Water Industry In England Research Articles

Environmental Performance Evaluation in the Water Industry of England and Wales

The appropriate means of benchmarking environmental performance within and between companies is a matter of considerable debate and raises issues such as what information to compare and the reliability and consistency of data. Comparing environmental performance through company environment reports is an approach which has been widely used but, as this paper shows, is difficult and has severe limitations. This paper presents a unique analysis, based on the UK water industry, which compares data reported in company environmental reports and data on the same companies reported through the industry regulators. In turn, this is compared with the environmental performance indicators proposed by two other systems, one advanced by the UK water industry itself. The results demonstrate the difficulty of specifying environmental indicators that enable meaningful comparison. The difficulty of comparing environmental performance in a sector with a comprehensive approach to, and long history of, environmental performance reporting presents some hard lessons for other sectors.

Comparative Competition and the Regulation of Mergers in the Water Industry of England and Wales

Comparative Competition and the Regulation of Mergers in the Water Industry of England and Wales

The sustainability of the water industry in a regulated environment

A complex regulatory system now governs the privatised water industry in England and Wales. There is now a key question as to whether this system is adequate to ensure that the government's aim of sustainability can be achieved. Sustainability policies need to be considered in the light of the international, European and national initiatives, and many of these will impact on the water industry in England and Wales. Two areas are highlighted as of particular importance. The first concerns water resources and how water abstraction, leakage and flooding can be controlled alongside the corresponding uncertainty of global warming. Second, the issue of bathing water quality demonstrates problems of financing improvement programmes, and the adequacy of current programmes in ensuring a cleaner bathing water environment for the next generation. The issues have to be considered alongside the mechanisms and procedures for reaching decisions under the present regulatory framework. These decision-making structures will prove central to any robust sustainability for the water industry.

1997-98 Report on the levels of service for the water industry in England and Wales

Utilities Law ReviewVolume 10, Issue 2 p. 55-57 Current Survey : Water 1997-98 Report on the levels of service for the water industry in England and Wales Debbie Legge, Debbie LeggeSearch for more papers by this author Debbie Legge, Debbie LeggeSearch for more papers by this author First published: 23 June 1999 https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1808(199903/04)10:2<55::AID-ULR5123>3.0.CO;2-DAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume10, Issue2March/April 1999Pages 55-57 RelatedInformation

1997‐98 Report on the levels of service for the water industry in England and Wales

1997‐98 Report on the levels of service for the water industry in England and Wales

Raising the quality - guidance to the Director General of Water Services on the environment and quality objectives to be achieved by the water industry in England and Wales 2000-2005

Raising the quality - guidance to the Director General of Water Services on the environment and quality objectives to be achieved by the water industry in England and Wales 2000-2005

Predicting the risk to permit compliance of new sewage treatment works

The privatised water industry in England and Wales has the requirement to construct a substantial number of new assets to meet new national and European legislation. In order to do so economically, the risk of performance of new assets has to be matched to the cost of construction. To undertake such risk management, a risk technique has been developed that allows the performance against permit compliance of new processes to be established. The technique is based on statistical analysis of data effectively creating a pure black box model to determine performance. The technique has been further developed to take into account the dependency between influent quality and process performance. The dependency factor selected is the Spearman's Rank Coefficient which is a convenient way to define complex relationships. It can be used to define many dependent variables referring to the same independent variable and as such removes the need for complex mechanistic equations. This technique has been calibrated using two years, existing data and then validated for the next 6 months data of a wastewater treatment works in the North West of England. The results of the validation illustrate the ability of the technique to be used as a predictive tool. The output from the model allows the direct comparison of different process options and permits executive management to make informed decisions about investment against risk to permit compliance.

Regression versus data envelopment analysis for efficiency measurement: an application to the England and Wales regulated water industry

Regression analysis (RA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) are two techniques widely used in comparative efficiency exercises of regulated utilities. The prevailing impression is that these techniques are to a significant extent substitutes. This paper identifies and discusses important differences between these two techniques. The theoretical issues are illustrated with the help of an application of RA and DEA on recent data from the regulated water industry in England and Wales.

Inset appointments: meeting supply through trading water rights

There are conflicting views as to the efficiency and effectiveness of the water industry in England and Wales. Projections put forward by both water companies and OFWAT will, if unchallenged, lead to a significant escalation in the costs of this essential service as the industry invests heavily to meet a seemingly inexorable demand for more water and higher environmental standards. Real market competition (as opposed to comparative competition) is starting to introduce innovation and is challenging assumptions about economies of scale. The impact of competition on the future of Britain's water industry could be profound.

Predicting the risk to permit compliance of new sewage treatment works

The privatised water industry in England and Wales has the requirement to construct a substantial number of new assets to meet new national and European legislation. In order to do so economically, the risk of performance of new assets has to be matched to the cost of construction. To undertake such risk management, a risk technique has been developed that allows the performance against permit compliance of new processes to be established. The technique is based on statistical analysis of data effectively creating a pure black box model to determine performance.The technique has been further developed to take into account the dependency between influent quality and process performance. The dependency factor selected is the Spearman's Rank Coefficient which is a convenient way to define complex relationships. It can be used to define many dependent variables referring to the same independent variable and as such removes the need for complex mechanistic equations. This technique has been calibrated using two years, existing data and then validated for the next 6 months data of a wastewater treatment works in the North West of England. The results of the validation illustrate the ability of the technique to be used as a predictive tool.The output from the model allows the direct comparison of different process options and permits executive management to make informed decisions about investment against risk to permit compliance.

Regional inequalities in paying for water

This paper argues that the current debate surrounding new methods of charging for water from the year 2000 should incorporate issues of social equity and must consequently involve not just the water industry but also central government and the Department of Social Security in particular. The water industry in England and Wales is currently fragmented into almost 30 separate companies, each with its own costs and prices for water services. Average water bills for domestic customers vary with company area but this variation is not wholly matched by patterns in the extent of use of the DSS direct payment scheme. In some areas people dependent for their income on means‐tested social assistance benefits can face high water bills yet lack access to budgeting schemes to help with payment.

A Critical Financial Analysis of the Performance of Privatised Insustries: The Case of the Water Industry in England and Wales

The water industry was one of a number of publicly run enterprises and assets which were sold into private ownership during the 1980s in the UK. The Government justified its privatisation programme on a number of grounds. In particular it believed that privatisation would improve industrial performance by subjecting the nationalised industries to the discipline of the market and yield benefits, via greater efficiency, to the industry, customers and the nation. This paper uses a case study approach and presents the financial and accounting data as it relates to the privatised water industry. It analyses costs and outputs, and the distribution of the surplus created by the industry in order to evaluate the Government’s claims that (i) increased efficiency would result and (ii) that all would benefit. The evidence did not substantiate the Govermnent’s claims. First, the study found that greater efficiency, meaning lower costs relative to output, did not occur. Significant increases in efficiency had occurred prior to privatisation leaving little room to improve efficiency without jeopardising levels of service and future service provision. Secondly, the distribution of the surplus, which is publicly seen as a conflict between consumers and shareholders, is in fact much wider than this. It has not only substantially advantaged the shareholders at the expense of other stakeholders, but also has created the conditions whereby the other stakeholders will be disadvantaged in the future. The real beneficiaries were largely invisible in the Government’s case for privatisation. The efficiency rhetoric was a device to legitimise privatisation whose essence was the transfer of wealth from the public at large to a relatively few individuals and corporate entities. The accounting framework and evidence suggests that the conflict between the stakeholders is set to increase, an outcome far removed from the Government’s promise of the best of all possible worlds.

Water business changes – A driver for green clean compact technologies

The paper describes the development of the water industry in England and Wales from 1974 to 1995 through the perspective of Anglian Water which serves Eastern England. The experiences of that development provide ample evidence of the synergistic relationship between organisational structure and technologies used. The water industry has and is learning the same lessons as other global industries. If water management is to have its rightful place in protecting and utilising planetary resources properly, it must use the experience and lessons of other global industries. The paper indicates the first steps in this journey.

Privatization and the Welfare State: Implications for Consumers and the Workforce

Part 1 Rationale & Implications of Privatization: The privatization and the Welfare State - a case of back to the future?, Philip Morgan Reasons for privatization, Madsen Pirie Private finance - driving force to enhance efficiency, Tony Hazell and Dolph Zubick Public service and private profit - the managerial limits to enterprise, Peter Anthony and Mike Reed Some political and economic issues raised by privatization, Nigel Allington. Part 2 Privatising Education: Recreating the past - the end of dirigisme and the creation of a private university sector in Britain, Nigel Allington and Nicholas J O'Shaughnessy Privatisation - some implications for education, Peter Morgan and Marsden Preece. Part 3 Privatizing Services - The question of privatization in the British Post Office - a discussion, Miguel Martinez Lucio Privatizing the Police Force: issues and arguments, Roger Wilkie, Colin Mair and Charles Ford Franchise operations, competition and consumer welfare - the privatization of British Rail passenger services, Charles C Okeahalam Improving management in Government? the creation of the executive agencies, Thomas Clarke NHS plc?, Chris Potter. Part 4 Privatization's effects on Consumers and Employees: Employees and the privatization of the water industry in England and Wales, Colin Harris Privatization and the employment relationship, George Thomason Consumers and privatisation - the case of the water industry, Peter Saunders Empowering the consumer - the case of social housing, Robert Smith, Richard Walker and Peter Williams.

Water business changes — A driver for green clean compact technologies

The paper describes the development of the water industry in England and Wales from 1974 to 1995 through the perspective of Anglian Water which serves Eastern England. The experiences of that development provide ample evidence of the synergistic relationship between organisational structure and technologies used. The water industry has and is learning the same lessons as other global industries. If water management is to have its rightful place in protecting and utilising planetary resources properly, it must use the experience and lessons of other global industries. The paper indicates the first steps in this journey.

The management of sewage sludge by the water industry in England and Wales : R. A. Crichton, Geotechnical & Geological Engineering, 12(3), 1994, pp 183–212

The management of sewage sludge by the water industry in England and Wales : R. A. Crichton, Geotechnical & Geological Engineering, 12(3), 1994, pp 183–212

Effectiveness of environmental performance measures in ensuring sustainable development: The water and agricultural industries highlighted

AbstractIf businesses are to contribute to green sustainable development, then a method of measuring progress is essential. Accounting methods need to be used that indicate to the organization and the general public the progress of the business towards sustainability. Sustainability, by some definitions, refers to the degradation or depletion of natural resources, i.e. direct and indirect environmental effects. For example, consider the effect of pesticides contaminating water. Sustainability would reflect the degradation of the water quality and the disturbance of the water's aquatic ecosystem, the damage to aquatic life and the possible human and animal health effects. Consequently, by this definition, sustainability is equivalent to the environmental effects. The considerations required to identify environmental performance measures (EPMs) which reflect the progress towards sustainable development and which measure environmental performance are discussed. Environmental performance measures can be used in a wide variety of ways and this is illustrated with respect to two research projects currently being carried out at the University of Hertfordshire. The first discusses the use of corporate EPMs with the water industry of England and Wales by examining company environmental reports. The second uses EPMs to measure environmental performance and the goal of both business and green sustainability within arable agriculture.

The management of sewage sludge by the water industry in England and Wales

The legislative framework within which the disposal of sewage sludge is managed in England and Wales and the methods employed are outlined. Those factors which affect management decisions are analysed and consideration is given to the environmental implications of those decisions. Sewage processes and sludge disposal are considered, and the problems, especially those of heavy metal contamination, are addressed. An indication is given as to how the Water Services Companies are likely to implement the more stringent controls on disposal. Finally, the future of sludge management in England and Wales is discussed.

Developments in Industrial Effluent Control in the United Kingdom

Since 1974 controls on industrial effluent dischargers in the United Kingdom have increased significantly. The Water Act 1989 transferred the Water Industry in England and Wales to the private sector and created a National Rivers Authority. A mechanism to control the input of dangerous and harmful substances into the aquatic environment was established which requires Water Service Companies (WSCs) to refer to the Secretary of State for the Environment before granting consents for discharge to public sewer. The Environmental protection Act 1990 (EPA) further increased regulation and established the principle of Integrated Pollution Control (IPC). Operators of industrial processes listed under the Act are required to obtain authorisation from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) (HMIPI in Scotland) before they can operate the process. The complexity of legislation and regulation is described and practical difficulties experienced when implementing the controls are examined, as are the relationships between the main environmental regulators together with their relative responsibilities. Also discussed are the costs associated with licensing and effluent disposal.

THE POLICY FRAMEWORK IN THE MEDIUM TERM

The problem of regulating prices, investment, quality and pollution in the water industry in England and Wales is discussed. The existence of separate regulators with different objectives creates the potential for inefficiency. The economic characteristics of the water supply process (local natural monopoly conditions, long asset lives and the roles of quality and pollution) are described and the new regulatory structure in England and Wales is assessed. It is argued that cost-benefit analysis should play a greater role in the setting and policing of pollution and quality standards, and that economic instruments should be used for pollution control. Copyright 1993 by Oxford University Press.