Published: Thinking beyond the asset—a cost effective solution to the WINEP challenge

The Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) is a unique challenge for water companies. In addressing the programme’s environmental drivers, sustainability should be considered at the core of each proposed solution.

Water company assets are also part of a wider environmental system. Taking this into account can result in cost-effective approaches, such as achieving reduced nutrient loading at the catchment scale.

Achieving long term sustainable outcomes to these WINEP challenges relies upon the characterization of systems in which they occur. Only then can integrated solutions be designed.

Relationships are also key, ‘Bringing the greatest value to the client relies on integration and collaboration across solutions and teams’ says Stantec’s Technical Director Paul Daily. For example, catchment solution screening and assessment should be considered as part of the wider WINEP delivery programme to ensure collaboration between engineers and environmental scientists.