SCaMP: ´management of the catchment as an asset´

As a significant catchment land owner in the North West, United Utilities undertook their Sustainable Catchment Management Programme, looking beyond the physical assets with a more holistic view on the raw water requiring treatment. The objectives of this programme was to improve the management of catchment land, which subsequently improved the quality of raw water in the catchment, thereby minimising the need for asset investment at the water treatment works, by mitigating the need for an increase in capacity or intensification of treatment. Improving raw water quality was expected to provided other benefits; increased efficiency of the water treatment process, increased reliability and increase the life of assets, while decreasing maintenance, power and chemical costs. This paper describes the analysis of the short-term impacts and the expected cost benefit of the work undertaken on several catchments. SCaMP was shown to be cost beneficial to the customer in all the examples studied. SCaMP has set an example throughout the industry to consider catchment management as a viable water asset management intervention.