Working without water

Working without water

Emergency planning keeps water and profits flowing.

Businesses dependent on water are being advised by Severn Trent Water to make sure they have adequate plans in place to continue production if their supply is interrupted. Temporary loss of water supply, whether planned or the result of an emergency, can have serious consequences for the efficiency of businesses, which must be prepared to cope without mains supply for any length of time.

Unforeseen circumstances
While water companies make every effort to maintain supplies, unforeseen circumstances can mean water has to be switched off to allow repairs to be made. In the event of an emergency water companies are obliged under the Security and Emergency Measures Direction (1998) to give priority to the domestic needs of the sick, elderly, disabled, hospitals, schools and other vulnerable groups. Regard is also had for the needs of non-domestic users so water companies will work with business customers, where practical, to keep water flowing.

Giving thought to working without mains supply means if faced with a sudden loss of water businesses can carry on with minimum disruption. .

Knowing how much water is used every hour is the first step to being prepared for an emergency. This way businesses know how much water should be stored on-site to cover the hours without supply. Severn Trent Water aims to reinstate supply as soon as possible although where repairs are complicated water could be off for long periods. Businesses should be able to work out a rough estimate of daily consumption figures from bills. Remote monitoring systems such as Severn Trent Water’s Data Monitor can tell you how much water is used every 15 minutes and by which parts of your site.

Once you know how much water you use and where it is used you can decide how much you need for emergency use and whether you need to store it on site or if you can divert it from somewhere else.

Know your network
To do this you will need to know how your network is set up and how water moves around your site. It may be possible to isolate some areas and divert water to others but you can only do this if you have an up to date map of your water network. Check where your mains supply comes into your premises and if you have separate supply points for domestic and process water.

Work out if is possible to avoid using water in some areas, allowing what water you have to be used where it is needed most. Can you reduce the number of toilets available and use disinfectant blocks in urinals instead of timed flushes? Can you isolate all taps for drinking water and use bottled supplies instead? Can you reschedule external visitors? Is it possible to reduce the number of people on site? Could your staff canteen switch to cold food preparation and use disposable utensils or minimise the use of dishwashers?

Fountains and water features should be turned off and any automatic watering devices for plants should be switched off. Dust suppression sprays should also me turned off where feasible.

Short term measures such as these may allow water to be diverted to business-critical areas for the duration of the time you are without supply.

Storage tanks are a popular option for maintaining emergency supply but must be correctly maintained to preserve water quality and you will need to know the capacity of your water tanks. Regular checks for Legionella and other harmful bacteria must be carried out in order to comply with the Water Regulations.

Extreme measures
In extreme circumstances it may be possible for your water company to deliver water to your site by tanker. Bear in mind priority for tankered water will be to hospitals and that it may take some time for the water to arrive after delivery has been agreed. You will also need to provide somewhere for the tanker to discharge and suitable access to couplings. Bear in mind that a tanker only holds around 20m3 of water – which may not be enough to make a significant impact on your manufacturing processes.

Water contingency planning checklist:

• How much water do you need each hour to continue production?
• How much stored water do you have on site?
• Can you divert water away from non essential areas to your business-critical processes?
• Do you know how your water network is set up and which areas
• Can you isolate drinking water supplies and use bottled water instead?
• Can you restrict visitors to site until the situation is resolved?
• Could you use alternatives to hand washing eg use wipes or alcohol
• Can you restrict the number of toilets open and provide buckets for flushing that can be filled from bowsers?
• Could your on site catering minimise the use of dishwashers?