Multi-scheme rainwater management programme takes ESG award
Our rainwater management programme has taken home the trophy for ‘Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Initiative of the Year’ at the Utility Week Awards.
Acknowledged for the level of ambition shown and the tangible community benefits, our £9m programme successfully delivered 15 rainwater management projects across the North West.
Working in close collaboration with partner organisations to integrate nature-based solutions into their plans, the programme proactively invested in place-based approaches that truly maximise benefits for local communities and deliver long-term outcomes.
Schemes ranged from green active travel corridors and green spaces in schools and town centres, through to restoring woodland upstream.
During the programme, we established effective ways of working to maximise collaboration opportunities and compliment the design, funding and delivery of blue-green infrastructure. We have since built on these with our county approach to integrated water management, which promotes systems-based thinking across multiple organisations to ensure that similar nature-based solution programmes can be adopted at scale. We are already seeing this in action in areas such as Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, and Carlisle.
Strategic Planning and Sustainability Director Jo Harrison said, “This award marks an important turning point for our sector. We have proven that blue-green infrastructure can deliver real results that provide social, environmental and economic value.
“We are proud to be leading change across the water industry to work in harmony with nature to better manage and value our precious rainfall. Our network was designed for an era when there were fewer people, less intense rainfall, and more opportunity for the rain to soak in.
“While we are making a substantial investment to strengthen infrastructure and increase our wastewater storage capacity to meet today’s challenges, it’s vital that we plan for the longer term and look beyond traditional solutions. That’s where our Rainwater Management Programme comes in.
“By working in collaboration and adopting place-based planning to introduce nature-based solutions, we can address the growing challenges of managing rainwater, while building resilience, enhancing environments and helping communities to thrive.”
Head of Rainwater management, Tim Armour, said: “We are delighted that our rainwater management programme has been recognised with this award and would like to thank our partners.
“By learning to cherish rainwater and stop treating it as a waste product where we can, we can make a collective difference.
“We’re excited to build on this success and take our rainwater management approach to an unprecedented scale by bringing the benefits of blue-green infrastructure across the region with a planned £280m investment by 2030, making it one of the largest Rainwater Management Programmes in the UK.
“We firmly believe that utilities can both deliver great service and be environmental stewards, and we are actively investing to create a stronger, greener, and healthier North West.”
The annual Utility Week Awards recognise where utilities go above and beyond compliance and regulatory requirements. We were delighted to have also been selected as finalist for the ‘Innovation Award’ for our ALT-P programme which explored using non-metal based alternatives in the wastewater treatment process.