Municipal water companies around the world have increasingly high expectations of their suppliers of filtration equipment and solutions. Procurement decisions are shaped by regulatory pressures, environmental goals, cost constraints and the constant need for reliability and innovation. Keith Wickert, Technical Manager at leading process filter manufacturer Amazon Filters, will discuss the latest in technology enhancements when he presents at the WWT Drinking Water Quality Europe event in Amsterdam in November. Here, Keith outlines his key message.
When it comes to technical performance and reliability, our customers in the municipal water supply sector look for proven effectiveness. They want filtration solutions that meet or exceed performance standards for the control of turbidity and removal of contaminants such as manganese and cryptosporidium.
Process filtration must operate reliably over time, with minimal fouling, clogging or degradation, and be scalable so as to handle variable flow rates. It must also be sufficiently future-proof to comply with tightening regulations.
At Amazon Filters, we have made and supplied filters, housings and critical filtration solutions to support the municipal water supply in the UK and Europe for 40 years, with an increasing focus now on customers right across the world.
Among our products is SupaSpun II, an absolute-rated depth filter that has long been on the approved list for use in the UK public water supply under the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s Regulation 31.
Based on flow rates and projections, cartridge filtration involving SupaSpun II helped to filter more than 350 billion litres of water last year, ensuring a safe, clean and consistent supply to tens of millions of homes and businesses.
In March 2024, after extensive testing, SupaSpun II also gained KTW DVGW certification for safety in the municipal water sector under German regulations set down by the standards body DVGW, the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water. This is expected to be the springboard for EU-wide approval in the future.
For all our products aimed at the public water supply sector, including SupaSpun II, we have ensured that technical enhancements comply fully with the recasting of the EU Water Directive (DWD) 98/83/EC and its tighter rules on cartridge filtration. The directive revised down the previous indicator level of turbidity at the tap from <1NTU to <0.3NTU. Municipal water filtration systems installed across the UK are already helping suppliers meet this target.
At the same time, we have released sustainable polypropylene versions of SupaSpun II and other flagship products. This is of direct benefit to our customers in the municipal water sector who are keen to see green innovation and a lower carbon footprint among their suppliers.
In the UK this has come about just as the water industry begins to manage assets, deliver services and invest in infrastructure under the latest five-year regulatory cycle, AMP8, running from this year to 2030.
As demand continues to rise and we see further changes in the environment, the challenges involved in maintaining continuous supply will only intensify.
My key message when I present to industry leaders in Amsterdam will be how Amazon Filters can support industry in the drive for continual improvements in the public water supply through technology enhancements and treatment innovation, and the part that robust, sustainable filtration can play in that aim.
Components and equipment with long lifespans that are sustainably made, offer cost-efficiency in operating environments and minimise downtime are fundamental.
My colleague Lisa Astbury, our Head of UK Sales, is an expert in all the critical aspects of industry engagement and offers complementary insight in support of the message.
“The successful management and performance of ‘source-to-tap’ investments over the next five years will be an essential aspect of UK water companies’ response to AMP8,” says Lisa. “The same kinds of challenges are there for the municipal water supply in other countries too, spanning environmental, regulatory, financial and technological factors. Suppliers of technology, equipment and solutions, including filter manufacturers like us, need to demonstrate an evolving mix of value for customers. This includes support for energy and resource efficiency, digital integration, real-time monitoring, ESG credentials and a strong sustainability ethos.”
For further details of WWT Drinking Water Quality Europe, visit www.utilityweek.co.uk/event/wwt-drinking-water-quality-europe.
For more information on Amazon Filters’ activities in the water sector, visit www.amazonfilters.com/water-filtration.
