Morrison Water Services, a part of M Group Services’ Water Division, is working in partnership with Yorkshire Water to deliver a drinking water spray lining programme, believed to be the first of its kind across the water sector in AMP7.
Targeting structural and water quality issues with the existing pipework, spray lining is part of a £2m programme targeting 14km of pipework over the coming year for Yorkshire Water.
Spray lining provides significant reductions in carbon, cost and time. It also reduces the disruption for customers, by reducing the time and extent of streetworks needed for pipework excavations and traditional replacement schemes.
The use of spray lining on this programme is anticipated to reduce cost and embedded carbon both by up to 60% and reduce the amount of time on site by three quarters (75%). The reduction in excavation, lifting and plant movement is also safer for operatives on site.
Morrison Water Services is the only contractor in the UK accredited to carry out spray lining on the drinking water network. It is also accredited to provide the service on the wastewater network.
Once completed, the next generation of lining materials will ensure the pipe network has a design lifespan of another 50 years.
Insitu spray lining is a method of lining pipes with a thin layer of resin which is centrifugally sprayed on to the inner surface of a cleaned pipe. The lining materials applied have a design life of up to 50 years, are approved under Regulation 31 of the Water Supply (Water quality) Regulations 2016, which ensures the standards of chemicals and construction products used on the drinking water network in the water industry.
Spray lining is only undertaken after the suitability of the pipe has been confirmed through investigation. Each application is subject to a bespoke technical approach and all the work is audited through and end-to-end quality plan.
Chris Raper, Head of Programme Delivery for Morrison Water Service Yorkshire Water P4Y contract, said:
“In the demanding environment of AMP7the continued asset health deterioration from an ageing network of clean and wastewater infrastructure pipelines, there is an urgent need for an alternative to traditional pipeline replacement. Spray lining offers one such cost effective and sustainable solution.
“Our industry-leading use of spray lining delivers best value for our clients and reduces the carbon footprint of the programme which is better for us, our client and the environment. Completing our works more quickly also reduces the inconvenience and cost of streetworks needed for excavations and more traditional methods of pipe replacement.”
Chris added: “Our leading position in the use of this technology in the water sector reflects our capability, end-to-end quality control commitment and the expertise of our people. The benefits of the materials and the quality of our application have been proven over many years and we are pleased to be able to use this innovation for the benefit of our clients and the customers they serve.”
Nathan Sunderland, Yorkshire Water’s Asset Planning Manager, said: “We’re delighted we are able to begin our lining programme, working in partnership with Morrison Water Services.
“Having lining as an alternative to mains renewal will contribute towards hitting some challenging performance commitments, as well as achieving our financial and carbon targets. We look forward to using this technique for the remainder of AMP7 and beyond.”
Morrison Water Services will be tracking the benefits for clients and the environment throughout the delivery of this programme.
