United Utilities

"Serving Northwest England's Water and Wastewater Needs"

How can one of Britain's largest utilities reduce its operating costs, while ensuring its water quality reflects the latest industry standards and governmental regulations?

These are the goals of an ambitious US $3.3 billion capital improvement plan for United Utilities, a leading British utility company based in Warrington, England. MWH is honored to serve as project manager on this groundbreaking, five-year program.

Formerly North West Water, United Utilities supplies water and wastewater services throughout northwest England. Its services provide for 7 million domestic users and 200 thousand business customers in a 14 thousand-square-kilometer area. In this region, United Utilities manages 147 water treatment works, 617 wastewater treatment plants, more than 40 thousand kilometers of water mains, 30 thousand kilometers of sewers and 960 kilometers of aqueduct.

Global Effort

MWH has gathered more than 1000 specialists from around the world to work closely with United Utilities on this comprehensive and challenging program. The multi-disciplined team is comprised of engineers, construction managers, business consultants, IT professionals and scientists, to name a few.

Functioning as a "design factory," this group of specialists is working to uncover low-cost, high-value solutions that meet the program's challenging business and environmental objectives. These efforts are helping United Utilities meet a series of stricter water quality and environmental regulatory requirements — as well as new governmental price controls. At the same time, MWH is helping the utility to expand and improve its large water and wastewater infrastructure, while lowering its overall operating costs.

The team has established tightly defined parameters for each program goal. To share information and research findings easily among contributors, MWH has developed comprehensive IT systems. During the five-year project, MWH will provide a wide range of services including engineering, feasibility studies, construction management and commissioning.

Fast-Track Results

More than three years into the program, MWH has improved overall efficiencies with notable cost savings within the United Utilities operations. This ability to improve business efficiencies and meet growing demand is one reason the industry magazine New Civil Engineer recently named MWH's UK operations "the efficiency experts."

At the same time, the publication named our European operations New Civil Engineer's "2001 Consultant of the Year." This top honor is given annually to the firm that realizes the most organic growth. The United Utilities contract contributed significantly to that industry honor.

The potential rewards of this program are substantial and long lasting. MWH and United Utilities have agreed to share the cost savings achieved over the life of the contract. As a result, the ideas generated by this world class effort will no doubt help advance the global water industry's knowledge of environmental solutions and cost management techniques in years to come.