WaterAid campaign and continue to promote tap water
The Learning Zone In November 2008 we launched a new leadership competence framework together with “The Learning Zone”, an online portal that supports leaders and managers to drive their own personal development.
4D Health & Safety Excellence Working for over a year without an accident is something that construction companies can usually only dream of, but our 4D contract achieved it.
Team workout With our engagement work, we measure and then act to improve on how our people think about the business, understand its direction and where they fit in; how they feel in terms of pride and attachment to the company; and how they act
Call centre award We were rated number one for customer service in the UK utility and telecoms sector in the Call Centre Focus Magazine Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service Awards in 2008/09.
Heaton Park Last year we installed a new £3.5 million Ultra-Violet (UV) disinfection plant at Heaton Park water treatment works to meet water quality requirements.
Transformer oil reprocessing Our Central Oil Reprocessing Department (CORD) at Whitebirk, near Blackburn, has a new process to improve the reclamation of transformer oil.
Wild Ennerdale Wild Ennerdale is a partnership between three main landowners: The Forestry Commission, National Trust and United Utilities
Using CASE in our Ofwat business plan submission We made extensive use of our Carbon and Sustainability Estimating (CASE) suite of tools for our 2010 business plan submission.
CHP in Sofiyska Voda At the beginning of 2008, Sofiyska Voda AD, started the selection process of a company for the delivery, installation and commissioning of a co-generator to utilize biogas from Kubratovo Wastewater Treatment works.
Two big steps towards a better carbon footprint Our environment and sustainability team achieved two significant milestones in our carbon accounting journey by attaining both the Carbon Trust Standard and CEMARS Certification
Price review 2009 Our plan sets out how we intend to invest in and improve our service over the five years from 2010 to bring about even better drinking water quality and environmental performance, and what that means for our customers’ bills.