Find out how we helped Northern Ireland Water balance between water supply and demand to keep their water assets running. 

Supplying 560 million litres of clean water a day to almost 1.8 million people in Northern Ireland, comes with a lot of responsibility.

Northern Ireland Water faced the daunting task of preparing a comprehensive Water Resource and Supply Resilience Plan. This plan was not just any document. It was a roadmap for the future, ensuring that the balance between water supply and demand would be maintained over the next 50 years. 

Northern Ireland Water needed a partner who could innovatively navigate these challenges and provide a flow of expertise. 

Litres of clean water used each day
560 million
Providing water for millions of people
1.8 million
Future Ready service
50 years
in-page-asset-management-water-project updated

The ask

Northern Ireland Water had a legislative requirement to produce a Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) and a Drought Plan as part of its forward planning process of combining into a Water Resource and Supply Resilience Plan. They needed to understand how various factors, including climate change, demographic shifts and economic growth, would impact their ability to provide a reliable supply of clean drinking water. This understanding was crucial to developing a robust plan that could adapt to uncertainties and ensure the long-term security of water supplied to the people of Northern Ireland.

 

The challenge

The task can be complex. Northern Ireland Water had to develop solutions that were acceptable to customers, the environment and external stakeholders. These solutions needed to represent best value and enable Northern Ireland Water to prepare and adapt for the future by incorporating engineering flexibility into the plan. The challenge was to balance obligations to the environment, customers, and stakeholders, while identifying optimum investments through value-based decision making.

Our asset management approach

We assembled a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, asset planners, hydrologists, environmental specialists and project managers to tackle this challenge. Our approach included:

  1. Demand forecasting: Our specialist team calculated future demand forecasts by considering population growth scenarios, future customer habits, economic projections, and leakage reduction scenarios. Micro-component models quantified water usage for specific activities, providing detailed household and non-household demand forecasts.

  2. Supply forecasting: We estimated the available supply of water by analysing hydrological records, infrastructure constraints, and the impact of climate change on resource availability. This included developing baseline supply forecasts for various scenarios, such as normal year annual average, dry year annual average, and critical periods.

  3. Infrastructure solutions: We identified potential infrastructure solutions and assessed their suitability and environmental impacts. Our team conducted a carbon assessment of all options to ensure alignment with Northern Ireland Water's Net Zero ambitions.

  4. Multi-criteria decision analysis: We developed a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis tool to evaluate each solution and identify those that provided the best alignment with NI Water's strategic goals. This included incorporating Environmental Net Gain and Biodiversity Net Gain assessments into the decision-making process.

  5. Adaptive planning: We employed an adaptive planning approach to manage risk and uncertainty linked to climate change, environmental challenges and population growth. This approach allowed us to stress test solutions against various future scenarios and develop a "Low/No Regrets Approach" to investment.

The outcome

The result of our collaboration with Northern Ireland Water is a Best Value Plan that balances obligations to the environment, customers and stakeholders while optimising investment through value-based decision making. By incorporating a multi-criteria decision analysis model, we ensured that the plan represents the best value for Northern Ireland Water, its customers and the surroundings. Our adaptive planning approach guarantees that the plan can be adjusted to meet future challenges as uncertainties become clearer over the planning period.

The impact

The outputs of this plan will deliver long-term security and improve the resilience of drinking water supplies for customers in Northern Ireland for the next 50 years and beyond. 

By using an adaptive planning approach, we have ensured that future uncertainty can be accounted for, while the outputs can be adapted to meet future challenges. This project not only responds to the immediate needs of the region but also prepares Northern Ireland Water for a sustainable future.

We are proud to have partnered with Northern Ireland Water on this vital work. Our expertise in asset management and our commitment to sustainability have enabled us to deliver a plan that ensures a resilient water supply for generations to come. And then some.

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