The CIWEM Ken Roberts Award for Technical Innovation in the Water Industry 2006 supported by Wessex Water

2006 is the final year of the Ken Roberts Award which was established in 1997 jointly by CIWEM and Wessex Water in memory of Ken Roberts FCIWEM (a Past President of the Institution and previously Chief Executive of Wessex Water) as a means of recognising technical innovation being made in the water industry. As befits the concluding year of the Award, the prize money this year has been raised to £3000.

Winner of the 2006 Ken Roberts Award: The FastNett Project - Ewan Group plc

Ofwat recognises that sewer flooding represents one of the worst service failures faced by customers. According to the National Flood Forum, in 2003 alone there were more than 7,000 reported cases of internal sewer flooding causing great distress and misery to the occupants of those households. Add to that, insurance damages of between £15,000 and £30,000 in a typical sewerage flooding case according to the Association of British Insurers. The same organisation suggested in a paper in 2004 that annual damages from this specific cause could rise from £270 million to between £2 billion - £15 billion unless swift action is taken. In the 2004 AMP4 final determination Ofwat allocated £1.08 billion for water companies to spend on reducing the risk of flooding from sewers, but imposed an efficiency target of reducing cost by 10%. The pressure is now on water companies to respond and meet the demands placed upon them. The FastNett project is aimed at helping to achieving this objective.

The FastNett project was initially developed in conjunction with Exeter University.  It uses genetic algorithms to combine a rapid simulation engine and an optimisation tool that will allow the user to quickly find the solution that meets the required level of service at least cost. This enables the relative costs of schemes to be reduced in comparison with manual methods, providing a more cost effective scheme and optimal investment for the client.

Entry Criteria

The Award is open to all CIWEM members and their employers, with the exception of Wessex Water employees. A named CIWEM member must have played a leading part in the entry submitted. Entries from the UK and overseas are welcome.

Submissions may relate to projects, research or other relevant work and will be judged on the following criteria:

• Relevance to the water industry
• Technical and environmental excellence
• Innovation
• Practical value
• Sustainability

The Prize

The Award consists of the Ken Roberts Memorial Trophy (a Bristol blue glass plate), publicity for the winning project, a framed certificate and a cheque for £3000, to be used to fund a proposal related to technical innovation in the water industry. The winner will be announced on 22nd March (World Water Day) and the Award will be presented at the CIWEM Annual Dinner in London in April.

Further Information

To read a case study about the 2004 winner of the CIWEM Ken Roberts Award, Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Works, click here. For further information about the award please contact Joanna Cooper at CIWEM (Tel: 020 7831 3110; Email: awards@ciwem.org).